Amman, Jordan.. here we come!

Over Christmas break, my husband and I were relaxing and watching tv, while surfing the web.  I stumbled across the International School Services website, and of course was intrigued.  At this point it was purely out of curiosity.  I have always thought it would be an amazing opportunity to live and teach overseas, but was pretty sure it was not a possibility for me-- at least not anytime in the near future.  I clicked on the link and the more I read, the more I began to realize this might actually be a possibility.  International schools are located all over the world.. and I couldn't believe it when I read I could bring my family with me!!  "Hey, babe, how about I become an international teacher?" were the next words that came out of my mouth.  The hubby and I probably spent at least two hours that night checking out all the different places we could go, the benefits packages, etc.  Next thing I know, I'd been accepted into the organization, registered for the San Francisco fair, and airline tickets were purchased for February. 

The format of the fair was a whole new experience in and of itself.  Interview sign-ups happened the first morning, and then we interviewed in the principal's/hiring committee's hotel rooms.  This was very strange for me, but makes sense when you consider the number of schools conducting interviews and the space needed to do so.  On the first day of the fair, my first interview was with Dr. Hana Kanan, the director of the International Academy in Amman.  She asked me to come back later that day for a second interview, at which she offered me a position as a SEN teacher.  I had until the end of the day to make my decision.  My husband and I spent a great deal of time Face-timing while searching the web, making phone calls, asking questions- all before making the decision to go for it.  That night, I signed my contract- the Nelsons were moving to Amman!!

Since then it's been a whirlwind of emotions.  We are extremely excited, but also overwhelmed.  So much to do in so little time.  We've been working on dwindling down our possessions, which has already taught us so much about what we once thought was important and now realize are just trivial world possessions.  Thinking about saying goodbye is the worst. We will not return to the states for a year, and I hate goodbyes more than anything.  So for now, we will ignore that part of the agenda.  We plan to leave our home in Colorado as soon as school is out in June.  We will head to California to stay with our family for the summer, as well as add in a bit of traveling, including a trip to Eugene to watch Billy run in the Olympic Trials.

What an amazing adventure we are preparing for.  We couldn't be more thrilled to embrace a new culture.. together.. as a family.  We are ready for this, and to be honest, it will probably be the first of many international teaching jobs. The Nelsons will soon be world travelers, and we couldn't be more thrilled!