A Change of Pace

I am homeless and couldn't be more excited about it. My small Forester has been fully loaded, both inside and on top, with all my toys and belongings. Four kayaks rest on my roof, ranging from 15 to 5 feet in length, while my road bike perches just on the edge. I'm moving away from my small mountain town in the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania, yet, where to I'm not exactly sure. The reason for departure makes this uncertainty worthwhile.
World Class Kayak Academy, based out of Missoula Montana, has hired me as a teacher and assistant coach beginning spring semester. I will be the new US and World History and Biology teacher for the group of 10th-12th graders. To top it off, we are headed to southern China for the first quarter then spend the remainder of the semester traveling up the west coast from Northern California to Washington, paddling all the while. Talk about perfect. So the fact that I have no where to call "home" is really inconsequential considering I will be traveling for the majority of the year doing what I love most.
Disregaurding the exploration of the world's top whitewater destinations, this job excites me. I will return to the world of academia, teaching a group of students as well as learning from my peers and surroundings. I will be able to continue my training for kayak racing and even have my own team of young kayakers to torture with morning workouts and enduring training sessions. Then there are the people I will meet along the way, both internationally, here in our own country and even those who I will be working with on a daily basis.

So here I am in Colorado, having already spent a week in St. Louis with my mom and stepfather over the Christmas holiday. While most of the day is spent working on curriculum and lessons, I break to listen to my grandmother's story or run to the store with my mom. My grandmother, at age 95, glows with pride at the mention of my new job. Although I'm sure she doesn't understand the unique atmosphere I will be a part of, she is overjoyed with my entrance to the workforce. To her, I am settling down and finding a real job. If only she knew. I smile at the thought of her pride, even if slightly misguided.

So tomorrow I continue my chaotic class preparations, burying myself in textbooks and online resources (since they will be practically unavailable for the entire time we are traveling in China). My tendencies toward over-organization are screaming, yet I know that everything will fall into place once in motion. Having faith in the unknown and comfort in the future are both I get better at each year.