Life after graduation...only begins when you leave the country
For many up until that point the big decisions have been trivial. Life is mapped out.
- You go to the local school
- You go to the local College or University
- You play sports popular with your peers
- Your favourite band is a probably a popular one
- Your best friends are probably your classmates
Then suddenly your faced with the biggest choice of your life. What do do next ...
It would be nice to think that 4 years in college would have prepared you for the rest of your life. Sure some people are ready to start climbing the corporate ladder and college sets them up for that. The next things on the list are; buy a nice suit, sign up for a set of professional exams. Take up golf.
It's time to think outside the box!
I am going to share, in a series of posts, the choices I made when I finished college . Your going to be sitting in an office or factory weighted down with the millstone of a mortgage around your neck for long enough. You might be lucky to get a week or two somewhere exotic once a year and some weekend city breaks but you will never have a better opportunity to travel and to have the adventures and unique encounters that will stay with you for the rest of your life, as you will when your have just graduated.
Done be fooled by the jobs that involve travel and think it's a substitute for the real thing. You will end up living out of a suitcase, staying in nice hotels and never get the opportunity to really get to know the people, the cultures and what makes each place unique.
My Personal Story
When I finished college I decided that now was my opportunity. There would be no time like the present. I don't like the term "gap year" as it conjures up images in my head of drifting aimlessly.
For my year, which turned into 2, I spent it travelling all over the world. I was a teacher based in the United Arab Emirates and Syria. But I took every opportunity, every holiday and weekend to travel to neighbouring countries. I visited Lebannon, Iran, Jordan, Israel, Bahrain, Oman, India and Thailand and even took a language course in Yemen. I will share some pictures and stories from my travels with the hope to inspire people to pack up and leave their home country as soon as they can. Whatever country that may be
View overlooking Manakha, Yemen
Think big and Travel Far
Join me on the most culturally enriching time in my life, where I met the most wonderful people, had amazing food, fell in love with the desert and picked up a few words of wisdom along the way. I was so privileged among the many wonderful places I visited to spend a year in Syria when the country was at peace. I have some amazing photos stories to share.
Lessons Learnt
It's amazing how similar people from all over the world are. We have had similar struggles throughout history. We have common wants and desires and most importantly we are all human sharing this Pale Blue Dot.
His and her door knockers Yazd, Iran
Thank you for reading this. I write on Steemit about Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Travel and lots of random topics.
Stock Images have been sourced from https://pixabay.com
Travel Images are taken from my library
Nice idea my gap started after high school tried some college but still working at it when I can. Otherwise your plan seems like you got more of a cultural experience. Wish I could pick up and leave my home country and that is my wife's goal as well. So we are working toward it together.
Teaching as a foreign language is a great way to get there. I actually was a maths teacher so I didn't need to get a cert but there are some specific programmes such as JET in Japan which don't require certs either. You get on the job training.