Lima

This year our school sent out an email at the beginning of the year asking who wanted to go to a conference in Lima, Peru. The only catch was that we would have to present if we wanted to go. I thought to myself, "Self...This is the kind of opportunity that only comes when you live abroad. Don't be stupid, take advantage of the conference, the chance to present in front of your international colleagues, and it's a freaking trip to Peru. If you pass on this you are an idiot.

The following few weeks were spent preparing a presentation with my teaching partner, Ashley. We ended up focusing on a presentation discussing the virtues of experiential learning through emotion and learning simulations. We presented to a group of administrators as our de facto "try out" and were selected to represent the school.

I can think of worse things

A few months went by as we completely procrastinated and didn't look at it for a long time   tinkered with the presentation to make sure it was just right.

This past week we went. In fact, I am sitting under a palm tree at the school now typing this. The experience has been fantastic. We arrived early on Tuesday afternoon and spent the day walking around and exploring the city. We found ourselves along the beautiful coastline near the beach marveling at the sights and gorgeous city. We fought our way through intensely dense Lima traffic (big problem here), and explored the rich cuisine.

Ashley and I eventually presented and after it was all said and done, in addition to our experience within the city and during our presentation, we learned a lot of really cool strategies, ideas, and big picture philosophical starting points for rich conversations.

Dinner in Lima

While we were here, we also celebrated my 29th birthday with a trip to a famous steakhouse in Lima. Fantastic trip all around, and one that could have only been possible while teaching in an international school. If you would have told me three years ago that within the next five years I would be traveling to Brazil, Trinidad, and Peru to exchange experiences and ideas, I would never had believed it. I feel very fortunate and validated for having chosen to go down this path.