A big move

"Good things come to those who wait".  It's been a mantra, running though my head over the past two months.  Just before Christmas I was browsing job postings, as the soon-to-be-gaduated tend to do, when I stumbled upon what looked like my dream job.  December seemed a bit early to apply for jobs when you don't technically graduate until May, but it isn't every day that your dream job comes along, so I applied.  And after (what felt like a rollercoaster to me) two months of interviews, hopes and fears, I was offered the job.

And I'm still shaking my head in wonder at what a perfect fit this feels like. Seriously, I don't know that I could have designed a better job for me myself. As graduation approaches, I've been making a list of things I'm looking for in my career. I wanted to focus on literacy development. I wanted to work with teacher training and curriculum development.  I wanted to wok within the already existing school system since improving the system that's already in place has the potential for a lot greater reach than working at an individual school level.  I wanted to be able to take a less visible role so that my expertise could support people who already have the cultural know-how that I will never develop as perfectly as someone from the place.

And working with Child-Aid, I'll be able to do all that.  Check out Child-Aid's website.  I'm really excited about their vision and beyond happy to be joining their team.  Everyone at Child-Aid that I've talked to has been enthusiastic and passionate about the work they do.  I'll be poviding training and support to a Guatemalan staff.  They, in turn, run professional development workshops on literacy instruction and provide one-on-one follow up support to teachers in rural Guatemalan schools.  The curriculum Child-Aid uses for its trainings is already well developed, but they also want it to be a work in progress, reflecting advances in educational theory and practice, so I'll get to contribute to developing the curriculum as well.


Then there's the location.  That's something else I've been doing lots of thinking about since I'm hoping to put down roots for awhile, and wanted a job in a location I could see myself possibly staying in long term. After down-sizing from Bogotá to a much smaller Turku, I realized that as much as I enjoyed big-city life, small town life seemed more sustainable and desirable to me.  I like that I run into people I know here when I'm doing errands or riding the bus.  Then, there's the weather.  If you know anything at all about Finland, you probably know it has long, dark, cold winters.  I miss the sun.  People always imagined me in a tropical paradise in Colombia, but the reality was a lot different. In Bogotá I missed the sun a lot of the time too, and I became an expert at wearing layers.  Access back to the States was another consideration.  Spending 24 hours and a thousand dollars just to visit home is difficult.

The town I'll be living in is called Panajachel.  It's located on Lake Atitlan, frequently touted as one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.  I'll let you be the judge of that.

Lake Atitlan, photo from wikimedia commons

The town itself is small, estimated at around 15,000 people. Since it's a popular tourist destination, it also has more options for eating out and entertainment than you might expect in a town its size, and even a grocery store that caters to foreigners and stocks things like Italian sausage and cheddar cheese. At almost a mile high, the climate is spring like year round, with most days having temperatures in the 70s (20s in celsius).  There's a dry season and a rainy season, though I've been told the sun usually shines in the morning even during the rainy season.  It's only 1 time zone difference from EST and travel times and ticket prices are better than either Colombia or Finland. I have to admit- the volcanoes on the lake make me a *tiny* bit nervous, and downsizing from a town of 180,000 to a town of 15,000 might be harder than from a city of 7,000,000 to a town of 180,000. After all, Turku still had Ikea, a movie theater, and a shopping mall.  (But I'm not that big of a shopper anyway, and with movies at 13€ each it wasn't like I was going to the movies here either) But other than that, I think it's pretty perfect for me.

I've had some moments in the past year or so, as I think about where I come from, and where I want to go, and I wondered if Finland would really help me meet those goals.  After all, networking chances for non-profits in Latin America are pretty slim on this side of the Atlantic.  I've given myself pep-talks, the ones where I say, "God wouldn't nudge you to leave somewhere where you had a job that challenged you and that you enjoyed, friends you loved, and a home you felt happy in just so you could find a job you don't like in a place you don't want to live.  He'll open doors." But despite those pep-talks, I still found myself doubting and worried.  "What if. . .?" I'd ask myself, and fill in all kinds of negative possibilities.  So to be reminded of God's faithfulness-that he goes ahead of us, that he does not abandon us- has made my heart sing.

Now- who's coming to visit me once I'm all settled in?  My Mom has already told me that HER top priority for my apartment/house hunting is a 2nd bedroom for visitors.  I think a nice kitchen, good natural light, and location might be a tad bit higher on mine. ;)

"The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him." Lamentations 3:25