Changing for the better #globalteachers

This entry is going to deviate a little from the previous “here’s all the amazing things we did today” type posts.  We’re currently at the start of a five hour bus ride headed from Freiburg to Munich.  The countryside is absolutely beautiful.  It’s almost like driving through the Appalachian Mountains with the curvy roads, valleys, and forests.  Only the beauty is magnified by 1000.  It seems like around every corner is a little village nestled between green hills, the spire of the church standing up from the town center.  Since we’ve left so early, many people are sleeping and it’s given me some time to reflect on what this trip has meant to me.

If I’m being completely honest, I am not, by nature, a very adventurous person.  I am a homebody and often find it difficult to spend time with a lot of strangers or crowds.  The weekends are spent with my family playing at home or going to the park.  But during this trip I have been surrounded with amazing people whose only goal has been to see and do as much as possible.  Getting caught up in their enthusiasm, I have spent my evenings exploring picturesque villages, seeing buildings over 500 years old, and trying foods that are absolutely delicious.

The memories from this trip will last me a life time.  But what I’m starting to realize is this trip has sparked in me the desire to make more memories.  I want to travel more with my husband.  I want to experience more beautiful places like this with him.  I want my girls to remember a childhood filled with adventure and excitement.  More importantly, I want to be a role model for them and help them see how powerful it can be to see and do new things.

One of the goals of the Go Global NC organization is to foster global awareness and connections.  I already feel like I have learned so much here.  While much of what we have learned isn’t necessarily in my sphere of influence to change back home, I still feel a connection to the people we have met and the organizations we have heard from.  That connection makes me want more.  I want to learn from more people.  I want to see and hear what other countries are doing.  I want to make those global connections.  And I think that is exactly the point of this program.  I feel so lucky to be a part of it.