My name is Noelle. I am originally from Minnesota, USA. When I was sixteen years old I felt called to live cross-culturally. That calling was solidified numerous times over the next six years. When I was seventeen I had the opportunity to attend a conference in St. Louis, Missouri. Knowing that I wanted to be a teacher, I talked with multiple schools and organizations at this conference. However, none of them really stood out to me. That is until I came across an international school in China. Every word that came out of their mouths was like music to my ears. And if graduating from high school and going to college to actually learn how to teach wasn't necessary, I would have headed off to China right then and there.

 

Fast forward three years to my junior year of college. I decided to go back to the same conference, learn more about living cross-culturally, and talk with more schools and organizations. Again, none of the ones I talked with made me feel the way that school in China did. After looking around a little more I found the booth for the international school in China. I began talking with one of the recruiters there and surprisingly enough, he remembered talking to me at the last conference three years ago. How. In. The. World? That truly blew my mind. 

 

In April of 2017, I heard about an education job fair near where I lived. I looked at the school/district list on their website and the first school on the list was, you guessed it, the international school in China. If that is not a sign that this is where I was meant to go, I don't know what is. After connecting with the recruiters at the job fair, I began the very, very long application process which included a flight to Georgia and multiple phone and Skype interviews. 

 

Finally, six years in the making, I literally have the job of my dreams and could not be more excited. How many people could say that at twenty-two years old, fresh out of college?

 

If you would like to follow along and be kept up to date with my adventures in China, make sure to subscribe to my blog. 

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xo Noelle