Lauren the Lehrerin

(Lauren the Teacher)

I thank my junior year high school trip to Northern Italy for catching the attention of the relentless travel bug I now host. This determined bug bit me then like a starving mosquito and I predict it will continue biting until I've covered at least half the globe. I was 17 when I first stepped foot off North America. My classmates and I toured seven cities from top to bottom as we ate our way through that spectacular country. I was a new woman when I returned. I knew more than I did before that trip and I had the confidence to do things I wouldn't dare have tried prior to my travels. I was hooked and I was ready for more.

I started reading travel guides and collecting travel photography books obsessively. My dad, remembering how much my mom had loved traveling, didn't hesitate to supply me with these treats. I diligently recorded every detail of what I'd need to know when the day came that I could travel again. Traveling became my Prince Charming and I was ready and waiting for him to come knocking on my door. Alas, Prince Charming connecting with Cinderella isn't a common occurrence; a poor college student working my way through my undergrad, splurging on travel was only a dream. So, my friends and I road-tripped our way through our spring breaks and summers and although I longed for more, I did what I could to fight off the itch this exasperating bug was causing me.

Prior to declaring my undergrad major I was asked by a frequent customer at my place of employment if I would be interested in tutoring English to International Teaching Assistants to help them prepare for the English speaking exam they were responsible for passing prior to leading classes. This customer was a professor involved in the study abroad program and was responsible for ensuring these new TA's adjusted well to their new lives in Michigan. She went on to explain the program and I listened respectfully. At the end of her spiel I said, "You had me at international." When can I start? I felt the bug bite through my clothes that time.

Working with these brave folks with faces from all over the world was the most multicultural experience I had had. Perhaps it was the most humbling as well. You mean, Michigan isn't the only place where things are happening? I asked them as many questions as they asked me. From them I got travel ideas, from me they learned how Michiganders live. They were excited to be in the US, they were excited to teach. Working for The Boys and Girls Club had fueled my interest in teaching. Chatting with the International TA's cemented it.

Like so many universities, MSU's study abroad program is one of their pride and joys. Lucky for me, so is their teacher prep program. Because of this, MSU offered several appetizing--no, drool-worthy--teacher trips. Though I was in no position to finance a study abroad program, I visited the university's Study Abroad office regularly just to look at the pictures and read the descriptions, all the time wondering when. There was never an if , just a when.

 My year-long student teaching experience in East Lansing had provided me the opportunity to work with students from six different countries. (I was covered with travel bug bites after that year.) I found myself envious of my first graders' "Places Visited" list. It's time to do something about this. But, first things first. Because a college diploma can't be traded in for a paycheck, I resolved to getting a job before boarding the plane for the trip around the world I had been planning since high school.

My fours years teaching in the wonderful city of Fenton gave me the confidence to finally fight this travel bug head on. It was the Fenton school district that introduced me to the idea of applying for the Rotary Group Study Exchange to Brazil and they supported me every step of the way. I have scars from the travel bug bites I incurred during our work towards our schools' IB authorization and our awe-inspiring IB World Fairs. Ironically enough, when my real-life Prince Charming came knocking on my door, in human form, and asked me to live this dream I had been dreaming across the ocean with him--I only hesitated long enough to say, "But how can I leave Fenton?"

Seedlings

So, here we are. On the other side of the pond, living, working, and loving every second of it. I recently accepted a teaching position at Seedlings, a brand-new, never-been-opened English early childhood center in Hamburg. The founders are warm, positive, child-loving women wanting to support the education of young kiddos from the very beginning. Last week I found myself at a table with women from Zimbabwe, London, Melbourne, and Hamburg sharing ideas about education. I am terribly thankful for this ultimate humbling multicultural experience. I've finally done it.

It's hard to pinpoint the moment when I stopped feeling like a tourist and Hamburg starting feeling like a home. It started when I stopped carrying my camera with me at all times. (My SIM card has since thanked me.) I really became aware of this transformation, though, once I found myself in a school again, talking about the best way to support the students and to ensure their growth. Working within a school, I am the most comfortable. I am at home there. Nothing will replace my love for Tomek in Fenton, but having the chance to work with these new students will certainly help with the homesickness.