Written by Destiny Dickerson
The streets of Siem Reap, Cambodia. Photo by Destiny Dickerson.
I landed in Cambodia on January 13, and I've officially been out of the United States for two months. I have learned a great deal since leaving the United States. I have always been open about my desire to teach English, and one of the reasons I left the US was to pursue a career in teaching English. Teaching English is one of those careers that allows individuals to do something meaningful, especially in Cambodia, which is not only an inexpensive country but also has fewer requirements to teach English than other countries. During my first month in Cambodia, I was able to live a relatively comfortable life compared to when I was back home; it was always WORK WORK WORK. After the second month in Cambodia, you get past the romanticized feeling of being in another country, and reality sets in. What I mean is that reality will set in, because often people have this idea that, 'I'm going to move abroad, and all my troubles will get better.' This might be true for some people, but for most, it's not.
Before leaving the United States, I thoroughly researched, which I did. I didn't set my expectations too high because I didn't want to experience culture shock or be disappointed. I slowly began to find myself and discovered something interesting about myself that I hadn't considered before. Yes, I wanted to teach English like those who inspired me back in 2012-2013, but I found that I was better suited to teaching English online. Teaching English online provides me not only the luxury of having a career but also the flexibility of taking my work anywhere I want. Since arriving in Cambodia, I have faced difficulties, just as in any other place, and I will explain some of them in a future blog. Cambodia is one of the many countries I plan to live in, and I look forward to continuing to fulfill my dreams of living abroad.