So You’re REALLY going to live abroad?? WTF are you thinking??
WELCOME TO MY BLOG……..Below you’ll find the NYALAtheNAVIGATOR origin story
In August of 2016 I retired from teaching.
I loved my students, and had some badass educator colleagues.
But I was BURNT OUT!
During my tenure in DMV schools I taught EVERY SCHOOL!
Day School, Night School, Summer School, and Saturday School!
So I took a Glorious 6-month sabbatical! Traveled to Brazil for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Got to spend over a month in St. Louis with my ailing Granny. Worked with my cousin Cedric in New Orleans to facilitate the NBMBAA youth conference. Got to explore a bit of Black Boston and their iconic seafood scene and spent several dazzling weeks at home in Cali, museum hopping in LA, and spending time with the family.
In February 2017, the money ran out, and I came to a cross roads; spend $50,000 on a PhD that may or may not put me in a different income bracket than teaching. OR get some actual practical experience in the field of mental health.
I went to work for the largest outpatient mental health clinic in Washington DC!
In a year and a half I worked in 3 different departments, each with its own unique set of challenges . The most daunting and rewarding was working on a team with Schizophrenic young mothers. Yes, I chose that team. I am an educator, and I love working with women and girls. But that job rattled me to my core! I‘ve got lots of mindblowing stories, and learned the ins and outs of the the DC care system from psychiatric wards, homeless shelters, home visits, jail visits, court advocacy (fulfilled my latent dreams of being a lawyer), navigated the nooks and crannies of every DC hood , taught life skills, knew the schedule of every food pantry and food bank, took women and their newborns to emergency domestic violence shelters, shopped for underwear with a client who seemed to ‘lose’ hers weekly, made tedious DMV visits, witnessed my first ultrasound and pap smear that weren’t my own and myriad other experiences.
This is also when I met my own panic attacks and crippling anxiety.
I hate to admit, I couldn’t cope with the emotional and physical demands of social work and the MOUNTAINS of paperwork that came with it!
It didn’t take long before I knew it was time for something different.
Not to mention, I was making ½ of what I made as a teacher and racking up debt.
That nagging idea to teach abroad resurfaced.
In 2018 I went to the International School Services (ISS) job fair in NYC in the dead of winter.
I was TERRIFIED!
After countless applications to jobs in Dubai to no avail (on what I now know were dead-end jobsites), I knew that I had never failed an interview! If I wanted to teach abroad, I needed to meet with school leaders in person.
I stayed with my oldest friend Shariffa Wilson.
Had drinks, laughed and cried with my college roomy Elan Rowe.
Got offers to Kuwait, Bulgaria, and Taiwan in that order.
Was all set to go to Kuwait, because Europe had zero appeal, then met with the KAS superintendent who sold me on Tropical Taiwan and assured me that his Black wife was thriving there. I ultimately chose Taiwan, because it was the furthest away, I’d never been to Asia, and my mama said go! (Mom had actually traveled Taiwan with a colleague years earlier and loved it! I come from traveling stock, but that’s another blog post).
With the job set, and everyone thinking I was crazy,
I moved out of my apartment and in with a church sister Mia Carey (Now Mia Omisore) who met her hubby at one of my going away parties!! Look at GOD!
Kicked it extra hard my last 6 months in DC
Went to Barcelona to see JayZ & Bey ON THE RUN II for my 35th Bday with Tiffany Johnson (Whom I met at UCLA in a summer program where we kicked it wayyy harder than we interned)
Other catalysts for this move include multiple RELATIONSHIP EXPLOSIONS!
(Many women at the teach abroad fair were also fresh out of relationships, no coincidence there) I’ve got a BOOKS worth, but I’m gonna hold those stories until I meet my KING!
Then I can be like the all the women who become relationship gurus once they get a man
#shadenoshade
I WANTED TO BE THE COOL AUNT WHO LIVES ABROAD
SO I BECAME HER……
This is a safe space!!
Join me as we tackle tough questions together and build community through travel adventures
With EVERY post I’ll pose a question so you can join the conversation
Have you ever BLOWN UP your life? Taken a leap of faith? Made a nose dive into the unknown? Completely UPENDED your entire existence? TELL ME ABOUT IT!
Share your stories of Triumphs and Failures BELOW
Yessss queen! Live your best life! I’m here for this energyyyy
This blog leaves me wanting so much more! I am so excited to hear about all of your amazing travel experiences and tips. While I’ve never completely blown up my life, hearing about all these wonderful adventures might inspire me to do it. Looking forward to hearing more; hitting subscribe NOW!
I am in awe of this!! I am excited and inspired by you!! I can’t wait to read and experience more!!! Xoxxox
Thank you for creating this safe space to be honest and authentic, Nyala.
I made the similar decision to move abroad to teach. The move was made primarily for the person I was dating at the time. She had taught in Egypt for two years prior to coming back to the states in 2017 – we began dating in 2014-ish and did the long distance for her two Egypt years. When she returned, she was very unhappy with life in the states due to her job and lack of freedom and way of life she now had compared to the life she had created abroad. So, one day I took her out to surprise her with the idea that I would accompany her back to Egypt if her school had a job for the both of us for the next school year. Within two months, we were on our way to signing contracts for the 2018-2019 school year. I left a school I was deeply rooted in with great possibilities of becoming one of the next assistant principals, but this move did not come with the hesitation and second-guessing you would think for someone who’s only ever been out of the country for a wedding in Mexico on a resort.
This choice was made on the foundation of love, faith, and some slight pressure to commit. South Florida was not a place where a man goes to get away from the distraction of women, partying, and the overall lifestyle. I knew this move would allow us to be in a space that would not only test our commitment to each other but allow us both as individuals to see what we wanted for own lives. After what I would consider to be an amazing year of growth and experiences together, I was hit with the pressure of an ultimatum entering our second year together. It was to propose prior to committing to a 3rd year in Egypt or to propose before we moved back to the states if we were not choosing to do a 3rd year. FYI – I completely understood her side of things and still do till this day, therefore, I was not upset about it, but I knew almost immediately what I wanted. It took me a week to find the words, but I did. We ended things before we both returned to Egypt for year 2.
Four months later, I realized that after one 5-five year relationship and a relocation to a foreign country for my now ex-girlfriend, I was brought here to find the woman of my dreams, a woman who also took a leap of faith coming to Egypt. We are currently together and about to celebrate a year of being together, and I continue to grow more and more in love with her each day.
When we trust God, He uses the “nose dives” into the unknown to reveal the treasure that we always said we believed in but never thought truly existed at the bottom.
This was absolutely wonderful niece. Sending many blessings. The several years have been challenging for me, but I decided to put up a fight and God has tremendously blessed me with my survival. Continue your journey. Sending many blessings and success.
I am excited hear more about your journey. As a former colleague & workout partner, I always knew you had greatness in you. I enjoyed how carefree your approach to life was. You are intelligent, beautiful and inspiring. Thank you for inviting us in. I’ll share my leap of faith at another time. My story is not so glorious but it has taught me more about me. I have unfinished business & unfulfilled desires, but I know God has more for me! In the meantime, I’ll live vicariously through you. Keep pushing forward in your dreams and we’ll be there for your testimony!
I would love to continue reading your blog!
Your story reminds me of one of my favorite songs that I would listen to when I was going through some challenging moments in my life. The title of the song is Life by Des’ree. My worse hit was when I was homeless for two years. I’m so grateful that I’m in a better position now.