From Portland to Uzbekistan: The CountDown

It's been a couple of weeks since my partner, Mina, found out she'd been offered a position teaching English (ESL) at Urgench State University in Uzbekistan starting the end of August 2018. I am very proud of her and excited to be part of this next journey into Central Asia. However, this is a big decision: one that pushes beyond 2018 and will inform next year and the years to come. Why Western Uzbekistan and not some larger, vibrant city? Why so little time to plan? There are many more questions than what fits in this blog. I am learning to ask the right ones and learning to become more patient with myself as I flip flop between genuine excitement and dread.

What will I do? I parted ways with LifeCycle Adventures back in March before the 2018 season ramped up with the hope of developing my own business ideas into something more long term. With this new travel plan, I am once again thrown into a state of confusion. I am not sure how work visas or language barriers will factor into career plans in Uzbekistan, but I am hoping to use the time and resources to learn about the culture, learn some new skills (online classes? a trade? not sure), and, if some others will join me, I WOULD LOVE TO DO A SECTION (or two) of the SILK ROAD!!!