Yesterday marked a big day in my life (this is Josh talking, now). I finally ventured beyond North America to see this beautiful world. For anyone who doesn't know the story of how the adventure started, I'll let you know.
Emmy has always had the dream of teaching abroad. I have always had the dream of settling into a community and making a positive contribution while setting roots there. When I decided I was going to marry her, I knew that we had to share each others' dreams. After I proposed, I pushed Emmy to truly examine whether she wanted to teach abroad with me, or if it was just kind of something she said she wanted to do. She let me know she was committed to doing it. From that point, I was committed to living her/our dream. I knew if I got a principal job right out of college, I wouldn't want to leave, so the conversation to teach abroad became a "now or never" type of deal. Obviously, we chose the "now" option.
Fast forward to our arrival in Doha. We arrived to a country that is very different than anything I was used to seeing in daily life. It has been amazing!
The last two days have reinforced my belief in people to the fullest. We showed up knowing virtually no one, and have felt so much support already. Our administrators showed up to greet us at the airport. The people of Doha have went out of their way to help me at any store I go to. The people I will be teaching with are so entertaining and passionate about not only teaching, but life in general. We have had two Qatar Foundation employees that have extended themselves beyond anything expected to make sure we felt comfortable with our arrival. As of day 2, the people from Qatar and the people attracted to Qatar have been the greatest part of the journey.
We have gotten close to unpacking everything now and the place is beginning to feel more like a home. I set up my speaker and have been playing everything from Nelly to Zac Brown as we unpacked.
We've gotten to Skype with our families, which is a great experience. It truly makes the world much smaller. Just seconds after I logged in for the first time in our apartment, I received a video chat request from my parents. It was good to see them from across the world, and I think they felt reassured that they could reach me after the Skype date.
I also woke up at about 3:30 this morning, still struggling from the time change, and had a Skype date with Emmy's brother, Sachel. Doha's people are great, but I want to stay in touch with the great people I already have in my life, as well. Keep in touch via Facebook, email, or send me a Skype request. My Skype name is joshua.machicek. We're also looking for more ways to keep in touch, so stay tuned.
Thanks for all the love and for taking time out to keep up with our lives. Best wishes until next time...
Emmy has always had the dream of teaching abroad. I have always had the dream of settling into a community and making a positive contribution while setting roots there. When I decided I was going to marry her, I knew that we had to share each others' dreams. After I proposed, I pushed Emmy to truly examine whether she wanted to teach abroad with me, or if it was just kind of something she said she wanted to do. She let me know she was committed to doing it. From that point, I was committed to living her/our dream. I knew if I got a principal job right out of college, I wouldn't want to leave, so the conversation to teach abroad became a "now or never" type of deal. Obviously, we chose the "now" option.
Fast forward to our arrival in Doha. We arrived to a country that is very different than anything I was used to seeing in daily life. It has been amazing!
The last two days have reinforced my belief in people to the fullest. We showed up knowing virtually no one, and have felt so much support already. Our administrators showed up to greet us at the airport. The people of Doha have went out of their way to help me at any store I go to. The people I will be teaching with are so entertaining and passionate about not only teaching, but life in general. We have had two Qatar Foundation employees that have extended themselves beyond anything expected to make sure we felt comfortable with our arrival. As of day 2, the people from Qatar and the people attracted to Qatar have been the greatest part of the journey.
We have gotten close to unpacking everything now and the place is beginning to feel more like a home. I set up my speaker and have been playing everything from Nelly to Zac Brown as we unpacked.
We've gotten to Skype with our families, which is a great experience. It truly makes the world much smaller. Just seconds after I logged in for the first time in our apartment, I received a video chat request from my parents. It was good to see them from across the world, and I think they felt reassured that they could reach me after the Skype date.
I also woke up at about 3:30 this morning, still struggling from the time change, and had a Skype date with Emmy's brother, Sachel. Doha's people are great, but I want to stay in touch with the great people I already have in my life, as well. Keep in touch via Facebook, email, or send me a Skype request. My Skype name is joshua.machicek. We're also looking for more ways to keep in touch, so stay tuned.
Thanks for all the love and for taking time out to keep up with our lives. Best wishes until next time...
This is the most wonderful blog in the world! I love reading your posts and hearing your voices as I read. I hope y'all are settling in. We miss you like crazy, but are so excited for this awesome journey. xoxoxo lots of love from across the pond.
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