Chasing Fire

Hola!

My name is Ashley Oman and I am so excited to teach in Spain with you all! 

Deciding to apply for this program and getting accepted have been a breath of fresh air.  2020 was a hard year for all of us.  Not only have we been living through a pandemic, but the turbulent state of our country politically, socially, and economically all weigh heavy. 

I just graduated with my master’s from George Washington University in DC.  In December of 2020, I was at one of the lowest points in my life.  With social distancing in place, the sun setting at like 4pm (ridiculous), few friends still in the area, and no prospective jobs, I found myself very unhappy.  But in a few short months that all changed.

Throughout my life, my adventurous nature has led me to take advantage of opportunities to travel the world.  But, I have never lived abroad for longer than 6-8 weeks.  I started to feel this fire inside me saying “why not just leave the country?”  “Go live somewhere else for a year or two and then figure out your next steps”.  With that in mind I began to search for ways to work abroad and stumbled upon teaching English.  Despite my lack of teaching experience this job sounded like exactly what I was looking for!

Opening up the email and learning that I was accepted into the Teach in Spain program was the happiest I had felt in months.  I don’t know about you all but I had this overwhelming sense of peace, feeling like this was absolutely the next step for me and exactly where I am supposed to be.  If family and friends don’t share the same wanderlust and desire to explore the world and breathe it all in, it can certainly feel lonely. Although it took me a while, I realized that I couldn’t just wait around for someone else to chase my dreams with me. I just had to do it.

I have always prioritized stepping outside of my comfort zone and truly fear waking up one day in 20 years with regrets about all the things I could have done.  I have found that when you open yourself up to the things that seem the most scary, those are the times that you feel the most alive. My favorite quote which I ended up getting tattooed on me is, “Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire”.  With that in mind…

Are you ready to chase fire with me?