Lauren Moore

A Life of Layovers: How Traveling Solo Changed Who I am

I didn’t know what I wanted to do. The only thing I knew I wanted, was to travel. I came across a job posting looking to hire English teachers in Korea. I had majored in English. I had no idea what I was going to do with it, and no true passion for teaching. Travelling, on the other hand, sounded perfect. I researched the hell out of this gig. Turns out, a lot of people do it. I have never pursued something so fervently as I did when I found this opportunity to go abroad, leave Texas, and get paid to live in a foreign country. I was 23, had just graduated college, and nothing sounded more enticing than this grand new adventure. I had befriended a girl with a mom from Korea in the 8th grade, but other than that, I had no personal ties or knowledge about anything related to Korea. I didn’t even have a passport. I truly don’t know what compelled me to yearn for this experience more than I’ve ever yearned for anything. I contacted the schools, I spoke to the other foreign teachers employed at the schools. In a few weeks I had secured a job offer, a plane ticket, a step-by-step guide on how to make the transition, and a newfound excitement that had been dormant for years. My mom gasped when I sent the acceptance letter to the school I’d be working at. In a town called Cheonan, about an hour train ride south of Seoul, I’d embark on a new journey, alone, at 23, having never left the country.