Road to Indonesia

And away we go....

Hi, I'm Daniel and I teach 5th grade abroad in Indonesia! In mid July of 2014, I was offered a teaching position at an International School in Jakarta, Indonesia. At the time, I was teaching at a school in Tacoma, Washington, USA. In fact, my wife Andrea and I have lived most of our lives in Washington. When this offer came, we were allotted three agonizing days to decide on whether to move or not. We are proud parents of an nineteen month old child and quite protective of her. Toting a toddler across the world posed many questions. Toting ourselves across the world posed many questions. We were very comfortable with our lives in Tacoma. We had family and a myriad of friends to support us. BUT, the truth was we knew we would regret it the rest of our lives if we didn't move. We knew deep in our hearts that this opportunity was rare and quite special. We knew we would see things that we never dreamed of. Yes indeed, we knew we had to do it. On the morning of July 18th, I asked Andrea if I should go ahead and give my work two week's notice. She nonchalantly replied, "Well I already set up doctor appointments..." I took that as an affirmative and on August 3rd I was on my way.  Andrea and our baby Penelope joined me three weeks later. Carpe Diem!
(Penelope getting a good laugh at the Singapore Zoo)

You could say that every day is an adventure here. Everything is so new and different from what we are used to. This blog will provide a record of our adventures. Along with sharing personal anecdotes, Andrea and I will also post recommendations of foods to try, places to visit, and things to avoid as well. For example, I wouldn't try the street food in Jakarta unless you have an iron stomach. Oh yes, and don't drink the tap water unless you enjoy bouts of Typhoid. But do try Gado Gado, it's delicious.

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