The Question:

Friday, June 22, 2012
Phoenix, Arizona, United States
WHY?

That's the first question I get when I tell people I've quit my job and am moving to Montevideo, Uruguay. I must be mad. Or moving there for a man. Those are both incorrect (well, at least the man part!). I wanted to give a brief introduction to the how I came to the decision to uproot my life and jet-set to South America.

I have been wanting to move abroad for many years . It's always been a desire, lurking in the back of my mind. Whenever I would hear about people that were actually doing that I would get envious. How did they do that?! Walk away from everything familiar and go somewhere where they knew no one? That was only for the bold, the brave and the gutsy.

In January of 2011 a very good friend of mine was thinking about taking a trip to Argentina. Since I had traveled to South America before she wanted some advice. We went out for dinner at my favorite place, The Vig and had Malbec on the patio where I told her "Rina, you're young, you're not married, you don't have children, you have the money... Why WOULDN'T you go?" She laughed. And responded "Caitlin, you're young, you're not married, you don't have children, you have the money... Why don't you come with me?" That moment changed my life.

We met in Buenos Aires on May 7th. Trip of a lifetime. Understatement. Life changing. We had an incredible time getting to know each other better and discovering Argentina. One day we took the ferry over to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay. It was the most beautiful place I had ever seen. So peaceful! I felt my soul come alive there. And I knew I had to return.

One year later, I've become a certified in TEFL (teaching English as a Foreign Language), sold my belongings and said YES to adventure. I depart July 18th.

A favorite quote of mine expresses this phenomenon quite well: 
 
"My first word of advice is this, Say yes. In fact, say yes as often as you can. Saying yes begins things. Saying yes is how things grow. Saying yes leads to new experiences, and new experiences will lead to knowledge and wisdom. Yes is for young people, and an attitude of yes is how you will be able to go forward in these uncertain times." - Michael Hogan

I look forward to keeping you all in the loop about my adventures and will miss you all dearly. Know that you ALL have an open invitation to say YES and join in the fun!
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Comments

Megan
2012-07-19

YES!

2025-02-10

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