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Doing life on my terms: Heading to Africa to teach!

This is the blog I was actually going to write when I started about June 7! You all know that I have done some very exciting stuff lately, with my trip to Athens and my speeches there, but you should know that there is another thing in my life that I am as passionate about as I am about Tourette: education.

Hopefully, in May 2014 I will graduate and be an elementary school teacher (kindergarten and 1st-6th grade). But I’ve always wanted to go to Africa and help with the education there, as I believe education is where it all starts and how problems can be solved. It’s also what we do with TS awareness: educating the public about what TS really is.

So I really want to go to Africa to teach and to motivate children (and their parents) to go to school and to get a good job. And that’s exactly what I’m going to do! This Sunday, July 7, I’ll leave for Uganda for two weeks to teach and to work with local students who want to become teachers, just like me.

A couple of months ago someone told me that she was really impressed that I was going on this trip while having Tourette. I thought about that for I while and then I figured: Why wouldn’t I do it? It’s something I really want and, yes, it might be a bit harder for me, but what in life isn’t?

It’s going to be exhausting for everyone, and it’s going to be maybe three times as exhausting for me (with all the new impressions and such), but I’ll just sleep three times as long afterward! I’ve told everyone in my group about TS and what it means to me and that I need rest and some alone time and what they can do for me, so there’s really no reason not to go! I’m going to Africa and I’m going to teach!

I wanted to share this with you, because I really think that you can do everything you want, while having Tourette, you just have to find your own way to do it. If I hadn’t had TS, maybe I would’ve gone longer, but the only thing that matters is that I’m going, and I’m going on my own terms and in my own way!

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LauraB

6 Comments

    • Great! I will write a blog about it, but I’m still taking in all I’ve seen and done, so give it some time ;)

  1. wowwwwww things just keep getting better and better 4 u!!! this is so cool. what will u be teaching? do u speak the langurage there? it’s gotta be sorta scary 2 b doin this!

    • It’s sooooo scary! But the kids speak English, so that’ll be ok :) A different accent probably, but still.

      I teach kindergarten and 1st-6th grade, but there I’ll probably have a 3th, 4th, 5th or 6th grade (with up to 150 kids in one class!). And all subjects, that normal for me, that’s how we do it here as well.

  2. wow this is so cool. what happens if you dont want to leave after 2 weeks? haha

    • Haha, I have to ;) But if I like it, I want to go as counseler next year :)

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