Some of you already know I got expelled from my course at the R0lf Institute – but if I jump through a lot of hoops and humbly grovel, I will be allowed to complete my course. I refuse to get into it here because I have no expectation of privacy and things have a way of coming back to bite you in the assets.
My African Dilemma
Of course I didn’t get the boot until AFTER I bought my ticket to Nairobi for 7 weeks in East Africa for Jan-Feb 2012 (another post on that will follow – but I’ll be helping out here for 4 weeks). In order to fulfill the requirements I need to mentor for 12 consecutive weeks. I can’t even manage 12 split weeks before the March course. So now I’m looking at June and this means being stuck in Boulder until August. First – to put it kindly, Boulder doesn’t resonate with me. I have little in common with the people here. Second – summer and early fall are the most competitive months to find an apartment and being self-employed, I don’t need that handicap. It will translate to more hits on my credit report (never good) and up to $10K in additional security.
Possible Silver Lining
I’m really trying to swallow this bitter pill and it’s just not going down without a fight. I’m trying to find something positive about this situation but I keep coming up empty-handed. So I need to create a silver lining and came up with this: I could go away for 10 weeks after the next course ends on August 3 (assuming they truly do intend to allow me back). That’s long enough to live somewhere for awhile. I could end up back in Africa but…
Should it be Italy?
I have a BA in Italian and I haven’t been to Italy in 12 years. My language skills are appallingly basic for a degree-holder. Maybe…maybe I could find a small furnished apartment for a couple of months and bring my awesome Vonage unit so I can work as normal. I could have some fun developing “habits” – coffee, riding a bike everywhere, gelato (hence the need for a bike!), weekend excursions, maybe entice friends and co-workers to visit, take a class of some sort.
Any Exotic Ideas?
But…I’ve been there before. Five times for a total of 13 weeks (I’m no Chris Guillebeau, but hey- I’m no slouch in the World Traveller stakes!). So maybe I need a corner of the earth to explore, one that offers a lot to keep me interested for 10 weeks and also has reliable high-speed internet. I have both American and British passports. So – got any ideas? I’m dead serious about this.
Filed under: Goals, Travel | Tagged: Live Abroad, Silver lining, Travel, Volunteer, Work Abroad |
MoneyMate Kate 
Visit Coastal Georgia. It’s a beautiful place. I recommend very early fall for optimal pleasure 🙂
Sorry to hear about this. I had a friend have this happen. She did eventually get through. You are not the only one. It apparently happens with some regularity with some teachers…
Maybe you could volunteer in India with Mother Theresa’s group? A client of mine says her daughter volunteers with them every few years for a few weeks at a time.
Do they regularly expel students? That sounds crazy. I vote for Italy!
I vote for Africa, but I don’t know jack squat.
I haven’t been to this corner of the interwebs for awhile, dude. Sorry to hear about the drama. What have you decided?
@oilandgarlc & @Matt – I’ve only heard of one other expulsion in the past 3 years – and that was due to an inability to pass the anatomy/physiology exam. I’d classify the lead instructor as a powertripper, and I am still having trouble getting past the bitterness that this was even allowed to happen.
@ConsciouslyFrugal – Actually, I leave for Africa in 2 weeks. The original plan was to go for 2 months after getting fully certified and volunteer. Now I’m going for 1 month between the date I have to submit my remedial punishment assignments and the date the course starts.
All – I’m still totally undecided. Whoever thought I’d think of getting an apartment in Manhattan and starting a practice as “recovering” from a year in Colorado. I came here to learn and grow and change, instead I’ve clammed up and am thinking I might pick up some cheap anti-depressants (ones I’ve been on before) on my travels.