Achieving Dreams

Have you ever dreamed of travelling to a new place? Well I have. My dream was to go to Russia. You could say I was obsessed. In July of 2017, I started making my dreams a reality.

I applied to a program called International Language Programs(ILP), to become a English teacher. -ILP is an amazing non-profit organization that is perfect if you want to make a difference and travel the world. (You can find out more about the program here www.ilp.org).- If I was accepted not only was I going to visit Russia, I was going to live there for the last four months of 2018. 

There were long hours, days, and weeks of waiting, but the acceptance letter finally came. I was going to VORONEZH, RUSSIA! After doing my happy dance and re-reading the email about 27 times, I called my mom to tell her everything. Her support, along with the rest of my family and Shea, is what has gotten me where I am today.  

I spent the next year preparing for this new life in a foreign country. I worked countless hours saving money, created hundreds of to-do list, and completed lots of paperwork. My family also helped me prepare. My mom sewed a beautiful quilt to raffle off to raise money for my trip. The support that I received from my fiance, family, friends, and community was overwhelming. I can't express how much gratitude I have for them.

 As the days grew closer to my departure, the reality of leaving Shea, my home, and family was finally beginning to set in. I was constantly feeling different emotions nervousness, excitement, sadness, joy, stress, and not having a care in the world. By the time I finally left, I felt like I didn't have any more stress left. 

I am now living in Voronezh, Russia and it's better than I could have ever imagined. I keep waiting to wake up from this dream that is actually my life. I love it here! However with the good comes the bad. At times it's hard, I miss things that I didn't know you could even miss. If I were to list them out the list would never end. But I wouldn't change a thing.

I know for a fact that I wouldn't have been able to achieve my dream without everyone who supported me. Especially Shea Frazier, who has stood by my side and has been my biggest supporter and my rock. THANK YOU!

Advice from a girl living in Russia:

Dream Big, Set your Goals, Be Determined, Work Hard, Surround yourself with Support, Keep Going, Achieve your Dreams-It's a process, and a process worth completing. 

~Laura Burke (soon to be Frazier)