Somehow it seems appropriate that on our nation's independence day, I should write about moving away from the U.S. to live on the other side of the world.

It makes sense to be very grateful to my country right now, because the State Department has offered me the opportunity to move to Indonesia for ten months and work there as an English teacher. While the job of teaching English is one that will surely be an exciting new challenge, my other job while I'm abroad is to be a cultural ambassador. That means building relationships with my students, coworkers, and neighbors; learning about Indonesian culture and society; and sharing my understanding of and appreciation for life in America. Hopefully this blog will be a way for me to share some of what I'm learning with my friends and family back home.

The other reason that today seems like the right day to start this blog is because my arrival in Indonesia and the start of my training program are exactly a month from today. I've recently found out where I'll be working. I am moving to the city of Samarinda, which is the capital of the province of east Kalimantan, which is on the island of Borneo. I haven't been able to find out much about Samrinda yet, but I do know I'll be teaching at a high school in the city. I've talked a little bit to the girl who was at my site last semester, she tells me I'll be living in a bright green house with an extra bedroom (so feel free to visit, if you're ever passing through!) and wonderful neighbors.

Outside of Samarinda, Kalimantan is home to the oldest rainforest in the world, most of the planet's remaining orangutans, and scuba-diving sites renowned for their sea turtles and manta rays. Sounds to me like a pretty good place to live.

So right now, I'm focused on learning as much Bahasa Indonesia as I can (dan sekarang belajar tidak akan sangat baik), seeing friends and family before I leave, and daydreaming about batik fabrics.