This is the story of how two girls, both working in the mental health field, fled the country and moved to Thailand for a year. Of course, the adventure hasn’t started yet and really we are just waiting to get accepted. So far, we have ordered passports, asked for letters of recommendations from our supervisors and told our families; however, we don’t even know if we’re going for sure. Well, if all goes as planned, we will be moving ourselves from the greatest state of Oregon across the world to start our new lives as teachers. About Kyle: I am a graduate of the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism (specifically with an emphasis in Advertising). I never want to work in the realm of Journalism and really wish I would have gone to school for education, like my mom told me I was meant to do. Regardless, I’ve been working one of the hardest jobs in the world for the past year and a half at a residential treatment facility for kids with mental and behavior issues. I say this is hard because you get very little pay for enduring a great deal of [physical & mental] pain. I am the third of four children and am definitely a “middle” child. I have played softball my entire life and the club softball team at the UO (where I met Steph). I also coached at the high school while living in Corvallis. Some things about me: I am a huge Oregon Ducks fan, obviously. I think folding laundry is therapeutic. Coca-Cola and yellow Vitamin Water are staples in my life. I hate when people bite straws. I love to swim but am terrified of the ocean (I’m pretty sure I died on the Titanic in my past life). I also love summer camp and wish it was a full time job. I recently started running and have run three races; two 5Ks and a 15K that I thought would kill me. I’m still around. About Stephanie: I graduated in 2009 from the University of Oregon, receiving my Bachelor of Science in Sociology (with a concentration on Race, Class and Social Change). I have worked in a variety of jobs from customer service to cleaning port-o-potties and inventory auditing. I also work in a psychiatric residential treatment program (ITS), where I have learned that I have a tremendous amount of patience and honed in on my interest to go back to school for Special Education. In the future, I would love to get my Masters Degree and either teach elementary special education or advocate for the developmentally disabled. I have grown up in Oregon my whole life, and have only been out of the US once, but I LOVE to travel. Even though I met Kyle playing softball, I’m not really a huge fan of the sport. I however love college sports (especially football, basketball and lacrosse) and I love playing volleyball and football. Other interesting things about me: I also work at the Lane Co. Youth Detention and Treatment programs, I love hiking and rafting, I enjoy crossword puzzles, drinking tea and coffee, vacuuming and running relax me when I am stressed. I am looking forward to pursuing this adventure and am excited for all of the opportunities that I have been given in helping me pursue this! I can’t wait to see where this opportunity takes us!

This is the story of how two girls, both working in the mental health field, fled the country and moved to Thailand for a year. Of course, the adventure hasn’t started yet and really we are just waiting to get accepted. So far, we have ordered passports, asked for letters of recommendations from our supervisors and told our families; however, we don’t even know if we’re going for sure. Well, if all goes as planned, we will be moving ourselves from the greatest state of Oregon across the world to start our new lives as teachers.

About Kyle: I am a graduate of the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism (specifically with an emphasis in Advertising). I never want to work in the realm of Journalism and really wish I would have gone to school for education, like my mom told me I was meant to do. Regardless, I’ve been working one of the hardest jobs in the world for the past year and a half at a residential treatment facility for kids with mental and behavior issues. I say this is hard because you get very little pay for enduring a great deal of [physical & mental] pain. I am the third of four children and am definitely a “middle” child. I have played softball my entire life and the club softball team at the UO (where I met Steph). I also coached at the high school while living in Corvallis. Some things about me: I am a huge Oregon Ducks fan, obviously. I think folding laundry is therapeutic. Coca-Cola and yellow Vitamin Water are staples in my life. I hate when people bite straws. I love to swim but am terrified of the ocean (I’m pretty sure I died on the Titanic in my past life). I also love summer camp and wish it was a full time job. I recently started running and have run three races; two 5Ks and a 15K that I thought would kill me. I’m still around.

About Stephanie: I graduated in 2009 from the University of Oregon, receiving my Bachelor of Science in Sociology (with a concentration on Race, Class and Social Change). I have worked in a variety of jobs from customer service to cleaning port-o-potties and inventory auditing. I also work in a psychiatric residential treatment program (ITS), where I have learned that I have a tremendous amount of patience and honed in on my interest to go back to school for Special Education. In the future, I would love to get my Masters Degree and either teach elementary special education or advocate for the developmentally disabled. I have grown up in Oregon my whole life, and have only been out of the US once, but I LOVE to travel. Even though I met Kyle playing softball, I’m not really a huge fan of the sport. I however love college sports (especially football, basketball and lacrosse) and I love playing volleyball and football. Other interesting things about me: I also work at the Lane Co. Youth Detention and Treatment programs, I love hiking and rafting, I enjoy crossword puzzles, drinking tea and coffee, vacuuming and running relax me when I am stressed. I am looking forward to pursuing this adventure and am excited for all of the opportunities that I have been given in helping me pursue this!

I can’t wait to see where this opportunity takes us!