My Journey
Life does not develop in straight lines. Rather, it forms itself in a series of mountains and valleys, twists and turns, losts and founds.
Adventure. Exploration. Surprise.
Life's a one-year-old's crayon drawing of squiggly, interconnected lines that appear unplanned and unpurposed. And yet, tracing the lines back through it all, we may find a single thread that joins the chaos. Messy, filled with loops and circles, yet beautiful in the discovery of the unexpected.
In the brief span of time I've walked this earth, this has been my story.
When I flew the nest, I stretched my wings in unlikely places. I've never done things the easy way or the "normal" way but forged my own path of adventure through the chaotic transition of a life overseas. Amidst plot twists and surprise endings, I've never quite known where it would lead, but every struggle to the mountain top or shadow in the valley has formed the character I am today. I wouldn't trade it for the world. Although messy at times, I see the hand that weaves it all, weaves sense from the confusion and a masterpiece out of disorder.
Welcome to Heart of the Lion
Bio
I was born and raised in Austin, Texas, and from the earliest age I can remember, my two heart dreams were to travel and write. One I have achieved; the other is the reason for this blog. In university, I studied English literature and music, two great passions of mine, and have since earned both a language teaching and elementary education certificate.
For the past six years, I have been an American abroad, living in South Korea, Costa Rica, and now Austria. There, I taught in a hogwon (Korean language institute), a bilingual elementary school, and an international school. Each country and job presented its own unique challenges, surprises, and blessings.
The purpose of this blog is to share with you my challenges, inspiration, and victories that will hopefully make your time in Vienna--whether short or long--as beautiful as mine. Check out my travel and lifestyle experiences for tips on Vienna do's and don'ts.
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Why the name? The heart of the lion (and lioness) represents courage to stare adversity in the eye without allowing fear to have a hold on you. It's confronting the mountain of risk and uncertainty with the confidence that something good lies on the other side, something worth the fight. This is what it means to live abroad: to overcome fear of the unknown for the sake of the extraordinary
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