Joanne Nussbaum

As a woman "of a certain age" (too long till retirment) and now too "old" to get a decent job in the USA; plus bored with living and working in America, I decided to venture out into the big wide world. There's so much to experience! This phase of my life is about me going where I want and doing what I please.

Of course, there is much more to my decision to leave the comforts of the USA and venture out into the big wide world. The sudden death of my daughter Victoria in 2006 led me to view life differntly; to see that you just never know ....... I aspire to be like her and leave a legacy of love, to be kind, and to go as many places as possible.

After two plus years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mongolia, I caught the travel bug big time. I also had an ephiphany that I could teach English to earn a living and fund my vagabond life. After a little traveling and an extended visit to Ohio, (where I stockpiled time and hugs with the kids and grand kids) I was off to my next adventure!

I ended up in Kyiv, Ukraine teaching ESL to young adults for one year. (Not where I planned to go...but that's another story)...The part time job provided me enough money to live and time to explore and travel around. A few jaunts to Europe this year have satisfied my wanderlust for now.

China has been calling to me for some time and finally in February 2014 I am starting a new teaching gig at a public university. Maybe I'll want to stay there longer than my one year contract......I'm looking for a place to settle in for a little while....

Part time teaching gives me the semi-retired lifestyle I crave...and provides plenty of time for self reflection and fun......cooking, baking, hiking, knitting, reading, photography, gardening and writing keep boredom at bay.

Of course I don't know any Chinese, and my ability at learning language is laughable...this should be interesting:)