The Adventure of a Lifetime--#AgEd2Malaysia

Life has small ways of surprising you that can't be explained until years later. As I gaze out my front porch window at wheat fields, cattle grazing, and red barns against a blue sky, it's difficult to think that in less than a week, I will be in a different county on the opposite side of the world. While tending to various tasks on my laptop, I happened upon my personal blog that I created 5 years ago during my student-teaching experience. I look at the title of my blog, "Adventures in Agriculture Education" and think about how I chose this exact title 5 years ago when I had no idea where Agriculture Education would take me. The alliteration in the title must have sounded catchy at the time, but now I think the word "adventure" has been very fitting describing the past 5 years teaching agricultural science that have led up to the greatest adventure yet--#AgEd2Malaysia.

Looking back at my time as an FFA member, I can honestly thank Agriculture Education for allowing me to appreciate the value of travel. When I attended the 2006 National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, IN, this was only the second state I'd ever visited (besides Maryland at the beach). Since that trip, most of my traveling has come courtesy of FFA and Agriculture Education. Due the confidence I gained from traveling in FFA, I was fortunate to attend 2 study-abroad experiences in college (Poland and Ireland). As an Ag Teacher, I've attened CASE institutes in Oregon, Tennessee, and Indiana and participated in the NAAE Conventions in Louisiana and Nevada. I've been very fortunate to understand the value in travel and how it creates a perspective and appreciation for where I currently live and teach in Pennsylvania. 

When the opportunity to travel to Malaysia for 30 days to experience Agriculture Education in Southeast Asia, I knew it would be an experience I couldn't pass up. I am ready to embark on the adventure of a lifetime with a great cohort of Agriculture Educators who share my global curiosity. I found this quote last October when applying to participate in #AgEd2Malaysia and it will be my motivation on this trip.

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”

Follow our trip for live updates using the hashtag #AgEd2Malaysia on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!