One of the more common reasons I hear for why people take time off to travel is because they are unhappy with their job. The routine days, drab cubicle, unfulfilling work, annoying coworkers – if I had all of that day in and day out, I would want to escape as well! While everyone has an off day, and I can’t say I haven’t had my share over the years, I imagine that it would be horrible to wake up every morning and dread going into work. Luckily, I don’t have to deal with that emotion (at least, not very often!) as I happen to love my job.

Ever since I was young, I’ve wanted to travel. I started taking French lessons when I was 11 years old, from a retired French lady who lived in the neighborhood next to ours. I would walk to her house every Wednesday after school, and we would have an hour together for me to learn French and about France. From her, I learned to sing French Christmas songs, the national anthem, and children’s lullabies. We would read short stories, recipes of French dishes, articles out of gossip magazines, and more. I loved the time I spent with “Madame,” and it was then that my love of language began. I continued my French lessons throughout high school, performing in plays and skits (“La vache qui rit!”). My double-major in college was international business and French, and I was lucky enough to spend 6 months living in Perpignan where I was part of a loving Catalan family.

After college, I didn’t have any clear direction on what I wanted to do. I knew that I wanted language and culture in my life, but didn’t know how to go about getting a job that would allow me to integrate that aspect into my daily routine. I worked at a restaurant and then at a bank, before finally stumbling upon a little company called Techworld Language Solutions. A small, family-run company that provides foreign-language translation and training – this seemed like the perfect fit. Well, the first time I applied, I got a stock “Thanks – we’ll keep your resume on file” letter from an intern who was working at the time. A few months later, I decided to try again and lucked out – I was invited in for an interview! I must have said something right during my interview, for I was hired and put to work as a project coordinator.

Now, almost eight years later, I’ve been fortunate to have a wonderful place to work – somewhere that has become like a second home to me. My job is different every day – even eight years after I started, there are still new projects to figure out, new software to learn, new languages added to our repertoire, and fun to be had. Currently, I manage translation projects – a variety of documents, websites, apps, and training courses that are translated into 20 or 25 languages. I work with linguists around the world, and get to learn about their culture and language. I have made friends with some of the linguists and, although most of our work is done remotely, have had dinner with one in Chicago after a conference and taken another on a tour of Detroit with her family. I enjoy my job and what I get to do each day, but more importantly, I love the people here. We have a very comfortable, family-style atmosphere. So much so, that Jon and I hosted our wedding reception at my office after our wedding in Quebec City! (Now, that was a party!) In addition, my boss was the very first person who we told about our big trip – even before family or friends.

Now, nine months away from my last day of work, I’m starting to do little things to prepare for my departure. I’m documenting the processes for many of the projects that I manage and have started to train others on some of my accounts. It will be a gradual shift to give everything up, and I’m not ready to do so yet, but I’m starting to lay the groundwork for it. I will miss my job – the challenges of figuring out a process for a new client, the thrill of completing a big interpreting assignment, and the fun of going bowling or putt-putt with the team once a month. I don’t know what life will bring after our trip is over – if I’ll come back to Detroit and Techworld, or if we will land somewhere else. But I do know that I will always hold my job, coworkers, and friends in my heart when I leave. As I mentioned in my previous post, the goodbyes will be the hardest part of leaving for our journey, so I must remind myself daily to enjoy the time here that I have.