We all have that something, the thing that makes our mind tick. The feeling of it sinking into your core, your mind never leaving it. Something that has made your life drastically change, whether it be for the better or for the worse, but this thing will live on with you, always. It was in February 2021 when that something changed me. Her name is Melike, and she is my pen pal. 

I have struggled a lot with trying to figure out what to do with my life. To find that passion that ignites my brain and makes me realize that “Yes, this is what I was meant to do, this is my purpose”. I never had that “ah-ha” moment, that experience that made me see myself in a different light. I wanted it though, I wanted to find that thing and have my “ah-ha” moment more than anything. I was growing up, I was in college and I was still clueless. I constantly searched for it but always came up empty, taking many personality tests and career quizzes in the hopes of figuring my life out. I did not know how to find the answer I constantly looked for, and it wasn’t until I actually stopped looking that I found it. 

I met Melike on a social media app aimed at individuals who desire to learn more about other cultures or learn new languages or simply to make friends through the concept of pen pals. Melike contacted me and asked if it were possible if we could be pen pals and asked if I could help her with her English, as she is learning the language, I agreed. I never thought that meeting Melike would affect my life so much. We have become great friends but I never thought that she would be such a big part of my future plans. Along with me enjoying talking with Melike I never knew that I would enjoy teaching her as much as I did. While I was teaching her I started getting more and more interested in the English Language itself. Where it came from, how it was formulated, why things sound or are spelled a certain way. So, as well as enjoying teaching the language I also enjoyed learning more about the language myself. 

After this realization I started doing research. I ultimately came to the conclusion that this was it. This was the thing I have been looking for, this was my “ah-ha” moment. I finally found that passion and drive I have been looking for. My goal now in life is to become an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher. With my minor, Teaching English Abroad, there are many roads I can take. I can either go abroad and teach English in another country or I can stay in the United States and teach English to those here, like refugees and immigrants. Meeting Melike created a passion in me that I didn’t even know existed, and now I know that teaching English is what I may want to pursue in the future.