Dropping Out & Moving Abroad

I had a plan. I pretty solid one too. Get my degree in publishing, AU Pair in London for a year or two, and then move there and then finally get a job at a publishing house in London. I mean there was not a doubt in my mind that this will be my life. I knew exactly what I wanted in life.

Yeah… turns out God had a different plan.

Sometime during June/July holidays 2024, I did a two-week internship at this small publishing house… Little did I know that the internship would turn my whole world around. I learnt that the publishing industry was not for me. That I needed a people orientated job. I never thought of myself as a huge people-person, turns out though that I am. Looking back I think I knew in my heart that publishing was not for me from day one of this internship, I was just in denial. After all, this is what I was studying. It was too late now to turn back.

But in time I came to the realisation that I actually wanted to go into Education. Which I can truly and utterly only describe as God’s guidance because before this year, I had NEVER ever considered becoming a teacher. I just thought it was not for me.

So I made a new plan. I would finish my degree in Publishing, do my PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education), and then get my honours in Education. Besides it was too late to apply for Education by the time I came up with this plan…

Until I accepted that I truly was not happy where I was. I felt as though I had lost all my identity. I hadn’t read a book for fun in almost a year, I haven’t written (Death Slaver or otherwise) in even longer, I was studying a degree that I was truly not interested in, and I struggled so much to find the right group of friends at university. I felt isolated and like I had no identity anymore.

Until this truly amazing opportunity occurred. I finally voiced my feeling and thoughts to my parents about how unhappy I was, how I felt that I might need to take a gap year or something. On a whim, thinking I had nothing to lose I made an account on AupairWorld.com, and asked a childhood friend of mine who I knew was AU Pairing in Switzerland in 2024 about her experience. I matched up with one particular family who turned out to be the same family my friend was au pairing for. And in a matter of two and a half weeks I found out they wanted me! I am moving to Switzerland in 2025 to AU Pair! SWITZERLAND!

Of course there was a lot of paperwork and the process of just sitting and waiting to hear that my visa had been approved. But it all worked out. My visa got approved! When I got that call, I froze. Like I couldn’t pick up the phone absolutely terrified that they (my host family) was calling me to tell me it didn’t go through. I even missed the call I froze for so long. I quickly snapped out of it, and called them back, and I don’t think words could ever express the feeling when they told me it was approved, I could try all I like but you will never know. Regardless, I will try. It was like I could finally breathe

for the first time in over a year. Like the huge weight I was shouldering was finally lifted. It felt God’s grace and guidance confirming that I was truly on his path.

Now what is my plan now? Well for now it is to Au Pair in Switzerland for a year, and then study Education starting 2026 (hopefully foundational education which is grade 0-3) at Tuks. After that? I have no idea. I don’t know if I still want to live in London, or where I will end up, or when anything will happen. I don’t have a timeline or a solid clear plan. And yet I am okay with that. And that is saying something. I need a plan. A clear vision of my future. I need to have a crystal clear vison of how my life will be. But right now, at this current moment, I am happy to live my life and see where it takes me. If I move to London and live there great. If I stay in South Africa and stay close to my family that’s great too. If I end up having to study intermediary education (Grade 4-7) that’s okay too. Because I have faith. Faith that I am not the author of my story, God is, and while letting that control go feels terrifying, I know now that God truly has a plan for me, and is by my side.

That is all for now,

until next time,

Kylie.