So, I get tired....

...of hearing the phrase "You're SO lucky!" regarding my experiences living/traveling abroad.  Seriously.  Think about it.  Do you ever utter or hear the phrase, "You're SO lucky that you worked hard and graduated college!" or "You're so lucky that you saved money and bought a house!" or "You're so lucky that you packed up your life and moved to Kentucky!"...?  Exactly.  You don't.  Because it's not luck.  Lucky is winning the lottery, buying the ticket was choice.  So, I'd like to take a few minutes to establish what "luck" is and isn't with regard to my living abroad in Galapagos.

LUCK: The fact that opportunities like this exist in Ecuador.

NOT LUCK:  Having a degree, actively seeking it out, having a strong resume, and acing the interview.

LUCK:  Getting my visa approved in time.

NOT LUCK:  Running around like crazy to get the documentation while living halfway across the country from my "state of residence," dropping the money for it,  holding my breath that my passport would not get lost in the mail and would arrive on time.

LUCK:  A change in the position start date from from January to March.

NOT LUCK:  Signing a six month lease so I could go abroad in the new year, quitting my job/life, moving halfway across the country to be ready-for-action, having applied for the January position, having free time to do all the paperwork necessary for my visa.

LUCK:  Getting a $12 a day stipend PLUS free housing.

NOT LUCK: Spending hours over the last 4 years scouring websites, fellowships, intercultural exchange programs, and volunteer opportunities.  (I have a spreadsheet--yes, a spreadsheet--dedicated to this which I have been adding to since college...)

LUCK:  Having a brother who will watch your car for you and store your things.

NOT LUCK:  Moving 2,000 miles to where that brother is and getting rid of basically all of your possessions minus your clothing and your vehicle.

Similar situations go for anyone else living abroad.  We are not lucky because we live abroad---we are lucky because circumstances help is along pathways that we are determined to traverse.  In my case, I drive old cars which I can pay off quickly.  I don't own a home.  I've lived with roommates sans one seven month period.  I buy cheap stuff or get it second hand.  I put expiration dates on relationships by prefacing them with "I'm leaving you eventually" and say goodbye to people I love.  I spend months and years in waiting and planning for things.  I don't splurge on fancy clothes or expensive gadgets.  Instead, I free fall into a world of unknown with nothing but my bootstraps and the naive belief of experience that "Everything turn out okay, and when it doesn't---I'll figure it out."

There is nothing lucky about most amazing things which happen in life---it is choice and determination with the added luck of a few people saying, "Do it!" and the irony of useful coincidences serving your purpose.  The preparation and experience are strenuous, trying, and exhausting.  But, along the way, you learn about yourself (more than you might ever want to know.)  You discover who really does support you (often not the people you thought would or think should).  And, at the end of it all, if and when you make it out alive and a better person---that, my friend, is when you stop and think, "Damn....THAT was lucky."