category 3 women

I remember this quote as one of the most frequent to be uttered by my mother when I was growing up (this is the version I still hear in my head today, anyway): "In 5 years time, you will be the same person you are now, except for the places you go, the books you read and the people you meet."

Usually I think she used this phrase to support some sort of advice or opinion that I was choosing to ignore. But obviously it has stuck with me, and I thought of it today when I heard from one of the friends I made while I was living in Guatemala.

When I think back to that teaching program and the people I met, I group them into three categories: 1) 18 year olds on summer break; 2) teachers on summer break; and 3) 'other.' I must admit that while I met amazing people across all three of them and still keep in touch with many today - some of those category 3 people really intrigued me.

Maybe it was because I was a fellow category 3 person who was crazy enough to leave my job and 25% of my annual salary behind to travel 5,000 miles to a place I'd never been to do two things completely out of my comfort zone: teach children, in Spanish. So I presumed they must have some sort of interesting story about how they got there as well.

Maybe it was because even though we had slightly different reasons that brought us there, I gradually came to realise they were all variations of the same theme.

But most of all, I think it was because I found something in them that I don't think I was even fully aware that I was looking for... or that I needed. What did I find? Multiple people who seemed to be woven from the same fiber and who could really understand and relate to me. And on some level, were asking themselves some of the same questions I was asking myself.

And these people have changed my life, in big and small ways. Whether they know it or not (well - you do now!), just having met them and known them for a short time provided a sort of quiet inspiration that I carried with me long after we parted ways.

Little by little, I keep hearing from each of them with news of bravery they seem to have mustered up upon return - whether it be a career change or some other aspect of their personal life they tackled. And the one I got to keep in my day-to-day upon return - the one from London - what an incredible friend she was to me during one of the most difficult parts of my life... in ways I never expected or would have asked of her, in ways that I thought were reserved for really long- standing friends and family members who, in my case, were all thousands of miles away.

So, thank you, amazing category 3 ladies...