Day Twelve – If I Won the Lottery

First, I would need to play the lottery to win…I don’t.   Second, how big is this lottery?  For this blog, I will assume a life-changing amount not a hundred bucks on a scratch-off ticket.

I’m going to guess that most of us have thought about what we would do if money wasn’t an issue.  Would my life change drastically?  I’m fairly certain that for me it wouldn’t be a drastic change.  I’m debt-free and own a car.  I have a condo I have only spent two months in. My passion is travel.

The first thing I would do is buy a ticket to China and visit all the places I lived.  I would see if I could locate any of my former students and enjoy eating big bowls of Lanzhou LaMian and all the other food I miss.  After an indeterminate amount of time, I would head to Bali for about six months and just chill at Kenari House and probably spend some time at Yayasan Widya Guna.    While I am in Bali, I will make an around-the-world travel plan.

Currently, I work teaching English to supplement my travels.  If I won the lottery, I would continue to teach English around the world, but it would be on my own terms.  I wouldn’t “work”.  I wouldn’t have a schedule I had to adhere to long-term. When I say I wouldn’t work, I would volunteer.  I would plan my around-the-world travel based on WorkAways.  A WorkAway is an opportunity to use your skills be it teaching a language, gardening, helping at a hostel, or working at a winery, etc. in exchange for room and board.  When you find a host in an area you would like to visit that needs your skill(s), you make contact and arrange a date to arrive.  Most WorkAways would like you to stay a minimum of two weeks.  In my perfect travel plan, I would spend 2 weeks to 2 months at a given WorkAway with some independent travel in between.  I spent two weeks at Bright English Medium School in Tanzania and wish I had planned to stay longer.  I spent 6 weeks in Bedulu, Bali Indonesia at Yayasan Widya Guna volunteering at a school for Balinese special needs children.  I wouldn’t hesitate to repeat that experience.  I would also like to spend 2 months in India.  Part WorkAway, part independent travel.

Would I contribute money to a cause?  I’m not a huge fan of giving money to charities or organizations without knowing their mission, needs, and goals.  I would first of all contribute with my time and my talents.  After being involved/volunteering with an organization I would consider financial support.

Like I said earlier, I don’t think my life would be all that different, it would just be easier.  I’ve used this quote from Mother Teresa before, “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”  I hope I have created ripples in my life, if I won the lottery, I would be able to cast more stones.