Tracy Jones ’98, grew up with a map of the world on his bedroom wall and says he probably memorized almost every country and city on the map by the time he was a teenager. So it should come as no surprise that Tracy, who grew up in Brookfield, Mo., has spent almost the last decade living, working and studying abroad. His journey has taken him to South Korea, London, Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
He took his first trip abroad as a college student, studying in France over the summer to earn credit hours for a French minor. The next summer, he participated in Missouri Western’s study abroad program at the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. “Both opportunities were incredible and just fueled my passion for travel and experiencing different cultures. To be able to do that now in my life and in my work is a dream come true.”
When he graduated in 1998 with an English/writing major and his French minor, Tracy didn’t go far right away. He worked in Lawrence, Kan. for the next five years, working up the courage and confidence to do something big and life-changing life moving overseas, he said.
When the opportunity to teach English as a second language in South Korea came up, Tracy was ready to go. “There was no doubt in my mind that it was the right thing to do, even though I had never taught before and knew absolutely nothing about Korea,” Tracy said.
He calls that experience “a great turning point for both my life and career. It was very clear to me pretty much right away that teaching was where I belonged and that the challenge of living abroad was what I needed.”
After teaching in Korea for almost five years, Tracy returned to college in London, earning a Master of Arts in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). He then accepted a position with Raffles International College in Ho Chi Minh City for a year.
“Ho Chi Minh City is full-throttle and full-on in your face. It’s definitely an assault on your senses,” Tracy said. “There are literally millions of motorbikes buzzing around at all hours of the day and night. There are street vendors selling everything from fruit and snacks to sunglasses and phones. There are great cafés tucked away all over city where you may attempt to escape some of the chaos, but the thing I will always remember about the city is the noise.”
Today, he is an associate lecturer at Raffles University Iskandar, a new cooperative university project between Raffles, which is based in Singapore, and the Malaysian government. Tracy said the institution began classes less than a year ago and there are plans for a large campus in a new education development in Johor Bahru. “It’s been very collaborative from the beginning and I’m really enjoying being part of that.”
“My passion for living abroad hasn’t waned a bit since I became an expat 10 years ago,” he said. “I love my work and the amazing people I have the privilege of meeting. As long as there are opportunities for me and my interest remains, I will continue to see where this path leads.”
His advice for someone considering living abroad? “Go into it with an open mind and open heart. Be prepared not to just step outside of your comfort zone, but to leave it behind all together. And,” he added as a final tip, “pack light.”