By Felicia Teiken

Special to the Forum

For those of you who don’t know me—or maybe you’ve just forgotten—I’m Felicia. I graduated from Frazee-Vergas High School in 2014 and decided to leave as fast as I could to see what the world had to offer. 

I left Frazee to attend St. Cloud State University (SCSU), where I earned a bachelor’s degree in Social Work, although I have yet to use that $40,000 piece of paper. I graduated from SCSU in 2018 and was thrilled about my accomplishment. A few months before graduation, my dream of joining the Peace Corps had come true. I was invited to serve in Lesotho, Africa, as a health volunteer. 

I felt like all of my hard work had finally brought me to this moment. I said my “see you laters” and gave extra long hugs to my family and friends knowing it’d be awhile before seeing them again. Without a doubt in my mind and nothing but excitement in my heart, I was boarding a plane to what I thought was going to be the next two-and-a-half years of my life.

But as life would have it, my service was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic making its global appearance. In March of 2020, I found myself on a flight back to none other than Frazee.

With the uncertainty swirling around the world, I knew home was the best place to be, even if it meant moving back to a town that I felt no longer aligned with me or my values. 

I held onto hope that I’d return to Lesotho to finish my 2.5-year commitment, but by August, I had to face the harsh reality that I wouldn’t be going back anytime soon—if ever. So, in true Felicia fashion I packed up my bags and told my mom I was moving to Seattle in a month. 

By September of 2020, I was on the West Coast, nannying while wearing a mask for a wonderful family whom I could still text to this day and ask about their kiddos. I hopped around a bit while in Washington but my love for Seattle remains passionate. The pandemic years feel like a blur as I’m sure many of you can relate and despite the things that felt like setbacks, it’s all led me here.

Looking back on everything—from Lesotho to Seattle, to now—I’ve realized that each place has added a chapter to my story and of all those chapters, Frazee remains one of the most important. So, what better way to share all of the chapters than right here? 

Some days, I’ll reminisce about Frazee and the people who still call it home—like Becky Lundgren, Hank Ludtke, and Taylor Greenwood—who have shaped my idea of community, making it more meaningful with each passing day. 

Other days, I might take you along on some of my adventures, like the time I jumped from the world’s tallest bungee jump or the time I served John Travolta ice cream and had to act really casual about it. 

No matter where I am or what I’m doing, each column will be a blend of home and the wider world, old memories and new experiences, the people I’ve met along the way, and the ones I still admire to this day. The laughs, the tears, the mistakes, and everything in between.

So here I am writing to you from the big city of Los Angeles and honestly that within itself is something to write home about.