Year Two

Our school has gotten a lot of mileage from our kids on their promotional materials...

We’re now in our fourth week of school. It’s a little different this year. They’ve lengthened the school day by 30 minutes, with many schedule adjustments that are not working out very well logistically. This job is making me appreciate the importance of a union. When the staff is unionized, everyone knows their place and expectations are clear. Without one, there are allegiances and backstabbing and unpleasant surprises. It’s similar to parents having no rules or consistency for their children; it just doesn’t work well for anyone. It’s not just because this is a private school, either. I’m seeing this happen with my teacher friends in non-union public schools in the US, too. One friend in particular is getting overworked to the point of abuse. 

Educating children and making a profit are two diametrically opposite goals. It's like trying to travel north and south at the same time. You can only succeed at one at a time. It seems like the only people who truly understand this are teachers. 

Anyway, so I am teaching five different classes this year, one of which I am literally making up writing the curriculum as I go along (environmental science, which I’ve never taught before). It’s a bear trying to keep my head on straight. That plus the longer day means I’m starting to feel like I did back home: tired, stressed, having to choose between working out or making dinner and usually too exhausted to do either. It’s not nearly as bad though... We still have a 12-minute commute, no pets, a small house to keep clean, no lunches to pack, about 10% of the social life we had back home, and abundant massages if I need to feel refreshed. 

And we have amazing trips to look forward to! I’ve started to plan out our October trip to Vietnam, and I’m out of my tree with excitement. I’ve started reading books about the war and will soon start on the movies (suggestions welcome). We’re going to Saigon, Da Nang, and Hanoi. I want to see as much of the historical sites as I can, but we’re also going to hang out on one of these for three days…

Cue squealing

It’s crazy. It’s crazy. I am much happier to work as hard as I am when I have that to look forward to. Then it's Cambodia for the half-marathon in December, India for Christmas, and Nepal in April. The Himalayas, you guys. I'm trying to arrange a school kayaking trip in Laos, and a senior trip to Bali to work in sea turtle conservation. 

Something like this! For real! For real!

Next year I have to comfort myself with the thought that work will be easier, but the only reward we’ll get is time off to stay at home and try not to spend any money. We'll make three times as much and be able to afford less. It’s okay. We’re squeezing every drop of life that we can out of these two years.

Home

This is one of the best things about working here: The picture below shows our building and where all of our classes are. I get to see the girls all day long! Sascha is two classrooms down from me. I love this so much. 

So that's about it for now. I am hyper-aware of the amount of time we have left here. Yes, I love it, and I find myself smiling spontaneously more than I ever have in my life, but I know it's an affair, not a marriage. It's a fun, exciting, whirlwind affair that makes me feel so incredibly alive, but I know it's not forever. Sascha said we should put a countdown app on my phone, and I refused. 

My girls, watching the clouds in a parking lot. I don't know why I love this picture so much.

However, then we started talking about the dogs we might possibly get when we move home. Things like that make it easier. Ahh, so does the six-inch spider I saw while hiking last weekend! I showed the pictures to my students, and one said "oh yeah, I saw two of those in the school's laundry room the other day," and another said, "oh yeah, those are very poisonous." 

Me:

I was a little less sad about leaving.