I'd like to thank everyone who came out to my various going away parties. The food and drinks were awesome, the company even better. I even scored $170 at the casino!
I have had the privilege and honor of having many wonderful friends and family members here in Vancouver. I will miss you all dearly.
This isn't a goodbye. It is only a farewell for now. Make sure you continue reading my blog for updates on my adventures abroad!
Paul
Showing posts with label preparation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label preparation. Show all posts
Monday, August 16, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
And so it ends...and so it begins!
It is ending. My time here in Vancouver is quickly coming to a close. And so it begins...me saying goodbye to the various good people I know.
Yesterday was a sort of a bittersweet day. I caught up with lots of my mom's side of the family...but only because it was the funeral of my Uncle Dennis. Will these be the only times I see these people - when family members pass away? Hopefully, my generation of cousins can pull some tighter knit bond together.
Then a great party at my family's house for some of my old Diversity Cohort peeps (my first Education Program cohort). I love hanging out with these cool kids, but sadly we only see each other two times a year. It pains me to think that the time margin in between my reunions with these friends will only become wider.
Yesterday was a sort of a bittersweet day. I caught up with lots of my mom's side of the family...but only because it was the funeral of my Uncle Dennis. Will these be the only times I see these people - when family members pass away? Hopefully, my generation of cousins can pull some tighter knit bond together.
Then a great party at my family's house for some of my old Diversity Cohort peeps (my first Education Program cohort). I love hanging out with these cool kids, but sadly we only see each other two times a year. It pains me to think that the time margin in between my reunions with these friends will only become wider.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
2:10 AM on Thursday, August 5th. 2 more weeks to go. I've been running around gathering my many things to pack: personal effects, clothes, teacher resources, and of course, and a big jar of Nutella. I'm almost ready to send off my boxes of cargo that won't get to me until October or maybe even November.
Aside from being super-duper busy, I've got a funeral and a friend's birthday to attend. Not to mention I have to host 3 going away parties. Don't even get me started on lesson planning, because that's taken a backseat in my priorities list as of a week ago. I guess I worry about that once I'm in the People's Republic.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Going mobile
Hello reader,
I only have 3 more weeks in my native Greater Vancouver - the region in which I was born, bred, and educated. Before I went into the Education program at UBC, I had a really nasty bite of the travel-bug. My goal was to travel and teach after I left the program. Over the duration of my student teaching, however, that goal looked unfeasible and uneconomical.
That was before the financial crisis. Since then, districts here are closing schools and laying off many teachers. The series of unfortunate events that is occurring here that effects public sector work opened the door for me to go abroad for a while. To save money, yes, but also to gain invaluable teaching experience, learn about different cultural understandings, and see the shining light (or chaotic trash heap) of the world.
Fast forward to now. I'm heading to teach at an international school in Wuhan in Central China in a few weeks for 2 or more years. Lucky for me, they use British Columbia's school curriculum. My goal has been realized!
It's a really great deal since living in China is dirt cheap, as I learned from my China trip in 2007. I'm really looking forward to this excellent opportunity. It's a really nice new school. Things couldn't look better for me. Hell, I'll probably come back fluent in Mandarin. But of course, like most things, there is a catch. I'm going to one of the hottest cities in all China. I checked the temperature yesterday...30 degrees Celsius and 79% relative humidity...at 4AM. WTF!?!?
I only have 3 more weeks in my native Greater Vancouver - the region in which I was born, bred, and educated. Before I went into the Education program at UBC, I had a really nasty bite of the travel-bug. My goal was to travel and teach after I left the program. Over the duration of my student teaching, however, that goal looked unfeasible and uneconomical.
That was before the financial crisis. Since then, districts here are closing schools and laying off many teachers. The series of unfortunate events that is occurring here that effects public sector work opened the door for me to go abroad for a while. To save money, yes, but also to gain invaluable teaching experience, learn about different cultural understandings, and see the shining light (or chaotic trash heap) of the world.
Fast forward to now. I'm heading to teach at an international school in Wuhan in Central China in a few weeks for 2 or more years. Lucky for me, they use British Columbia's school curriculum. My goal has been realized!
It's a really great deal since living in China is dirt cheap, as I learned from my China trip in 2007. I'm really looking forward to this excellent opportunity. It's a really nice new school. Things couldn't look better for me. Hell, I'll probably come back fluent in Mandarin. But of course, like most things, there is a catch. I'm going to one of the hottest cities in all China. I checked the temperature yesterday...30 degrees Celsius and 79% relative humidity...at 4AM. WTF!?!?
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