Worst Part of Moving

Okay, people ask me often if I am excited about what is next for me in the moving... and I guess I am, but I never really show it or experience it until I get on that plane to the next destination. I guess I am too consumed with the stress of it all beforehand. I am busy sorting through things (which will go with me, which will go to Good Will, which will go to storage, which will go to the trash). I am busy getting those things to where they need to go. I am busy compiling all the paperwork I will need to arrive smoothly in the new location. I am busy trying to say good bye to the place and the people I've grown to care about in the time I've spent there. Basically, I am way to stressed to be excited before I leave. So that's the worst part about moving... well, that and the chaos of packing things up and sorting them...

Annapolis, MD

Another fine city that I was blessed to see was Annapolis, MD. This seaside town is a little gem of the east coast. You can take boat tours, visit cute little pubs and shops and stroll the boardwalk. Never mind that the Naval Academy is there. It's just one of the sweetest finds in Maryland.

A view of the harbour area.

Right near where we parked before wandering about.

A random statue... I liked it. Kinda wished I'd taken a silly photo with it.

My travel mate, Mandy. It was good to make new memories there.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK!!!!

One of the places that I have wanted to go and see for a VERY long time is New York City. I've dreamed of being there since I was about 15 years old. And through many trials and tribulations, plans made and broken (my fault, someone else's, no ones' fault) et cetera and so on, I never got there... until NOW!! Over Memorial Day weekend here in the US, I waffled back and forth about going and finally I sucked it up and went. I went all by myself (yes, I drove... and let me tell you, pack lots of cash for the numerous toll charges or lots of food because you'll be on the road for a long time going around in order to avoid them). I stayed in a cheap motel that offered a free continental breakfast (they had a waffle iron... woohoo) and free parking (a rarity in this city) and that was close (6 or 10 blocks, who can tell the difference?!) to the subway system. Yes, I walked down the sketchy neighbourhood road to the trains and had numerous kind New Yorkers help me along the way. I got on an express train from Ozone Park NY that took me right to Times Square. It was awesome. I popped out of the subway and smelled hot dogs and pretzels. Mmm... YUM! Then I hopped a hop on, hop off bus and enjoyed the next 2 1/2 hours of funny stories from the tour guide and sites that made me happy and at home. Below are a few pictures of some of the sites I saw with a brief explanation. One thing I do know about NYC is that I'll be back, baby!!!


The horse carriages outside Central Park (next time I am SO going running there).

For those of you that watch the Real Housewives of New York... JILL ZARIN.... or at least her store. hahahaha

These are tiles near to Ground Zero. Kids from all over the nation painted them after 9/11. A little touch of love and hope in a sad, sad time.

I think it's called the Flat Iron Building (I could be wrong) but that triangular building is super cool and a landmark!

TIMES SQUARE! And it was every bit the zoo you imagine and hope that it will be... loved it!

A New York deli sandwich... MMMMMMMM the BOMB-diggidty! Loved it.

Traipsing the countryside

So part of the joy of teaching overseas is the fact that you get to take off and see things that not everyone gets to see. As my time in the US comes to a close, I realized that I hadn't seen half of what I wanted to see... so I took a couple of days of work on Memorial Day weekend and decided to do the seeing!


I visited Arlington Nation Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. A student at a school I taught at is buried here under special permission. My going there was a way to honour him.

The White House.
The National Treasury.

The War Memorial in DC. I didn't make it to the wall... maybe another time.

Me and Lincoln... you know how it is... the former president asks you to take a shot with him and you gotta oblige! hahaha. I think Lincoln was WAY ahead of his times and I admire him greatly. I really wanted to see this memorial.

The Washington Monument and the Reflecting Pool... just gorgeous, even with the clouds.

The Lincoln Memorial from the outside.

This is a picture of James Madison's house (Montpelier). He was also a former president of the US. It's just outside Orange, VA. The grounds are gorgeous and worth the visit but I'd skip the house tour for a couple of years. They are busy restoring it so there just isn't much in it.

The house of Thomas Jefferson (Monticello). Well worth the visit. The grounds are AMAZING, the house is super interesting and the tour guide was great. It is just outside of Charlottesville, VA.

Drinking boxes... of WINE!!

One of my favourite things (besides time spent with a great friend) about England was the availability of wine in drinking boxes. So convenient for a picnic (or metro ride), so inexpensive, and just fun. I've often lamented that they don't have it here in the US or in Canada... but lo and behold, they do now! I found this little gem in the Target today. Love it!!

Teacher Recognition Banquet

So this past week I was invited to the county teacher recognition banquet, which was really lovely. The county pays money for a number of awards etc for teachers each year and pays for a really great dinner for all the teachers involved and the principals of all the schools. It was lovely, and it was lovely to be invited. However, my favourite part was that they tried their best to recognize me as a visiting international teacher... from... KOREA!! hahahaha It was hilarious because they made me stand up. I know that all those other people in there were wondering when did the white girl with the very white name come from Korea?! hahahaha I loved it. It was nice to be invited, but when I think about cost of everything and the lack of supplies etc in the schools and the lack of raises and the loss of jobs these days... well... I can't help but think this money might best be spent other ways until the economy recovers. I don't know.

Appreciation.

I don't want people to think that I got into teaching for the financial rewards (obviously not, since you can't make a lot of money at this) or for gifts from students or parents. I do this job because I love it and I believe I was gifted with the ability to do it well. But at the same time, it does feel nice to be recognized and appreciated for the job that we do. Teaching is a lot harder than the general public thinks. I know they believe that it's an 8-3 job with tons of vacation time. But I am at school at 7:15 in the morning and my students arrive at 8:15 and I only get about 20 minutes for lunch (how many of you get hour long lunches?!) and I have 30 minutes for planning (to make stuff for my lessons, plan my lessons, prepare things for the students, do their folders, write notes home, call parents if I need to, email other teachers and professionals about things at school, mark papers, enter grades etc). When that is all done, I usually stick around an extra 30 minutes getting ready for the next day. And there are plenty of days that I take home work because I am just plain old out of time. During the day it is said that teachers make approximately 1,000 decisions that affect the lives of their students and that is STRESSFUL. Never mind the fact that there is constant pressure to keep up with the newest research and methodologies. And then take into account that it's not just one or two children but around 20 at a time... and some of them are sick, some come from home lives that leave a lot to be desired, some are hungry, some are tired, some a needy for attention, some have special needs, some aren't ready for what they need to learn yet, some aren't interested in school, some are beyond what is being shown to you so they are bored and/or acting out and the list goes on. So at the end of the day it is a hard job and if I did it for the money, it just wouldn't be worth it to me. But I find so many rewards in the eyes of my students... and yet, it would be nice to be recognized by the parents and the community at large. This past Thursday was National Teacher's Day. Only two of my students saw fit to give me a card or a gift. I don't need the gifts, but a thank you from the parents would be great. A discount at stores on that day would be AWESOME (did I mention that I spend upwards of $500 for my students and classroom each year?)!! Okay, my rant is over... :)