Welcome 2006!

Well, 2005 is just about over. I'm quite happy to say goodbye to it. 2004, you may remember, will quite possibly go down as the best year of my life. 2005 was simply blah. I feel like all the days blended together - work, work, work! 2005 was Taiwan - cockroaches, earthquakes, and classes.

And here's a bit of news I'm finally at liberty to share: I'm leaving Taiwan for good. In 22 days! Yes, I'm leaving Fu-Hsing Private School, which was a really, really hard decision. This is the best job I've ever had - I love my classes, my students, my co-workers, my school. I don't think I'll ever find anything better. So why am I leaving? A multitude of reasons, but the deciding ones all have to do with 'the company.' Remember over the last year, how I kept complaining about the company while loving the school? Well, it hit a boiling point, and I just couldn't stay in the situation. I'm still technically working for the company, and they can withhold my last month's pay for resigning, so I'm keeping tight lipped about my specific reasons.

What's the plan for 2006, you might ask? Well, the picture is a clue. I had already planned to travel for Chinese New Year, so I'm sticking with that: Taipei to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, India, Kuala Lumpur, Bali, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore. Then, instead of going back to Taipei as I had planned, I have a flight onward to Perth, Australia.

I crave wide open spaces, warm winds, sunshine and space. I ready for a new adventure. So on the recommendation of Kathleen and Claire, I chose Perth to start in. I've applied for a Working Holiday visa, so I'll be able to travel and work to cover the costs. I plan on starting in the vineyards near Perth, picking grapes. Of course if the work is too hard, or the bugs and sunshine prove too much for my composition, I can always get an office job or maybe work in a photo lab, which I know I would love.

Australia will be home probably until the end of May when I'll fly back to Canada to visit friends and move all my stuff to Nova Scotia. Then, hopefully, I will be entering school in Nova Scotia in the fall. That's up in the air a bit, I'm filling out three different applications currently, and we'll see what I get accepted for.

So, hope that's not too surprising for you all. It makes me very excited, but so sad too. Everytime I think about saying goodbye to my students, I seriously start to cry. They want Kathy to take over my classes, but she's pretty happy with her travel classes, so we'll see. I'm telling my kids that I'm leaving this week, so we'll see how that goes. Sometimes I feel guilty for leaving, but I know that I'm making the right decision. Happy 2006 to you all!