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!

Getting Ready

Behind the Scenes of the Junior High Play

Innkeeper's wife, and the three shepherds, all adorned in excessive taffeta

Sheep roasting over an open fire

The angels groove while waiting for their heavenly appearance

Shepherd's Play Performance

Cast Photos

Change of wording

I feel I should clarify - I am not in the least depressed. It's much more of a sentimental melancholy - which gives the days an extra dose of beauty - "That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet." ~ Emily Dickinson. I wouldn't want you to think I was sulking around, I'm pretty happy with sadly reminiscing and excitedly planning for the future.

Oh, and tonight is The Chronicles of Narnia premerie! Who-ho! I was really looking forward to it, but then I read some reviews that made me think that perhaps it won't live up to my expectations. We'll see.

And it just keeps going and going...

Alright, I'm a little post-Christmas depressed, and my to-do list is lengthy. So you probably can expect Christmas photos for the next few days. I choose only the best ones out of the 300 or so I took. Count yourself lucky. (=

The 'Foreigners'

This is our Christmas photo of all 6 of us who teach together and share an office and apartment. We're generally all stuck together for most of our time, but we like it.

More Elementary Photos

My favorite shot

This was my favorite 'ballerina' shot. It was after the performance, and one of my classes were arranged on the steps for a class photo. Fortunately, Rosalyn noticed just in time that Yuko's skirt was up and she quickly helped her adjust it.

row of sweeties

Happy Faces

Nutcracker Soliders

Ballerinas

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all! We're just about done here, but most of you are only starting. Just to rub it in - right now it's sunny and 22C! But enjoy your snow. (=

The play's the thing

Here's the problem. For this week, I have Elementary and Junior High Christmas practices every day. For example, tommorrow is three hours of elementary in the morning, and a two hour junior high in the afternoon. There will be no rest before Christmas! So given that, blogging is not going to factor high on my to-do list. Instead, you may expect serial installments of my Christmas play, scene by scene. My Christmas gift to you [note: sarcasm]. Please remember that it was writen for an audience of about 1000 grade 6 - 9 students, most of whom are not quite competent in English. It's simple, and Kathleen likes to point out that I used every Christmas cliche in the book. But, I figure that it's not cliched if none of the students have seen Chrismas plays, right?!

Oh, and Kathleen is "Suzy" the oldest shepherd, AMber (another foreign teacher) is Angel #1, and I am playing the "Rich Person." THey wanted some foreign faces among the grade 7 actors. We have 4 more practices and then the performance, here's hoping it's good! It's a lot of pressure, but fun, too.

Guest Post: Kathleen

As you know, my method for introducing "Travel" to grade five students is Flat Stanley. He's been featured on Carole's blog before: I like to show our flat visitors a good time in Taipei. It also works the other way, though. My kids were thrilled this week to get their Stanleys back from visiting Canada (hosted by Mom and Dad). I have some pretty skeptical kids, though, and they were convinced I just photo-shopped their Stanleys in front of a picture of the CN Tower. But, my final proof was a picture of Dad holding them by our apartment in Thornhill. All the kids Ohh-ed and Aww-ed and one brave boy asked "How old is he?" I answered, expecting their 10 year old brains to think of him as old. But they all gasped and looked shocked! One boy yelled out- "But... my Dad is 63!"

Grumpy day

Sorry I didn't post this weekend, I've been busy finishing grading, finishing up Nanowrimo (with very expensive prizes) with my students, and trying to plan my Chinese New Year Vacation.

Today it's Monday, and I'm throughly grumpy. Entirely out of sorts. Partially because I have less than two weeks to get my part of the Christmas show together and partially because of gifts.

Let me rant for a moment. I spent all the last two weeks doing my Christmas shopping, for my students, my co-teachers, my housemates, and my secret Santa. I had so much fun buying it all, and wrapping everything. Gifts ARE my love language. Now, I recognize that this is not true for others, and do not expect reciprocation to equal degree.

HOWEVER~ if you are in a foreign country for Christmas and you live and work and spent 95% of your life with 5 other women, you get them SOMETHING for Christmas. I do not care if you take a piece of printer paper, and draw a Christmas tree with markers. But you have to do something, or else I feel very rejected and unloved; which leads to a very grumpy Monday.

The three people this is directed towards don't read my blog, and the rest of you have no complusion to get me a present, I just needed a rant. Deep, calming breaths.

Odd juxtaposition

One of my grade 6 girls is sending thie card to her pen pal. It made me laugh. Nothing says Merry Christmas more than a Halloween card! It surprises me more that she even chose it, she should know the difference between Halloween and Christmas!

Other than this one, I find almost all of the Christmas cards in Taiwan completely adorable. I sent out some of them to you, in fact. I think I might go buy more to stock up for future years, there are just that many cute designs. Coming to a mailbox near you shortly. If you want to get a cute card from Taiwan and you don't think you're on my Christmas list, you can post or email me your address and I'll send you one. Even if I don't know you - it's less than a dollar for the card and the stamp together! Share the Taiwan Christmas joy. You can even request one with an odd cartoon, or improper grammar or a card / christmas tree ornament. Seriously. Post or email, I'll do it.

November Chair

Thank goodness I bought that Ikea Chair for Claire's visit last summer, it certainly came in handy during the month of November! This was one of my last days of writing, so I made Kathy take a picture of my writing pose, to remember Nanowrimo in Taiwan.