1st day of school

Today was Ben's first day of school in Taiwan. I had a very difficult time sleeping last night, spending countless hours wondering if moving to Taiwan would truly help our kids. Questions kept sounding in my brain about whether the kids would adapt, if a bilingual environment is best and if I am a terrible mom. My kids are the minority. Will this challenge ahead of them make them shine like the diamonds that I know that they are, or will it just scratch the luster off of the surface, leaving them dull and tarnished?

As we left Lizzie at the kindergarten today she cried. Not her normal drop-off cry, but still complete with tears and screams of "I'll miss you Ben." It doesn't matter how much the two of them argue, they are great friends. Ben on the other hand could not be happier about leaving his sister, as it meant that he finally could leave the "Kindy" and move into the Primary School grade 1. Finally, some big kids!

I do have to admit that up until today has really been a challenge with the kids. Ben was placed into Kindy with much younger kids (like Lizzie's age), but he and two other "minority" children were often given special "activities" (read: they were too disruptive in class, so they were put together away from the others). If you put three kids in a room together for an extended period of time, well, things don't always go well. Add to that Lizzie doesn't want to be in class when her brother and friends are playing somewhere much cooler and a mess arises. Lizzie spent many times trying to sneak out to see Ben.

So back to today. We meet Ben's teacher at the classroom and watch as Ben is instructed how to take off his shoes, where to put them, and when to put on the house shoes. He is genuinely excited about being in a classroom. He is also happy because one of the boys from the kindy (one that he did not get in trouble with) is in his class. I saw Ben a couple of times during the day-- twice on the stairs, in the cafeteria, in the auditorium. Each time, he looked completely happy.

We picked both kids up this afternoon and found two completely different children from the ones we had picked up yesterday. BOTH were smiling. BOTH had gleaming reports. BOTH had a great day at school. Such a relief!

What's really neat is the change that I have seen in Ben just today. Until today, he was rather resistant to speaking Chinese. Instead of saying "Xiexie" (read: shay shay) he would say "Mayonnaisse". But tonight, he has not stopped with the Chinese. The children in his class speak both English and Chinese. The only common language for all of them is English, but Chinese is the mother tongue and therefore has its place. Today, speaking Chinese went from being "weird" to being "normal".

Isn't that what learning is? In science, we learn a new language filled with complex vocabulary and Latin. In math, we learn to communicate using both numbers and letters. When things are presented as normal, we are more apt to learn, because, well, it's normal. So today my son embraced Chinese. My daughter "taught" her teacher how to count to ten in Chinese. Both of my kids are growing in confidence and becoming world citizens. They are learning that there is more than one "right" way and that differences are part of who we are. They have learned a bit about ghosts (it's Ghost Month) and how to use chopsticks.

No, moving here was not a mistake. I have not hurt my kids. Instead, I have given them a great opportunity that they are starting to embrace. It truly is wonderful!

Earthquake!

Since I've been in Taiwan, there have been two earthquakes that I have not felt. Not so this morning! Just before 5am we woke up to our bed shaking. "Earthquake" I said to Wally as I rolled over, then I looked at the clock and went back to sleep. They say that if an earthquake wakes sleeping people, then it is a 4, and sure enough, when I checked on it just now (and above) it was a four.

I have to say that it was not like the episode of Laverne and Shirley where the earthquake makes their beds move around the room. Our bed is in the same spot. It just felt like the Earth was growling. Still pretty cool.

An explanation of the numbers in the above pics can be found at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Meteorological_Agency_seismic_intensity_scale

"You're not like most Westerners"

Today we had an awesome party at work. The entire school went to a park called Taiwan Sugar Mill. It has tables with built-in grills. The food was from something called "BBQ in a Box". Awesome idea. You buy this box and it has everything in it, the brushes, the starters, the lighter, the coal, the squid balls, the chicken, the pork, the tofu, the mushrooms, the fish. It was so cool.

We gathered ten people to a table. Each table had a box on it. There was also a plate of Salt-cooked chicken. Picture a whole chicken, cut up, and cooked. Did I mention that it was black? For those of you who remember my chickens, you might remember Chicky Girl. Chicky Girl was a Silky chicken, a type of chicken that comes from this region. In addition to having silky, fuzzy feathers, they also have black skin and meat.

Wally ate almost all of the chicken for the table. The head director came and added more to the plate and everyone was surprised when Lizzie grabbed the chicken foot and started gnawing on it. Yes, there was Lizzie, with a black chicken foot in her mouth, chewing on the toes.

After most of the meat was cooked, I threw the fish on the grill. The fish was very similar to the ballyhoo that we used to troll with on Poppy's boat, minus the bait skirt. When it was done grilling, I pulled it off of the heat and took the skin off. I then used my chopsticks and broke off a piece of the meat. It was really good! That's when it happened.

One of the greatest compliments that can be recieved... "You're not like most Westerners."

It's not the first time I've been told that, and I always wonder if it is meant as a compliment or an insult. So I asked the guy to explain. Apparently, in Taiwan, fish is cooked whole and then the meat is pulled off of the bones, much like I had done. Westerners, he explained, only eat clean fillets. Also, my children are not scared to try new things. Therefore we clearly do not fit the stereotype of a Westerner. It was meant as a compliment!

As we were all eating, the kids played. Ben is treated like a celebrity here. He is such a handsome boy with those huge eyes, the women all go crazy for him. There was literally a line of people waiting to take their pictures with him. He of course just smiles and enjoys the attention.

After lunch, we had some KTV. Lizzie and I sang some songs, I never realized had bad I sang until it was blared at me. Wow, I'm bad! While we were doing that, Wally and Ben went on a train ride down to the sugar plantation. I only know this because as I was waiting in line for the go-carts I received a text. Yes, this place had it all. Grills, trains, go-carts, KTV. Such a great time!

*This email is not meant in anyway to imply that being a Westerner is a bad thing.

Hump Day

The Wednesday workday has come and gone, our first week of working is half over. It has been a long and trying week so far, but we are starting to see the light at the end of the work week. The kids have had to adjust to the long day, they start at 8 am and we pick them up at 5 pm. It might not seem long to most people out there, as this would be a normal day in preschool, but our kids have never really been away from us for more than six hours during the day. We have been spoiled, and being away from them for those nine hours makes us realize how lucky we have been to be able to have me home with them.

The hardest part of the week would have to be the lack of running water. We have been filling up buckets from water trucks and flushing toilets to the best of our ability. No laundry has been done, and cooking is near impossible. But, I am happy to report, that as of 4 am this morning, the water has returned. How do I know is was 4am? Wally heard the banging of the pipes as the water entered them.

Everything is going great here. We are watching the Pacific as another tropical system is developing, but we are not too worried about that. Once we get our transport situation squared away we will see about helping with the relief effort, there is still so much to do. I even read an ad today asking for people to help with burying dogs that had died during the typhoon. Apparently over 100 drowned. We won't even talk about the human lives lost in the landslide...

As for now we are settling in, making trips to town, and loving Taiwan. It is fantastic. We are having a blast!

A little bit of Lizzie :)

Our Kitchen

Our water has returned! It is so nice to have water back, a fews days without and no dishwasher means a huge stack of dishes!

Our drain has this really neat basket that catches food. It can be removed and emptied into the trash. I love it! I want one in my Umatilla kitchen.

After cleaning up the house, it is time for me to grab a bath. I love my bath tub here!

We went back into town today. We all tried some street food, some pork dumplings. They were great! Ben really loved them!

Our final stop was at the fruit stand. Nothing quite like fresh fruit. Here's a sample of what we got.

More pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/schmmems/Waterreturn#

Introducing Betsy

Today we decided to try our hand at going into the village. We don't have a car, and the nearest village is about 3 miles down the road, a mountainous road. Our plan was to have the security guard call a cab, take it into Dashe, go to the 7-11 to buy minutes for the phone, then shop around and catch a cab home.

Ahh, plans! We got to the security office and had our Nintendo DS in hand. I purchased a game called "My Chinese Coach" which not only teaches you how to speak Chinese, but also has the phrases written in Chinese so that you can show the person you are trying to talk to what you are trying to say. It has worked well, I have found the bathrooms, the laundry room, and even some foods. When we get to the security guard, we ask him to call a cab for us. Complete language breakdown. So then we decided to call Scott, a wonderful man from work, to talk to the guard to ask him in Chinese to call us a cab. We also needed the security guard to write down our address so that we could find our way home.

While this was happening, one of our neighbors pulls up and asks if he can drive us into town. A complete stranger. But hey, this is Taiwan, one of the safest places on Earth. We accept his invitation and climb into his car. Wally did get our address so that we could get home. The ride to Dashe was quite enjoyable. The Taiwanese love to talk in English so that they can practice the language, which makes things easier for us! They dropped us at the 7-11 and we thanked them for the ride.

The cell phone that we got is a prepaid cell phone, much like the ones that we have in the US. Unlike the ones in the US, you can not refill your minutes using your phone, you have to go and buy a card. I was told just to hand the lady my phone and my money and she would get the right card for us. If things were only that simple. We bought a card and the lady was nice enough to load the card, except that she had sold us the wrong card! Thank goodness that she was the one who tried to load it, because it was all in Chinese. After she realized her mistake, she refunded the money that I had spent on the wrong card and sold me the right one, again loading it onto my phone. Success!

7-11's are amazing here. You can do anything there. Pay the water, electric, rent, everything. Just a simple kiosk and things are done. Lovely!

We decided to walk around Dashe for a bit and found a place that cuts hair. Ben's hair was in need of a cutting, so we walked in. Charades commenced and we were able to ask for Ben's hair to get cut. As we were waiting for his hair to get done, two other women started to style Liz's hair. They braided it and made it very cute. The whole thing was not very expensive and was a wonderful experience.

Next we walked more and found a bakery. Ben picked out some cookies and Liz picked out a custard cup.

We found a fish store and fell in love with many of the fishes they had for sale. We can't wait until we can set up a tank here, our first family tank!

We also went into a book store where we found, wait for it, a hamster! I was attracted to the display because of the large beetles they had for sale. So pretty! Then we spotted the hamsters and were amazed at the price. We fell in love with this little girl and decided to take her home. Her name is Betsy.

After buying Betsy, we decided it was time to call a cab to take us home. I went into the 7-11 again and showed the girl my DS that asked her to help me call a cab. As we were starting to use the kiosk (again, an amazing thing), Scott pulled up and offered to take us home. He was driving by and saw us. I guess we stood out! He was so nice.

We got home and found that we still don't have water, but after a nice day out, things look great! We are really liking it here!

No Water!

We have no water, as side effect of the typhoon! Apparently the river swelled, contaminating the water supply, so running water has been cut off until tomorrow.

I hope it is back tomorrow!

Laundry

How do you dry laundry during a typhoon when you have no dryer?

Of course, that is assuming that you figure out how to make the washer machine work...

Pics of storm damage at http://picasaweb.google.com/schmmems/Damages#5368518542724296530

Typhoon Morakot

"Morakot" is a Thai word meaning emerald. It is also the name of Taiwan's first typhoon of 2009. We were not scared of the thought a typhoon, we felt very similar to the way we feel when a hurricane is coming in Florida. So the howling winds, side-ways rain, and blowing leaf particles were no big deal to us.

This morning, we woke up and Liz and I decided to go downstairs to watch some TV. (The boys wanted to sleep some more). So down the stairs goes Liz, until she gets to the landing. I hear a great thud as Liz slips on the wet floor and begins to swim in our living room.

Two inches of standing water. Our living room was flooded. I calmly get the shop vac and begin to clean up the water and sent Lizzie to fetch Wally. Together we were able to clean the water away, find the source, fix it, and then resume life normally.

The funny thing is that Wally left my computer on the floor last night. We don't have wireless yet, so we have been sharing a computer. Imagine my surprise to find it almost floating this morning! But it is okay, as I am using it for this blog.

Wax on, wax off... or is it scrub the floor?

Our floors are marble, which is quite lovely. However, I have noticed that we all have jiffy feet. It must be from the floors! So while I was shopping, Wally spent time scrubbing the bottom level floor, changing the color from a dull brown to a nice warm brown. I worked on the stairs, and then tackeled the second level...

Before picture. I should explain the color. They use insect coils here, a pesticide that you burn. The ash goes into the air and releases the pesticide. It also makes a terrible mess. There was just a recall on some of the coils, they contained agent orange!

A work in progress. Scrub the floor...

Six hours later...


Now for levels three and four!

Our New Home

After almost a week of living in the dorms, we have finally moved into our house. We saw many apartments before deciding on this one, but we are very happy with our decision. We almost chose a different one, and were all set to close the deal, until the landlord told the agent that she did not want kids in the place. Whatever!

We have a three bed, three bath house. It has four levels and is very nice. The community that we are in is nestled in the foothills just north of Kaohsiung. It is remote enough to be out of the city, but close enough so that all of the excitement is within a twenty minute drive. Several teachers live in the community, two even walk to work. All of the floors are either wood or marble tile. There is no oven in the kitchen, but there are two gas burners. I have to hand wash the dishes but we are lucky to have a dish drier. Here are some pics. The complete album can be seen at http://picasaweb.google.com/schmmems/Taiwan2#slideshow/

Trip, legs 1 and 2

We're currently sitting in the Tokyo Airport. The majority of the trip is over, we've survived both a three hour flight and a thirteen hour flight. Our last flight is from here to Kaohsiung and is estimated to take four hours.

The hardest part has been this last layover. Getting off the plane and realizing that we still had at least eight more hours left of traveling was a bummer. But, it is what it is, and we are glad to be safely here.

I will update more once we get to the dorm.

The dude abides.

53 hours...

It's amazing how much getting ready for this trip is reminding me of my childhood. Yesterday I talked about burnt cookies. This morning, I went to make the kids some breakfast and found that we are out of milk. Awesome! I can make up some of the powered milk that I have in the cupboard and use that! Sweet.

I made up the milk and tasted it. It was like going on a trip in a time machine. Here's a confession-- when I was little, I used to climb under Jen's crib, steal her bottle, and drink the whole thing. For some reason, Mom only used powdered skim milk in bottles, so tasting the stuff this morning was like sucking on that bottle.

I once took Kristin's bottle, but I didn't drink it. No, instead I sprayed it into her hair and pretended to "style" it. Did you know that when milk dries it has better hold than any gel I've found to date? Boy, I got in trouble for that.

Wait, is that Babs I hear?

Three days until we leave. We are slowly but surely packing up and getting ready. Last year we were allowed three bags per person, so we packed up 12 totes and were on our way. Boy, did we learn! This time we are only allowed two bags each. The funny thing is, we only have five that are filled. I guess this is good, it leaves room for more toys for the kids. The two five bags in the front are empty... for now!

One link left. This is it. MOVING WEEK!

In preparation for the trip, I need to make sure that I leave the cupboards as bare as possible. I am on a mission to use up all of the consumables, which isn't hard with two little ones. This morning, we made chocolate chip cookies. We didn't have any chips, so I guess really really just made cookies.

Lizzie as always was "helping" me. See the butter on her lip? I caught her licking it off of everything. GROSS! The shirt she is wearing is one of her favorites. I got it in Georgia at the second-hand store that Manana and I used to go to. It was 1 lari!

Sidetracked by something else, the house began to fill with a smell that transported me back to my childhood. I burned the second batch of cookies! It seems as if we always burned one batch of cookies as kids. The smell kinda put me in the holiday spirit. :)

Ready, Set...

The FedEx man delivered our passports today, complete with our visas. I feel so much better with them back in my hands! We also received our authenticated marriage license, kids' birth certificates, and driver's licenses.

These last few weeks seem to be taking forever. In one week, we will be on the second leg of our trip. We fly from Orlando to Chicago, Chicago to Tokyo, Tokyo to Kaohsiung.

I can't wait!

Links to Taiwan, 10 days

Same view as last time, chain is much smaller!
http://schmidtadventure.blogspot.com/2009/05/links-to-taiwan.html


You can see the writing on the chains. Triple exclamation marks means we're really excited!!!

10 days...

It Was Us!

Got word this morning why there is a delay in our work permits. As I said in my previous post, I've provided every document requested of me. The problem is that more documentation is needed! Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa!

Stress. That is what is created when the first thing I see in the morning is an email from Taiwan. We are 12 days from leaving. I just spoke with TECO and our visitor visas and passports should be in the mail either today or Monday. Hopefully I will have them by Thursday, July 23rd.

Packing. I have packed two bags. The first is our winter clothes (jeans, sweaters, long sleeve shirts). The second is our work clothes. After all of that packing, I'm beginning to realize that we really don't have much.

I made the kids pick out seven outfits. I have packed all of their other clothes. This has been especially difficult with Lizzie, considering that she will wear seven different outfits in one day. I wish I knew my Mom's secret in making us wear only one. I don't remember how she did it, but I KNOW we were not allowed to change as much as my daughter does. It gives new meaning to that song line, "You \ change your mind \ like a girl \ changes clothes".

Because we are unsure of our living arrangement when we arrive to Taiwan, we have purchased some small items just to have... forks, spoons, knives, plastic cups, plates and bowls. We have also got new towels and have decided on sheets. Taiwan is not like Georgia, we can get what we need there at Costco, Ikea or Carrefores. But I don't want to get there and not have a clean towel. Oh, and we bought some toilet paper to take with us. Better to be safe than sorry!

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Second death near Indonesia mine

BBC NEWS Asia-Pacific Second death near Indonesia mine

Whew! Early in our search for a new school, we found this quaint little school located in the cloud forest on a remote island in Indonesia. We actually made it to the final interviews. Then we decided that it was not for us.

Through research, I had found out about the two people who were killed in 2002. They were both teachers from the USA.

The pay was excellent. We felt that in proportion to the risk, however, it was not nearly enough. We passed on this opportunity.

BOY AM I GLAD!

Life Takes Visa... so does this trip

"Please kindly plan your trip to get your resident visa"

That one line in an email that I received last Friday has sent my world spinning. My resident visa? My trip? What?

Okay, I admit it, I should have seen this coming. I've done a lot of research. I've gotten paperwork for just about everything... just about.

For reasons undisclosed there has been a delay in the processing of all of the new teacher's work permits. None of us realized this until it landed on us. I am glad to say, in pure Bart Simpson style, "I didn't do it". All of my paperwork was in on time. But the school works as one unit and if one person is missing something, we are all missing something. I'm not pointing any fingers, I'm just saying I didn't do it.

With less than three weeks remaining before we leave, we are all charged with the task of securing our visas, a process that takes at least two weeks to accomplish. During that time, we have to surrender our passports. In other words, if there is any delay, we can't go. No passport=no trip.

The nearest TECO (Taipei Economic and Cultural Office) is in Miami. A six hour drive, one-way. The lady at TECO has been nice enough, explaining all that I have to do all three times I have called her. She was very nice to let me know that it is not worth the six hour drive, as it would make no difference in the processing time. I will be using FedEx.

So, fingers crossed, by next Friday our visas should be processed. By next Tuesday, July 21, we should have our passports back in our hands. In plenty of time for our trip... I need to go knock some wood.

Packing Emotions

We are now 25 days away from our scheduled trip to Taiwan. I have packed NOTHING. If you know me, you know that this is completely out of character. I always do things as fastidiously as possible. I am a planner. So why the lack of packing?

I've gotten all of our luggage together and have pulled things out to start packing. But something has happened that I was not expecting. Every time I put out the bags and the space bags, I am overwhelmed by anxiety. I'm not scared, it is more like a scab is pulled off of a very deep wound. I am overcome by sadness. I think to myself, "How did we get out?"

What's even more funny is that the sight of the bags don't do it to me, it's the smell of the spacebags. I am flooded with the memories of having to pick what to take and what to leave. We left so much... my grandmother's blankets, the quilts that I made, clothes, shoes, toys. Ugh! Reliving it makes my chest heavy. The only slight relief that I get is in knowing that some of our stuff went to the refugees while others went to my good friend Manana.

There's a sore subject. I am a very reserved person. I have friends, but I am very reserved about making CLOSE friends. I am amazed that in the two months that I was in Georgia I was able to become so close to someone. She is now my family, a sister. In some ways, she is even closer than a sister. We keep in contact, but it is difficult. We were torn apart. Contact opens old wounds. It sucks. I will see her again. I look forward to that day.

So now I'm off to start packing some clothes. I figure it is a safe bet to pack the winter clothes. Floridian winter clothes. Is that an oxymoron?

Are you ready?

As we get closer to our move the overwhelming question that I hear is, "Are you ready?" I really don't know how to answer that question. We have been watching world events and researching Taiwan. We have been culling through our belongings and cleaning our house. We have been talking to the kids about the move and trying to get things to help with the transition.

But does that make us truly ready?

We thought that we were ready for Georgia. We never would have imagined that we would have been evacuated by the State department a mere two months after arriving. And now with the uncertainty in Iran and North Korea. And the ever present missiles in China.

People do not understand why we would want to go overseas. I guess we think of things differently. Yes, there are some messed up countries out there. Yes, there is a chance of war. But that is universal. I sometimes wonder if we had grown up in another country and only relied on news sources to learn about the US if we would even consider visiting here, let alone moving here. I guess I feel that the media often only shows the bad, sometimes crossing a line so that there will be "news". I mean, how boring would a newscast about happiness and peace be? No gory pictures there.

For me, the best way to learn about the world and other cultures is to live among the world and those cultures. I'm not going somewhere to try to convert people to my way of thinking. I am going to learn. I want my kids to learn that there are more ways to look at things than the conventional way in the US.

I am in no way knocking the US. I am so happy to be a citizen of a country that allows me the freedom to pursue my dreams. Part of that freedom is the freedom to learn, and that is the main goal of our next adventure. We have every intention of returning to the US, it is our home.

So are we ready? Our bags are not packed, yet. But the house is almost squared away and we have worked to make sure our minds are open. So, yes, we are almost ready.

A Year Ago Today

A year ago today we boarded a plane and left the US for the first time. We were so excited about our layover in London and our arrival in Georgia.

We ended up sleeping our entire layover. Our departure from Georgia was premature and the memories still cause us sadness.

I miss Manana. I miss the family that I was accepted into there. I miss Georgia. I can't believe it has been a year.

Our lives changed a year ago. As we prepare for our next trip, we look back with fondness. We can not wait to see who we meet and what we learn. It truly will be our next great adventure.

Here is a link to our blog from Georgia. I have not updated it as I wanted it preserved as it was... http://schmidtsintbilisi.spaces.live.com/

Links to Taiwan

Since Christmas my kids have been counting down the weeks until our move by removing one link a week from a chain that we made. It serves as a visual reminder that we are moving and has helped to generate some excitement about the move. On each link the dates of the week are writen, and each Sunday one link is removed. The kids alternate weeks for taking off the link. It has been fun to do with them and has made the move a little more real.

Details of our Adventure

We are going to be teaching just outside of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Wally will be teaching Social Studies. We leave the US on July 30 to be in country by August 1st (as required by our contract).

As for housing when we arrive, the school has a dorm that we can crash in until we get our own apartment. We will be looking for a three-bedroom apartment/house close to the school. In Georgia we only had a two bedroom, which meant the kids had to share a room. We want to avoid a repeat of that if at all possible. The school provides a supplement for housing, so we will be able to pick out what we want. This really excites me.

We have a very attractive package and are very excited about moving to Taiwan. I have started working on some Mandarin, but I think it might be easier once we get there and are hearing it all of the time. We will be in Taiwan a little over a month before we get the first paycheck. For all of you living in Taiwan, how much money do you think we will need that first month?

18 weeks and counting

We leave for Taiwan in 18 weeks. A little over four months... I have so much to do!

We have decided to do this move a little differently than the last move. When we went to Georgia, we had a great baggage allowance. So, we packed all that was near and dear to us into 14 rubbermaid containers and checked them on the plane. What a nightmare. This time we are going to use a freight forwarder, shipping our stuff so that it meets us there, instead of us having to lug it around the world with us.

The kids seem rather excited. Lizzie has decided that she is getting both a chicken and kitty when we get there. Ben wants to see all of the video games. I don't know where they are getting their images of Taiwan, but I do find it amusing.

We are hoping to find housing close to the school. I-Shou is in a more rural area, about 20 minutes from the big city of Kaohsiung. I have heard it is in the foothills and that it is lovely. Being on the outskirts of town, however, has made it difficult to gauge what housing will be like in that area.

Besides that, all is well. I have injured my knee during training, which has taken me out for a few weeks. Torn meniscus. Not too bad, just need to rest it. I think I will be switching to cycling from now on, easier on my knees. We'll see.

The Passing of David Donohue

Yesterday we were told that my cousin, David Donohue, had been found dead. I would like to share my most favorite memory of my cousin with all.

January 5, 2002. My wedding day. David showed up and declared that he was what the family in New York sent for our wedding. We were thrilled. Debbie, his sister, was one of my bride's maids and it was really nice to see some of the New York family. One of the highlights of my wedding was the Karioke at my reception. I had to have it. It is from this that the lasting memory of David comes.

Being a few short months after Sept. 11, 2001, patriotism was high. David, in particular, was very passionate about his love for New York. He had visited the Twin Towers on the 10th and felt especially connected to the events of 9/11. Cue the music. The music started with the traditional beginning for "New York, New York." David wrangled Wally to the front of the room and together they began singing a slurred rendition of "New York, New York". The room was filled with giggles and laughter, it was great. As the song progressed, Wally bowed out and allowed David to take center stage, and he did. It was a fantastic time. I will remember David as a fun loving guy, as someone who made us all laugh and will always be linked to my wedding.

Rest in peace, man.

When it rains, it pours (but with a positive connotation)

We were offered a job and accepted it. We are very excited about the location and the culture. Wally will have a great position, Social Studies Coordinator, and it will really allow us to get a lot of training that will help us in the future.

As soon as we accepted, we got emails from two other schools, schools that we had really been interested in. Isn't it funny that way?

We are truly blessed to have the opportunities that we do. We should be receiving our contract tonight, after that we will be in full preparation mode. We are truly excited.

Let's Try This Again

It was a little under a year ago that we decided to try teaching overseas. It was something that we had always wanted to do. We originally thought about teaching in England, fearing the language barrier for both us and our kids. But as time went on we got bolder and decided to try the Republic of Georgia. We moved to Georgia in June, fell in love with the people and the country, then got evacuated when Russia invaded.

When we got back to Florida we bought a house and started to settle back into life in the USA. But nothing about teaching overseas has changed. We still want to do it. And we're going to.

This blog will be the record of our next overseas trip. We have interviewed with a school and have been offered a position. We are very excited. In this blog we hope to show our preparation, of experiences and (hopefully) our love of our new home.

Stay tuned...