Traveling the World

I often wonder if what I did by leaving was the right thing, especially because being a teacher in a developing nation is so hard, and it’s even harder to leave because you can get so comfortable and stuck in your ways.

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That first portion was written a few weeks ago, when I was going through a rough time. Since then things have been looking much better. I’m getting ready to sign a contract with a primary school for 1 year, commencing September 1st, 2009 and ending June 30th, 2010. I did a demonstration class in front of the woman in charge of hiring foreign teachers, and she was extremely happy with my performance.

I had originally mentioned how I had my trip to Australia planned out for the middle of December. The school said this was a huge problem, as their winter holiday was from the middle of January to mid February. As a result, I’d be missing a month of work, something you just can’t do in a public school when the students are meant to have one stable teacher for the entire year.

As a result of my performance and attitude towards the job, the woman said she’d push the principal to accept my trip and let me go. The only downside is I would be unpaid for that period of time. The upside is I’d have 8 weeks off from school instead of only 4! I will know in a day or two what they say. If they agree to it, then I’ll go to Australia and then probably do a second trip for the following month either to India, Malaysia/Singapore, or Vietnam.

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Things with Lily had a little snag, but has since been resolved and we’re quite happy! As we approach our third month, something I haven’t been able to do in many years, my 23rd birthday also comes quickly upon us. She had been asking me to go to this remote village with her called Fenghuang (in English “Phoenix”), and I decided that I wanted to go for my birthday.

We must endure a 16 hour train ride to a city called Huaihua, and then a 3 hour bus ride through the mountains into this remote and untouched landscape. I’m really excited to see an area of China that’s not a metropolis! Because my birthday falls on a Friday and I have to work on the weekend, we’re leaving Sunday night the 21st after I finish work, and coming back Friday the 26th before I have to work the next day.

When we return, Lily and I are going to finalize the preparations for the business, hoping to run classes from July 5th until the 31st. The week after our classes end, I’ll be going to a coastal paradise called Zhuhai for a 12 day Summer English camp. They pay pretty well and it looks like a lot of fun. This will be from August 5th until August 16th. The next day, Alfred, Richard, Melba, and Emma (Alfred’s gf) will arrive in Shenzhen from Hong Kong, where I will meet them to begin another trip!

I will leave them on the 27th to return home to begin moving to the new apartment before my job begins, but they will stay here until September 6th. I wish I could stay with them the whole time, but I’m just glad to get 10 days with them, and a chance to see them travel outside of America (one of the main goals for my travel website: getting people to travel).

I’ve applied to work at 7 different universities in Wuhan and am awaiting a reply. I’m still working at RISE, even though there’s been a few times where I’ve wanted to quit on the spot. I learned that using food as a reward for good behavior and participation is a good way to keep both my stress level down and the kids happy. I’ve been there almost 6 months now!

Things are going well with Lily. We’ve been together a month, which to be honest is pretty long for one girl. I’m not saying that because I’m bragging, but because I haven’t had a real relationship in almost 5 years (for whatever reasons). We get along well in and out of work, which makes for a good relationship (seeing how each other works in different situations). If she signs a contract with RISE, they will send her to Beijing for 20 days, and I might go there to visit her.

Things are going well with my poll: so far online there have been 15 votes, and my friends and co-workers have given me another 15. In addition to that, I’m going to teach at a spring camp in Hangzhou for a week at the end of April, and I’ll go 5 days early to see Shanghai, so that’s most likely the winner of the poll!

I’m currently editing my prior posts about individual trips to be submitted to companies in hopes of getting a freelancing contract. That’s another reason why my site is more professionally designed; when companies are online they will most likely google the applicant’s name. Then they’ll find my website, and if what I submitted doesn’t match the style of my website, they might think it’s not the same person, and then I lose the job. I bet they’re going to read this article too. Hello [insert company name here]!

I know in the past I’ve said I hated Wuhan and wanted to leave, but now that I’m saying, “yes” to things, life is more interesting. Sorry if that sounds like a shameless plug, but it’s the truth. Looking forward to things I’ve never done before makes me excited.

The sun has been out most days，putting me in a great mood! The average temperature has been 72F (22C) with a great breeze! I’m trying to enjoy it while it lasts, as summer is right around the corner and last summer we averaged 95F (35C)!

I got a massage last night for the first time in almost a month, and they had a new option available: goldfish bath! They brought in a nice looking foot bath complete with cute little goldfish that sucked the dead skin off my feet for 20 minutes. It tickled like hell but was totally worth it!

Look for more changes to come and keep the comments up! I love hearing what you have to say.

If the school tells me yes, I have a flight booked for June 8th. This gives me enough time to tie up lose ends. If the school says no, it’s back to the drawing board. As much as it’s been nice spending time with people, I really want this job because it seems like the best opportunity to get my foot in the door. Trust me, you’ll know if I get the job!

Update: I found out Sunday night that I got the job in Wuhan! They are in the process of mailing me the contract and the documents I need to apply for the visa! I also have 1 immunization shot left (Japanese encephalitis)! Also need to pick up the Chinese money I ordered, get the anti-malaria pills, and other things. So much to do in so little time!