The Bags are Packed

I just finished packing my bags. One is definitely overweight but hopefully it won't cost me too much extra. I ended up leaving a laundry basket full of things that I had hoped to take but couldn't make them fit in. Maybe I'll get lucky and get a few care packages over the year.

I am so excited for this adventure to actually begin, but at the same time I am starting to get teary about the whole thing. Saying good bye really sucks. The adventure and excitement is the great part of going somewhere new, but missing your friends, family an all that comfortable and familiar is really hard. I am going to try and focus on the positive parts of this journey and not get bogged down in the hard parts but at the same time try to give myself some time to truly feel the emotions that are coming out as I get ready to say good bye again.

Well I should really go to sleep and then things wouldn't seem so sad.

good nite.

Shopping & Parties

SO I have 5 days left till I take off and life is going. I have a bunch of shopping errands to take care of today (Hopefully) and then the serious packing can get started. I intend on taking over my sister's room to lay out all of my stuff. She won't mind since she's not living at home this summer:) I keep trying to accept the realness of my situation, but most times it doesn't seem real that I am actually moving to the other side of the world in less than a week. I'm not sure when it will become reality...i guess stepping off the plane in Beijing should help but I'll let you know when the reality sinks in!

This past weekend was a special one filled with family time and special memories. We celebrated my parents' 30th wedding anniversary and my sister's birthday in one on-going celebration. The weather co-operated which meant we had some beautiful family photos taken, and a great day down at the beach and on the boat for k's birthday party. It was my last time with K until I return, so bittersweet, but I am certain we will both grow closer during our time apart.

SO I'm off for a hair appointment and some shopping. I'll keep you updated about my progress during the week:)

ciao!

Lake Fun

So I just got back from some time away at Lake of the Woods. IT was crappy weather but fantastic people and the location is so beautiful. IT was really awesome spending time with my family and just enjoying the place. I went for a walk with my mom's camera and got some great shots of the amazing creation all around. It was fun to stop and take a look at the little things around me. I want to share a few of my favorite shots from my time out there.

There were 2 hummingbird feeders outside of the sunroom and the birds loved it. IT was so much fun watching them fly around, enjoying the sugar water. They have a funny little chirp as well that was fun to listen to.

This was my 20inch walleye that I caught one night while out 'holding my dad's rod'. it was delicious!Blake and I were being super strong people with single armed chin-ups but I kind of failed since I didn't even get my arm bent:( Oh well...we had fun playing on the boat anyways.

A funny little photo of Indy looking none to pleased to be wearing polka dots!

There were some fires, good food and family times while we were out at the cottage. Here are a few more photos of the great times..

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NOw it's back to our little family cabin for one more week of family time and the great outdoors before I come back to the house to pack up for China. Only 10 more days till take off. Yikes. I need to enjoy all the family time that I can.

July Update

Wow, July 18 already.  Where is the time going?  I just returned from spending a week out at Pioneer Camp and it was a blast.  I was cooking in the kitchen again, but some of my favorite camp people were there visiting at the same time so it was just fantastic to be able to spend time with them.  I went on one memorable evening of paddling and made some delicious treats in the kitchen.  I will be heading out to the island again next week, but until then I will just be enjoying time with my family at the cabin.  I am trying to soak up all the moments while I can because my departure date is quickly creeping up on me.  

I was in Winnipeg yesterday, and got the paperwork sent off for my entry Visa to CHINA.  Most days I am really excited about my coming departure, but other days I wonder what exactly I am getting myself into.  I start to feel a little overwhelmed or unsure of what I will face when I get there.  But that is all part of the adventure I guess.  

SO yeah, summer will continue to involve special people and relaxation as I know my upcoming position in China will keep me hopping and wishing for a break sometimes and also wishing for the clean, clear air of Manitoba!

Hopefully you will keep reading as this blog will soon be a pretty exciting place with pictures and updates from my Chinese adventure.

Teacher Stuff

A random photo from this summer...i think it's kind of cute:)

I put in my first morning of official teacher work today.  I went in with my dad to his school to scavenge and pillage whatever I could from teachers there.  I think it was a fairly profitable adventure.  I've filled my memory stick with files, tests and all the other good stuff that comes from stealing from other teachers.  It's exciting to think about doing all this teacher stuff but also a bit overwhelming.  Sometimes I have minor panic attacks thinking about all that lies ahead of me in the upcoming year as a first year teacher but then I have to remind myself of one day at a time and the fear passes.  

Onto other news...

Tomorrow my friend from Brazil arrives in Canada.  I'm looking forward to sharing Manitoba with her in the summer.  When she lived here last time, she spent most of the winter months with us.  I'll hopefully be able to post some pictures soon from our upcoming adventures.

I'm heading out to enjoy the summer sun a bit more today.  It is just so lovely and wonderful to be able to spend so many hours outside these days.

ciao!

Home Again

Well i made it back home this evening.  My time in southern ontario was wonderful.  I really had a great time hanging out with my family and camp friends.  It is great to have friends that you can just settle in with even if it has been a while since you last saw each other.  A true blessing.  After leaving southern ontario I spent a few days in Winnipeg before heading to ultimate home.  I got to spend some quality time with my Baba which is special since I"ll be heading away for the year real soon.  Baked some things with her of course! and also did some more shopping with Julia.  Value Village was our friend yesterday.  We found a lot of good 'teacher' things for a small price tag.  Honestly, Julia bought, I think 9 items, for like $60 which is pretty awesome when you consider that all those clothes are 'teacher clothes' and that she could have spent the same amount on one pair of pants if she bought new at the mall.  I added to my teacher-shirt collection.  I think I need to stop soon though because it all needs to fit into my suitcases along with whatever else is coming with me to China!  

I also found out recently (like yesterday) that I will be teaching 3 different courses this fall.  Originally I thought I was going to be in the resource department, but now it looks like the majority of my time will be in a classroom (or maybe several).  I am supposed to teach consumer math (gr 11) and grade 10 science and math.  That mostly means that now I have to spend some serious time in the remainder of my summer prepping and getting things organized since i only have 1 week from the time i land in China till when I start teaching.  NOt really enough time to figure out my first month especially with all the meetings and general orientation of a new city and job.  But that's ok.  I was given ample warning about my schedule so I can't really complain.

The next exciting part of my summer is the arrival of my friend from Brazil!  Paula and I met in grade 12 when she was an exchange student to my school and we have stayed friends since.  She arrives next week and will be here for a couple weeks.  We should have some grand times!  Hopefully some fun summer adventure pictures to follow while she is here:)

It's time for me to call it a night and enjoy the maiden voyage of my double bed!  that's right folks...after 23 years of sleeping on a single bed I will be resting on a double bed in my own bedroom!  pretty exciting if you ask me:)

The Last Week

Well, Ive made it through week 6 of 7 and still enjoy teaching (well mostly!). Its hard to believe that my time in Winkler is almost over. I came into Winnipeg for the weekend to relax and enjoy some friend time as well as get a load of marking and test writing done. This last week coming up will be lighter on the planning end, but there are always many things to tie up in a last week anywhere. I am excited for what is ahead of me but also a bit sad to be leaving my new friends behind in Winkler. I have not made a lot of new friends, but the ones that I have made are pretty sweet and it will be hard to say good bye (at least for now!)

BUT summer awaits with all the fun of cabins and lakes and boats and of course friends. I dont have too many plans made yet, so if you have suggestions of where I should go or what I should do, leave me a note. I have about 3.5 months before I fly away to CHINA. Its still pretty hard to think about moving to another continent on the other side of the globe. But alas, before I wish away what is left I am going to go and enjoy a Friday night with friends, a movie and some wine.

See you in a week when I finish my final practicum and become a TEACHER (at least one who can get paid!)

China Here We Come

Well Folks, I promised that when there was news to share that I would share. So here it is...I am heading to China! I got my first job with an international school over in China!!!! I'm super excited about this adventuring opportunity. Southeast Asia will soon be on my continents experienced list.

The school is named Clifford International School. It is a private K-12 school that has 2 streams, the Chinese and English. The English program follows the Manitoba curriculum which is great for me. The school year is pretty similar to Canada, with the vacations in a few different spots. We still have 200 teaching days, but the breaks are at slightly different times than Manitoba schools. I will be signing on for a 1 year contract and then we'll see what happens after that.

I'm excited that I will be able to share some more exciting events on this blog again. The life of a student in small town Canada is usually not as interesting as a little Canadian girl exploring a big new country! I'm counting on some stories about new and strange foods, sights that are new to my eyes and a bit of culture shock! I'm supposed to be getting an apartment that is big enough to host people, so if you think it might be in your plans to come to China next year let me know:)

With the excitement of a job and travels in my life, it's been kind of hard to stay focused on these last days of classes and then an upcoming practicum. I only have 1 1/2 weeks of class left and then my 7 week practicum. CRAZY!!!!! I have a couple of big projects yet to finish but I'm confident it will all come together. It is the Education faculty after all:)

SO that's my exciting news. Hope your upcoming weekend treats you well. Mine will probably focus on homework and some relax time.

till later!

February!

Hi Folks.

February has arrived, which means lots of exciting things...only 4 more weeks of classes, Winter festival (a mini-folklorama for Brandon), the one-month Challenge (can you go for 1-month eating only fair trade chocolate and drinking only fair trade teas and coffees?), Louis Riel Day (which means a day off school and work), and lots of other things I"m sure. Oh, one other piece of excitement is that I will likely hear back from a school in China that has my application for teaching next year...I'll let you know what happens there:0

Life is moving along at a pretty quick pace these days. This last term of university seems to be flying by but at the same time there are so many details, assignments and decisions to make. At times it is overwhelming, but I try to take it one day at a time and keep things in perspective. (Easier said than done)

Thoughts of warm summer often flood my mind while I walk to school in yet another -40 morning...temperatures like that make it pretty easy to think about moving somewhere WARMER!

I have several BIG projects that need to get started, so I need to run. Till next time:)