Next steps

Geoff and I are quickly approaching the end of our fourth year of being together! :) September 2010 will be that next milestone. I could not have imagined, even a year ago, where we would be right now with our relationship. Moving together abroad was an excellent decision, because we had to learn tolerance, communication, and compromise in order to live together and to be able to rely on each other day in and day out. I still love Geoff for all the same reasons as before -- his goodness, his love of adventure, his career ambitions -- but I have also learned to appreciate his relentless patience and protective love.

So, what's next??

(Since I know this is on all of your minds, all three of you that read this blog...) We do want to get married and to start a family, EVENTUALLY! We're just not in a big hurry to do it yet. I also want to go back to school to get my PhD, not for the name of the degree, but because I really want to someday help math teachers to be better at their craft. Thus, Geoff and I looked at our timeline for the next five to ten years, and decided that if we still wanted to live somewhere else (ie. Europe), we would have to do it relatively soon, before our lovely future arrives and we are slammed with raising a family and possibly my going back to school all at once!*

*And yes, I'm well-aware of how impossible/crazy that sounds to try to play both roles at once. But Geoff and I have discussed it and are hopeful that we will find a way for it to work, somehow. Even if I have to be the oldest PhD student ever and/or Geoff has to be a part-time stay-at-home dad! haha

So, our gears are turning. Stay tuned... (Don't get all over-excited though. Remember the last time we had decided to move abroad, it had taken us close to two years to get everything in order!)

LA and Shanghai

I just arrived back in San Salvador after a two-week whirlwind trip to Los Angeles and Shanghai. Honestly, I had been a bit antsy to get back, because I don't like to be on the road constantly, but I was ridiculously sad to say goodbye to my parents in Shanghai nonetheless. The older they get, the more heavy-hearted I feel when I leave them after each visit. (My mom especially misses me when I'm gone...) Unfortunately, for financial reasons, I see my parents at most once a year. ...Maybe some day things would change and I would live at a closer proximity to my parents, but until that happens, visits home are almost as difficult as not being at home, because my mom counts the days until I would have to leave again. :(


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Anyway, en route to China, I was able to see and quickly catch up with some high school friends (Cat, Helen, Danna, and Jenny) and to visit my sister, my cousins, and my grandma in Los Angeles! My short stay in LA was busy and fabulous. Since I only go back to LA once every couple of years, it was so good to hear how everyone's life is moving and changing ever-so-rapidly. I miss my California girls and my sister already... Seeing them and missing them made me reflect that we each pay a steep price for our wanderlust -- or any other life that we choose to live.

In Shanghai, I went with my parents to briefly check out the Expo 2010 (aka. World's Fair), for which the entire city of Shanghai had been transformed in preparation. But I also spent a good deal of time home with my parents, besides going out with my parents to eat and to go to the hospital. (--Long story, but I am on a two-month herbal medicine regimen until my "moisture diminishes", my "heat lowers", and the root cause of my recurrent infection is cured. It was actually my idea to try herbal medicine this time, because I had been sick for well over a month with a common recurrent infection, and Western antibiotics seemed to be of little help. I figured I've got nothing to lose in trying the alternative. Although, I had to ask my mom to sit and wait outside during my examination/consultation, and that was pretty awkward... But, really, I think it was definitely the lesser evil of the two possible awkward situations; she didn't even expect me to say that I am on birth-control pills, despite knowing that I'm 28 and that Geoff and I obviously live together!) At home, my parents and I watched a lot of TV, talked a lot, and I learned a lot about the history and attitudes of the mainland Chinese people. Consequently, I felt more connected with Shanghai than I had felt during my previous visit...

I also took some time in Shanghai to check out its swing scene! This was my second try at swing-dancing in Shanghai, because Geoff and I had gone two years ago to the only small bar that had hosted a weekly swing dance. This time around, the venues have changed and there were definitely more dancers. In fact, I got to meet various cool international folks who are currently living and working in Shanghai; they helped me to appreciate Shanghai as an increasingly international -- and metropolitan -- community. I had super fun dancing, and (even though I got a little out of breath) I was surprised to feel how quickly I was falling back into the rhythm of the music.

Now I am home! :) Am ready for some serious downtime before we head out again (to Peru, in mid-July). How funny is it that we always want to get away, and then as soon as we do, we start to miss home?

Graduation and Goodbyes

The past weekend was beautifully slow. I had to attend the Upper School graduation for a few hours on Saturday morning, but it was nice to see all the teachers dressed up at the same time. The graduating senior class of ~100 kids is impressively heading off towards different parts of the world (a perk when your parents can afford to send you to Italy, France, or Spain for college), and it reminded me of how bright-eyed and bushy-tailed I was as a high-school senior, prepared to take on the world...

(I am still taking on the world now, a bit at a time.)

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After graduation, some of us headed down to Atami for a nice day trip. We dipped in the pools, read in the hammocks, and drank a few buckets of beers before heading back to the city. It was every bit the time-away-from-the-city that we needed, and the sunny weather was a merciful break from the torrential downpour that we had been having!

On Sunday, Geoff's and my electricity was out -- AGAIN. We actually have ceased to be shocked by this, but it is somewhat annoying nonetheless. Geoff played his guitar and I read and slept in the hammock to pass the time, and it ended up being a super relaxing day away from the daily hustle and bustle. Since our stove is hooked up to a gas tank, we were still able to whip up a pretty yummy chicken dish to bring to the goodbye party held for all the international teachers who are leaving. In the end, the weather was beautiful and we sat by the Complejo pool and enjoyed each other's company while bathing in the warm glow of the sunset.

All in all, it was an utterly beautiful end to a beautiful year. :) I'm heading off very soon (in a few days!!) to visiting family scattered in different parts of the world, so I probably won't be updating much until after my return (towards the end of June). Take care, loverlies!

Leap Year

Yesterday was not a great day for me, so on a whim, Geoff, Andrea, and I headed to Gran Via to catch a movie in spite of the on-and-off rain. (Here, during the rainy season, Salvadoreans rarely go out.) We watched Leap Year, which is a sweet romantic comedy that reminds me of some classics that I love! It has to be one of my favorite movies of late, and they also incorporated picturesque landscape from the Irish countryside. Lovely! It made me really want to go to Ireland sometime. (And maybe if I lug my redhead along, they'll be extra nice to us.) ;)

May (through October) showers

It is cold and damp here in San Salvador; I actually feel as though I'd have to break out the jackets soon! The dreadful rainy season is here to stay, all the way through October or so. It is making me jealous that everyone in the States is bathing in sunshine, even though I recognize the irony that I am the one who never has to deal with walking through snow to get to work.

With the end of the year quickly approaching, our twice-weekly Spanish classes are wrapping up as well -- y eso es muy triste. I love our current teacher, and I feel like I learn a great deal in her class; we even went out and got her chocolates to thank her for teaching us! Even though I will definitely keep working on my Spanish, we probably won't luck out the same way next year in getting another super structured, systematic instructor. Entonces, hoy mi clase de espanol fue a la casa de Kristin para celebrar el fin del ano con vino y brownies. Fue muy divertido! Hablamos por casi dos horas antes de la hora nos occurio.

On the personal end of things, I am feeling complacent. Work has zapped me of all my energy for personal pursuits in recent weeks; I haven't even finished a book in three weeks. The only thing I am actively working on is learning to do a headstand. (I anticipate this to take me a long time, since I have a horrible sense of balance, but I do intend on practicing daily until I get it.) I love my yoga class, and I really think that both my flexibility and core strength have improved significantly in the few months since I joined the class. This summer, my goal is to work on my personal yoga practice, so that I am not always so reliant on going to my yoga class to get things done!

And, I am excited about going to LA and Shanghai so soon to visit the fam!! Of course, I'll have to stuff my suitcase with books, TV downloads, and my yoga mat on the way there, but I do expect to come back with an extra suitcase full of American goodies! :) (Things we can't get very easily here or are very expensive: contact lens solution, sour patch kids, Neutrogena face wash, condoms, good beers...) --And, who knows? I might get to swing-dance in Shanghai! :)

Beautiful mirador

On Sunday, Geoff and I went with a few friends to celebrate a birthday at a stunningly beautiful restaurant that overlooked many nearby mountains. The food was delicious; the menu featured fusion cuisine brought back by the two Salvadorean restaurant-owners from their experiences living around the world. And the restaurant was only a short (~30 minute) drive from the city!

Our photos don't do the place justice. We had dined on the deck while the sun was setting, and you could see numerous mountain ridges near and far, colored in hues of blue and purple. Right past where we were sitting on the deck, the cliff drops about 60 or 70 feet. It was truly breath-taking; I hope we go back soon sometime. :)

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The year is wrapping up so soon! With my Alg2H classes, I've been doing simple trigonometry in prep for their Pre-Calculus class next year. It's making me nostalgic already. (With Geometry, we're still pushing forward with "regular" curriculum all the way until the last day of instruction. I feel a little bad because I'm speeding through some of the topics, but the kids seem to be faring OK, despite their complaining.)

Workaholic Anonymous

Happy Cinco de Mayo! (Did you know that yesterday was May the Fourth Be With You Day? Love it.)

I was really happy today, because it was the last day of our 3-d projects, and the kids were completely absorbed in the spatial visualization puzzles (this time without the aid of computers)! For stretches of a few minutes at a time, my classroom was silent with the sound of careful thought. Afterwards, I asked a handful of the kids whether they had liked the project, and they replied unanimously that it was great!

...It's super cool when things work out the way you envision. I really love teaching so much. :)

The weekend ahead, however, promises to bring a lot of work. (Bleh.) On top of the massive amounts of end-of-the-year grading and the usual weekly planning, I'll also have to pull together at least preliminary study guides for the final. (I am feeling parental pressure to get those posted very soon, so that kids can start studying early to make sure they pass the class.) I think parents conveniently forget that during these last weeks of instruction, as their kids check out and begin looking forward to the final, we are still grading and planning as normal. We don't get a break to pull together those study guides, especially not when kids are anxious to see the latest updates of their Q4 grades!!

Good thing Geoff has essentially guaranteed me that he wishes to do 16 hours of work this weekend ("8 hours on Saturday and 8 hours on Sunday"). We'll be workaholic buddies.

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Incidentally, I finally finished reading a beautiful book yesterday. I had checked it out from the library 3 weeks ago, but school had kept me extremely busy, so it was put on the backburner. But, towards the end of the book, I was so anxious to find out what would happen to all the characters, that I was stealing reading time during all hours of the day! It is called Fall On Your Knees, written by Ann-Marie MacDonald, and is the most heart-rending book about the most extraordinary family. I highly recommend it!

I picked up another book, but I'm feeling pretty silly about it all. I have been pretty good about reading a book every 2 to 3 weeks since Christmas, but it seems pretty unrealistic that -- with everything going on -- I am going to have time to read between now and finals week.

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Anyway, to give you a perspective of how fast the centrifuge is going, there are only 4 weeks of school left -- INCLUDING FINALS!! If that's not crazy, I don't know what is.