In a matter of minutes this side of the world is preparing to say goodby to 2013 and all of its related baggage. I can't speak for Sarah, but I know this is definitely true for me.
This year has definitely had some bittersweet moments, high points and also some very backhanded victories. On the bright side, there is nowhere for us to go but up from this point. We are safe and sound and happy in a new town (no thanks to a boss who made us miss our train--but that's a story on its own), looking at new possibilities...and we are both the happier for it even if it means things are a little uncertain for the time being.
Goodbye 2013...you smiled on me favourably even while you stabbed me in the back. In short, you were just like every other year, but with extraordinary adventures.
Tuesday, 31 December 2013
Tuesday, 10 December 2013
Update
I know it's been a while, but things have been more than a little insane around here.
The uncertainties presented the last time I wrote still have not resolved themselves, so I don't know where we'll be in January, or what we'll be doing. It's frustrating as hell, but the only thing either of us can do at this point in time is roll with the punches and hope some of them miss.
In order to make room for a new teacher, Kris moved in with us last week. Then the new teacher bailed at the last minute with absolutely no warning...the bosses found out the day before she was due to fly into Warsaw. Now everything is chaos and nothing is certain. I hate having to fight my battles blind, but there isn't much of a choice at the moment. The worse things get here, the more I realize we were both blinded from the beginning because they certainly didn't tell us much at the outset and we still don't have a complete grip on their full expectations.
I can pray for more organization and knowledge until I'm blue in the face, but at the same time I often find myself suspicious that this lack of disclosure (at least until you are actually in the classroom) is going to be a common theme in the profession. I often catch myself wondering whether or not we would still have come here if we knew everything they expected of us before we even got on the plane. It would definitely have made our working lives easier if we had, at any rate.
We have stability until Christmas, but after that it's anybody's guess.
Not knowing has definitely contributed to a lot of the homesickness I've been feeling too. I know that everybody is just an e-mail or a Skype message away, but it's not the same as having a shoulder to lean on for a few minutes. It's not the same as being able to go to a park or restaurant to commiserate with your friends -- it's not the same as a hug from your parents. So much is happening at home too. How can I be a good pseudo-sister to Jeanett and an aunt to Piper (and future sibling) if I'm so far away? How do I sit with my parents at the dinner table at Christmas, and hold my mother when it hits her that this is the first year she won't get a phone call (or visit) from my grandmother?
And some days I still feel alone, even though I know that Sarah is always at my side.
Hopefully things at least get a little better next week. I have the fun of planning/giving Christmas lessons and learning about how things are done in Poland. This should be interesting.
The uncertainties presented the last time I wrote still have not resolved themselves, so I don't know where we'll be in January, or what we'll be doing. It's frustrating as hell, but the only thing either of us can do at this point in time is roll with the punches and hope some of them miss.
In order to make room for a new teacher, Kris moved in with us last week. Then the new teacher bailed at the last minute with absolutely no warning...the bosses found out the day before she was due to fly into Warsaw. Now everything is chaos and nothing is certain. I hate having to fight my battles blind, but there isn't much of a choice at the moment. The worse things get here, the more I realize we were both blinded from the beginning because they certainly didn't tell us much at the outset and we still don't have a complete grip on their full expectations.
I can pray for more organization and knowledge until I'm blue in the face, but at the same time I often find myself suspicious that this lack of disclosure (at least until you are actually in the classroom) is going to be a common theme in the profession. I often catch myself wondering whether or not we would still have come here if we knew everything they expected of us before we even got on the plane. It would definitely have made our working lives easier if we had, at any rate.
We have stability until Christmas, but after that it's anybody's guess.
Not knowing has definitely contributed to a lot of the homesickness I've been feeling too. I know that everybody is just an e-mail or a Skype message away, but it's not the same as having a shoulder to lean on for a few minutes. It's not the same as being able to go to a park or restaurant to commiserate with your friends -- it's not the same as a hug from your parents. So much is happening at home too. How can I be a good pseudo-sister to Jeanett and an aunt to Piper (and future sibling) if I'm so far away? How do I sit with my parents at the dinner table at Christmas, and hold my mother when it hits her that this is the first year she won't get a phone call (or visit) from my grandmother?
And some days I still feel alone, even though I know that Sarah is always at my side.
Hopefully things at least get a little better next week. I have the fun of planning/giving Christmas lessons and learning about how things are done in Poland. This should be interesting.
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