Hello again,
Wow. It's been a VERY long time (years) since I've posted to my blog and a bit's changed with me, but mostly things are the same. Last time I wrote, I was beginning my adventure in Abu Dhabi... And what an adventure it was! So much so, that I didn't find the time to write about it. In short, I met quite a few wonderful people, made amazing friends, and participated in some pretty cool things from Parkour to Zouk (and other forms of Latin dancing), TWO different choral groups, lots of boardgaming and meetups, cultural experiences, travel, and teaching some incredible kids.
So, as the title of this blog post implies, I am embarking on an adventure in France. Why France? I'm glad you asked... It all started back in December, when I decided that I wanted to teach in an International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Program (MYP). I firmly believe in the principles of the IB, and I've been teaching 5th grade in the Primary Years Program (PYP) for 3 years, but I have always been partial to teaching middle school students, and as AISA did not have an MYP, I submitted my resignation and began looking for MYP positions, figuring that six months would be plenty of time to find a new job in my desired program. Turns out, I was wrong. The school year ended, my 5th graders advanced to middle school, and I did not. I found myself unemployed...
You're probably thinking, "Ok, so you're unemployed. What does that have to do with France?" Again, I'm glad you asked! Well, when it became apparent that I would not be finding a teaching position this school year, I decided to take a 'gap year' and work on getting some additional certifications at the secondary level, which I hoped would help me be more employable in the long run. Thinking that it would take a year of schooling to attain these certifications, and because I missed my family, I decided to return home to beautiful Washington State, USA. The plan was to substitute teach while I took online classes and studied.
"But that still doesn't explain WHY FRANCE!" Right. Well, at the end of the school year I had scheduled lots of travel opportunities, because I didn't know what my future held, and I wanted to take advantage of being on the eastern hemisphere. One of my destinations was Portugal, for a weekend of dance workshops, where I made friends with some people from France. I met them again a month later in Spain, and followed them home to Toulouse. We had such fun together that I was invited back. As I am currently jobless, I have plenty of time on my hands, so I decided to take the opportunity to immerse myself in French culture for six weeks, with people who will help me learn the language and enjoy what this country has to offer!
No comments:
Post a Comment