A long awaited update

Holy Kamoley! I just checked my blog and realized that it has been exactly a year since I posted last. So if I actually have any followers left, thanks for your dedication! Here's a long awaited update:

Last year I decided to stay in China, since there are actually teaching jobs here and managed to be hired on by a British international school. I started the school year in August (I went home for 6 weeks between jobs) and am teaching Year 5 students (4th graders in the American system). I have been so excited to *finally* have a real teaching job after the three agonizing years of subbing and trying to find work back home in Seattle. (And isn't it an interesting commentary of the US Economy when one has to leave the country in order to find a job?)

Here's an interesting comparison for my job-hunting experiences. For three years, I was applying and trying to find a teaching job in the states. I mostly applied in and around the Seattle area, but also filled out applications from Eastern Washington to Alaska. I was even looking into teaching in Indiana where my sister, brother-in-law and two-year-old nephew live. I didn't keep track of the number of jobs I applied to, but I'm sure it was at least 1000 from various school districts. From those applications, I had 10 job interviews, but no job. However, while in Shanghai, job hunting lasted 3 months. I sent out my resume to about 10 different schools and had 3 job interviews and got hired by one of them. I signed a two-year contract, which included my passage to China, health insurance and housing. I'm doing well financially, since the cost of living is lower than it is in the states.

My first year teaching at an international school has had a sharp learning curve as just about everything is new to me...the British curriculum, the courses, even the Mac computers that all of the teachers have been issued. I typically work 12 hours a day, although the school hours are from 8 to 3:30 Monday through Friday. I almost always go in to school one day over the weekend to prepare for the upcoming week. My colleagues tell me that I'm crazy to work so much and that I need to let things go. However, being a new teacher, I don't know that many time saving tricks and, truthfully, could really use more support. But I'm just trying to do my job...I've given up trying to be "super teacher". Next year will be easier, because it will be the same curriculum and I'll have a lot of the resources that I had to create this year that I can re-use. Plus I'll have a clue as to what is going on. This year has been really overwhelming and I have very little leisure time. However, I really enjoy my students and my Chinese co-teacher Juliet and that is what keeps me going.

As for learning Chinese, that has slowed down significantly because I don't have time to work with my tutor anymore. But I still try to learn a little bit here and there. I decided about a month ago that my goal is to learn one Chinese word or phrase a day. That seems to be going well.

For Chinese New Year, we got a week off of school. I chose to travel to Thailand at that time and had a blast and a half (I'll post about that later with some photos). For Christmas holiday I went home to visit my family, which was really nice however not relaxing at all. In January, I was under so much stress that my body kind of gave up and I had terrible back and neck pain. I was referred to a Chiropractor and fortunately that has helped a lot. But I still have a lot to do to make changes towards a healthier lifestyle.

Fortunately I have made some friends in Shanghai, mostly with other ex-pats that I do not work with. I see them almost every Friday night, so that is one way that helps me deal with the stresses of work that accumulate during the week.

Overall, I am very grateful for my job and the opportunities that living in Shanghai is giving me. I am definitely in the middle of a new adventure: LIVING IN CHINA!

stay tuned...