For our last few days in Korea, we took a bus to Seoul and checked in to adjoining rooms at Dragon Hill Lodge, an Armed Forces Recreation Center at the Yongsan U.S. Army Garrison. Britt accompanied us only to babysit while Meg, Tony and I jumped on the Seoul City Bus Tour. He had to … Continue reading Hop on! Hop off! Seoul City Bus Tour
As I was pulling out suitcases this morning to pack for our Christmas trip to Korea, I realized I had never blogged about our October get-away. (Forehead slap.) I know many people think teachers get soooo much time off, but let me tell you, that stretch from August to December? Brutal. Many schools offer a … Continue reading Flash back to October: Head for the hills!
My mother turned 70 years old on Nov. 16, but her four kids are scattered around the world. We wanted to get together and surprise her with something special. An impromptu visit to Michigan wasn’t going to happen. Ultimately, we collaborated on this video tribute. My brother shared a Photo Stream, and we collected video … Continue reading Happy 70th birthday, Mom!
Disclaimer: I wrote this at 3:30 a.m. Stupid jetlag! As an elementary school teacher, I’ve had the “favorite color” conversation millions of times. Ask a first grader what his favorite color is, and he’ll respond with the confidence of someone who has given it great thought. “Blue,” he’ll say confidently and then add with equal … Continue reading What’s your favorite color?
For international teachers (well, probably for ALL teachers), summer is a time to relax and recharge, catch up with friends and family, travel and/or find a little stillness. During the school year, we often daydream of lazy days by our lake, biking on the trails, kayaking, finding our zen at yoga classes, playing with the … Continue reading SOS – Summer of Stress
I made this video at the beginning of the summer for Britt, who is stationed in Korea. We are totally over the moon for his little guy, William, and we feel so fortunate to have this time with Will and his mama, Meg, before they head to Korea to be with Daddy.
I just released my LAST ESL class of the semester. Do I sound excited? Because I AM! Students come to school for a half-day tomorrow, and then we’re OUTTA HERE. Woah. That was a lot of capital letters. Anyway, my third-grade English learners sang “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” which required a bit of vocabulary building: … Continue reading Lutorpa the purple-nosed tiger
With a significant population of Chinese living and working in Laos, our little city saw its fair share of Chinese New Year festivities. However, nothing will ever compare to celebrating Chinese New Year in China. As we kicked off the Year of the Rabbit, Tony and I were feeling a bit nostalgic for the real … Continue reading Xin Nian kuai le!
When Tony and I were preparing for the job fair last winter, he delegated the research to me. Not one to embrace change, he didn’t really want to leave China, but he understood that this “Third Culture Kid” needed to move on. I spent hours on the internet, schizophrenically obsessing about one school or another. … Continue reading Vientiane International School