So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Adieu

I started trying to write about my last days of school and I got writer's block. I can't seem to find the right words to describe the loss of my students ("yay they're gone!" mixed with "aw, I can't believe they're gone!"), the emotions associated with some faculty friends leaving to teach in different places (although now I have some people to visit in Poland, among other places), or when I cried as I was saying goodbye to our principal who is retiring (Kristen said she has had 8 different principals in her 9 years of teaching and this one was the best principal she ever had).

My sweet students

 For a going away present I bought my students beach balls and then had them write messages and sign each other's. They loved it!

Making memories!

Defne showing her "4B Memory" ball.

Celebrating the end of 4th grade with songs and dancing! 

This is part of the path I take on the walk to school. I have to say, Ankara in the spring/early summer is lovely. There has been quite a decent amount of rain and it's made everything more lush and verdant. This part of the path I think of as "Honeysuckle Lane" and it smells wonderful and makes me smile on the way to and from school.

My school- empty!

I will miss this man so much! Best principal ever!

We had our last meeting when our Director read out all the names of people moving on to other places. Then we sang this song. I was weepy- I'm such a sap.

Last weekend Kristen and I took a little trip to Cyprus to whet our appetites for our upcoming travel-filled summers. We stayed in Larnaca, which is on the south, or Greek, side of the island. In order to get to this side of the island, we had to take a taxi from the Turkish airport to the border, cross the border on foot, then take a bus to Larnaca. The vibe immediately shifts when you cross and on the way back when we crossed again we said, “Oh, it’s so good to be back home where everything makes sense again and we can read the letters! Allah Allah!”

Larnaca had gorgeous blue water that was nice and warm and a touristy atmosphere very similar to Mexico. This thought was validated when we spotted a Senior Frog’s while strolling down a promenade. It was just a beach trip for the weekend, and it was simple and lovely. The Greek food was delicious!

On the rocks at Nissi Beach.

Enjoying my vacation Uncle Matt style.

Lovely water.

Leftovers for breakfast! Sea Bream with a side of Greek salad.

My upcoming trips are as follows: I am going to Croatia on Friday the 26th for a sailing tour. I leave Split, Croatia on July 7th and head to London. I leave London on July 13th and head home to Dana Point.

Croatia Details

I get to Split, Croatia on Friday, stay one night, and then leave on my 8 day sailing tour. Here is the basic itinerary:
• Day 1: From Split to Hvar Island
• Day 2: Hvar Island to Mljet Island
• Day 3: Mljet to Dubrovnik
• Day 4: Dubrovnik to Korcula Island
• Day 5: Korcula to Makarsa
• Day 6: Makarsa to Pucisca To Omis
• Day 7: Back to Split
• Day 8: Split

Split in the top left, Dubrovnik in the bottom right.

Here’s a blurb from the website: “There's no beating Croatia's Dalmatian coast for an 8 day, 7 night chill out. Spend an unforgettable week sailing on a beautiful vintage boat. Relax and let the captain and his crew (especially the cook!) spoil you while you contemplate whether to swim, sunbathe or do a bit of sightseeing. Think crystal clear seas, tiny walled cities, eclectic islands and long nights sampling local food and wine in a traditional konoba.”

I can’t say how excited I am about Croatia. I was first made aware that this place is a stunning destination a few years ago when one of my best friends, Robby, showed me pictures from a family trip he took there. The turquoise water, the old city walls- it really looked breath-taking. This is one of my bucket list trips and it’s going to be magical.

When I get back to Split I stay for 3 nights (flights were much cheaper this way) to enjoy the beach then head to London. I’ve been to London once, which barely counted. On the start of a European tour I took about 10 years ago I had gotten to London in the afternoon and took a nap because I was exhausted. Then I went out partying with my tour group (honestly all I really remember is drinking beers in the tube- not because I got drunk, just because I have a terrible memory). The next day we went to France. Thus ended my time in London.

This time I’m there from the 7th to the 13th- time to explore galore! The only loose plans I have are to visit a couple friends I made in Val D'Isere (if you remember my Spring Break snowboarding trip). We’ll have a reunion and a pint. Other than that I plan on taking the red bus, going on a bicycle tour, shopping, and general moseying around. London strikes me as the kind of city where one can find plenty to do or not do, depending on one’s mood. I can read in a park or I can take a tour to Stonehenge- whatever strikes my fancy. I love being alone on trips for this reason: I can do whatever I want ALL THE TIME!

Then it’s time to head HOME! Fun, relaxing days filled with lots of family and old friends. I’m a big fan of lists, so here’s a list of all the things I’d like to do/looking forward to while I’m home:

• Food shopping at Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and Costco. I miss pork so basically I’m going to buy a ton of bacon and sausage and I’m going to cook up a storm! I’m going to bake a billion paleo things (how I miss my sweet potato pancakes!) that I couldn’t make here because things like coconut flour are impossible to find. I’m going to make my dad a real carrot cake (paleo style of course) from scratch because he told me he made one from a box on Father’s Day. I’m going to roast so many veggies it’ll make people’s heads spin. I love cooking and having access to all the things I miss is going to be so great! Yes, there will be lots of cleaning up for me to do- that’s the downside of cooking: never-ending dish washing. However, not working day in and day out usually drives me a bit nuts after a few weeks so this is a good boredom killer. I really don’t care much about going out to dinner (except In-N-Out which is top priority), I just want to go nuts in the fancy grocery stores (honorable mention: Gelson’s).

• Disneyland. What else is there to say? It’s my happy place. I want to go with my sister, my mom, my brother, (my dad doesn’t particularly like it), my friends Raf, Kathryn, Estabon, and Nance, and anyone else that wants to go.

• Beach time, followed by Jacuzzi time. Again this one is pretty self-explanatory. If you don’t know why these things are amazing then you are living your life the wrong way and we can’t possibly be friends.

• Trips to some places I haven’t been in awhile. Angel’s stadium, the Arboretum, the Huntington Library, San Diego… so many places to go!

• My cousin’s wedding. I love weddings. Dancing, free food and booze, everyone celebrating love- I’m a total sap. And this one is part of my family. She’s a wonderful, stunning woman and she is very happy. I cannot wait to see her beautiful day!

• Training Camp bootcamp and hot yoga. I like to stay fit and this place in San Juan is amazing. The trainers are friendly and know me and my sister, and the workouts are ridiculous. Last time I was home I would do bootcamp and hot yoga on alternating days (I highly recommend it because the soreness from bootcamp gets knocked out by the yoga stretching) 4 or 5 times a week. Keep in mind I'm not busy while I'm home so this helps keep me occupied.

This one of the the to-do lists at bootcamp. The goal is to do this 3 times. It's insane. 

I said my goodbyes (for the summer- I'll be back!) to a couple of my favorite Turkish friends last night. Kaya and Volkie came over and we hung out, had some whiskey, went for a long walk, and picked mulberries from a bush growing next to my school. We added the mulberries to our drinks, laughed, and were silly. It was a night where I knew exactly why I loved my life in Turkey.

Volkie and Kaya enjoy the view.

Being silly!

Mulberries!

Kaya shook the bush and Volkie and I used a sweatshirt to catch the berries. A lot got stuck in my hair.

That’s all I can think of at the moment but I know home will be full of lots of love, fun, relaxing, and appreciating my favorite place in the world. Well… my favorite place in the world tied with New Zealand.

The Journey of My Career

This was a year full of firsts: my first year of teaching as a licensed teacher, my first year teaching the IB PYP program (as opposed to common core), and my first year teaching in Turkey.

When I think about my career in education, I think about the strange twists and turns that got me here and feel both lucky and proud. I think it all truly began when I was living in New Zealand. I was working for the Commerce Commission (one of the few jobs I attained that had to do with my college major- economics) and it was only a matter of time until my visa expired and I had to be moving on. I applied to stay working for the Commerce Commission in order to stay in the country but I hadn’t had much success. When my mom asked me what my plan was if I couldn’t get a job and stay in New Zealand I probably said something like, “…plan?” I knew I wanted to keep traveling and my mom came up with a genius idea- having a back-up plan. I hadn’t been in the working world much at this point and the idea of having back-up plans was new (didn’t really need back-up plans while I was in college- I was going to graduate and that was that). Then in her great wisdom she suggested the idea that changed my life- getting Teaching English as a Foreign Language certified. (I must give a shout out to my Mom, who has given me so much magnificent advice over the years, some of which I actually took: Mom, you have helped take my life to beautiful heights and I love you so much!) Then my back-up plan could be teaching abroad. I took the online courses (100 hours) and got certified during the final months in New Zealand. Maybe I wouldn’t even use it- but it would always be there in case I needed a back-up.

The rope swing on Mt. Vic in Wellington, New Zealand. One of my favorite spots.

I never got the job in New Zealand. I posted on my facebook something along the lines of, “Help! My visa is expiring and I have no place to go! What ever will I do?” Here’s where the luck kicked in- an Australian guy that I had met years earlier while traveling in Europe saw this and messaged me. “Hey Kim! I’m actually travelling to the US for a month. Why don’t you get a visa for Australia and live in my apartment while I’m gone. You can find a job and place to live from there.” And that is how I ended up living in Australia for a year. This is also why I love facebook and will always sing its praises.

While in Australia I volunteered some Saturdays for a few weeks to try and see what teaching English might be like. I joined an organization called SAIL (Sudanese Australian Integrated Learning) that tutored refugees, children as well as adults. It was a good place to be and the only reason I stopped going was because they moved locations- it had taken me an hour train ride each way to get there and then it became 3 hours. I tutored 2 people while I was there: A 5 year old girl that I read books to and a high school girl that I helped with her chemistry homework. It wasn’t much, but it was a positive experience.

Kissing a roo in Aus

I tired once again to stay in the country I had lived and worked in for a year, and once again was unsuccessful. It was time for the back-up plan to take effect- teaching English in Asia. Originally I had the idea that I wanted to go to China- it seems like an interesting enough place. Through my research I learned I could make more money teaching English in South Korea and so then I applied and got the job.

One of my kindergarten classes

X-Mas pageant!

This field trip involved cleaning gravestones as a sign of respect.

While in Korea, I did something stupid- I met a boy and fell in love. Now, the less said about this person the better since it’s all followed with things like, “how did I not see this as a red flag?!” or “I can’t believe I dated that guy” or “UGH” all accompanied with an eye roll.  The point is he had an interesting plan. He wanted to move to Colorado, gain residency after a year (to lower tuition), then go to grad school to get a teaching license. After that, he thought he’d have so many more opportunities to teach abroad! Well, I was in love and found myself without a back-up plan of my own, so I thought it sounded great to me. Since I had no back-up plan, it’s not as if I was giving anything up, so for me there seemed to be really no downside. Colorado, here we come!

When I moved to Colorado, my first idea was to keep building my teaching resume at all costs. I soon got a part-time job tutoring high school students taking their SATs and ACTs. I really enjoyed working with high school students one-on-one and $20 an hour wasn’t too shabby. The problem was I was only working about 4 hours a week so I had to keep up the job hunt. I applied to absolutely everything I could find education-related, regardless of whether I was qualified for it or not. I finally got a call back and an interview for a Pre-Kindergarten position from a posting I had found on craigslist (craigslist! After all the job search engines I had been on!) and got the job. I was officially a teacher again!

I finally had my own classroom again consisting of 26 four and five year-olds and an assistant. I learned A LOT being a Pre-Kindergarten Lead Teacher. One of the most valuable lessons I learned that I continue to pass on is: apply for jobs you are in no way qualified for and think there is no way you could get. Technically my employment there was illegal. The people who hired me thought they found a loophole in my college transcripts, and therefor did not have to be certified to teach Early Childhood Education- WRONG. When the licensing people came to inspect, our bosses brought another teacher into our room and I was told to take a break. I felt a little like a fraud but hey, it wasn’t my mistake. They never fired me or demoted me, they just let it slide. When I put this on my resume I kept asking friends, “but what if someone asks, ‘oh you taught pre-kindergarten! You must be ECE qualified!’” I couldn’t help thinking someone would out me for the fraud I was. Thankfully, it’s never happened and now if it were to come up I would just laugh and explain exactly what happened. A quasi-fraudulent background is now just part of a charming anecdote.

Me and Jackson- look at this cutie pants!!!

My classroom

Forever Tying Shoes: A Pre-K Story

After a year it was time to start the process of going to school and getting my teaching license. I applied to UC Denver and easily got in. This school and my experiences were horrible and I won’t get into it now- that’s a LONG post on it’s own. I went to classes, wrote the papers, and did my student teaching at a hellhole called Goldrick Elementary. I quit my tutoring job and then got a different tutoring job for a federally funded elementary after school program called Orion’s Mind which paid a whopping $40 an hour. I always took these opportunities because I was always thinking about building my resume in education. I guess that’s something that I am quite proud of and take credit for: having the drive and initiative to take on these extra responsibilities to make a better future for myself.

Field trip to the Denver zoo

My fourth graders at Goldrick

Preparing the kids for state testing in Colorado

I finished school with fantastic grades and then started the grueling application process. I was still planning on going abroad, but during the final year in Denver I started to like it and also applied all over the place in Colorado. What worked for me when applying to jobs and what I recommend for others that are searching: apply to at least 4 jobs a day, or spend 3 solid hours a day applying, whichever one comes first. It takes a LONG time to find jobs, tailor your resume and cover letter to each individual job, and fill out all those online forms for each job. Don’t burn yourself out- focus on those 4 applications or those 3 hours and then spend your day enjoying the sunshine.

I had 3 interviews in Colorado (not counting a job fair I attended where I had a few) and 3 international interviews. The best interview I had in Colorado was at a beautiful school in gorgeous Vail. The interview went wonderfully (I actually heard the woman secretary say to the principal, “I LOVED her” through the widow) and I absolutely love Vail (I went snowboarding there and fell in love and seeing it in the early summer was breathtaking) and I set my hopes up really high. When I got notified that they chose someone who was more qualified, I was heart-broken and cried for 2 days. The principal was incredibly nice about it and I knew he felt bad. I actually got a call about a week later from a principal in Glenwood Springs- the principal in Vail had told him about me and recommended me to him (that was so flattering- it still warms my heart!) but I had already accepted my job by then.

My international interviews were for schools in Thailand, Russia, and Turkey. The Thailand job was for a Kindergarten teacher, which I was not enthused about. The Russian position turned out to be teaching English, which I was newly a snob about because you don’t need a teaching license to teach English. I had my interview for the school in Turkey which I thought went pretty well, but I wasn’t too optimistic about my chances.

During this application time, I was riddled with anxiety. It was early June and most positions had been filled. To take my mind off it, my boyfriend at the time took me camping and tubing down a river (that was my first time and holy crap that was SO MUCH FUN everyone should do it at least once). On the ride home I got my cell reception back after 2 days in the mountains. I got the email with the job offer in Turkey. I started crying with joy in the car- I have a job! I have a job ABROAD!

Although this was my first year as a licensed teacher, it’s also my fourth year teaching. Next year I will be in the same place, in the same grade, in the same classroom, with the same co-teacher- for the first time ever I know a little bit about what to expect. I cannot wait to take what I’ve learned this year and apply it with my new class. I think this year has been the best year of my life- I’ve had stability mixed with excitement and the unknown.

I absolutely love the career I have chosen. It’s been a long, strange journey to get where I am and I could not feel more lucky or proud.

Plus one of my students brought a tiny owl into class last week- bonus!