I Decline....

I sent an email yesterday, declining the two teaching jobs in Ethiopia. It is too late in the season to expect that I can pack up our world here and integrate there with a child. Plus, interestingly, that little boy who sings so beautifully in the shower can apparently sing equally beautifully in front of both mildly drunk business people and lake-faring crowds! Congrats to Guled and his band "Wicked Chicken", winners of the 2010 Keptone Battle of the Bands! I loved that they won. Guled is unusually charismatic with a crowd, and his band mates are really talented. Perhaps they will do it again next year!

But when an 11 year old winner of the 2010 Battle of the Bands asks to "stay one more year" so that he can enjoy the win..... well, self-reflection sort of requires me to decide why I am leaving in the first place and what amendments to "The Grand Plan" I can muster because his request is certainly reasonable.

So we will stay and I hit the "send" button on my declining email. Now, to figure out how to make a sufficient living here and whether or not to virtual school a second year. Last year, there were 4 virtual school options in the State of Colorado. This year, every single district around me has at least one option. Wildfire in the education world!

But really, I could pack up and leave on an adventure with probably 48 hours notice. That was never the problem.

The End Draws Nearer

We are discussing my ability to close up shop here and get there. I thought I had missed out on the beginning of the school year for this September....but perhaps not. Guled's dad is very concerned about our safety based on my skin color. I have thought this through for some years and I am convinced that it is probably time that Guled be given the presumption on skin color for a while. He needs to be the "local" while I am the foreigner. Let them accuse me of horrid things because I am white rather than those here accusing him of horrid things because his skin color is "Muslim terrorist." Stupid, uneducated viewpoint. Good book title though. Hum...she pondereth....

#1 son is interested in teaching at the school also. He has continued this interest from the time we taught the Somali immigrants here. I have asked my brother to help me find a good video camera so that we can post video of our year....just in case this happens now.

Ok, a Friday with all the guys from the school, seeing Despicable Me, before we enjoy some road trip time with our Thai friends....and perhaps pack up our lives for a while so that we can really experience and live.

The Cradle to the Grave song!

Pachelbel (Canon) meets U2 (With or Without You) -Jon Schmidt: piano, St...

In The Beginning ...

...there was malcontent, though the exterior looked perfectly perfect. Sometimes when we find ourselves doing all the right things for all the wrong reasons, we gotta grab a glass of pinot or cab, and sit back on the porch to ponder. Pondering complete, we have decided and reconciled to go back to the beginning...a very good place to begin. Guled is pushing for Japan. I do believe we need to make a stop in the cradle of all life first.

A journey of a lifetime begins with the first step...something along those proverbial and antiquated lines. Guled has asked for his own blog, so I will link to it once I learn the process. This post is just an initial attempt to give me something to work with in the design process. I had this great wine glass and Italian washed wall background but the fonts wouldn't show on both background colors. And yeah Lib, the wine glass was for you and our villa. You will find the "WTF" files somewhere soon.

So friends and family, this is our way of keeping connected, being the only thing we have to give ... well, besides all the "stuff" in our house that we will one day soon sell or pass along. Stay tuned is so cliche, but really.....you know me and my sojournying.... stay tuned.