Update 2010

Since I moved to Tumblr, I haven't been writing about my adventures in SE Asia, so I thought I'd stumble on back to my tried and true blogspot.com. I have heard rumors that Viet Nam is shutting down access to blogs, but I guess I'll just have to wait and see if this rumor is true. In the past few months, I've visited Shanghai and Hong Kong for conferences--truly inspirational conferences on reading and technology--Chiang Mai, Thailand for October break, and on December 5th, I will be flying to Angkor Wat to run a half-marathon with some ladies from SSIS. Yes, I'm in my thirties, and yes, I've given up smoking and drinking, and yes, I'm running a half-marathon. I'm a 33 year old cliché , but I like it that way. That about sums up my life from August to the present. 


Here's the big news...I turned in my resignation to my boss last week. That's right, good night, Viet Nam! Michael and I have spent what will be a total of three years living in SE Asia, and now, we're ready to return to the states. I have to admit that I'm a little frightened to be leaving the comfort of teaching abroad: paid apartment, plane tickets home, healthcare, good money, etc. Overseas teaching is a strange and fantastic adventure, and I will miss it, but will hopefully return in the future. Maybe, Eastern Europe? As far as New York goes, I'm not quite sure what I want to do with my life. I am thinking about continuing teaching, but I am also thinking about teaching yoga, working at a bookstore, wandering the streets of New York... I've also thought about dancing again in some form. I would like to explore a little more of the world and return to teaching in a year or two. Although I'm 33, my comparison for my decision comes from an experience in fourth grade. At 10, I think I was 10, I decided to quit dancing for one year. I decided that dancing was a waste of my time, and that I should do something more important with my life, like skateboarding. After a year with the board, the copy of the board Michael J. Fox rode in Back to the Future, I desperately missed matching movement with music, so I returned to dance with renewed passion and vigor. I hope my adventures in New York and a break from teaching allow for reflection and renewal. I want to be a passionate, energetic, engaging teacher, and I think that means taking a break every once in awhile.


We have a few more adventures planned this year, so I'll keep you up to date. We're going to Laos over Christmas break, Bali during Tet, and relaxing on a beach somewhere during Spring break. Other than traveling the world, I'm trying to inspire young minds to engage in critical thought--it's a grand experiment. 


With Love,
Karinna