Wow! I cannot believe that I have not posted here for months. I guess that means Mike and I have been busy. So where to start....
Mike and I just returned from Chinese New Year break where we spent a week lounging by a pool in Karon Beach, Phuket, Thailand. We stayed at the Horizon Karon Beach Resort and Spa in the Privileged Club area which meant we had our own private pool to enjoy, well shared with the other 10 rooms that were also in the club. We did nothing except get massages, read books, and sleep in the sun. It was glorious!
We also became aunts and uncles again as Mike's sister, Sue, delivered her first beautiful baby girl, Vivian!
Christmas was spent with a dear friend from Cairo, Wendy, in Vietnam. Another country crossed off the list. I will blog on specific places in the future. We climbed Mt. Fansipan, kayaked HaLong Bay, rode bikes in Hanoi, and chilled on a beach in Sam Son. It was great to catch-up with Wendy, get some exercise, and learned about a new country.
Thanksgiving again brought me to see a friend from Cairo, Cathy. She has recently moved to Tokyo so I crashed in on her and we had a great time. I also get to cross off another country. I will certainly be back to Japan to see more of it and of course Cathy too.
October Taiwan celebrates Double Ten Day a national holiday that remembers the start of the Wuchang Uprising of October 10, 1911, which led to the collapse of the Qing Dynasty in China and established the Republic of China on January 1, 1912. We had a long weekend and I, along with some other teachers, chaperoned 29 high school students on a service learning trip to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. We worked with the Tabitha Foundation to build 10 houses, the basic structure was in place and we added the bamboo floors. It was rewarding to see the families have a house on stilts so they could escape the vicious flooding in the area. We spend a day at an orphanage playing with children of all ages whose parents were unable to provide for them because of the Cambodian Civil War. Learning about the Khmer Rouge and the atrocities they committed against their own people by visiting the The Killing Fields and Tuol Seng or S21 the school turned concentration camp. These experiences changed the lives of the students that participated in the trip.
No travels in September.
As always I am busy taking classes and have one left to finish a Certificate of Technology from SUNY. Mike on the other hand has been a full time student for the last 2 years. He is working towards his Certificate of Education and Masters in Instructional Technology from Drexell University. Once done with 3 more classes he will be a certified Elementary teacher, and when done with some tech courses he will be able to teach K-12 Technology.
He student taught back in his home town in a 2nd grade classroom. Our first and hopefully last long separation in our 19 years of marriage. I think he loved living at home and came back with a lot less of himself than when he arrived. He looks great and seems to feel great too. I hope I can help him maintain the healthy lifestyle his mom easily managed.
Mike also started to substitute teach at my school and is already in high demand as I knew he would be. He is pretty much booked until we headed to Mumbai, India in February for a 1 to 1 laptop conference.
April we head back to Thailand for the EARCOS conference and spring break.
June ends the school year and we need to decide what our summer plans are.
I have signed on for another year in Taiwan. That brings you up to date on our lives!
