29 May 2010
Cat Flyer
Here's a link to the flyer we are using to try and find a foster family for our cats. Surely we'll find something suitable...who couldn't fall for these adorable little creatures?!
25 May 2010
Lining up those unwieldy ducks!
We've taken some big steps moving forward. I (Jay) just finished up the ETEP program and, the American International School of Lesotho will be glad to hear, am now a certified teacher -- pending state of Maine processing of course!
With my new free time, I've set about trying to get us ready for the big move. We've decided to ship our books to Africa in order to compliment the school library and have a diverse collection in our classroom as well. I volunteered to develop a catalog of our books and discovered that we have WAY more than I ever imagined (Sarah was hiding a lot in her classroom). 225 books into the catalog and I wonder if I've even scratched the surface. Maybe we will be storing some volumes after all...
We've also been trying to get ourselves as healthy as possible before we go. Sarah had a minor eye surgery to make sure her retina stays right where it belongs. We gave our last donations at the American Red Cross for probably a very long time. Tomorrow, we're getting our second round of immunizations (polio, yellow fever, Hep A #2, & Hep B #2). We're sure to be the most invulnerable people in Maseru by the time we arrive! Oh, and Thursday, I'm getting a tooth pulled. Does the tooth fairy visit 32-year-olds?
We're also trying to digitize as much of our lives a possible. Two 1TB hard-drives are humming away as I type and we'll probably subscribe to an online storage service as well -- you can never have enough back-ups of your back-ups -- plus, the homesick moments in Africa would be amplified if we didn't have some photos, music, and movies to remind us of home.
On the horizon, we'll be trying to balance between packing up our lives here and prepping for our lives at AISL. I'm really looking forward to diving into designing our curriculum for the year and hopeful that we'll soon find a nice, peaceful home for our two cats.
Well, that's enough rambling for now. 'Til next time...
With my new free time, I've set about trying to get us ready for the big move. We've decided to ship our books to Africa in order to compliment the school library and have a diverse collection in our classroom as well. I volunteered to develop a catalog of our books and discovered that we have WAY more than I ever imagined (Sarah was hiding a lot in her classroom). 225 books into the catalog and I wonder if I've even scratched the surface. Maybe we will be storing some volumes after all...
We've also been trying to get ourselves as healthy as possible before we go. Sarah had a minor eye surgery to make sure her retina stays right where it belongs. We gave our last donations at the American Red Cross for probably a very long time. Tomorrow, we're getting our second round of immunizations (polio, yellow fever, Hep A #2, & Hep B #2). We're sure to be the most invulnerable people in Maseru by the time we arrive! Oh, and Thursday, I'm getting a tooth pulled. Does the tooth fairy visit 32-year-olds?
We're also trying to digitize as much of our lives a possible. Two 1TB hard-drives are humming away as I type and we'll probably subscribe to an online storage service as well -- you can never have enough back-ups of your back-ups -- plus, the homesick moments in Africa would be amplified if we didn't have some photos, music, and movies to remind us of home.
On the horizon, we'll be trying to balance between packing up our lives here and prepping for our lives at AISL. I'm really looking forward to diving into designing our curriculum for the year and hopeful that we'll soon find a nice, peaceful home for our two cats.
Well, that's enough rambling for now. 'Til next time...
25 April 2010
2 Tickets to Johannesburg
Depart August 17th 11:15 AM JFK International Airport
Arrive August 18th 8:40 AM Johannesburg International Airport
One way
$721 each plus tax
Excitement,
Nerves,
Anticipation
Priceless
Arrive August 18th 8:40 AM Johannesburg International Airport
One way
$721 each plus tax
Excitement,
Nerves,
Anticipation
Priceless
21 April 2010
A Shot in the Arm
Typhoid *check*
Hep A, Hep B
Yellow fever? For a fee.
Polio booster
Tetnus too
Meningitus is no friend to you.
Immune! Immune!
Forms all signed.
Arms are sore,
but we've got peace of mind.
Hep A, Hep B
Yellow fever? For a fee.
Polio booster
Tetnus too
Meningitus is no friend to you.
Immune! Immune!
Forms all signed.
Arms are sore,
but we've got peace of mind.
19 April 2010
Signed Contracts in Hand!
Today we signed contracts and scanned them off to Lesotho. It was big. We got answers to a few questions before we sent. The answers were reassuring. Now to finish up the ETEP portfolio, write the resignation letter, work through these last few weeks of school, complete summer classes...oh yeah, and move to Africa...
22 March 2010
Urges of Change -- by Sarah
Urges of change rush over me
and I marvel
as I alter my life, job, perspective
how easy it is
once the big stuff is shifted
to modify the small
Some say, "change is hard,"
but I think it is merely the first change that stings.
New skin exposed to U.V.
Leaving that first yellow path in the woods.
Once you've done that,
the rest is all throwing your hands in the air
and screaming with glee at the downhill unknowns
"This is life, and I'm living!"
I've found that change helps define what's essential:
We'll sell that.
We'll give this.
But keep those, I love them.
And the people I cherish?
We'll make an effort
together
and both learn a lot in the process
of working it out like we do.
And I'll also be learning
boat loads 'bout being
by letting the urges come take me
instead of resisting.
and I marvel
as I alter my life, job, perspective
how easy it is
once the big stuff is shifted
to modify the small
Some say, "change is hard,"
but I think it is merely the first change that stings.
New skin exposed to U.V.
Leaving that first yellow path in the woods.
Once you've done that,
the rest is all throwing your hands in the air
and screaming with glee at the downhill unknowns
"This is life, and I'm living!"
I've found that change helps define what's essential:
We'll sell that.
We'll give this.
But keep those, I love them.
And the people I cherish?
We'll make an effort
together
and both learn a lot in the process
of working it out like we do.
And I'll also be learning
boat loads 'bout being
by letting the urges come take me
instead of resisting.
10 February 2010
Taking a Life Detour to Masero, Lesotho, Africa
Hi all,
As most of you have heard by now, Jay and I decided to apply for international teaching positions after much deliberation about what we wanted our lives to look like once he completes his teaching certification. We filled out applications over Christmas break and attended an interview fair this past weekend in Boston at which we received several offers. Having carefully considered the offers and weighed many, many factors, we have decided to commit to two years at the American International School of Lesotho (pronounced Leh-sue-too) in Maseru (pronounced muh-SAIR-oo), Lesotho, Africa. It is a very small school (150 students total in grades K-8) and we will most probably be a middle school teaching team with Jay taking on math and science and me language arts and social studies. It seems like a lovely place for Jay to start out, and the opportunity to teach together is appealing to us. We are expected there in the middle of August (the end of their winter!).
Lesotho is a very small country completely inside South Africa. It is poor and has a high HIV/AIDS rate, but the people are solid and their united ethnicity means that the political front is relatively stable. In addition, it is mountainous (the whole country is basically within the Drakensberg mountain range (called Maloti mountain range in Lesotho)), so that the weather is not unbearably hot and the scenery is breathtaking. The weather is also advantageous when it comes to infectious disease since Malaria and Yellow Fever are less of a problem than in sub-Saharan areas. To get a sense for what the area is like, check out some of these links:
http://www.galenfrysinger.com/lesotho_maseru.htm
http://saharanvibe.blogspot.com/2007_04_01_archive.html
http://www.travelpod.com/photos/0/Lesotho/Maseru.html
In addition, here is the link to the school's website (which is a little disappointing, since some of the internal links are broken including the virtual tour!).
http://www.aisl.co.ls/index.htm
While we know we not all of you will be sold on this idea right now, we encourage you to be positive about it. It is true that there are many fabulous things we enjoy about life as it is right now that are going to be left behind for a few years. We will also miss family and friends dearly. However, we have chosen think of this as an adventure that will change our lives for the better, and we have thrown our hearts and minds open to everything this experience has to offer. Please join us in spirit.
We would love to hear from you soon!
Love,
Sarah and Jay
As most of you have heard by now, Jay and I decided to apply for international teaching positions after much deliberation about what we wanted our lives to look like once he completes his teaching certification. We filled out applications over Christmas break and attended an interview fair this past weekend in Boston at which we received several offers. Having carefully considered the offers and weighed many, many factors, we have decided to commit to two years at the American International School of Lesotho (pronounced Leh-sue-too) in Maseru (pronounced muh-SAIR-oo), Lesotho, Africa. It is a very small school (150 students total in grades K-8) and we will most probably be a middle school teaching team with Jay taking on math and science and me language arts and social studies. It seems like a lovely place for Jay to start out, and the opportunity to teach together is appealing to us. We are expected there in the middle of August (the end of their winter!).
Lesotho is a very small country completely inside South Africa. It is poor and has a high HIV/AIDS rate, but the people are solid and their united ethnicity means that the political front is relatively stable. In addition, it is mountainous (the whole country is basically within the Drakensberg mountain range (called Maloti mountain range in Lesotho)), so that the weather is not unbearably hot and the scenery is breathtaking. The weather is also advantageous when it comes to infectious disease since Malaria and Yellow Fever are less of a problem than in sub-Saharan areas. To get a sense for what the area is like, check out some of these links:
http://www.galenfrysinger.com/
http://saharanvibe.blogspot.
http://www.travelpod.com/
In addition, here is the link to the school's website (which is a little disappointing, since some of the internal links are broken including the virtual tour!).
http://www.aisl.co.ls/index.
While we know we not all of you will be sold on this idea right now, we encourage you to be positive about it. It is true that there are many fabulous things we enjoy about life as it is right now that are going to be left behind for a few years. We will also miss family and friends dearly. However, we have chosen think of this as an adventure that will change our lives for the better, and we have thrown our hearts and minds open to everything this experience has to offer. Please join us in spirit.
We would love to hear from you soon!
Love,
Sarah and Jay
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