So so so

So life in Germany has now ended and I've been enjoying a lovely, fun and relaxing summer in Canada before heading off on a new adventure of sorts. I don't think it has quite hit me that my German days are over but I'm sure when I get off the plane and find I'm in Tokyo.. well then I'll definitely know we aren't in Dusseldorf anymore!

So.. while I admit that I did let this blog slide while living in Germany I will try to commit to writing a new one rather regularly. Do go easy on me though.. Oh but you also must know that life in Germany was very exact and precise and who wants to read blog entries about the train arriving on time, angry non-smiling people and the freshly baked bread that is always ready at 6am? Not me and not you! Trust me!

So as I head to the land of sushi and tsunamis.. I'm sure I'll be able to write a few more interesting entries..

You can find me here at Jessica in Japan

See you over there!

Konnichiwa!

What a crazy time this has been! From the moment I got back from Canada it feels like I've been hopping around from one place to another while trying to interview for jobs, take students to The Hague, catch up at work, attend a Job Fair in London, teach a little bit, go to a workshop in Zurich, resign from a job and get a new one ... it's all been rather intense. In fact I realized today, while sitting through a rather dull Professional Development meeting, that during the last 14 days I have spent 10 nights in a hotel.. and 12 of those days I have been surrounded by large groups of teachers.. yikes! Anyway I'm back in Dusseldorf for a good long while and happy to have about a month before any more interruptions to routines occur.

So.. I have a new job! As of August I will be living and working in Tokyo Japan! I am very excited about the whole thing and rather happy about how it all came to be. Initially Japan was not even on my radar but through many doors opening and closing, I finally was at the place where it was where I really truly wanted to be and where I feel I should be. What peace! It has been a ride.. a rather emotional one at that but God has been good to me through the whole thing and once I learned to sit back and trust and believe that "the lines will fall in pleasant places".. I was able to just hold my breath and see what would happen next...

And so as I embark upon my final months in Europe, I am excited about my new life in Japan but committed to finishing strong and enjoying the clean air, the tall people and the other European stereotypes!

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for me! Your prayers mean the world to me and I am happy to know that I have such a great support network, no matter how far away most of you seem to live.

These really are happy days!

What happens now?

It appears that I am developing a bit of a pattern in terms of this international thing. I work at a school for 3 years and then depart for another destination. For a variety of reasons I have decided that this will be my last year in Germany. I need to get a hold on my finances and I'm finding that euros fly out of my hands faster than .. well faster than I can keep track of them. Also I think I am becoming rather comfortable here and if I don't leave now, I probably never will. And so I have put my resume out there, registered for a Job Fair in London in January and started praying about what happens next.

I have my eye on a few good schools and have been having conversations with a couple of them. My criteria is to work for a good school with a good package (ie. paid housing), that will give me the opportunity to save some serious cash and to live in a place with a solid Christian community.

I know where I really want to go but the trick is being open to where God wants me to be. I am learning to trust in His goodness and believe that His plan is the perfect one. This is harder for me than it sounds but day-by-day I'm getting better at trusting Him. Really, what other option is there?

So at the moment the plan is to move somewhere for a couple of years until I'm financially recovered and then move back to Canada to be closer to my family. I figure an 8-9 year break is long enough! I think I have proven my point. Yes, that's my plan but we'll see what happens!

Keep me in your prayers please as these next few months I'm sure will be a wave of emotion.

It's been a while..

Hello!
I've been absent from this thing for ages which is due to many reasons. The main one being that this school year is seeming a tad busier than school years past. Not quite sure what it is but it seems like I am constantly running around and trying to find time to catch my breath. That's a metaphorical statement as I'm usually actually quite relaxed and breathe normally...
Anyway this year has been a good year. I've learned that Year 3 is oft
en the easiest as everything is more routine and less surprise.
A few highlights so far:
Going to East Germany for a week with Grade 11 students.

This is the castle where we stayed.. not too shabby as far as castles go!

A train trip with a new friend to Luxembourg and Heidelberg.
Heidelberg was a definite highlight! Check out the hills, castles and river!

Me and Ms Wong!

Luxembourg was delightfully dull. Very beautiful and clean but not a heck of a lot going on!


A girly musical madness weekend in London with some friends. Chicago "yay!".. Oliver "nay!"
Sunday included a day trip to Hampton Court.. which allowed us to brush up on our Henry the 8th history.

Showing off with all of our tickets!


My dad came to visit for a couple days! Amazing! It was so fantastic to be able to spend time together, to show him my life here and to have a lot of great talking time!

We also went to the DOM in Cologne. It's one big cathedral and nearly impossible to photograph. But this is proof that he was here!

And so now here I am a mere 5 weeks away from being back in Canada for Christmas but it's going to be busy in the meantime. The Christmas Markets open up next weekend, I have a "big" birthday to look forward to and then there is all the regular work stuff (ie. report cards) to get through. Stay tuned...

My New Digs

I have a new apartment and here it is:

This is my lovely kitchen. Notice I have a washer-dryer in my actual apartment. So long days of going down into a creepy cellar!
I also have a dishwasher! I haven't had a dishwasher since.. well in Indonesia I had a human one but it's pretty fantastic to have it again. I'm just missing an oven but that's coming in the next week or so...
This cupboard is the coolest thing ever. The guy who lived here before rigged all the backlighting so that when I open the door, the lights shine and I can actually find what I'm looking for.
Ah yes... and the orange. Hmm.. it actually looks okay with proper lighting. I'm trying to figure out if I can stand it.. and strangely.. it's growing on me.

The bathroom is quite large and there are speakers in the ceiling! I just need to figure out a way to rig up my stereo (that I haven't bought yet) so I can sing in the shower to an actual soundtrack!
And the living room! This is the one corner.. The couch opens into a huge bed which will be convenient should any of you care to visit.
And this is the Reading corner.. mood lighting to come.
Looking out.. yes it's a tad rainy today but there are things to see out there!
This is a really cool building outside my window. On the ground floor is a Trinkhalle which is like a convenient store kinda thing. They sell beverages, chocolate, random household items and sausages in every form.

So there you have it! I'm having fun getting to know the neighbourhood. Most people are around my age.. give or take 5-10 years each way. There is real life here but it's nice life. I can walk into the downtown part of the city in a few minutes or stay more in this area. Lots of parks, places to bike and run.

Also noticing the parallel as it was this time through my Indonesia contract that I ended up moving and staying at least a third year.. hmmm...

Eurovision!

Germany won this year! A few months ago a friend and I were involved in learning part of a huge dance number and it finally aired last night! It was a pretty fun night learning to dance with a whole bunch of random Düsseldorfers. Plus I've been hoping to be involved in one of these things for my whole life.. well for a while. Anyway here is the final product...

A little update

Spring in Düsseldorf is a very special time. I love watching Drizzledorf change from a cold, grey city into something quite different. Everyone is out on their bicycles, rollerblades or running shoes just enjoying being outside. Outdoor cafes are open and packed with people who love being outside and socializing. The dark days of winter seem but a distant memory. Oh and the flowers... tulips and daffodils are everywhere! It's beautiful.

This spring I am very happy. Happy in a very content sort of way. I am happy with the way my circumstances have worked out to keep me here for at least another year. The thought of staying on past that is not upsetting in the slightest.

Things at work are going well and the next school year is looking promising in terms of courses I'm teaching and people I'm working with. Plus the more I teach, the more I feel like I know what I'm doing and the more fun it becomes. We will have a new head of department and she has told us that she wants us to teach books we love so that we're happy in our classrooms.. and so.. I have been able to create one of my courses from scratch and that's been fun. Schools with lots of money are so fun!

Also I just moved into a cool little apartment in the city. It's in a really nice little neighbourhood with cafe's and cute shops and only a few minutes walk into the city centre. I find that change is good and this change has been wonderful! I am still in the process of unpacking and getting my new place the way I like it but will post pics as soon as the place is looking presentable.

And then there is my new bicycle! Oh how I love it!

Lastly and sadly, my trip to Thailand has been canceled .. AGAIN.. due to the state of unrest in Thailand and so I am forever to be known as the girl who plans trips that never get taken. I need a new extra curricular activity! The silver lining is that I have changed my flight and so will be spending even longer in Canada this summer! I'm really quite excited about that!

Sometimes...

...it is good to be reminded of things we have known forever. A former student of mine posted this and parts of it really struck a chord. So without further adieu..

I live here!

Oh Roma!

A few weeks ago I went to Rome with my dear friend Kristen. It was my first time to Rome and I was blown away by "all that old stuff". Fascinating to see the Colosseum, The Pantheon, and all of the other ruins just dispersed throughout the city. These photos are not mine as Kristen was the one with the super cool camera. Just a glimpse of what I saw when I was there.

The Lonely Planet Rome Guide was our best friend!
Hanging out in the Colosseum...
Wo ist Russell Crowe?
That audio guide was really really annoying! I do not recommend it!
Me and Kristen! Fun times!
St Peter's in the rain, by night... with my red umbrella..
Trevi fountain is beautiful at night..
Well you see.. When in Rome...
We took a day trip to Florence, climbed the Duomo and got promptly soaked when we reached the top.


Sunday Morning in St Peter's Square.. and the Pope giving his blessing.

Combined I think we took close to 500 photos at least and so this is just a mere taste of what happened during that very full week. Should you be wishing to go through them all.. well I can arrange that!

"Things have a way..."

"Things have a way of turning out so badly" is a line from Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie, a play I have been teaching for the past 5 years. While a rather depressing tale, there is something to it that affects me everytime I teach it. Anyway after a whole big kerfuffel, near the end of the play Amanda Wingfield turns to her grown son and says the line I just quoted. While perhaps this is true for some people and sometimes true for me, the line has been running through my head a lot lately.

HOLD ON! This is not a "whining in Germany" post by any means. I just like the quote and wanted to use it... so I did.

Let's change the quote. Things have been turning much more differently from what I had imagined. Two months ago I was set to kiss Europe goodbye and make Asia my next destination... again. Through a variety of exciting and not-so-exciting developments, my plan has changed. But then again.. when was it ever really my plan anyway?

I have had a real change of heart and decided to stay on in Germany for at least one more year. I mean I couldn't start yet another blog... that would be crazy! So much has happened and while I partially understand what is going on, I am completely baffled at the same time. I find that my whole desire to move to Hong Kong has completely disappeared, which is weird because it's been a driving force in my life for the past 4.5 years. Around Christmas time I made a list of reasons to stay and reasons to go, since asking for my job back (hello unresignation) some of those reasons for staying are no longer valid. This has left me with nothing to do but trust in God. I am continually practicing the whole "walking without wavering" idea (Psalm 26) and just trusting God to take me or keep me where He needs me. It's almost comical how calm I've become. I'm actually content to just keep walking along and see where I end up and why I end up exactly there.

I didn't ever actually really plan to move to Indonesia and I certainly didn't pick Germany as a top pick and I really didn't mean to stay longer than my 2 year contract.. and so.. well.. it is nice that it's not up to me. It's been a great ride so far and I can only imagine it is just going to get better!

So yes.. things have a way of turning out... so unexpectedly...