Time flies...where have all the blog posts gone?I feel remorseful to say that it has been nearly a year since my last post. Who, what, when, where, why, and how has this happened? Because friends, Life. The rapid rewind reveals: a trip to Seoul over Chuseok, attending our first Korean wedding, experiencing the Lotte Giants play baseball at Sajik Stadium, an amazing first quarter of my 2nd year at BFS nearing completion, Rosa beginning 2nd grade and being awarded Student of the Month for being Socially Conscious, the addition of a Betta fish, "Violet" to our Korean family, the forming of new friendships, two sets of friends awaiting the births of their first children, the recent deaths of both my step parents, Rosa losing many teeth, a journey over the ocean, attending AP training and meeting amazing Spanish teachers from all over the globe, attending a Comprehensible Input language camp and running into some of my favorite colleagues, Rosa getting bangs, passing an amazing summer with family and friends (we love and dearly miss you all), camping, almost bagging our first 14er (14,000 ft peak), and this only gets us back as far as June. Awaiting a cross roads...We now find ourselves in the moment of a crucial decision: should we stay or should we go? One of the most beautiful, yet challenging, aspects of life as an expat family in the international education community is the inevitability of change. Most international teachers sign a two year contract; and thus, all must decide if they are to re-sign or to move on sometime before the half way mark of their second year. This year BFS has given me the gift of a deadline which happens to fall on my 35th birthday.
We very much value our time at BFS. I am absolutely in love with my job. I have creative freedom which is rooted in high standards for the ultimate success of my students and the Spanish language program. I have collaborative, intelligent, and supportive colleagues and administration. The student work ethic at BFS is the highest I have ever seen anywhere in the world. Rosa is thriving in the second grade; and, she has developed true friendships. Each day we integrate deeper into our lives here, most recently having discovered an affordable swimming program for kids at our local Recreation Center. Korean healthcare is abundant and affordable. Public transportation is inexpensive and nationally integrated. Most importantly, and contrary to global opinion, we feel extremely safe here. To be proactive, we have cast our search net into the waters of schools and organizations which may place us in Latin America or some other Spanish-speaking culture; because, despite all of the Korean positives, we miss and long for the intimacy, the passion, and familial connections of these aforementioned places. Professionally, I am extremely interested in cultivating my experience in the fields of Bilingual Education and ESL. Also, while Rosa speaks Spanish at a basic level and understands more each day, she has yet to be fully immersed in the Spanish speaking world. Thus, here we sit at one of the crossroads which could change what this experience is and means for our family. Please send us good vibes as we make this crucial decision. Comments are closed.
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AuthorHi, I'm Sarah, or Sarita as called by many. In an effort to cultivate multicultural empathy and deep respect in our daughter (Rosa), my husband (Brian) and I sold everything in order to embarked on a journey through life. Archives
November 2018
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