Plan B

Vancouver

2009-10-15T01:18:00.008+02:00

The credits have rolled for this blog already. This blog followed me through my life in China, Mongolia, India, Ghana, and Switzerland. This is the 'post blog update':

I have now been back in Vancouver for three months already! I have reconnected with family and friends, went to my Mom and Gary's wedding, as well as Jamie and Chris's, worked a few jobs (a language school and a restaurant), and have recently been hired for what I think is a great opportunity, at a shelter for homeless youth in downtown Vancouver. I love being here, and have already made a lot of new friends and connections. Yey!!!!

Leaving Switzerland!

2009-10-15T00:57:00.005+02:00

Leaving Switzerland and returning to Vancouver was no easy decision I assure you; leaving my friends and colleagues, my apartment, and this globetrotter extraordinaire (Phase 1) time of my young life. In Switzerland I became a better teacher, a calmer traveller and, really, an adult.

Here are some pictures of my last few weeks in Switzerland. The cast of High School Musical, Cranium with Sarah's parents, Interlaken Metal Festival, and camping with the crew down South.

ISTA Portugal

2009-06-01T20:30:00.006+02:00

This year we took ten kids to the Ista Festival (International Schools Theatre Association) for four days. Lucky for us, the host school, St. Julian's, is at the beach. Alongside playing at the beach and frolicking in Portuguese gardens like nymphs, we did a lot of theatre. Melissa and I got into some pretty serious stage combat in our teacher workshop and... errr... sorry about the black eye, Melissa!

We spent the day at this enormous private gardens doing outdoor theatre. Talk about inspired!

We made a fabulous one minute chase video on our lunch break. Then we put 105 kids to sleep in the courtyard. Teachers needed some down time!

Melissa and I enjoying the beach... before the kids dragged me into the ocean with all my clothes on. I mean, throwing a teacher in the ocean is like a small piece of heaven for a middle schooler. The child in me was envious.

Musical Indulgence

2009-06-01T20:04:00.006+02:00

Melissa and I went to London for five days and saw these six musicals. A smattering from across the 20th century, we saw musical theatre in many of its forms. Andy came down and visited for a few days as well, which was added value. And then, we made up our own musical...

Merry Ol' England

2009-06-01T20:01:00.003+02:00

Class trip 2009 to London. Fun, tiring, lovely kids. I'll write more when I get more exciting photos.

Locarno

2009-06-01T19:50:00.003+02:00

A three day weekend in the Italian part of Switzerland. Kari and I decided a few months ago that we would rent a camp site and a trailor at a camp group in Ticino. We then invited more people and, with very little planning, enjoyed ourselves and the new onset of summer, fabulously.

Windsurfing - Tarifa

2009-06-01T16:21:00.006+02:00

One week to get a grip on windsurfing was just perfect. Now I am a pro on my own terms. This is a video of all the times I fell because really, it is more interesting than all the gliding around. This is our day time location and night time funhouse.

Spain is Pretty.

2009-06-01T14:00:00.003+02:00

Spain. Accumulated wandering pictures.

Cathleen, Devon, Stefan and I chillax in the gardens.

Then we motor around the gardens. Beep Beep! Coming through!

Espana - Semana Santa in Seville

2009-06-01T13:17:00.006+02:00

For Easter, some colleagues and I headed to Seville, Spain to see their cultural festivities for the occasion. The different robes represent brotherhoods in the Catholic Church and they make processions through town, from their church to the Cathedral, carrying crosses, candles and enormous floats depicting scenes from the Bible over the course of the week. Our daily routine was to wake up, find a cafe and then play cards and chat until the square filled up with people. A hush would fall over the crowd, the procession would float by and then we would find a new cafe. Without fail, a procession always came by. It felt like going back in time because it hasn't been comercialized yet. It just all seemed to happen around us.

Sledding Swiss Style

2009-06-01T12:06:00.002+02:00

So in the Utliberg park there are these trails that snake down the mountain. In the winter, the trails are for sledding, free and unsupervised, all for one and one for all sledding. Well, sledding is dangerous! I felt like we should have paid 15 dollars to get in and had a set of rules to follow. But no, it was just us and the ice. Even with some nasty turns and crashes, we took the train up and did it all over. Fun and its free!

Snowshoeing Up Up and Away

2009-06-01T11:37:00.007+02:00

I took the Duke of Edinburgh Award kids on one of their expeditions up into the mountains around Schrattenflue. We stopped to eat out lunch on the hike up and thought, "the rest of this will take us three days." We started in this peaceful chalet village, applying sunscreen, and by the end of the day I was under attack of icy winds and my zippers were frozen shut. I had to suck my coat open!

As you can see, when we arrived we had another task. Digging it out.

Melting snow for water once we reached our shed, I mean hut.

Go West, life is peaceful there. Go West, in the open air.

What's New

2009-01-31T15:14:00.002+01:00

Though it is bittersweet because my picture is no longer on the homepage, Zurich International School just launched a new website. Well ok, fine, it never was on the homepage, so then, we can deduce to say, that our new website is... sweet. http://www.zis.ch/

Deep Cove

2009-01-26T20:11:00.005+01:00

I love Deep Cove! Each time I visit it seems to become more beautiful. Without conscious intention, a Honey's doughnut has become a traditional must-have. Can you blame me?

Back in BC - Sun Peaks

2008-12-24T18:14:00.014+01:00

Snowmobiling is even more fun than I expected. Especially in a fresh winter wonderland like this. I think this could replace directing musicals as my winter sport... hmm.

Elves to the Rescue!

2008-12-15T21:54:00.004+01:00

We went for the vision of being 'Santa's Elves', to once creating our costumes, looking more like 'Super Elves', there to save Christmas, and, when displaced into Swiss traditions by the race spectators, unwillingly became a pack of 'Schmutzlis'. According to Swiss traditions, Schmutzli's are Santa's alter ego; always there to instill fear in children to be good.

We weren't scary! Just glittery!

You would think this is a finish line picture but no, this is just how we ran... the whole way. Ahhh!!!! We're elves look at us! We look so cheery! How could we be schmutzli's?!

Lamborghini park job

2008-12-12T20:26:00.004+01:00

Who... parks that close? Parking is tight in Zurich but seriously. I'm just saying.

ZIS Christmas party!

2008-12-11T19:49:00.012+01:00

As time goes on, we are getting better and better at posing in the twins shots and worse at taking them. The picture on the right is this years Christmas party and the one on the left is last years. Love ya sista!

Is sleeping over at school scary?

2008-11-15T15:35:00.005+01:00

It is if you turn out all the lights in the corridors and play flashlight tag; and extra if one of your teachers plays 'the demon' and just scares people in corners.

When the fall play, The Fabulous Fable Factory, came to an end, we had a slumber party in the theatre to celebrate. S o f u n . If anyone ever said it is more fun to dance at a club then with a bunch of twelve year olds... they may need to reassess.

Bosphorus Boat Cruise

2008-11-15T11:05:00.004+01:00

I steered a ship on the Bosphorus! And... most importantly, I met new people; educators from Europe and the Middle East, while eating yummy Turkish food, on a boat, on the Bosphorus... while meeting new people....

Istanbul, Turkey - There I went!

2008-11-15T10:45:00.004+01:00

I was lucky enough to be sent by my school to the ASCD (Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development) Middle East conference. So in the zwischentime between conference sessions and days, I got the chance to get a small taste of the city and its culture.

It felt so alive there, with people out and restaurants open all day and well into the night. The traffic wins the Alysha Award for the scariest she has ever experienced. busses drive like they are Mini's and if there were Mini's than I guess they would drive like bumper cars. Amazing!

Everyone seemed so friendly. I walked into a shop and asked if they had the CD for a Turkish artist I had heard in a taxi and they didn't, on sale, but the clerk ran home and burned me a copy of his own for free! Then, I went into a restaurant to order a kebab to go and while I was sitting there, chatting with a waiter, I commented on the charm of the table lamp. It was made of beads and a candle went under the shade. The waiter came back with my kebab, an extra bag and some newspaper. He wrapped up the lamp and gave it to me. Right off the table!

Buckle down, get out the boots

2008-11-15T10:10:00.006+01:00

How did this happen?
My sandels are still sitting by the door.
My t-shirts and tank tops are still forefront in my closet.
I have berries in my freezer for frozen drinks.
Where are my mucklucks?
What about my hot water bottle...
and soup!
mmmm.... soup.

Hallo-what?

2008-11-15T09:49:00.005+01:00

When we showed up at Paddy O'Reilly's, I think they must have thought that we were celebrities... VIP's. All dressed up so fancy and all. That would explain why they made us wait outside for awhile. You know, so they could prepare the bar and the other patrons for our arrival, and arrange a spot for us. Where was that spot anyways? What happened to Devon and Ugly Betty, aren't those sunglasses?

On the international scene though, my advisory definitely rocked the Door Decorating Contest. Woot woot! Made with mostly recycled materials, I now have a alternative solution for those students whose dogs eat their homework. The Guillotine!

These decorations were up during Family Conferences and one father walked in and said,

"Hey... those are my Armani jeans!"

Oops... we just sewed them to the door.

Zurich Tennis Open

2008-11-15T09:24:00.004+01:00

An ace, a deuce, a match, a game, matchpoint and points in a game. I learned about tennis from Charlie and Venus! A perfect example of something I didn't know that there was so much that I didn't know about it. I am almost inspired to grab a racket!

Lugano - Another Sweet October Break

2008-10-19T17:26:00.003+02:00

I just couldn't choose between these pictures. Perpetual pondering has left me with no choice but post them all, or fall ridiculously behind on my posts. It is a traffic jam!

Lugano, its steep mountains, ornate architecture and people who put a good nights sleep in an espresso sandwich. Lugano is a place that I could live. Yep. No problem.

River Kayaking Extravaganza

2008-10-07T11:13:00.009+02:00

We drove out towards Chur on a foggy, rainy fall morning for a two day course. After an intensive lesson we stayed up out of the gorge in this quaint village, with this little church and this skiny cow.

The kayaking was more technically challenging that I had anticipated and actually quite scary around tight river bends; this deriving from my fear of rolling and being stuck in the kayak. Well, as one might expect, that never happened.

Kerenzerberg Grade 6 Trip

2008-10-01T14:01:00.002+02:00

The rain held out for us on another school trip to Kerenzerberg. Though the hikes were gorgeous, the highlight was, of course, Storm The Castle, a dodgeball alternative with few to no rules and a lot of gymnasium equipment (read: anarchy). My favourite part was the campfire. I returned to my Girl Guide days singing legendary repeat-after-me songs and, yes, On Top of Spagetti. I loved it!

Back to School Buzz (BTSB)

2008-09-03T08:16:00.011+02:00

Zurich International Middle School has moved! However, what you see above isn't the whole school because they lifted it up and built most of the school underneath. Then, of course, put the villa back down on top. My classroom is smaller than before, but it has a lot character and a balcony! Down the hall from my room is the French class and on the main level below is the Strings room. Sometimes, when I can hear both strings and French and the smell of an old villa is all around me, I feel like I have gone back in time. Like I should be wearing a long puffy skirt and be covered in chalk dust.

Phew! Woah! Surprise! Outstanding! Quick!

2008-08-13T21:06:00.013+02:00

One late Friday evening I returned home to Zurich from my summer exploits. Phew! This was definitely one of the best summers of my life. My Dad was visiting, using my house as a launch pad for a three week vacation. We caught up a bunch and the next day we headed into the Zurich Street Parade and 'danced' in the street to the theme of 'Friendship' with the other 800,000 people rocking out. Rocking out in one big urban puff of neon fishnets, neon wigs and neon feathers to the best house music floating by on these enormous lovemobiles. Woah!Then, casually, we drift towards a Mexican restaurant for some food because, I believe, I feel like nachos. Surprise! A 26th birthday party for me, with all my friends waiting there. My Dad seemed to think that because of my not having a birthday party these past few years, he should go through my phone address book and plan it himself. Outstanding! It was great to see all of my friends before work began (even if Dad displayed naked baby pictures of me in public), and so nice that my Dad could meet so many of my Zurich friends, and that they could meet someone who is so important to me in my life and in who I am; him! Thanks, Dad, for the plates and plates of nachos and the past 26 years of you and me. Quick! Post this before I get too semi-mental!

2008-08-13T21:06:00.001+02:00

Sega 2008 - Books, Books, Books

2008-08-10T10:05:00.004+02:00

This year's trip to Sega was focused around completing a library project; with a lot of fun time in between. Another month there just reaffirms that I may never be able to stay away. Since I didn't take any pictures this time around, I chose my favourite picture of Emily's for this post. Flash! Summer is gone!

On the road with Charlie

2008-08-10T09:46:00.003+02:00

In just one week Charlie and I managed to put 1100 miles on his volkswagon. As a very willing passenger, I was able to watch the UK zoom by on our way from beautiful place to beautiful place. Besides the fortune of great company and yummy food (tons of it!), I also had the chance to visit my third love: the salty and chilly, wavy and windy ocean. We walked to it, along it, to see it, to sit by it, to watch the sun go down over it, to walk in it, surf and float in it, and it reminded me of home in Deep Cove and after awhile, it started to feel like home, and how lucky is that for me!

Come Join Go come join go comejoingocomejoingo

2008-06-28T16:24:00.006+02:00

'The End Of June' in the life of a teacher: Bittersweet! Seven weeks of summer vacation and everyone seems to have something to celebrate before we scatter back to our home countries or onto long anticipated adventures... weddings, summer birthdays, farewells to leaving colleagues. We celebrate for the occasion, of course, but also I think we celebrate with the knowledge, somewhere in the back of our minds, that we won't see these friends until August, or in some cases ever again. This group of people that have made up our everyday lives abroad and boom... gigantic diaspora. The nature of the international school beast is its constant comings and goings and I agreed to it when I started this occupation; but that doesn't make The End of June any easier! The best thing to do that I have come up with is to celebrate. We'll celebrate them and us and the sun and say goodbye. Goodbye!

BudaPesch

2008-06-25T21:18:00.003+02:00

With four days in Budapest, I managed to get a taste for the summer city atmosphere: hot, alive, colourful, busy. The buildings are gorgeous and preserved and so are the people!

We had quite significant a fork in the holiday wheel, though, as far as health was concerned. Lauren insisted Hungarian malaria was what we had. I rationalized. It was highly likely that she had sinusitis, as the doctor told us that morning at her appointment, and I a sinusitis/bronchitis combo, as the doctor had told me the day before. What a duo! We walked and toured as our bodies allowed, sat in every square and park known, ordered ginger ales and sorbet, spent money on vitamins and curing Hungarian tea, and destroyed whole boxes of Kleenex... together, we were a tourist team to be reckoned with.

Games in the Park

2008-06-25T21:10:00.003+02:00

Question: What can you do when it is hot and beautiful in Zurich? Answer: Go to the lake with friends, come home seeking shade and match the pictures to a baby picture! Not too much has changed since then.

My weekend was intents.

2008-06-06T21:09:00.007+02:00

The fearless trio of leaders, Andrea, Julia and I, survived a camping trip with eight high schoolers (alternative perspective being that they, in fact, survived it with us) to experience the culture and environment of Lugano, the Italian part of Switzerland. Even counting the sore muscles and stinky gear, it was a beautiful trip. For me personally though, it brought me to a realization that is, unfortunately, a familiar one: It seems that I can go so long, a year in this case, working in the same building as these fantastic people like Julia and Andrea and never really 'meet' them until our time together is almost over.

Speaking of Mysteries...

2008-05-23T22:39:00.007+02:00

London

2008-05-23T21:52:00.005+02:00

Five days, five teachers, forty-five students. Nuf said! Phew!

The Triple Change. August - October - May

2008-05-15T20:45:00.006+02:00

Another transformation for Suedstrasse 1. A new big corner couch. This is so fantastic because the other(s) were dangerously uncomfortable. I am now, until I get a truck to get rid of those hidden in my basement storage cubbies, in possession of not one, not two, but three.... sofas. I'm 25 years old! Isn't there something else I could mistakenly collect?

May oh May oh May

2008-05-12T18:03:00.009+02:00

Warm enough to leave the jacket at home, but cool enough to be comfortable. The sailors are out, the fairs are in full swing and the people are full of love and energy. Yey!

Ozel gave Mark and I haircuts in my apartment today. We decided on a throwback bowlcut for Mark. The Middle School girls softball tournament was two days where I was posted as first base coach with some scorekeeping and downtime in between.

What was usual was the skating that happened on Sunday at two o'clock. What was unusual was the thunderstorm that happened that same day at four o'clock. What would seem usual was the dissappointment that happened directly after that. What was unusual was the relocation to the Burkliplatz pavillion that happened til late afternoon. We danced!

The Motorcycle Diaries 2008 - Gruetzi!

2008-05-04T21:31:00.006+02:00

Nothing is to be expected when Dad comes to visit. I know this from last year. My Dad, and the bike of course, allowed me to see more of Switzerland in four days then I have since I arrived in this country last August.

Kothlow Tour de Switchbackland

2008-05-04T21:12:00.008+02:00

Agerisee

2008-04-30T21:37:00.006+02:00

Another mountain biking and camping trip has taken place at the Agerisee with Jack, Kari, Katie and I, and eight high schoolers doing their Duke of Edinburgh camp. I'd go so far as to wish it as an annual event for us. Our bodies fried by day and froze by night. This didn't apply to the two down cuccoons pictured below on our tarp. For me, it was the last time I use my Lightsack 200 bag before the real summer.

London

2008-04-30T21:35:00.006+02:00

Let me say something about London that I haven't said before. This time, because I was there for work again, I had to stay around my hotel room in London proper. Which means, for me, shopping. As I wandered around Oxford Circus, swirling in and out of shops, I thought of all the nice things I had bought: shoes, a new book, lunch, a shirt, a pair of capris and a snow globe of the London Bridge. Did I splurge and buy too much? I asked myself. No... was my answer. Think of all the things that I didn't buy today. Now that is a lot of stuff.

Am I where I should be? What really is happiness? How does that Kraft Dinner commercial go again? ... and other musings from Hyde Park

I wandered back and forth through Hyde Park a few times over the course of these three days, thinking about nothing and everything at the same time, and even thinking about 'thinking in Hyde Park' long enough to decide to write about it here. It seems that this considerable time spent in a foggy park ironically cleared my head and, I discovered, that remarkable thought patterns trickle through a clear head. To fill the space and time, I seemed in this pattern of unconsciously asking myself a huge, unanswerable question to ponder for awhile. This was followed by little to no success at even grasping the magnitude of the question. This would lead back to thinking about nothing for another moment again before I'd find myself mindlessly humming a show tune or commerical jingle. The wisdom from this is that maybe, in the middle of these high and low level thoughts, those breakthrough-life-direction-changing epiphanies have their opportunity to appear. I didn't necessarily have any life changing epiphanies, even though Hyde Park is very big... and I'll take that as something in itself.

Ode to the Swiss Inn Hotel

2008-04-06T22:59:00.003+02:00

I spent a week of Spring break with Melissa on the Red Sea in Egypt. As you can see from the picture below, both of us are smiling with our whole faces. I am pretty sure we did this the. entire. time.

Dahab, Egypt

2008-04-06T22:51:00.003+02:00

Holiday of the Triple Decker Nutella Sandwiches

2008-04-06T22:25:00.002+02:00

'Just don't stop' - A light packer's Plight

2008-03-29T19:27:00.007+01:00

The trick to biking through snow is just not to stop. Power through. Go, go, go, go. As soon as the bike is stopped, it's just trudging. It didn't phase me that I was completely speckled with mud until we finished our ride and Kari and Jack walk out of the pubic bathrooms changed and sharp. I was the muddy one all the way back to Zurich. Isn't that tidy. Whatever. Somewhere buried inside every person is the desire to get muddy.

Winter Backpacking

2008-03-29T19:07:00.004+01:00

We found our way from point A to point B in about five hours. Thank goodness for the tracktor that drove our path and packed in the snow. It was a beautiful day surrounded by untouched snow, animal tracks, and a whole lot of silence and laughter. Awww.

No longer on the fence about being on the fence.

2008-03-23T22:03:00.009+01:00

This season I aquired some new skills on the mountains, had some good times, and from a greater perspective, I arrived at an answer to that reoccuring, self-identity question. Do I ski or snowboard? Even though in the above snowboarding picture I look like I am going to cash in, I do still like/dislike both equally. So... I will remain, for another year at least, happily on the fench.

76 Trombones and two plugged ears

2008-03-23T21:41:00.008+01:00

Where have you been for the last six weeks? Not an exaggerated statement by any means. Telling proof: the combination of a sinus infection and a school musical lead me to spend under two hundred dollars in a month. The only way I would have been able to save more in this country would have been by baking my own bread. I won't put actual pictures up of the students, those you will have to go to our school website to find. However, when it was all over, this was the book that was made for us all. I'm getting all semi-mental just thinking about it... Even though I see those kids every day, now I teach them essays instead of dances.

Free Hockey?

2008-03-23T21:16:00.013+01:00

I had no idea that this year we would be celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the International Ice Hockey Federation. That is, not until the Zurich Headquaters set up a free rink with free equiptment and skate use for open reservation. The best part about it, however, occured when we all arrived. There was an open tent in the yard, full of gear to suit fifty. We went in, got dressed like Christmas morning and played a game, without ever seeing anyone from the organization. That is some serious trust. As a side note and not to purposefully mention a stereotype, but there was a disproportionate number of Canadians out there. We represented well. Go Canukleheads.

Italy, Portugal and Bratwurst

2008-02-14T08:52:00.007+01:00

For the first time since cheering with 1. FC Koeln I attended a European football match. It was also my first time actually sitting with the fans. I always remember looking at them standing and cheering and waving their flags. On this night I was one of them; sloshing beer in conversation and gesturing with bratwurst in fist. It was a mild night outside but I was pretty chilly with all those fans around me and all. Ok, it had been a long time since I had sat out in the rain and didn't mind. I guess I was too busy watching Ronaldo's orange shoes to care.

Winter hiking in Zurich

2008-01-29T22:28:00.000+01:00

Vancouver

2008-01-29T22:04:00.000+01:00

Cheese

2008-01-29T21:35:00.001+01:00

It is nearly February, and in reflection of the holidays, I just realised that many pictures I have of the season are very silly. These pictures are so embarrassing! But at the same time as being embarrassing, they offer some of the most genuine moments. It was so nice to catch up, relax, and be silly again with my family and friends in Vancouver. I miss them!

Tsawwassen Beach

2007-12-21T17:41:00.001+01:00

After being welcomed to Vancouver by the chilly air and a couple of cold noses, my Dad and Shauna took me out 'windersurfer watching' to put it into perspective. The scattered driftwood, salty air, eagles circling above, looming clouds... all this tells me I am back.

Mistaken identity

2007-12-11T19:48:00.001+01:00

Warning: the sole purpose of this blog as been recognized as being award-winningly superficial. I have never had a twin before, so I am obviously excited about even the slighted claimed resemblance. Lately, these two have come up as potentials. Kris and I walked by each other at our first faculty meeting at ZIS, did double takes, stopped, went back, started talking about how weird it was that we kind of looked alike, and became friends. The other picture is a random person from the internet. A student said he found 'me' on a private girls school website in Philadelphia. The big debate now stands as: Who looks more like the private school student? Kris or me? I leave it up to the scrutiny of the public.

The Holiday Season

2007-12-04T20:05:00.000+01:00

Playing soccer on that cooshy articifial turf in Zug beats urban soccer, on leaves in Wollishofen park, hands down; like running on a huge piece of what is already inside of a shoe sole.

Other than this, my job is keeping me busy these days during the weekdays and nights, and my friends are keeping me up late on the weekends. We just had school auditions for this year's musical, The Music Man, and I, on vocal auditions, admittedly pondered the similarities between the three of us judges and the American Idol celebrity panel. I would definitely be Paula Abdul. In the end, we have 40 students participating. It is going to be crazy fun dancing and singing everyday afterschool. The Duke of Edinburgh Award is also underway, which means for me getting all 17 high schoolers organized and ready to go on three overnight camps in the spring. They are for the most part self-sufficient, so I am mostly a facilitator. Working with the teenagers is sure a reality check compared to the Grade 6's. See, I had so many cool teachers in elementary school and then... shockingly, all of my grade 8, 9 and 10 teachers were totally and completely, without a doubt, not cool.

Two weeks ago, we had a huge Thanksgiving feast amoung friends which ended in a large, tournament style poker game; lasting way into the night. Accused of using a, "I'm new! What do I do if I have two Aces? Is that good?" tactic, I ended up coming second and getting half the pot, but I size it up to endurance more than anything. In the Thanksgiving spirit, I ran a 3k race (entusiastically pictured below... must have been near the beginning), the Turkey Trot, and yes, my competition were all under 12 years old. Who cares? haha

Last weekend, I was presently surprised by my friends here because of the disgusting fashion they came through with for my holiday bad sweater party. It was sick. I even had a physical reaction to Stefan's furry, peach, stretched out, polyester-lined atrocity. Literally it shook my esophagus. Fantastic.

Life is good! I am going back to Vancouver in a week and a half for the Christmas holidays. I'm excited to see my family and old friends. Oh, and, thanks to reconnecting with old buds on Facebook, I may actually have some visitors over soon.

People say if you look too long it hurts.

November begins with football practice

2007-11-06T21:34:00.000+01:00

Autumn Stimmung

2007-11-04T20:46:00.000+01:00

Because Sundays in Switzerland are still protected as a day of rest, Kari, Devon and I got out for a walk along the coast. I think at first it is easy to call it frustrating that nothing is open on Sundays, calling it constricting or a consumer lock down if you will. But once the shoes are on and some other way to enjoy the day has been found, that frustration morps unsuspectingly into appreciation. So thank you Switzerland for giving me this walk in the park today with my friends.

Blair Swiss Project

2007-11-01T19:55:00.000+01:00

An orientation video at night. What a wacky idea. A video for mom and dad. But the cows were crazy ding-a-linging!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video Hosting

Transformation!

2007-10-15T21:27:00.000+02:00

I started working full time two days after arriving into this extremely empty apartment. But trust me, many of those spare minutes in between then and now have been spent searching second-hand shops for antiques, organizing vehicles, finding free stuff, and dreaming the big 'Trading Spaces' dreams. It's starting to feel cozy but oddy enough I still find myself always sitting on the floor.

Skating at Burkliplatz

2007-10-14T20:43:00.000+02:00

A few weeks ago I decided it was time to be part of Facebook and so far it seems like it was a good decision. My main reasons being a) curiousity and b) the chance that maybe it would result in someone coming to visit me here. However, now I am all confused between posting pictures here and posting in albums on Facebook. Truth is mom and dad don't have Facebook, so I can't possibly stop the blog. It's an online community pickle that I don't know the answer to just yet.

October Break

2007-10-14T20:42:00.000+02:00

A friend of mine, Charlie, came over from England to enjoy our 'coincidently coinciding' vacations. We explored Zurich and the little villages around it and generally just had a lot of laughs and cooked a lot of food.

We spent two days hiking in the mountains near Interlaken; this was the chalet we stayed overnight in (above left), basically we played some cards and shivered into the night. It was worth it if not only to see the sunrise over the snow the next morning (below left). We spent a lot of time staring out at the valley feeling refreshingly humbled by its massivity. This is also Charlie contempating our path down... I think this picture was taken just moments before noticing the intercepting sheer cliff and having to backtrack. Better to have explored the path than be kept in wonder; wise words that stem far deeper than this days hike I say.
I am going to start writing comments to go along with the pictures I post again... a novel idea really.

Trift Glacier

2007-10-02T19:12:00.000+02:00

At the time, we just did it, but now looking back... this hike was intense!! Thank you Switzerland.

A View of Switzerland

2007-09-21T16:38:00.000+02:00

Children have a beautiful way of describing their world and what is so fantastic is that this is often coupled with an innocence that prevents them from really understanding just how true what they say or write actually is.

“I looked outside the window and saw high mountains, big grass fields and
thousands of wooden houses, and a large beautiful church. Behind a little
hill was a beautiful green and blue lake. I saw cows with bells on, klonk,
klonk, klonk. Men with a funny hat and long socks…."

“I see Italians complaining about a banana. I see the beautiful mountains
turning to red as the sun sets.”

“I see a lot of mountains covered with snow giving the mountain an ice cream
look. Trees without leaves just waiting for spring time to come. Snow covering
the ground as if salt fell over the ground on purpose."

"…one cloud reminds me of my mom’s frying pan.”

“I see below me the beautiful, glistening lake. The emerald rocky mountains. The
chorus of the bells that are strapped around the cows' strong necks. The rolling
hills with chalets planted on the tops. The dazzling dew set on the grass. Wow,
the big orange sun. Its mouth is beaming.”

"In the front, there were crumbling stone path splattered with rotting
persimmons. I could also see palm trees lining the path, a blue sky with puffs
of white clouds and hills rolling towards the blue lake. Switzerland curled along
one shore and Italy sprawled on the other."

Fribourg!

2007-09-20T20:27:00.000+02:00

Last weekend I went to Fribourg for a Roller Disco! A blast from the past (before I was born...). And because I did no research on the area before leaving, it was a nice surprise to be surrounded by French language and culture.

Kerenzerberg - Grade 6 Trip!

2007-09-10T19:28:00.000+02:00

My Big Black Couch

2007-09-10T18:45:00.000+02:00

Pictures to follow... I told some people the other day that this couch is so big that when you come into my apartment you have no choice but to sit on it. It is just that immense and intense.
Thalwil had its annual community Give and Take (a chance to get rid of things for free) and for people like me to scrounge and not exactly give per se. I sent out early, wandered through the mostly broken furniture, I found a very practical lamp and began to walk home; quite content with my finding.
However, the Give and Take became much more lucrative when I caught a glimpse of what appeared to be an upside-down multi-section black leather couch in a truck, waiting in the drop off line. It was only about 20 feet past the vehicle that I finally put together the thought, "oh you have to just go and ask him about it!" Almost the next thing I know the line is moving forward, I jump in the truck, he pulls a u-turn and I sail away into the streets of Thalwil with the wind in my hair and a truck full of soon-to-discover HUMONGOUS couch! The mystery giver even helped me carry the parts up to my apartment on the third floor. He kind of indirectly consented to helping me anyways when he agreed too give it to a single woman, anyways.
So if you are due for a visit anytime soon, there is plenty of room on my couch for you... and roughly six others .

Zurich International School Dinner Cruise

2007-08-13T17:02:00.000+02:00

Last Friday our school took us out on a school-year-kick-off boat cruise around the lake. Myself and a new friend, Melissa, are smiling with our whole faces, as pictured above. Below is a picture I took from the boat, at the southern part of the lake.

Techie Techie Switzerland

2007-08-13T16:55:00.000+02:00

I haven't even been here a week and I walked in my apartment today to find my engraved name card on my doorbell and my mailbox and five different bills and payment receipts inside. That sure didn't take long. China must have just skipped paper and gone straight to computer, here it seems they do a combo of the two. Another thing I have noticed here is that garbage is only picked up in the special, very expensive trash bags so we should try to fill them slowwwwly... very smart.

The new hood - Thalwil

2007-08-13T16:51:00.001+02:00

I have been in Zurich for five days now and I feel e - stablished. Since the moment I got off the plane my brain has been occupied with signing papers, receiving keys and shipments, meetings, orientations and tours. But, with that said, I now have a bank account, apartment, job, health plan, transit pass, my barings, new friends and acquaintances, my health... and my happiness!

The Zurich Street Parade

2007-08-13T16:41:00.001+02:00

The secretary at my new school told me, "You must go to see the Zurich Street Parade because it is so not Swiss". Turns out that though it is smaller, this techno parade was actually the mother of the Berlin Love Parade. The music seemed like it pumped my heart for me.

2007-08-13T16:40:00.000+02:00

Ghana - Asufutufiam Festival

2007-08-13T16:30:00.000+02:00

In Big Ada every year, the people from this region come together to celebrate their historical victories in war and honour those who have died. At this festival, there were big parades of people carrying their chiefs, re-enacting the battles and ending up at the river where they cleansed themselves of the years deeds and made wishes for the new year. I stood in the water, made a wish and washed my face with my hands. Tracy, on the other hand, was splashed silly but an old lady. I wish I was splashed, too!

Sega

2007-08-13T16:29:00.001+02:00

This was actually taken on one of my last days in Sega. We had just been sitting on this straw mat beside our house for awhile, playing with the kids and talking. I like this picture alot because it seems to me like all of us look just like how we felt that moment.

Teacher In-service training from myself and Tracy (we did do work too... actually, we are up there at the front, just not in the picture) and this is hanging out in the evening, it could have been any evening really.

Graduation and Speeches... on my Birthday!

2007-08-13T12:49:00.000+02:00

As luck would have it, my birthday fell on the same day as the Graduation and Speech Giving ceremony for the school. It was a big show of culture, traditional dance and drumming, speeches from elders and myself (I don't exactly classify myself as an elder yet), and a ceremony to honour the graduates who are moving on. We were all dressed up in kente and given Ghanaian names, mine being Angmorkie (at best seldom comprehensible when I try to pronounce it). Everyone was really excited that day, and we ate really good food!

Assembly - Higha higha higha

2007-08-13T12:04:00.000+02:00

Every Wednesday morning is worship, an assembly with the whole school. These videos show the energy of kids pretty well.

The Amazon Flute

2007-08-13T12:00:00.000+02:00

When my dear friend Emily went from China to Peru to go down the Amazon River, she brought me back this traditional wooden flute, stating that she thought I would enjoy figuring out how to play it. I did. Jamie, my roommate, probably didn't enjoy me trying to figur out how to play it.

Because she gave it to me after my shipment had left to go to Switzerland, I had to bring it with me to Ghana. And what a good idea that turned out to be. Many hours passed unknowingly on its sole account.

To advertise the graduation festivities to neighbouring villages, we took two days, the kids, the drums and a lot of posters and signs to the neighbouring communities and paraded through their streets and markets, singing, dancing, handing out information and generally attracting attention. This is a picture of out parade and another of me dancing at de Yunction market with Jakob. ...

A Sega Photoshoot

2007-08-13T11:44:00.000+02:00

Taking photos is so interesting in Sega because the kids will play with the camera like they will play with a football. In this video I tricked them into thinking I was taking a picture so I could remember how funny it all is. On this day we probably took pictures with the ant hill for a good 20 minutes before moving on.

Cape Coast

2007-08-13T11:33:00.000+02:00

The Curious meet The Curious

2007-07-19T19:33:00.000+02:00

The Maple Leaf School Charity collected over 2,000 pens and pencils for local and Ghanaian students. After schmoozing the airlines and miraculously getting them all here, I realized that it was doing more than just providing new writing tools. They caused a new curiousity about China to float through the school; wanting me to teach them the language, wanting me to read to them what is written on their pens (ha... ha.... ha....), wanting to hear Chinese songs, write to Chinese penpals, and actually, some just want to know where China is. How perfect!

A Fish Story

2007-07-19T19:19:00.000+02:00

Sixty kilometers east of Accra, where the shores of Ghana meet the Atlantic Ocean, the white sand beaches stretch out and bask in the noon heat. The small village here is called Ada Foah, and on this July afternoon like every other afternoon, this coastal community’s young and old work together in two long, straight rows to heave in a far reaching net and the days catch. This is where I found myself that afternoon, having one of those simple traveler thoughts that has been hitting me hard lately – Ghana… I am here. Before I came here, I had 24 years to wonder what it might be like. I had an idea, but the truth is I had no idea. Isn’t that always the way!
Feet planted in the sand in pulling stance. The right hand is behind on the rope, palm down, and the left hand is up front, palm up, holding from underneath. That is what everyone else was doing, so I did it too. Pulling and pulling, moving farther and farther back up onto the beach until running up to the front again. As we worked, the other end of the net, far down the beach, pulled slowly towards us bringing our ends close until we crossed, sealed the catch and pulled it up onto the shore. I got tired after a while, so I stopped and a mother handed me her baby to hold. I had no complaints about this new responsibility, being anything but rusty with babies now having held more since arriving here than in the last five years combined. I stood back then as the net was pulled on shore and watched as everyone eyed the catch; a variety of sea life, including giant shrimps, lobster, barracudas, jellyfish and an ENORMOUS brown and yellow striped sea snake that scared the sarong of me when I noticed it slithering.
The baby fell asleep on my shoulder and a man walked over and presented me with a small fish, for helping I figure. So there I was with a baby in one hand and a barracuda in the other, thinking about nothing profound, except feeling deep inside somewhere that this was the kind of place and the kind of thing that leaves an etching. So I stood there and stared at the ocean and marveled the catch and cared for the baby and wondered what I was supposed to do with this wiggling fish.
That was two days ago, and now I have time to sit and think and write. I am sitting in my cool, dark room in Sega listening to kids playing and distant drumming, coming from the school on the other side of the village. Sega is 30 minutes away from two days ago; so small and off the bumpy red dirt road that those fishermen at the coast had never heard of it when we asked. Maybe it is its size that magnifies the community feeling that hits a person when they come here. It sure hit me. I have never seen a community to integrate people faster. The kids jump up on ledges and yell “catch me!” and you swing them around as they giggle, they run and give you hugs, tell you stories and invite you to play their games. The adults wave and always seem ready to talk, they let you stir their dinner in their giant pots, help you find your way, invite you in to meet their parents, to see their farm and introduce you to their babies, ask you where you are going and where you have come from. People stop to talk to each other and at first I thought, what are we going to talk about? But that has become less and less of an issue. This all happens around a patchy network of hand-made brick, tin roofed houses and mud hut kitchens, interspersed with enormous wide trunk, broad reaching trees… surrounded by the peoples farms of hot peppers, tomatoes and cassava, and a school (that is where I come in). It would be hard not to feel like I haven’t already been here a long time.
There is nothing about going to this new country, and continent for that matter, that doesn’t surprise me. Things surprise me either because they are exactly what I imagined or because they are very different from what I imagined; and that covers everything with an element of surprise. My idea of here is transforming so rapidly with all the new things I see and do. It is difficult to write about it because I imagine I will see it so different tomorrow, as I live each day here.
It was a beautiful place at that coastal village of Ada Foah but I think I am going to stay around here in Sega for a few weeks and try and learn it. I won’t be pulling in any ocean nets again soon, but I feel like coming here is pulling in my own kind of net; a real big net full of real knowledge about this place that I used to only imagine.

Welcome to Sega

2007-07-19T18:31:00.000+02:00

Goodbye Dalian - The work is done

2007-07-01T14:15:00.000+02:00

How really does a person say goodbye to a city? Emily and I decided to do a "City Tour", conducting poorly planned interviews with the unique people of all our regular stops and hangouts; for low-resolution keepsakes for us to take away with us when we go. We did the weekly ritual shop-around one last time... but this time instead of seeking pirated DVDs and the necessities, we were seeking closure.
We went to the tailors, the linen lady, Amy's, dumplings, Xing Hai Square.... and it was first in the days afternoon that I had an epiphany. I realized that this days 'closure tour' wouldn't be complete without one last trip to see my favourite employee at the Bubble Tea cart in Dalian's most central square. It was almost two years ago that I was first amused to see this blond, curly haired, plastic doll bent over and bobbing up and down pumping Bubble Tea on a rumbling drinks cart. Each time I walk through that square I look for her and when she is there working her Bubble Tea machine, it always makes me smile a bit, because maybe, in an unconventional sense, she counts as one more working foreign woman in Dalian.
When I got there, I asked the lady if the doll would pump me a cup of closure (I mean Bubble Tea) and she told me that the doll doesn't work anymore. Hmpf. I turned and as I walked away I thought: this foreign doll is finished her work in Dalian... how fitting. That's closure!
Then the old gang, Chen, Wayne, Emily and myself went for dinner and did a little night drive through Xing Hai Square, where everything seems high fantastical, and this is where we took these pictures.

I'll have another

2007-06-28T02:27:00.000+02:00

My two year contract at Maple Leaf has been like having a deserved popsicle on a hot day. You buy your popsicle, are really excited to eat it; open it, take your first taste (it is good); then you see a friend, and you start talking and laughing away about something you think is interesting.... la la la la, di do di do di do di do di do and boom.... you look down and like a ton of bricks it hits you that you have eaten your whole popsicle. Can I have another? Sure... a Swiss popsicle. Then, when we are old we can look back on our past and remember hot days with friends and popsicles.

China blogging suspension and WuZaiChaung cone skating

2007-06-17T04:09:00.000+02:00

Another arbitrary blogging suspension has come to another arbitrary end. In this zwischen time, I have discovered a new place to spend my evenings. These cats don't just do it for fun, they do it for fun and to get better at it, so I will too! Take a look at the videos.
A week ago, one of the other skaters showed me a picture of me skating in the Kaifaqu paper. Interesting. it would have been more interesting if I could have read what it said about me. I finally got it translated at school and the article says something to the likes of, "Skating at Five Colour City has attracted some foreigners... Sha Sha is a Maple Leaf School history teacher who has lived in Kaifaqu for two years and says she loves skating....". Who says I love skating? Me? I do, it's true, but who told them? And who are they? I may never know.

The 2007 Dong Bei Ball Hockey Playoff Results are in!

2007-05-24T14:06:00.000+02:00

An intense and entertaining tournament final ended a month of constant hockey hype today at DMLIS. Hockey hockey hockey; play, watch, talk about it, repeat. After a good season, today was a disappointing loss for us hopefuls, 2-3 in sudden death. Shucks... time to celebrate anyways and then let the battle wounds fade. Dad, you watched last year and I think this year was even more exciting!

The Constitution, Federalism and what I want to be when I grow up

2007-05-18T16:11:00.000+02:00

Chapter test day has come and gone once more in Ms. Kothlow's Social Studies class. Some students showed their stuff in their knowledge of Canadian politics and others showed it the most in the bonus question. This time I asked: What do you want to be when you grow up?
"When I grow up I want to be a good person. I want to be a good man, a good husband, and a good father."
"I will be a good mother that will tell my children to study for Social Studies tests."
Good ones, kids.

Friends who make their dreams come true

2007-05-18T11:48:00.000+02:00

My dear friend Emily made it to Everest base camp this week and just in the off chance she ever reads this, I feel grateful to have friends who can inspire me by following their hearts and enduring the difficulties they are led through. Come home safe, I miss you.

Puddle Photography 101

2007-05-03T10:17:00.000+02:00

This course would have naturally produced more quality pics had I found a class or teacher but for Cha-am, this independent course improvised from my bungalow provided at best an afternoon of outdoor appreciation for myself and at very least a few cool pics (ironically none of puddles) .

Thailand

2007-05-01T09:43:00.000+02:00

We weren't the only ones enjoying our shelter from the rains this morning. This bird just would not be frightened from our porch, courage built on soggy desperation.

The Science of Kite Flying in the Park

2007-04-27T13:56:00.000+02:00

If we had taken a cab home today with all our groceries, we would have missed this. This man not only made his own kite out of an old calendar, but he also had broken it down into an art, and then he taught it to me. I told him his kite was as good as the purchased ones and he basically said, bought kites have no meaning. At the beginning I wasn't very good at keeping it high, but I got the hang of it and I think my notible improvement made him equally as happy as it made me. I'd like to try it again this spring.

17 months

2007-04-26T14:59:00.000+02:00

The village behind our mountain has been 'relocated' this month, in favour of plans for another high rise development, including the reclaiming of the bay. If you look closely there are still two small houses in the picture on the right, possibly the next famous nail houses? Supposedly they can't legally be forced to leave if they refuse to, but they can be cut off of water, sewer and electricity... as easy as I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down the first time around.

Fixing Up the Neighbourhood

2007-04-09T15:00:00.000+02:00

Jokes make tests on the evolution of the Canadian government more memorable... It is a win/win, they get to tell me a joke and I get to hear it. These were my favourites:
1. "An apple was walking down the street and he got hungry so he ate himself." HAHA
2. "Peat and Repeat were birds on a tree. Peat flew away. Who was left?" HAHA

Kaci's Weekend

2007-03-25T12:35:00.000+02:00

I was so lucky to spend the whole weekend in Dalian with Emily and her old friend Kaci who came to visit us from her teaching post in Southern China. Emily and Kaci have a mind-blowingly, impressively extraordinary history of world travel together. We did a little bit of everything we could think of and then some, including the compulsory jumping pictures at the coast. Here are some pictures in sets of twos.

Living History out my Window

2007-03-18T11:38:00.000+01:00

I wish I could talk to these men and ask them about what all they have seen in their days on earth, and, really, what they are thinking about.... right.... now. Imagine they are in their 70s. Having grown up in LiaoNing province, it means they were born during the Japanese occupation and their WMD experiments, they were governed by the Kuomintang, then the beginnings of Mao's dreamy PRC... by this time maybe they are in their thirties, then the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution.. and then Reform and Opening again! Capitalism to Communism "full circle".

Saturday's Tomfoolery

2007-03-18T04:00:00.000+01:00

Today was a day where we set out with the simple plan of spending it together, and we did, and when it was done we were pleasantly surprised by the breadth of entertainment we had created for ourselves. Highlights definitely included reinventing Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon scenes at President Hu's Dalian beach house juxtaposed with the Chinese military training. Here is a sampling of our action tableaux.

The Making of the Gibraltar Accord

2007-03-16T12:47:00.000+01:00

The Friday Night Maple Leaf Risk Club made the leap today into mission-style play. Elvis, with his strategy of unrelenting pressure in the East, completed his four missions in a record 2:15 time for our club... including the notable mission of total Asian control. A well deserved victory. Albert played a strong game out of South America before sweeping his artillery across to East Africa and threatening the security of Malcolm and my Peace Treaty, the Gibraltar Accord, that had previously secured a solid no-fighting zone over the Mediterranean. Molly pushed strong into North America putting a ruthless end to Steven in Central Canada. It is easy to excuse that the winner often wins because they secure control of Australia, but this time I think Elvis could have done it even if he didn't control Australia too.

Powerfulness and powerlessness

2007-03-05T12:40:00.001+01:00