Take Two

Apparently, it has been determined by the Fates that I shall not spend more than 3 years in any one place.  I'm hoping for at least two in the next country.  In late January or early February, I'll be moving to Zambia for a ten-month teaching project with a local public university there.  The job is grant-funded by the U.S. government, and the future possibilities are giving me a reason to be hopeful after the bleak outlook of job searching in the States.  

At the moment, there are visas to be obtained, phones to be called, contacts to be solidified, courses to be planned, and many other logistics to be handled before I can board the plane.  Two months does not seem like enough time.  

In my life, I have had exactly two dreams.  The first, becoming fluent in another language, has not yet happened.  The second will come true very, very soon.  As with anything that takes the title of BIG EVENT in life, my feet are feeling a bit cold.  I'm not worried, though.  I have no intention of turning around and running away.

So far, I have very few impressions of my next country of residence.  If I stare at the map long enough, it looks a bit like a peanut, or a seahorse maybe.  I can hardly wait to continue on in the "unknown-first impressions-vague familiarity-an almost home" cycle.

Elliot

Imported: 15 December 2009

This past weekend was supposed to be our big English Festival weekend, welcoming students and faculty from two other universities on the mainland, and one from Korea. Sadly, a student was confirmed to have a case of H1N1, so all events at the Great Hall had to be canceled or rescheduled. Besides being worried about the sick student, who does have more than a mild flu-like case of the disease, we are all incredibly disappointed at not having the opportunity to witness this year's festival until May. English Festival is sometimes funny, sometimes painful, but always a ton of work for everyone involved. I even volunteered in some small roles - judging semi-finals and coaching a speech contestant - in the hopes that I would be more committed to something if I was more invested in it. And I was. Students and faculty have been holding midnight rehearsals, giving and attending workshops on singing, checking scripts, lines, and acting abilitiy, and all the myriad of other things that go into pulling off this event. It's truly unfortunate to see their day spoiled and know that it's hanging over all our heads until next semester. I can't say that I'm happy to have gotten my very own "outbreak" experience here. SARS v. 2.0.