cravings

woke up this morning with a serious craving for this kind of breakfast:Alas, it's just not the same unless you're in Europe.

beginning of the end

It's been a jam-packed week. Wednesday I had dinner with G., a friend of a friend who grew up in Quito and whose parents still live and work there as missionaries. I totally bombarded her with questions for two hours (poor girl was so busy talking that she was the last one to finish her meal) and walked away with a much better picture of what life is going to be like. The biggest relief (and first question I asked) is that my school is a good one. Preppy, she said, but good. I can handle preppy. Much of what she said is not terribly different from what I've experienced in other foreign countries, which helps because I've not really had a framework (or a schema as my mother says) for what to expect, but now I can start to fill in the picture.

Friday morning my colleagues at the middle school had a breakfast for me at the local diner. (And I mean local diner--the old farmer men were sitting at a table drinking coffee like they must do every morning.) Far more people showed up than I expected--it was very complimentary to see so many people wanting to wish me well. I wasn't prepared for that sort of thing. Now I have three days left of work, and it feels wonderful. Not sad, not nostalgic, just wonderful.

Otherwise, it's been a pretty low-key holiday weekend. I've spent time with my aunt and cousin being lazy and watching movies. I've already switched to summer mode, and I feel like I'm going to breeze through these last few days and then get down to the business of summer. There is so much to do to get ready for the move, plus I want to spend lots of time with my friends here and really enjoy the last of our times together. I know the clock is ticking, and I want to enjoy every last minute.

t-3 months...

In less than 3 months this will be my new home!

Started packing up the classroom today, and it was less painful than I expected. Then I remembered that this is what I will be doing all. summer. long. If anyone has a magic wand or packing fairy, please send my way!!!

honesty is the best policy

Breaking the news went rather well today, and I am feeling relieved. I wasn't sure how I would feel handing in my resignation, but I felt light and free! I know I've made the right decision, and this just reassured me even more. Everyone has been so positive and saying what a great opportunity this will be, and it feels good to be able to talk with people about this openly.

The last high school concert was Tuesday night, and it went so well. My advanced group performed a medley from West Side Story, and they sang their best yet. It was a great ending, especially compared to where we began four years ago.

I am feeling the craziness of the last few days and am ready for things to slow down a bit. I realized today that I have so many logistical things to work out: cell phone, banking, visa, and figuring out exactly how much is 100 lbs of clothing.


And since my best friend said I need more pictures on this blog, I will close with a picture of Tobey, who is the inspiration for this blog title and my traveling partner!

shout out

to my world-traveling girls--you know who you are--I am so glad I have you to share thoughts, feelings, experiences with. Knowing that there are other people going through similar situations with me makes me feel much more reassured. :)

Tomorrow is my last high school choir concert. I am also telling the principals tomorrow. That makes me feel a little (okay a lot) nervous. And then I drop the bomb to my closest kiddos on Wednesday. I'm thinking cookies might help ease the news.

On a slightly more political note, as gas prices seem to skyrocket out of control, I am so glad to be moving to a place where I won't own a car and where a ride on the bus will cost me $.50 one way. Did I mention I paid $60 to fill up today? Yeah, not going to miss that.