Hello! I hope you haven’t forgotten about me; I’ve been quiet on the blog front but busy as a bee otherwise. I hope that this update finds you well. Things here in Dar are moving along at a steady clip. I can’t believe that it’s already October and that I’ve been teaching for two months!
After an amazing summer vacation in the states for nearly six weeks I came back and moved up a grade level to now teach 3rd grade and enjoy it immensely. My colleagues are one of the greatest parts of my job. The new team of administrators, my fellow 3rd grade teachers, and specialist teachers provide me with an amazing support system that is built around collaboration and mutual respect. They are a great asset to me, one which I do not take for granted.
It is these people and the students with whom I work every day that I will miss most about Tanzania. After much thought and deliberation, I have decided to leave IST at the end of this school year. Whenever I spent the summer in the states I seriously considered coming back to the U.S. but by the end of my vacation I felt like it just wasn’t quite time yet. I do love America and look forward to coming back home, but my itch to explore a bit more combined with the harsh reality of the U.S. job market and economy has swayed me from making that move at the moment.
So, “where to next?” you ask. Good question. That’s what I’d like to know too! I will be attending an international school job fair this January to hopefully get an answer to that question. I’d prefer to be in Southeast Asia but I am willing to explore other options. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I begin the arduous task of investigating many schools in the region and initializing contact.
This new school year also brought another important change. I am now a teacher and a student since I have begun working on my Master’s degree last month. The online program is offered through the University of Cincinnati and is a Master’s of Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in K-6 Mathematics. Those of you who have known me for many years are, like my parents, probably quite shocked that I would pursue any math courses other than those absolutely required. Math and I didn’t get along very well throughout much of my schooling. I do find it quite interesting that of all things, math is my absolute favorite thing to teach! The degree is completely online, which allows me to continue my ‘alternative lifestyle’ abroad while working on it. It is set up to be a two year program without any breaks, but I am not in a big hurry to get it done and will probably stretch it out to three years so that I can take a little time off while moving from one place and settling in the next. Working all day then coming home and doing my own schoolwork is a schedule I’m not loving, but studying something about which I truly enjoy and am so passionate about makes the busy schedule more than bearable.
I look forward to my last year eight months in Tanzania being some of the most memorable. I have many lessons still to learn about life in a developing country and the beautiful people who call it home. There are places on the Tanzanian map still left to explore, there are children to teach, and there are people to teach me. I hope that you will continue this journey with me, allowing me to share my experiences and ramble through many blog posts to come.
