The Itch of a Foot: February 2012

The rest of 2011 and beginning of 2012 have been both exciting and unexpected. John and I traveled through Thailand and Laos, and it was incredible to see bits and pieces of a region that was completely unfamiliar to me. The people were absolutely amazing, the countries were gorgeous, and the vacation was entirely too short. At some point towards the end of the vacation, I suddenly decided that instead of returning to the states for the rest of 2011, I would return to Beijing to teach one more semester at the Korean International School.

After the vacation, I went almost straight to Vancouver Island (via Beijing) for Anna's Wedding Part I. Seeing family was a treat, my grandparents' place is astoundingly beautiful, and the day of wood splitting and stacking (followed by a few days of painful back) was just right for staying humble.

I got to spend a few days in Chapel Hill to regroup - my wardrobe and my wits - before heading back to Beijing to teach my second semester at KISB. The second semester there was easier in the sense that I already knew the system, but I became increasingly frustrated with the way the school was administered, and ended up feeling completely exasperated by the time the semester ended. Thankfully, Anna had Wedding Part II in October, so I had a very good reason to return to the US for a few days.

I moved back to Chapel Hill at the very end of December, promptly had a beautiful getaway to Puerto Vallarta for a few weeks, spent some time with the Yentes-Quinns when they came down, road-tripped up to MA with Anna and Ada, and have started a Portuguese class.

Why Portuguese? Why, I'm going to Mozambique, of course! My Peace Corps assignment finally came through (for Honduras), was promptly was cancelled (safety), and then I was reassigned to Mozambique! I will be leaving at the end of May, so I have a few months to cool my heels, get loose ends tied up, and embark on a few more adventures.

Thailand