Garden of the Morning Calm...

Fall in Korea can be beautiful but nature can sometimes be elusive to find at times.
Thankfully there are places like the Garden of the Morning Calm to find an oasis of nature.
The area was fairly quiet in the misty morning. Some colors bring back the memories of home in the early mornings, some are uniquely Korean. What else can I expect. It still confounds me how this country has such a love for rapid technological development and still desire the beauty and peace of nature.

 About two hours from Suwon we enter the magical area. So many photo opportunities but just stepping on dirt trails in the shade of pines between hillsides did give me a sense of great peace and a connection to home. Maybe the foliage is a little different, but it's home in a sense. The are maps and trails are fairly straight forward. My friends and I chose the trail marked "Best Way." Seemed like the right way to go for our first trip to the area.

 The park is open year round with different things going on. I think it might be a good idea to try and see the area for more than one season. This is so beautiful that with the Bonsai Garden, Sunken Garden, and a several stream beds with and without water at the moment.

This is Chrysanthemum time and throughout the park you see several tending to the beauty of the garden. Even with so many coming around to look at the beauty of the flowers and foliage, sometimes I see the most beauty in just the day to day life folks have. What a wonderful job really. I want that job in a way.





This was the Pagoda Garden. At first glance it is just a dry rock bed. But when you take an extra few minutes and really look, the entire creek bed is full of stacked rock pagodas. Did I jump in on this of course! But not before I grabbed a quick picture of two locals doing the same thing. It is now one of my favorites because it is very hard to catch photos like this. So you see the beauty, simplicity, and majesty in the pictures above. No blog is complete right now without the Korean observations however.

So as you can see there are things I don't understand. Most of my hometown friends know my love for hats. But even I put the mustache hat down. Warm, for sure. But really Korea. I shook my head at it only to see it last weekend on a much older gentlemen as we walked through Starbucks. Maybe I missed my chance. The second sign is just over a little creek that might be 2 or 3 foot if you fell. I am pretty sure it is warning against falling but to me the picture makes me think maybe we are supposed to push people off really hard. I resisted the urge. The final picture is of the famous corn-po-hotdog. Corn dog with french fries fried together in a giant coagulation of insanity. There was a huge line for these and in true risk taker fashion, Sarah and I went after it. The trouble is in the equality of corn batter, fries, and hotdog. The hotdog is barely noticed in the double batter of the food on a stick. Still...I think that maybe, just maybe, this has great potential. 

Still when it is all said and done the beauty of any GSIS field trip or adventure comes down to the people you spend your time with.
Coming to any new country, requires you to make new decisions about how far you are willing to step out of your box to see what your new world has to offer.
It is also about creating many new friendships with people that you would otherwise never have a chance or reason of meeting. You learn to rely on them. You care for them deeply. You see each other through times when things are hard and in simple celebrations of life. It is always amazing how we as humans can change. Not just because we have to, but we choose to.

To some, three years may seem like a very long time. I have learned that three years really isn't more than a blink of an eye anymore.
What is my great hope is as many of us come to the end of one chapter in Korea and move on to other adventures, these friendships, these memories will always be a part of us. They have shaped and defined us in ways many others may never relate to.
So to Sarah and Amy and to all my family and friends I have met in the past three years, I say thank you. I am such a different person now for knowing you. Oh the stories we could tell.....

Can you hear me now?

Houston..do you copy.
I have now spent over two years as an expat in Korea. One undeniable truth is the value of communicating with others. Like the moon that communication waxes and wanes like the moon, but there is one great truth, for an expat it is of critical importance.
We now live in a day and age where you can literally talk to someone across the world instantly. You can use instant video and messaging from the tops of mountains and that is not to mention other forms of social media and simple texting and tweeting which has replaced the need to write using any form of pen and paper. We are the technology age. In the end though it does not matter what form of communication you use, the important thing is that you actually use it.
I am not saying that I am innocent in this but as I study more about my family and their past, it is amazing how a few words make all the difference in the world.
From an expat perspective here are some thoughts:

First is that I knew all along that communication from home would slowly dwindle the longer I was away, it doesn't make it easier. It is true that if you work at it, you find another circle of friends that become your family while you are working but it is not the same. You have some shared experiences but that only goes so far.

Second is the written word can be priceless in hard times and in good times. It doesn't take much. Just a line or two but it can change the outlook of your entire day. This goes for me as well as everyone I know. If I think about writing or calling someone, I need to stop right there and do that. Not put it off anymore. Odds are that person needs to hear from you too.

Third is to never think that what your mundane day to day events are not interesting to read about. They make at least this expat feel back at home sometimes while eating a meal I can't even pronounce. You never have to wait to go on a vacation or have a major event happen to write about it.

Try it sometime. Ever think back 100 years and just wonder what the generations did before to spend their days. Pretty sure that they wouldn't be on a computer writing this blog. If you don't feel like dropping a line to someone you haven't talked to in awhile, write to yourself just a log of what you did today. In a year open it. You might be surprised at the power of just that. Now imagine what it means for someone away from home to hear what you find so "boring." Imagine what that Christmas card means. Or an email just saying what the weather is like at home and that is apple picking time when someone lives in an entirely different climate than you.
It's keeping history a part of present thought. It's important. If we start losing the ability to socialize, which has already greatly declined, what will become of us in the years ahead? Face to face interaction is already becoming a thing of the past and it is often awkward. Now where will technology take us? For all of the amazing things it has offered, what happens as we rely on it more and more.

So can you hear me now or did you space off halfway through this blog to post on facebook or answer a text? Think about it.

Curly Hair Girl Goes Straight Haired and Other Observations

It is my third year of ups and downs in Korea and I have started to wonder what kind of mark am I leaving on this place and how is it changing me in return?
First was today's excursion for my haircut. Now the last time I had a haircut was in May, before I left for the summer. I used to be a routine monthly, by the book kind of kid. One amazing hairdresser that I have know since I was 12. I felt insane if I didn't go in every 4 weeks. Here I am going months at a time.

Then comes the situation of what to do with said motley hair. The heat and humidity cannot seem to be beaten for the curly and frizzy haired humans of the planet. So today I have taken one step closer in my Asian adventures and had my hair permanently straightened. We will see if this treatment holds true or not for the average American head of hair.

When I first went in they asked if I was here for the cut and perm. And I said "no perm just straight." So blood pressure already jumped with that. Can you imagine! I would look like a poodle on crack if I had a perm! Then one hair wash and head massage, love that part. A cut and apply magic potion. So far so good. Then second wash and head massage, still love that. Blow dry out and I look like the frizzy bride of Frankenstein and I am thinking, this may not work. Then a second cut and application of magic potion but this time with curlers so I asked my trusted hair stylist... "This is not a perm right?" she told me that this would help it straighten and flatten. (Mind blown) Then time for third wash and you guessed it, head massage. Then a blow dry and final styling. I told my hairstylist I didn't believe it could be done. She said "then I am a miracle worker today." That she was. Now apparently this will only start to curl as it grows out. That will be something to monitor.
But it made me question my stylist. "Do Korean people get their hair straightened?" She said that they do quite often. What? They always have straight hair! Look at me being so stereotypical! I felt bad that I even thought that way!

Isn't the rule usually that all those who have curly hair want straight and those who have straight hair want curly? Much in the same vein as some like seafood but not fish, or some like tomatoes but not ketchup. Do you like cucumbers and pickles or just one or the other? We always seem to have these daily contradictions, sometimes about such little things but they can change your entire day. Not enough milk for my full bowl of cereal. Too much sauce on my lunch. Coke but no Pepsi. Why do we get this way? Why does it even matter in the grand scheme of life? Why do we get angry about something so small and really insignificant in the global perspective. If it is the end of the world you really aren't going to think about how your cereal was a little extra dry today.

But as hypocritical and obnoxious as we can be about the little things in life, it is time I encourage all of us, to take care with the people around you. The family whether brought together by blood or circumstance. We cannot allow ourselves to wallow in petty problems with others. This is a big challenge for me right now. So maybe I am just asking that the next time we yell at the car in front of us for being total jerks we just think for a minute about the bigger picture. Maybe because that person was a jerk you weren't in an accident today. (Granted sometimes they are just jerks plain and simple) That is there loss. Let us embrace where we are for now. With hair adventures, life adventures, and whatever comes around the corner next. Thank you to my adopted home for making what was normally a routine part of my life something to think about on a much different level.

Special thanks to Clare Hubbard for always sharing the haircut experience with me. It never is the same way twice. Mark and Isaiah, thanks for letting me borrow your wife and your mum for a bit today. It was so good to have that time!








(and for all of you worriers notice I didn't cut it really short again so you can relax a bit)

Chuseok 2013 A Time to GIve Thanks

It is time to take pause in on of my craziest years of teaching to honor the holiday time of my host country and second home. It is Chuseok. A time to give thanks. A time to honor family present and past.
I think that at first I need to just give thanks to God who got me here and is testing me and changing me in ways I never thought possible. If you don't have a higher power to help you with this kind of adventure then I don't think you can make it.
The second thing to really contemplate is the concept of family. Those who I consider family has greatly expanded. I have learned that family doesn't have to be blood relatives. When they hurt I hurt. When I can help them, I am ready for that. When they leave and move on, I grieve that loss but I do my best to use modern technology to keep in touch.
The romantic notions of living overseas, writing letters, and living for new adventures while being isolated has sort of worn off.
But then I see some of the faces of my "kids." Adopted nieces and nephews from all over the world and I can't explain how lucky I am. This doesn't even begin to cover all of my new brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, who keep an eye on me.
This is a side of this adventure you can never explain to anyone else or expect. When folks move on, which is completely normal, it is a break in the family in some ways but for now in this place and time I am completely and totally thankful. Each one of these folks are a blessing and are engraved in my heart now. I don't think I could have appreciated this fully without coming to Korea.
As much as I want to find the happiness of a family for myself, I am quite content in being a part of the many families I have here in Korea. There is nothing better. I love having the chance to teach them about my life and growing up and getting into mischief with them. Just one big kid is all I think I will ever be. But a parent to my students and a family member to all of these little ones and their parents is something I can't complain about. So on the days I feel a pity party coming on for all I don't have. It is time to reflect, take a moment, and remember some of these things that I do have. I really am so very very lucky.
Thank you Korea and your Chuseok Holiday for reminding me all of the great things I really have if I take a moment and remember it.

The price of four wheel freedom in the ROK

So many of you may know that I have a little four wheel super car to get around to local areas of Korea. You can't beat this little snazzy vehicle? (By the way it has been renamed Minion, unilateral decision on that)

So today was the day where I decided to embark on the grand adventure of getting my Korean drivers license. So realizing that it was a Monday and it would be crazy, I ventured off via subway to the local DMV. I studied hard, read blogs, had all my paperwork in order and found the building fine.
First issue was no English signs anywhere so I looked for the biggest group of people and headed that way. I was able to ask information in enough sign and English to say foreign license and went around the corner where all of two foreigners were in line.

I gave the lady all of my forms and was expecting to be told to go take the written exam. Instead I was given three pages, an example form and told to go fill all this stuff out. By the time I got to the portion asking about if I have dementia or schizophrenia I started to wonder if I wasn't a bit demented at doing this. By miracle of miracles I finished the papers, took them to the lady and was told to go and have my eye test.

This was not part of the plan! I was just supposed to take written test and go on. So I walked to another building and saw a line that said information and it felt like that I was in the right place and there was a lady that was boldly directing people where to go. I get to her and, again in nearly zero English, she showed me I hadn't finished the form, and sent me to the desk to play with a glue stick and put some of my photos on the pages where shown. Then, after being given approval I did a 180 to find the end of yet a longer line to do my eye exam. Same room remind you.
So the dreaded eye test and I wondered if it would be in English or what? So putting an index card attached to a spoon over one eye, I read out the letters, numbers, and pictures that the lady forcefully whacked on a chart. (She meant all business) After passing with some question in the right eye, they scooted me out of that room and back to the ever so congenial (not) lady at the original desk. I gave her my eye exam and all the forms again and she took my Idaho license and said wait 20 minutes. Then I thought now, finally here comes the exam I studied for.
In about 15 minutes I was handed the following.

Now I could have tried to explain that I need to take another exam and I shouldn't have this yet, but let's get real. I spent at least 90 minutes there, went through a heavy Korean obstacles and probably study more for that test than most ever have so I just took this thing and walked right out the door.
I will take my knowledge that it is a 20,000 won fine if you splash someone with excess water while driving and just do my best from this point on.

Now if only the battery hadn't died over the summer and little Minion would have started. Never fear, it will get sorted out soon!!
If nothing else, I have a new adventure to add to all the others of Korea.

Big Person in a Little World....

This is a topic I just feel compelled to write a little bit about because the following question is often asked, "How do you shop here?" This isn't a discussion about food or home decor, it is far more basic. This is about something that most every woman likes to do, shopping for clothing.
It is a very legitimate question. If you are a size 0 to maybe 8 and between 5 foot and 5 foot 7 with a shoe size no bigger than a 7 or 8 then you are okay.

Well as to be expected, most of us who come to Korea in some way, shape, or form don't fit the mold.
As with many things in Korea, there are whispers of areas where you can find more "American" sizes but it is not always the case. Plus it isn't always clothing that would be deemed school appropriate.

The next thought is often that of online shopping. Well it is fun to look and dream but when you get to the online checkout after guessing at what size you might wear, you find out that they won't deliver to South Korea. If you happen to get a sight to that will deliver to you, heaven help you if you buy too much because the taxes you pay on the Korean end can be more than the items cost originally. So what is the average foreigner to do?

Well most of us shop at home or wherever we go for holiday breaks and hauling it back at the risk of paying for the extra baggage. The other great equalizer has to accessorizing.
Accessories is are only other hope to change up the basics that you wear week in and week out. I realize scarves are just coming into fashion in the states but they are a staple here for us. Most of the time we don't focus on the overall outfits each of us wear it is "where did you buy that scarf?" "That necklace or those earrings are awesome." "Great bracelet."

It really changes how you shop and what you do for free time. I go past clothing racks and think about how I wish I could buy that because it is gorgeous but there is no chance. Shoes...forget it. Not even worth a look. Now most of us admire each others new floor lamps or table tops, etc.

Just something to think about the next time you just breeze into any clothing store and can flip through the racks and pick something to try on. Such a different bit of life. Frustrating yes but part of the choice we make. I just wish that living in Korea would in some way would give us a bit of the Korean metabolism. Man that would so help things out right now.

The Watchers

In a time where according to the rest of the world I should stop ignoring the words and threats of North Korea, I choose to continue my blogging about Myanmar. The words are not ignored, nor is the tension. It is a conscious choice I am making to continue to life my life and remember the beauty that is in the world verses the ugliness that tries to stop us in our tracks.

Myanmar Part 2.....The Watchers

In my first blog about Myanmar, I briefly mentioned the fact that many children of all ages as well as adults, could be seen just watching all of us, not with fear or malice but with curiosity. Here are a few pictures of some of the watchers. 

Often times when traveling to many of these places and even while I am living in Korea, watching has become a simple way of survival. When you have the power of language or common life experiences taken away, observation is how you survive and learn. I felt like many of the younger ones were watching for one simple yet powerful thing. They were watching to see if we were safe, kind, and not going to hurt them. They were also looking at how different we look, act, and speak verses their way of life. There was never a look of hatred from them and after one or two days their eyes shown with curiosity and happiness when they found that our students were not much different than they were and loved to play as much as they did. 

Who can blame them for not just trusting us off the bat? Very few have any knowledge of foreigners and we are invading the only place that they feel safe. The younger students of course were faster to connect with us once the felt that we had love we wanted to share and nothing more. It is the older students that took a bit longer to show our sincerity. I think one of the more pivotal moments came when one of our students told the youth leader that we would take our own dishes down to be washed after meals. He saw the students that he was working with and playing with, also bringing up food for us to eat and taking away what was left at the end of the day. I think in that simple moment and act the children in Myanmar realized that we were trying to be on the same level and wanted to be as much like they were as possible. That is truly a God moment for my 11th grade student to say that and to watch all of our students help from that day on to clear their own dishes. 

Even the high school age girls who helped watch over us at the national park shared more giggles just watching our students looking about large trees that they rarely if ever see. The GSIS students would pick up dead leaves and put them on their heads by the shear size of the leaf and the girls just couldn't stop giggling. 

It just begs the question as to why don't we just stop and take a look around much anymore? Sometimes through not talking and just watching we can pick up so much more information than trying to see who has the largest vocabulary or knowledge bank. I know that many of these students in Myanmar are getting the precious chance to learn some English and education that may give them hope for a much better future than they could have any other way. I think being observant and still being brave enough to meet new friends from all over the world will maybe change the unrest in their own country. 

This observation for me makes me realize that it is really okay for me to watch people, interactions, and scenarios in front of me before I jump to react. It is so easy to see us disconnecting from one another in life because of the power of technology and this cyber life we have. It is easy to hide behind a computer screen or our phones. So it is my challenge to all to at some point voluntarily put down the electronic equipment and take a look around at the people and the world in which you live. Watch the faces, the body language, and the interactions people have with one another. Whatever you were texting or writing on the computer will be there when you look again. The person that is just in front of you might not be though and you will miss something. I am glad I was amongst the young watchers in Myanmar. I am not going to be ashamed when I am doing some of the watching myself. 

Myanmar Part 1

Saint Matthews Baptist Church from the orphanage side. Our home away from home.

I will call this part 1 but I have no idea how many parts there will be. As with most of my writings, it is always a process and like life who knows for sure when the end will be. All I can control is the beginning of the story.
Our school has one of the most amazing opportunities for students and teachers to reach out to various parts of Asia over our Lunar holiday and on spring break. Last year it was Thailand. I didn't think it could get much better. This year I decided to sign on to go to Myanmar. Myanmar, as in a country almost nobody knows about. Now if I say Burma then there is vague recollection but almost everyone, including myself, needed to get out a map and figure out where I was headed. Why did I go to the second most isolated country in the entire world? Go into a country ruled by the military and one who has no desire to have a relationship with the outside world?
I went because it was on my heart to go. I knew I needed to go. I knew in my soul that I was supposed to go. Wherever you are in your idea of religion, sometimes you can feel an energy resonate so strongly in you that you are better served not to doubt it. That was the case with this journey.

So in February I packed up some clothes, joined 3 other teachers and 14 students and headed on a six hour plane ride to Yangon (formerly Rangoon). We made it in around 1 or 2 in the morning Korea time, waited in line to get through customs and then boarded a charter bus for a 10 hour overnight trip to Pyin Oo Lwin and Saint Matthews Orphanage. We all slept as best as we could on the bus. That part was a bit of a blur just due to fatigue and the fact that the night was such a deep black that you had no way to see the countryside.
                                                                                   

   

Our beautiful Hotel Eden harkens back to the colonial British rule. It hasn't been kept up since it was most likely abandoned but when you look in and around it, you can picture the way it may have once been. It could have really been someones Eden at one point. Although quite rustic by our students standards, it was as clean as it could be and I felt it would be fine for our needs. Pyin Oo Lwin is about 3500 feet above sea level and I was pleasantly surprised at the weather and happy I was not going to be in 90 degree heat the entire time. Some parts felt a little like home, I mean if you ignore the bamboo and avocado trees. 

The sounds of everyday life were different here than those in Korea. The biggest thing I noticed from the very start was just the quiet watching of the locals. For my story I will call them Burmese, as that is what most of them appreciate being called. No matter the age, they always are watching these strangers amongst them with curiosity and not with malice. Most spoke or understood English but chose more to watch than to engage at first. The kids didn't seem to notice this silent watching so because of that, they were free to be themselves. So many times the Korean students never get to just be free to laugh, relax, enjoy the feeling of being still. That in itself is a blessing. 

In most cases, I would say that this is the last moment that they would get to do that. Luckily, it was only the beginning......

Her Name is Moon

Here is a post for those who read from time to time. I won't make this one public but rather, keep it a little under wraps.
So this year I soon learned that my capacity to teach and keep house really are at odds with one another. I can do one or the other but not both. Not even in a tiny little apartment. When I made this not so startling revelation I realized I needed help. So I did what many other teachers have done before me. I hired a cleaner to come in. I still feel like that is a guilty little secret. I would never have been able to do that a few years ago and I sure needed it then.
At first I was hesitant about allowing someone I have never met to come into my home and only sanctuary and have free reign. It would be unheard of to do such a thing anywhere else but in Korea.

Her name is Moon. She has been helping to keep my life a little neater for several months now every other Monday. I still haven't met her. Our relationship has strictly been through a couple of text messages and mostly notes going back and forth on a yellow note pad. She is like a little bit of magic that comes in and sets things to rights and then leaves again all while I am at work. The only other fact I know about her is that she has two children. Yet this person I have never met, who I willingly let into my home, makes me smile nearly every time she comes. It isn't the fact that I come home to a neat house that makes me smile, although that is a major plus, but it is in the way she does things that I get a kick out of.

Here are some examples. When I see the bathroom, I now like to see how all of the bottles of shampoo, gels, conditioners are set up. Sometimes they are in one area from tallest to shortest. Sometimes they are separated by types. Sometimes they are lined up like little soldiers in two different areas.
Every other week it is a mystery. I have a double sided comforter, one side has a floral pattern, and the other is plain. I prefer the plain side but each time I return, the floral side is upright. And I know I am well past the age of 30 but I still have the stuffed dog on the bed that I made with Christa and her boys. I was embarrassed at first for her to find the little guy but now it is fun to see how his scarf is tied and if he is on the pillows or in front of them.
The kitchen is sometimes a mystery as well. She has yet to decide where she wants to keep the rolling pin. I suspect that it is in part due to the fact that so many Koreans don't bake. So I have found it on the microwave, on the exhaust fan of the stove, and even tilted on end stuck between other objects. Sometimes my childish side comes out and I put the rolling pin out just to see what will happen. (I guess I have a lack of entertainment at times) Everything is neatly folded, swept, dusted and mopped. I realize that I do not have really any pictures up of me and sometimes I can only imagine what ideas she has made up about me in her head. In a way, maybe it is a game for both of us.
I know that there will come a day when I get to meet her. For now though I like the pleasant surprises I find every other Monday. It keeps me guessing. I also know that I could not do without her now. She is such a help and I make sure I tell her in my notes or with some small token of appreciation every time she is here. I just wish I could find her more work in my apartment complex as I know she is looking. Other than that I can give her thanks. She is definitely a good memory of my time here in Korea.

HOD OMG!

Well I have been living in South Korea now for a good year and a half. I have traveld to places I didn't even know I wanted to go. I have met people from all over the world. I work with some of the smartest people on the planet. So what adventure will I take on next you might ask?

HOD.

Yes in the land of acronyms I can now add another to my list. HOD. Head of Department.
Not just head of the music department. Head of the Fine Arts Department. That means 4 music directors 2 drama teachers and 4 art instructors.

Why?

Because I guess I didn't have enough to do. Actually to be honest, I want to try and help other teachers become empowered in the arts department. After 15 years in business, now I want to impart some of what I have learned and blatantly stolen from other remarkable teachers. I guess it is my way to give back even though I feel like I am still learning the basics on a day to day basis.
Right now I am just in listening mode but I try to start thinking a step or two ahead. Already I have been apart of meetings and concerns that I hadn't planned on. Fine Arts and Athletic department and conflicts was my trial by fire.

I don't have the finest degrees from top universities in the world but maybe this is how I am supposed to give back to the profession I have been a part of for so long. Some lessons I have learned the hard way and maybe I can help others not make the same mistakes I have but to learn to love the profession they have chosen and to feel valued for their gifts.

I don't know what will happen. Only the Big Guy can really say at this point. What I know for fact though is that without all of my friends and colleagues of my past, I would never be where I am now. To all of them I say a big thank you.

Am I scared?

ABSOLUTELY but I would not have it any other way.

Resurrection....of the Blog

As I said from the beginning, I never planned on putting rules up for my blog. I would write when I could, about what I wanted and if other people read it so be it.
This is not a New Year's resolution or anything like that, this a restart of my life here in Korea. So much change is coming towards me this year that I need to remember the simple quirks of the life I now lead so I will be blogging more now. Some of you may follow, some may not. That is okay.

For tonight I am just thinking about how I came to this idea a few 2 years ago now. I had no idea what I was in for. I don't regret it either. I have seen and done and helped in ways I never thought I could. I hope to keep doing that. In the quest and the satisfaction of helping others, I am learning about myself. There will forever be things I need to work on, to "fix" for me to feel right about life. But I am going to tackle those battles as they come to the best of my ability.

Reality is setting in that I still know very little Korean and yet the Ajuma at the Kahge smiled when I first walked in from my trip home and made a gesture and was asking if I had left for a vacation. That is progress. To feel like someone noticed my absence was kind of cool. I am also back in the winter "wonderland" of Korea, as in I wonder how I am not going to freeze to death everyday. I feel so lucky to have friends and family on both sides of the ocean that seem to stay with me and cheer me on. I never knew I would meet such an amazing group of people in all my life.

I realize there are some that will criticize my decision to stay on for two more years here at GSIS but I stand behind my decision. I feel like I am making a difference and I am being changed as well. It doesn't mean I still don't fight and support all my teaching friends in Idaho who do the amazing job of being public educators. I have just now found my new space and if you want to know why I am doing what I am doing, feel free to come on over and see for yourself. I will open my door to any of you at any time.

So 2013....Let's Dance. I am ready for you now.