Voice of Will: Days without Criss

2007-03-28 - 3:25 p.m.
So it has been one of those fortnights from hell. gRRRRR.....
Here I am on top of my classes, doing well, understanding what i am supposed to be doing.
And in the span of 2 weeks, I am behind and scrambling to catch up.
lets see.
1. We just found out we will not be invited back here next year. Primarily because we are a family, and it makes it difficult for the Japanese staff at the university. Not because criss is a bad teacher (on the contrary, she has evals saying she rocks). So we have been scrambling trying to find where we will go in august.
2. My daughter developed some sort of rash on her back and shoulder that spread across her whole back in a matter of 2 days. The doctors say it is exima (a type of skin condition that is brought on by the skin drying out, rubbing against rough clothing etc...) but we had 3 days of hell trying ot get her into a doctor who could explain what was happening in english.
3. Criss went to the TESOL conference in Seattle. When she is not here, I don't sleep. I can't seem to focus on what I am doing, and it is exceptionally difficult to do ANYTHING. It wouldn't have been so bad but
4. the kids finished school for the year. they graduated to their next grade level (which is great) but they have been off school for the last 10 days, and will be off for another week. so that means that even when I wanted/could focus on school, I'd get 10 minutes then screaming kids... fighting kids... or just normal kids who want to go out and play with dad.
so that is my screwed up last 2 weeks.
But the benefit is

1. criss is back, and she was offered 3 positions outright at TESOL that are pretty good options to choose from
2. Rae's back is better, and the exima is gone (for now)
3. The kids start school again on monday

Voice of Will: Decision Time

2007-03-11 - 9:11 p.m.
we have some interesting decisions to make, and we have about 2 - 2 1/2 months to make them. We have been getting the impression that we won't be asked back. and it is all because of the family. Everyone in Criss's office got a letter stating We want you back, but can't tell you until after we interview at TESOL. Criss got one saying, we'll let you know after TESOL. So, that little missing verbage has us scrambling looking for where to go next.
We can do the UAE and Dubai. They pay great, pay for all of our airfare, apartment, and the kids can go to an international expat school for free. But it is the UAE, and Iran is on the other side of that waterway.
Criss has about 20 job applications in the states in, and we will be hearing from them probably in the next 4 weeks.
And today we found a reallllllly interesting spot in the Marshall Islands (on Majuro, which was well outside the fallout zone from the bikini atoll a bomb tests.) They would pay airfare for the family, give a housing subsidy, and there are international schools that are really cheap. Criss would be teaching for the highest school in the marshall islands (which is funny considering it is an accredited community college).
Beyond that, the kids have been taking kendo for the last month. Yesterday, they were officially invited to join the club, and their earned their shanai. So that is going well. No matter if we come back to japan or not, we will be attending every kendo meeting so the kids can learn it, and then we will be taking the shanai (and armor when we earn the right to wear it) with us, and then practicing fights in our yard wherever we end up.
My classes are going well. I keep updating my nau webpage with new stuff for each class... So that works out well. Not doing bad is kind of nice. AT the end of this semester I'll have 6 classes to take before I can graduate. I'm going to take 3 over the summer, and 3 in the fall so I can finish by Dec.
These last 3 weeks have been hell on criss and all the teachers here. First their boss from Montana came to visit, and the teachers were teaching an intensive TOEFL class. This meant all the teachers were working 12 hour days or more, 6 days a week for 2 weeks for this course. Then they had 1 day to relax before having to teach an "english camp" for 5 days.
And during all this criss has to have her boss visit her class, her Japanese boss visit her classes as well. And of course, those days were completely hectic, and the lessons and ideas fizzled completely.
Oh well.... either they invite us back (and we take it), or they let us go and we move on elsewhere.
Of course that might be a little more difficult. Apparently you never, ever want to fly in AUGUST to or from japan. It is tourist season, and the prices of airline flights go from $800 a person, to $1600 a person to go to phoenix, az.
So that is a nice increase in price of $4000 that we had budgeted for a new car.... oh welll....
I'm hoping the Marshall islands contacts us.... I'd love to be a beach bum, and go snorkeling and scuba diving every other day....