We are now officially chickenless. Congratulations to the LaMedica family on their new flock of eleven.
Somehow, in the midst of finishing up Pride & Prejudice and Spring break, we were able to forget that our whole lives are on the verge of major change.
But today we went cross country skiing.... for the "last" time.... We turned the kids' season rentals in on our way home. And now the chickens are gone.
Tomorrow, I will be back to looking at luggage. And it will soon be time to wrap up this blog and start our new one. "Gilfords on the Go". Find us and our new adventures at www.gilfordsonthego.blogspot.com.
Meawhile, keep checking this blog for additions to the Moving Sale post!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
One Way Ticket
to Paradise..... isn't that how the song goes? Purportedly, we have tickets and they are on their way from the travel agency that SSIS uses in the States. We leave from Portland on July 14, 2011, arriving in Ho Chi Minh City two days later on the 16th. Somehow it all seems more real now. There is something sobering about a one-way ticket. Something that says, "Here you go then", "Be off with you".
On the home front, we are in the midst of the final days of play practice for this year's Performing Arts Group of Estacada's production of Pride and Prejudice. We are giving ourselves permission to not get too much done until our performances are over. With play practice every night and most of the weekend days until opening night on March 10th, there isn't much of an option. But we do continue to spread the word via word of mouth, which seems to be working quite well. Lulu may have a home in the home where her mother lives - we could not imagine a better solution for her. The chickens are mostly spoken for and maybe the goats. And, we get one or two queries every day from people who might be interested in renting our place. Possibly, it really WILL all work out.
On the home front, we are in the midst of the final days of play practice for this year's Performing Arts Group of Estacada's production of Pride and Prejudice. We are giving ourselves permission to not get too much done until our performances are over. With play practice every night and most of the weekend days until opening night on March 10th, there isn't much of an option. But we do continue to spread the word via word of mouth, which seems to be working quite well. Lulu may have a home in the home where her mother lives - we could not imagine a better solution for her. The chickens are mostly spoken for and maybe the goats. And, we get one or two queries every day from people who might be interested in renting our place. Possibly, it really WILL all work out.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Snow, beautiful snow
Our family spent President's Day weekend up at Mt. Hood's Trillium Lake. Our friends, Scott, Jessica & Gabriel rent a cabin there every year for President's Day and invite various families to join them. It is always a good time with a great mix of indoor and outdoor play. Families take turns on meals and clean up and the kids are old enough now that they pretty much take care of themselves - even going outside to play on their own at times. This year the snow was fresh and our time was especially sweet as this is probably one of our last ski trips for the next couple of years.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Departure Date
Rumour has it that we have a travel itinerary. I only know this from checking my email earlier today and finding an email from Andrew to the Administrative Assistant of South Saigon International School (SSIS). I don't actually know the dates, but apparently our plane lands in Ho Chi Minh City at 10:20 pm. In prior years, Andrew has discovered that a school administrator has met each new arriving teacher at the airport and escorted them to an hotel. Andrew wanted to know if this is still the case. Apparently, policies have changed at SSIS over the past couple of years. We have emailed back-and-forth with a few teachers there. One who arrived with her family three years ago moved right into a school-sponsored apartment. The next year that changed and now there is a stipend given and the teacher's find their own housing. We still don't know to what extent there is any helping from the school to accomplish this. I remain hopeful that they offer referrals to known housing agents. I am imagining our first days in Vietnam - four bedraggled, jet-lagged country Westerners wandering around (big) Ho Chi Minh City trudging in and out of apartments all day. The kids will love that!
Meanwhile, each day that goes by that I haven't sold something, I get a little more anxious. Breathing, breathing, breathing......
Meanwhile, each day that goes by that I haven't sold something, I get a little more anxious. Breathing, breathing, breathing......
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Moving Sale
We're going! Andrew has accepted a job in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The name of the school is Saigon South International School (www.ssis.edu.vn) and he will be teaching Geography. We are all very excited. And nervous. And getting rid of STUFF! From now until we leave (end of June/early July), check in here for the revolving moving sale list of goods and critters. We are paring down and hoping to store very little while we are gone. This list will be updated regularly as items become available. If it's on this list, it is available immediately! Contact me if you want pictures of items before coming out to look - this blog is not so photo-friendly.
1. LuLu - black lab. Sweet, friendly, needs to not live with chickens. She would be a great dog for a runner, single person or couple with no kids. In good health and up-to-date on all shots. She is 3 years old and available immediately (our other dog needs to be an only dog for awhile in the hopes that she heals from some injuries so she can find a good home in June). Recently back from a home with horses - updated to say she should not live with livestock of any kind unless you are willing to devote significant training time and/or have the ability to keep her completely separate - that's what we do here.
2. FABRIC/YARN - an entire shop full of all kinds of fabric and yarn including BAGS of Pendleton Woolen Mill selvage material. Prices vary and are highly negotiable.
3. Queen size mattress - foam w/floral covering. Good condition. $50
4. Older overstuffed/arm chair w/big, broad arms - perfect for the coffee cup. Needs new upholstery or slipcover. Solid frame. $30
5. Overstuffed chair & ottoman. Tastefully flowered upholstery in reds, greens, golds. Some marks - needs cleaning or maybe a slipcover.... $30
6. Kid clothes & shoes: good - great condition, including winter wear & gear. Most items under $5.
7. Kid size, wood picnic table w/attached benches. Weathered. Could sand and paint for that brand-new look! $20
8. Twin size bed w/rails and box spring. Wood, painted blue w/white distressing. Sleep in the bed I slept in as a child! $50
9. Train set - lots of track, train cars, signs, trees, etc. Mostly wooden. $35
10. Wooden blocks - all you ever wanted and maybe more. Colored and natural building blocks of various shapes & sizes. Entire set $30
11. Kids table w/two chairs. Kid-size for snacks, meals or crafts. Decoratively painted by yours truly. Some usage marks. $35
12. Women's clothing & shoes: mostly great condition. Some barely worn. Sweaters, boots, coats and other! Most items under $10. Clothing sizes 4-10, small - medium; Shoes size 8, 8.5.
13. BIKES! Kid and adult sizes. $20 - $500.
14. Cross Country skis & poles: 2 complete sets
15. 2004 Honda CR-V: available mid-June. One owner, great condition, no accidents, maintained per dealer recommendations. 107,000 miles. $10,500 - you clean; $11,500 - we clean!
Keep checking this list - lots more to come!
1. LuLu - black lab. Sweet, friendly, needs to not live with chickens. She would be a great dog for a runner, single person or couple with no kids. In good health and up-to-date on all shots. She is 3 years old and available immediately (our other dog needs to be an only dog for awhile in the hopes that she heals from some injuries so she can find a good home in June). Recently back from a home with horses - updated to say she should not live with livestock of any kind unless you are willing to devote significant training time and/or have the ability to keep her completely separate - that's what we do here.
2. FABRIC/YARN - an entire shop full of all kinds of fabric and yarn including BAGS of Pendleton Woolen Mill selvage material. Prices vary and are highly negotiable.
3. Queen size mattress - foam w/floral covering. Good condition. $50
4. Older overstuffed/arm chair w/big, broad arms - perfect for the coffee cup. Needs new upholstery or slipcover. Solid frame. $30
5. Overstuffed chair & ottoman. Tastefully flowered upholstery in reds, greens, golds. Some marks - needs cleaning or maybe a slipcover.... $30
6. Kid clothes & shoes: good - great condition, including winter wear & gear. Most items under $5.
7. Kid size, wood picnic table w/attached benches. Weathered. Could sand and paint for that brand-new look! $20
8. Twin size bed w/rails and box spring. Wood, painted blue w/white distressing. Sleep in the bed I slept in as a child! $50
9. Train set - lots of track, train cars, signs, trees, etc. Mostly wooden. $35
10. Wooden blocks - all you ever wanted and maybe more. Colored and natural building blocks of various shapes & sizes. Entire set $30
11. Kids table w/two chairs. Kid-size for snacks, meals or crafts. Decoratively painted by yours truly. Some usage marks. $35
12. Women's clothing & shoes: mostly great condition. Some barely worn. Sweaters, boots, coats and other! Most items under $10. Clothing sizes 4-10, small - medium; Shoes size 8, 8.5.
13. BIKES! Kid and adult sizes. $20 - $500.
14. Cross Country skis & poles: 2 complete sets
15. 2004 Honda CR-V: available mid-June. One owner, great condition, no accidents, maintained per dealer recommendations. 107,000 miles. $10,500 - you clean; $11,500 - we clean!
Keep checking this list - lots more to come!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Rollercoaster....
This past week has been a flurry. Andrew has been away all week in San Francisco at the Conference/Job Fair for International schools abroad. We have long wanted to pursue overseas work. Education in Oregon is gearing up to take its biggest hit in recent decades, with class sizes at Andrew's current high school estimated at 38-45 for next year. Never mind that there are no classrooms that can accommodate that number of students and meet safety and fire codes. Never mind that there are already classes this year for which students have no desks, chairs or books. Has education become standing room only? And, what does this say about the priorities and directions that our state and country is setting for our future citizens and leaders? There are days when I think we are witnessing the decline of American civilization first hand.
On a personal front, it becomes increasingly clear that we don't fit well where we are and we cannot make a living without both adults leaving town. That is not the family life we imagined. So - it seems like a good time to go. Explore new worlds, broaden our horizons, go where we haven't gone before. Put major decisions and real estate transactions on hold.
So, Andrew has been away. I have been home with kids, goats, chickens, dogs, cat, dance lessons, music lessons, school compost helping, grocery shopping, transportation of our resident high schooler, etc. Based on our collective experience of the past week, I predict that I would be under water within three weeks without another adult in the picture and at our current level of activity. By day 4, I was fantasizing about killing off the chickens, farming out one dog and the goats, selling the car and moving to a condo in the city. And, of course, getting a professionally and socially rewarding job. That I could walk to. Schools with similar educational philosophies, smaller class sizes, inquiry-based curriculum and enriching after-school activities.
Day one of Andrew's conference brings him a rewarding interview experience with a school in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Intense poverty, bus bombing the day before, difficult issues like water quality, pollution... And a really great school with the curriculum we have only dreamed about for the kids. And the benefits. Let's just say somewhat embarassingly extravagant. Shipping, travel, housing, utilities, insurance, car, everything (!) covered. Well, everything that is, except for the salaries of the cook and driver (almost a requirement and, by far, not breaking the bank). And the possibilities for me to get a really interesting public health job for a competitive US wage are really good. The possibility to save a salary and more is reasonable. Andrew has a two-hour interview. I have a 30 minute skype interview. We both really like the interview team. I spend an inordinate amount of time after the kids go to bed each night exploring Bangladesh by internet and writing cover letters in my head. I have gone from "no way" to looking for jobs in 24 hours. I am there. And Andrew has many interviews with other schools, in other locations to go. Paris, Belgium, Bulgaria, South Africa, Vietnam await.
These job fairs are designed to fill positions. Representatives from schools around the world conduct their annual recruitment tour at these fairs with the hopes of returning home with their positions filled for the next biennium. That fact brings a certain amount of pressure to the experience on all sides. Schools don't want to offer too early in case the next candidate is the perfect person and candidates will potentially have many schools to choose from. It is not unheard of for candidates to leave these fairs having received three or four offers from divergent schools. And, time is of the essence. Once an offer is extended verbally, candidates generally have a time limit to respond.
So Andrew is offered the position after my Tuesday afternoon skype interview. He has until noon the next day to respond. Most of the possibilities have been eliminated. Paris we couldn't do financially on one salary and I will not be likely to be allowed to work there. Some of the other positions are middle school, an age group with which Andrew doesn't have experience. He still has interviews with Bulgaria later that same day and Vietnam the next morning.
Heading into the Vietnam interview at 9:30 am, Andrew has received the decline from Bulgaria. This is it. If this interview doesn't go well, we are going to Bangladesh. I'm ready for that and up for the adventure. Andrew's mother may never speak to us again.
The Vietnam interview is promising. A courtship, but not a commitment. And it's 11:15 am. By the time Andrew calls me with this update, I am already living in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is Biology. Vietnam is Geography. Google map shows Bangladesh as dirty beige and lush green for Vietnam. We talked to three people from Bangladesh and liked all of them. Andrew talked to one person from Vietnam and is requested to skype with the high school principal who is, unfortunately, on a 20-hour flight back to Vietnam, which is in a time zone 15 hours in the future. We have very detailed information about salary and benefits from Bangladesh and much less from Vietnam. What we can discern from their web site appears to be less generous than Bangladesh. Not necessarily un-doable, but certainly not as free and it is much less clear whether I'll be allowed to work in Vietnam. It would all be fine if we had a stable renter in our Estacada home, but how much can we count on that? The reality may be that we cannot return home from Vietnam to the states until the end of the two-year contract. Flights are averaging $1750 per person. Except for financially, the transition to Vietnam appears as though it may be psychically easier. The school is in a walkable, bike-able part of the city - a car is definitely not necessary and would even be a detriment. ARRRGGGH. You gotta be fluid. I don't do fluid.
Andrew says no to Bangladesh. The pivotal is the subject matter. Andrew has really come to love teaching geography. After a delayed and technologically frustrated skype with the Vietnam Principal, we remain unclear as to whether this position will be offered. Two days go by where Andrew's references are going to be checked, but aren't. He's expecting to know before he leaves the conference on Thursday. That passes. He's expecting to hear Friday at home. The day passes. We jump every time the phone rings, not sure whether we want to run for it or ignore it completely. We come home from the airport to a phone message requesting me for a job interview for a job I applied for here because it's a great job meeting my skills and the deadline to apply was before the conference began. We finally get a call from the Director at dinner time saying he'd like to skype with both of us on Saturday. We aren't available Saturday. Asher has skiing in the morning and Carlos (our Exchange Student from Spain) is in the State Cheerleading Competition all afternoon. We make an appointment to skype Sunday afternoon at 4:00 pm. Meanwhile we agonize. I don't want to talk about it too much or throw myself into the research too much. I am still bruised and tender from Bangladesh. What does it mean that Andrew's references weren't checked? Are they not crazy about him? Should he start making contact with schools who still show positions open? It's a different feel for sure from the warmth, enthusiasm and clarity of the Bangladesh recruiters. Not bad, just different. We might not be going anywhere. We might have to do all this again next year.
Meanwhile I have a job interview on Monday here in Portland. More will be revealed. Gotta stay fluid.
On a personal front, it becomes increasingly clear that we don't fit well where we are and we cannot make a living without both adults leaving town. That is not the family life we imagined. So - it seems like a good time to go. Explore new worlds, broaden our horizons, go where we haven't gone before. Put major decisions and real estate transactions on hold.
So, Andrew has been away. I have been home with kids, goats, chickens, dogs, cat, dance lessons, music lessons, school compost helping, grocery shopping, transportation of our resident high schooler, etc. Based on our collective experience of the past week, I predict that I would be under water within three weeks without another adult in the picture and at our current level of activity. By day 4, I was fantasizing about killing off the chickens, farming out one dog and the goats, selling the car and moving to a condo in the city. And, of course, getting a professionally and socially rewarding job. That I could walk to. Schools with similar educational philosophies, smaller class sizes, inquiry-based curriculum and enriching after-school activities.
Day one of Andrew's conference brings him a rewarding interview experience with a school in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Intense poverty, bus bombing the day before, difficult issues like water quality, pollution... And a really great school with the curriculum we have only dreamed about for the kids. And the benefits. Let's just say somewhat embarassingly extravagant. Shipping, travel, housing, utilities, insurance, car, everything (!) covered. Well, everything that is, except for the salaries of the cook and driver (almost a requirement and, by far, not breaking the bank). And the possibilities for me to get a really interesting public health job for a competitive US wage are really good. The possibility to save a salary and more is reasonable. Andrew has a two-hour interview. I have a 30 minute skype interview. We both really like the interview team. I spend an inordinate amount of time after the kids go to bed each night exploring Bangladesh by internet and writing cover letters in my head. I have gone from "no way" to looking for jobs in 24 hours. I am there. And Andrew has many interviews with other schools, in other locations to go. Paris, Belgium, Bulgaria, South Africa, Vietnam await.
These job fairs are designed to fill positions. Representatives from schools around the world conduct their annual recruitment tour at these fairs with the hopes of returning home with their positions filled for the next biennium. That fact brings a certain amount of pressure to the experience on all sides. Schools don't want to offer too early in case the next candidate is the perfect person and candidates will potentially have many schools to choose from. It is not unheard of for candidates to leave these fairs having received three or four offers from divergent schools. And, time is of the essence. Once an offer is extended verbally, candidates generally have a time limit to respond.
So Andrew is offered the position after my Tuesday afternoon skype interview. He has until noon the next day to respond. Most of the possibilities have been eliminated. Paris we couldn't do financially on one salary and I will not be likely to be allowed to work there. Some of the other positions are middle school, an age group with which Andrew doesn't have experience. He still has interviews with Bulgaria later that same day and Vietnam the next morning.
Heading into the Vietnam interview at 9:30 am, Andrew has received the decline from Bulgaria. This is it. If this interview doesn't go well, we are going to Bangladesh. I'm ready for that and up for the adventure. Andrew's mother may never speak to us again.
The Vietnam interview is promising. A courtship, but not a commitment. And it's 11:15 am. By the time Andrew calls me with this update, I am already living in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is Biology. Vietnam is Geography. Google map shows Bangladesh as dirty beige and lush green for Vietnam. We talked to three people from Bangladesh and liked all of them. Andrew talked to one person from Vietnam and is requested to skype with the high school principal who is, unfortunately, on a 20-hour flight back to Vietnam, which is in a time zone 15 hours in the future. We have very detailed information about salary and benefits from Bangladesh and much less from Vietnam. What we can discern from their web site appears to be less generous than Bangladesh. Not necessarily un-doable, but certainly not as free and it is much less clear whether I'll be allowed to work in Vietnam. It would all be fine if we had a stable renter in our Estacada home, but how much can we count on that? The reality may be that we cannot return home from Vietnam to the states until the end of the two-year contract. Flights are averaging $1750 per person. Except for financially, the transition to Vietnam appears as though it may be psychically easier. The school is in a walkable, bike-able part of the city - a car is definitely not necessary and would even be a detriment. ARRRGGGH. You gotta be fluid. I don't do fluid.
Andrew says no to Bangladesh. The pivotal is the subject matter. Andrew has really come to love teaching geography. After a delayed and technologically frustrated skype with the Vietnam Principal, we remain unclear as to whether this position will be offered. Two days go by where Andrew's references are going to be checked, but aren't. He's expecting to know before he leaves the conference on Thursday. That passes. He's expecting to hear Friday at home. The day passes. We jump every time the phone rings, not sure whether we want to run for it or ignore it completely. We come home from the airport to a phone message requesting me for a job interview for a job I applied for here because it's a great job meeting my skills and the deadline to apply was before the conference began. We finally get a call from the Director at dinner time saying he'd like to skype with both of us on Saturday. We aren't available Saturday. Asher has skiing in the morning and Carlos (our Exchange Student from Spain) is in the State Cheerleading Competition all afternoon. We make an appointment to skype Sunday afternoon at 4:00 pm. Meanwhile we agonize. I don't want to talk about it too much or throw myself into the research too much. I am still bruised and tender from Bangladesh. What does it mean that Andrew's references weren't checked? Are they not crazy about him? Should he start making contact with schools who still show positions open? It's a different feel for sure from the warmth, enthusiasm and clarity of the Bangladesh recruiters. Not bad, just different. We might not be going anywhere. We might have to do all this again next year.
Meanwhile I have a job interview on Monday here in Portland. More will be revealed. Gotta stay fluid.
Monday, February 7, 2011
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