Major Overhaul to Usher in Travel Thoughts

I have not used this blog in nine months. Most friends realize I've had some things going on since I last blogged in August. Let's see. I am now...separated...and living in a small, but cute apartment. I took a little time off work in the winter to get healthy, and now here I am.  Better than ever. Next week I have my last three nights of shows at the high school where I have taught for the better part of a decade. I am ready for a change and asked to leave.

So, what next?

Here are the possibilities:

1. Stay in Calgary and accept whatever job I am offered by the CBE. I should find out what that is by the end of May.

2. Teaching Abroad: I have been actively pursuing this option, and right now there are three possibilities on the horizon.

a) CAIRO, EGYPT
b) ULSAN, SOUTH KOREA
c) NINGBO, CHINA

Regarding Cairo, I received a call from a recruiter about this on Thursday night. The advantages are that it is a position teaching drama for students from grades four to eleven. The salary and benefits are good and the school year is only ten months, which means my contract would be completed by June. Other circumstances of this situation are that I would live with one female roommate, also a teacher at the school. I can see this having huge advantages if the right person is living with me, and a potential disaster should my roomie be a crazy or a huge slob. The school is state-of-the-art, and has very demanding parents and spoiled children, but I would be teaching in my field, in a HOT country, with a great salary and benefits paid for. I make even more money if I commit to extracurricular. The most obvious hesitation is due to the political upheaval there right now. news in Cairo this morning
The School in Cairo

South Korea has, at this time, offered me a job with the public school board in Ulsan. The pay is very good. I would be provided with furnished single housing. The job goes from August to August and has bonuses attached to it. I would be teaching English at normal school hours Monday through Friday. Ulsan is a factory city. Though it is on the ocean, even the people who own the little restaurant here in my building say that Ulsan is "factories". I am finding info on the web that claims Ulsan has lots of beauty and culture, but the Koreans downstairs are from Seoul, so they likely think Ulsan is a bit like Detroit. Ulsan web site

Ningbo is a really "cute" city of a mere 2 million in China. I had a really great interview with a school there, and the school is lovely. They hire four English speakers each year to teach English. There are all ages at the school, but I would be teaching secondary students. I would have a small living space to myself, and then a shared kitchen and laundry area with the other teachers living on campus. The contract pays the lowest of all of these possibilties, though I would still be making four times the salary of the Chinese teachers there. Ningbo is on the coast and is 200 kilometers south of Shanghai. There are many more days off than I would have in Korea.  I would be teaching English at normal school hours Wednesday through Friday, and extra classes Saturday and Sunday afternoon and evening. Days off would be Monday and Tuesday. The contract is August to August. All utilities, internet, and so on are included in the contract. All About Ningbo

I could use some comments and/or advice. So far most people are freaked out by the Egypt idea, but my former students think that would be their pick. I am confused. In the mean time, I am moving forward on processing the Ulsan paperwork, since that school board has actually made the offer at this time.