Travel Life

This first trip takes place in Hong Kong. I am going to Hong Kong. Backpacking with a fellow teacher, thanks for letting me tag along brother. I'm nervous but everyone is convinced it will be so good and a fun experience. I'm pretty much travelling alone once we get there. Luckily I took notes on important things to know and how to say things in Cantonese. I booked 6 different hotels in Hong Kong, 3 different areas, 1 of which is close to my travel buddy as well as a fellow teacher who is meeting with us once we get there. We are all Maple Leaf International School teachers, my travel buddy and I have never been to Hong Kong, but the other teacher has been, lived there for awhile. He knows the ropes and would be glad to show us around.  We were supposed to stay the night at his place here in Dalian the night before before the flight but it was cutting the time too close to the end of work, he was flying out that night and was going to let us stay there to save time and money. P...

Spent in kaifaqu, buzzed we cabbed back to her place...oh sorry let me get you up to speed. So Friday was fun, wasn't quite what I thought it was going to be, thought we were going all out Thunder Bay style (for those of you who are unfamiliar, means loud music, bright lights, dancing and 5 am pizza service) well I was dressed in regular Thunder Bay party attire :p white jeans, plaid shirt, cowboy boots and Spiderman mask/glasses <3 we got on the train, had a couple ice cold sodas, then got off the train (ya rebel rebel :p ) then ventures through the neons and store fronts to a place located across the street of the busy square which was called "Mr.Beer". Beside it was a food eatery/bakery called euro-bake, amazing pizza I must say!!! It was embarassing that I thought we were all going to get our crazy on and decompress when I realized our admin staff was present...holy embarassing, I been embarrassed as spiderman for different reasons before but not like this, they st...

Omg! Sorry I totally forgot to tell you about the amazing weekend I had and how amazing the people I met were! I always should tell you that drinking here is not as cheap as people say it is....ugh So we started Saturday...sorry back track, Friday we got together, took some pictures, had...ice cold sodas..and wandered into kaifaqu, bigger city outside of the city centre, I live in jinshitan. We went to a place called mr.beer and ordered food from a bakery next door, got pizza! Yummm this place was called euro bake. People had a hoot when I wore my spiderman mask from the ever so lovely Kaitlin Lovegrove! :p uhhhh it was. Little hard and embarassing to explain to my Adminstrative team who was also at this get together lol but it was all good, I met some Dutch buisnessmen as well, we had good laughs! German beers are probably almost as common, if not more common than Chinese beers here...the only American beers are Heineken, Budweiser, and corona...funny how technically two of those are ...

They come and go, this first week is a lot of moving around for them, trying make sure they are in the right classes and right streams, some are in classes they have already passed, so much non sense, it's no wonder this first week is using provided lesson plans that essentially revolve around diagnostics and ice breakers...some of these grade 10's can't spell their name properly...this is going to be interesting. Some of them are high functioning English students, others are low floor, trying to practice "differentiated" instruction lol shoot me...I strongly dislike jargon, but it is what it is. Wish I could kind of just teach my own material! Also wish they had us create a unit plan and send it in for inspection before applying! Like ugh so unprepared, probably the worst teacher here... Am I cut out for this? Carm

The students are wonderful. My first day was a gongshow and it started with an event that has never happened befor at the school which even confused a lot of the veterans :p no one knew where to go or what we were doing for the timetable lol Reminded me of a couple situations at lakeshore catholic when the teachers had to completely reset the timetable :p talk about free first day out of class lol what a situation, then I was not completely prepared nor were my students :p I don't think anything could have prepared me for the amount of nervousness I had when my students approached me with awe...frikin short y-low lol y-low is English phonetic   spelling of round-eye lol I was dressed to the nine! Tie and all, was pretty excited and nervous, also felt a little nerdy because we had permission to dress down a bit but I wanted to make myself professional and successful to my students and administration instead of that super young and unconventional English teacher that just talks for d...

Well the initial smell of the place here...ugh less than attractive...I'm not in a centre really, it's like living in downtown dunnville, and ya not much here :p the scenery is gorgeous but at the same time there is much obstructions and interference.  Canada is much missed not just by myself but certainly by some of the other new teachers. I know for me, I miss my family, the animals, my friends, linds, and everyone else who made life exactly what I wanted. From what I noticed here, canada offers the most beautiful range of scenery, and a relatively clean and put together city centre usually. The graffiti kind of tales away from the vast prestige of the city now when I think about it and listen to how people compare and talk about travel experiences. It's crazy how much changes after spending sometime away from home and living in an area that you need to interact more so with your surroundings than you do elsewhere, in canada you can mindlessly wander down the street, here...

Hey mom, hey dad! Hope you two are well! I miss you both very much and wish you the best in this ever so quiet and peaceful year! :) It is a busy time for me...it's always busy when I go somewhere new because it is nothing but adventure, how could it be anything else?  I am good, the living situation is livable, a few minor set backs that I worked out because you both rose me so well, but I'm dealing and it's all good. I love you both so much! I miss home, miss the animals, miss my friends, miss my neighbour, my siblings, my lovely parents, my spot on the couch, my silly arguments with ma and my TV movie time with dad. I am glad that I miss those things because it reminds me constantly that home is still my true north, and in the end after whatever other. Adventures, I will be home, and I would have hopefully made you proud! I love you both, always thinking of you. Tons of stories when I get back, hopefully you are following my blogs, if you are I'll actually post more ...

I'm trying to post all my journals, please bare with me as there is clearly a lack in time and experiences. I should be caught up soon.  I am well, it is nearing the end of September and I have been paid. Internet sucks here so I do what I can with what I have. Thank you for staying in touch and please, please....someone start digging to me, I'll start digging to you and hopefully the first international tunnel shuttle will allow me to come get some things I needed from home...as well as bring all these ninja stars and samurai swords back for the family and friends lol jk you wish! Actually I saw a nice little sword setup, but if I am buying something here, I want it to be a legit something not just "a sword" from china, needs to be a sword from china! Also thinking about getting a scooter or motorcycle :p not to go in public with just down the road a bit to visit people so I don't have to pay so much for a cab all the time :p  And ya planned a trip to Hong Kong a...

The hotel not bad, me hammmeedssss!!!!! Time: ppffttttt terminator time!!! It's like 4am for me but something like late afternoon for you! Lol oh god, japan, I love you, this place has potential! Boyssss! Assembleee! I miss the boys! And lindsssss! Oh gosh, I just realized I moved to a predominately Asian culture and I'm not an Asian lover kinda guy...I mean ya if she is nice and understands what I'm saying but...ugh japan problems lol Made a new bestie! Jesse! Sweet dude! From Manitoba, has enlightened me that I'm-young. Like young and already ahead in the game...hope he is right...cause I'm super tired, hammed, and on my way to China in 3 hours...breakfast...why can't it be breakfast now...the beer though! You can buy it anywhere anytime! As long as a store is open! And seven eleven...always open! We almost bought wine to go with our Japanese seven eleven food! We also found the thunder dome! Not that kind of thunder dome you perv! A legit mad max thu...

Well here we go, officially past the point of no return, met the other teachers, made a flight delayed a little and may have made the flight crew think I'm a super shifty foreigner cause I left my carry on hard shell suitcase at the bar in the milestones -_- good going! :p had my last Canadian in canada there! :)  What I would have given to have that last kiss before boarding <3 miss you linds. Can't stop thinking about you. Ya so I got on my flight and I was seated next to this very beautiful young Asian woman and I was very friendly and began practicing my esl speaking skills. Trying to ask her where she was from, very slowly and making hand features to ensure she understood. Wow! Way to go, not only was I hammered but super narrow minded as well....she was a Japanese girl travelling to Tokyo for a 3 week vacation; been working marketing for 3 years after she graduated from UNBC with buisness....oops lol she wasn't made of laughing but thought I was just a weird small ...

Well I'm here. The point if no return, on an airplane, taking off into the sunset; leaving on a jet plane don't know when I'll be back again. That's a lie, I'll be back in July of 2015. Who would have thought I followed through. Everyone except me apparently...I'm excited, I need to learn to just accept this in my life, I'm now an international teacher and of all goes well, I will be...for a long time, just wish certain others were here with me :( I haven't stopped think about it since I left and I won't be able to stop thinking about her. I'll see you sooner than you think love. I'm going to the otherside of this large planet but yet it still feels like I'm just around the corner. Still have an obscene amount of time until we land in narita japan. Inflight movie, alcohol, good, paid for....economy class for Asia is like buisness class for North America; goodness we get ripped off hard! So after only being to a couple different countries ...

Here I am. Almost at the point of no return. Everything in life to this point has been interesting to say the least. Well people make it seem like my life is interesting at least: I feel like it is but still something makes me hesitant to say so. That's not entirely why I am taking this two year excursion to the other side of the world, interest is part of it though.  I can't believe I am here, haven't stopped having anxiety since I left Hamilton; I don't actually have diagnosed anxiety but it feels like my heart is about to explode and my eyes are about to burst. I need a dart so bad....what the hell am I thinking?  Why do I want to go? Do I want to go? Or am I being forced to make this decision? How could one ever really know the difference? I seen other North Americans and assorted white people walking into this gate. I see Shane who I was in first year with when I started at Lakehead five years ago...I also see Krista. Such a beauty, why didn't I meet her before...

A couple hours have gone by and I am in Calgary, messaging fiends and family when I can. Still telling Lindsay I'll see her again, still imagining my parents and family standing there waving and crying, my ma who I love to death and will miss the most because I know how much she will miss me and I hate seeing her cry. I made her cry so many times in life I just wish, ugh I love you mom, please. Don't. This is important to me, and for my life, I'll always be with you and I will be back, this is what you and he family always knew would happen, what you always hoped for me, the best. -carm

I'm getting ready to go. Had an ugly exchange of last words with my ma last night, we were both stressed upset and super tired. She didn't sleep, I couldn't rest, I woke up still thinking I was dreaming, I lie, I still wish I was dreaming, I'm trying to sleep on the way to the airport and feel like shit, my family is all nervous and tired, dad had on his game face, he is proud and happy for me but I think he and my ma feel it the most. I never seen so much pain in my life that was caused directly because of me, and I never felt so much pain because of pain that I caused someone else. No heart that I have ever broken, could ever amount to this, sorry ladies and no time my heart has been broken could never prepare. Broken hearts; where I am going, I may not know how or what about them for quite sometime.  What am I doing.....6am at the Hamilton airport? Going to Calgary. -carm