My BOLD and Beautiful Career Plans...

Now that I am no longer teaching kindergartens, I feel so much lighter and 'happier'; not that I don't like the little ones as they can be really adorable, I am just not cut out for that nor have the patience for them. I guess it's got to do with my personality and my educational background when academic results and improvement achieved by my older students are more cherished and which give me a sense of satisfaction. 

The more I teach the more I am lured into developing curriculum for the next generation. It might sound a bit bold but I have an urge to create a curriculum teaching English to French speakers. I have come across some refugees who speak zero English which makes it difficult to find a job in Hong Kong or anywhere else (except for French speaking countries). I am also interested in incorporating humane education into school curriculum after my online course is completed in November. 

Meanwhile, I am not neglecting the writing part which is my ultimate passion after all. You shall continue to see my blog and on top of it, I am hoping to be contributing to producing a newsletter for my workplace and maybe start guest blogging for more visibility. Having taught students privately (one-on-one) for over 12 years, I guess this is an ongoing path for me till retirement while I enjoy seeing the smile on my students' face. 

As tempting as it is, I might be going away to Melbourne for a few weeks in August just to escape the heat and get a breather. It all depends on whether I can find budget accommodation as it's been a while since I was back and I just don't like to intrude on my friends who have their own lives to live!

I can't breathe!!!

Yes, I have kept telling myself that it is best to accept Hong Kong as my base as long as Mom is here; and miraculously it has been working in the past but when the severity of global warming is slapping my face; this Summer is not gonna be much fun. I am suffocating from air which lacks oxygen and I feel nauseous and hallucinated when I am outside at 34C. I am craving fresh air so bad that I am researching accommodation and trying my luck to escape the next 2 months back in Melbourne. It is Winter there even though it can never be cold enough for me and my peculiar body composition. My skin disorder is not getting any better and I have booked an appointment to see a dermatologist on Monday; referred to me by my shrink as he was concerned about me self-medicating for such an extended period of time. 

Because of the heat, I am not eating much these days. Medication and green tea are my staple diet and the pain from the open wound and throbbing headaches from the sun is indeed a real torture. Now that I have quitted my part-time job teaching kindergartens, I am resting most of the week in bed, cooling myself off with ice pack. It seems that I have so many brilliant ideas to see through but how is it possible when you are chronically fatigued while coping with itchy and weepy skin wounds? I have so many art projects on hold as I can't maneuver my fingers to do the job. I doubt anyone could understand how frustrating and hopeless it is when you are pseudo-handicapped. Typing this blog takes me forever as my finger tips are bleeding. 

No, this is not a piece asking for mercy; please use this as a reminder of how fortunate you are when you have zero health problem or in pretty good shape. I shall keep posting wherever I will be in the coming weeks. 

Take heed to the message your body is telling you...

So Summer is already here and what have I accomplished so far in the past 6 months? There has been a lot of 'busyness' but not much to show for it. Yes, I had a part-time teaching job for 2 months but that too is coming to an end ( in a couple of days to be exact). Was that time wasted? Far from it. 

I had a viral infection earlier this month followed by a major skin infection which is indeed debilitating. I am still on antibiotics and this is a painful process to overcome; my skin is all flared up and taking a shower or simply washing my hands is almost unbearable. The medication makes me drowsy and I sleep so much to the point of shutting myself down from all kinds of activities and communication. I had to cancel meetings with friends and take sick leave off from work. The heat and humidity are not helping either. I can't recall spending so much time in bed for decades and I am sure the body is alarming me to rest up and re-organise my so called 'life'. 

Resigning from the part-time teaching job is absolutely necessary; as I don't feel being useful 'babysitting' kindergarten kids when I know I can do a lot more. Living a simple life allows me to quit without worrying too much about my daily expenses. I have also come to realise that teaching senior students one-on-one is more my thing as I feel I am contributing and making an impact on those under my tutelage. I am now looking for people who wish to improve their English privately and this is what I do best from over 12 years of experience. 

Meanwhile, I am learning the nuts and bolts putting myself online teaching French and Latin to beginners. I like to see this happen as part of my nomadic life in the near future. The e-course Humane Education-Teaching for a positive future is about to start in a week's time for 6 weeks and I am so looking forward to it and I hope to apply my knowledge and ideas to curriculum development for schools and learning hubs. I will be revamping my website and updating my etsy shop, re-initiate contact with old friends and acquaintance in the coming 2 months; staying indoors with air-conditioning and iced lemon tea.

There are some of the things I have decided not to do anymore, and social media is one of them. I have unsubscribed 70% of the newsletters which I never had time to open or read. That is pretty phenomenal as I used to spend hours perusing them instead of writing my own, for fear of missing out on stuff which I don't really care about. I am also taking a break from producing my weekly newsletter SLLM, which shall resume in the fall.

When I am in a better state of health, I shall return to my creative cave, reading what has been sitting in my library for months on end and possibly go to Europe for a sabbatical. Whatever is the next big/ small thing, I am rolling with it the best I can, taking one day at a time.