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Saturday, December 8, 2012

My Saturday without water

I know this is part of the whole culture shock experience but sometimes I just wish things would be NORMAL.  Does anyone have days/weeks like that?

I got awoken at 2am this morning by a loud buzzing sound.  It sounded like it was coming from the heating system but an hour later, when I flushed the toilet it stopped.  So it must be my septic system that was causing the problem.  I sat here for an hour, unable to decide what to do with no one to call, having no idea who was the emergency contact for a possible heating problem and I was worried I might succumb to carbon monoxide poisoning so it was a crappy morning. 
I think one of the hardest things about moving somewhere new is not knowing what to do if something serious happens.  Who do you call?  The 'helpful' advice I got on Facebook was to call a plumbing guy.  "Of course, I never even considered that. Duh."  *rolls eyes*  There ARE no heating and plumbing guys here or I would have called them. Sheesh. 
 It makes me worry for the next place I go.  If it's a different country and I have to add a language barrier to the mix, what might happen then?  What if one of us gets really sick or something serious happens and I can't get help?  Scary stuff.  I know I'm resourceful but last night showed me also how vulnerable I could be too.

So the latest news on the front has been this: 
I have been talking to a Vancouver recruiting agency about a possible job in Brunei for the next school year.  I passed the initial interview and was asked to submit more paperwork. Currently I am waiting to hear from the interviewer in Brunei itself. 
I also received a call from a company that manages schools in China and getting a job there is also a possibility. The recruiter from that company only hires BC certified teachers and he called me 2 years ago to set up an interview but I had already accepted a job elsewhere for that year.  He said they will definitely have positions next year and I am on the list to be interviewed for them.
It has also been mentioned that if I am interested in becoming an administrator in Nunavut, it wouldn't be a very long road to achieving that goal and I could have an opportunity at the end of this school year to take the administrator's course. That would be an upward movement in my career and it's worth looking in to.
So there are a lot of possibilities on the horizon and I don't quite know which way to go.  Another possible option, should there be a spot, is to go back to the school that I liked so much from last year.  I would certainly love to teach science there again.

I know I have no control over what happens next but I would very much like to know how this is going to play out!  It would be amazing to spend two years in tropical Brunei and I think that is my first choice.  I'm stuck a little on the second choice because although I want to teach in another country, I also would like to teach at the school I left last year as well.  The principal there was amazing and when I left I felt that I could have learned a lot more from watching her for a longer period of time.  I also miss things about that place like being able to run and eat fresh veggies and eggs right from the farm. 

Anyway...my water has just been fixed by the housing guy and now I can have a shower and wash my dishes!  :)  I have waited all day so this is exciting news!  Such little things can make you so happy here because the little things are all we have.

Here's some  photos for you:
My son sliding down a hill

Fields of white

Lake Harbour

Sunrise in my backyard

Backyard

The Arctic sky

2 comments:

  1. Hey Golda,

    Sorry to hear that you are leaving the north. With a new crop of "recruits" ready to take your place please make sure you post your experiences here in your blog. Those of us still working for the GN aren't allowed to comment, so it is up to those that are leaving to accurately portray the realities of working in the north. Not to scare anyone away, but to allow people to make informed decisions. All to often much is promised or glossed over, and then people arrive to a much different reality. Take some time to process everything, looking forward to reading your thoughts.

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  2. I was threatened by the union president when I wrote even a little bit of the truth on Twitter so I know what you mean. I will never understand why a government hires educated, qualified people just to then turn around and slap a gag order on them. The sad thing is that almost all educated people in the north work for the GN, the very people who could be part of a positive change are silenced.

    I have hesitated to write a post so far because I don't want it to sound whiny or bitter. I just want it to be informative. I also hesitate because my experience was unique and I'm not sure everyone is having as difficult a time as I did.

    I sure wish things had turned out differently. However, I'm off to the next adventure in China!

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