Time to leave is fast approaching!

I got my travel itinerary for China a couple of days ago.  This is still going to depend on my Visa, but right now I am scheduled to leave October 5.   Unfortunately this will not be in time for the big Military Parade/Celebrations, but maybe that's a good thing?  On the other hand, this means I will be arriving during a holiday and will have a few days to settle/explore/prepare before jumping into the classroom.  I received a very enthusiastic email from the school principal yesterday with a few details and some very welcoming remarks.  Starting this week the supply teacher should be emailing me and keeping me updated on the class- on what will soon be my class!  I think the hardest part will be joining a class already a month into the school year.

Musical words of wisdom

In middle school and high school I didn't want to admit this, but I am and always will be a band geek.  Over the years I have learned to play french horn (well technically called the double horn), bass clarinet and clarinet.  I also took piano lessons for a short period of time, and tried to teach myself the guitar (with no success whatsoever).  This may sound impressive, but I am ashamed to admit that I was really lazy about practicing so I never really became accomplished with any of these instruments.

Lately I find myself playing the horn a lot.  From the first time I heard it in grade 7 I was in love. I am trying very hard to find the words to explain how I feel when I hear the horns playing in music without sounding cheesy or cliché, but I think that would be impossible because it is cheesy and cliché. And I'm okay with that.  I know that I am really going to miss the local community band that I played in all last year.

Because I am struggling a bit with a new piece, I had a conversation with my extremely musically talented and knowledgeable friend  the other day.  I am trying to learn the song Romance by Camille Saint-Saens.  It is a very beautiful piece and so I'm trying very hard to do it justice.  I was having trouble understanding what the composer wanted me to do with the music.  This is exactly how the conversation went:


Me:  I have a music question for you - on a song Ive been learning they have a half note tied to a quarter note, the notes are both in the same measure and both have a staccato. Also in the same song there are slurred staccato eight notes- which seems to be contradicting. So what on earth should I do? lol




Friend: Play with your heart


Maybe he was just avoiding the question- but his answer made more sense than I think anything else would have.

p.s.

Holy smokes a follower! I am surprised to admit that I was actually a bit excited when I noticed someone bothered to click the little "follow" button at the end of my blog.   Thanks!

What I Want

I took a solo drive to the beach the other afternoon to enjoy the last bits of summer.  For companionship, I brought along Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.  I don't usually re-read books, but this one seemed to be just what I need after my break up and with my up and coming move to Beijing.  I was reading the part where the author realized that for the first time in her life she was able to ask herself what she wanted, and not only able to ask herself that but listen.  So I tried it out. I ended up writing this list in the back of the book:

What I Want
I want to write
I want people to read what I write and like it
I want to be part of a spiritual group of people who share my beliefs and doubts
I want my life to be full of love
I want to travel
I want to be passionate about life
I want to teach and share my passion for reading and writing
I want to be a positive influence
I want positive people to be drawn to me
I want a partner who makes me want to be a better person
I want to experience everything!

The very last thing on my list was: I want to swim.  After this thought came to me I had a short conversation with myself that went something like this:

"What do you mean you want to swim? The water is cold- you never want to swim when the water is cold"
"I just want to swim"
"Well go swim then"
"But its cold"
"so?"
"Maybe I will"

And so I did.  And it was cold, but it was great.  And it was what I wanted.

My life In the meantime

Lately I've been thinking a lot about my life, who I am, who I want to be and it's led me to make a few big changes.  I think that leaving my longterm relationship was the best thing I could have done for myself, even it that was hard to see at the time. It's like a huge weight has been lifted and I feel better than I have ever felt in my life. It even seems to have affected me physically as I have been told a lot lately by people of both genders that I look really good.  It seems like many of my conversations have been going something like the one I had with an old girl friend I ran into the other night "you look really good! Not that you didn't look good before, but now you look, like,  REALLY good."  I never really understood how much how you feel on the inside can affect how you look on the outside until now.  It's like happiness is oozing out of my orifices. And yes, I did just use the word orifice; I couldn't help myself.

It also brought me the opportunity to leave for China guilt and (somewhat) attachment free.  I say somewhat attachment free because not so long ago I realized that I am completely smitten with on an old friend, and as luck would have it he seems to be equally interested.  Normally I wouldn't be brave enough to admit my feelings for someone, but since I am leaving for China and I didn't want to go without expressing myself, I told him.  I will reluctantly admit that a little bit of liquid courage and instant messaging may have played a part in my gutsy move.  To my utter disbelief, (because really, how much better can things get??) he reciprocated by telling me that I'm the most beautiful girl he ever met and he can't live without me.  Okay, maybe I'm stretching the truth the tiniest bit, but he did say that he likes me too <3.

Trip preperations

I can't believe how smoothly everything is going as far as my big move to China is concerned (not that I'm superstitious - but knock on wood - just in case).   I managed to get my passport, medical exams/form, vaccines and contracts signed all within two weeks of my initial job offer.  I think that this is due in part to the fact that I live in a small NB city with no wait times for normal outpatient tests at the hospital. All I really have to do now is wait for my visa, purchase some insurance and get myself packed and out the door.  I am hoping to be in China just before October, so that I can be in Beijing during the celebrations/military parade which is taking place in Tian'anmen Square: http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2009/200901/20090121/article_388779.htm  Although I wonder if that would be a much to overwhelming time to arrive to an country that is such an overwhelming change to begin with?

China Here I Come!

I got offered a job in Beijing teaching at the Canadian International School of Beijing. I am SO taking it, and very excited at that. I expect to be blogging a lot more, since I have a feeling my life is about to become a whole lot more interesting. I think that I will also rename my blog to fit the appropriatness of my new living arrangements. This is assuming blogspot is available in China and I have a sneaking suspicion that it is not. This would put a dent in my plan to blog more. Check for links to a Chinese approved blogspace if this turns out to be the case.

Yipeee!