Warp Speed Mr. Sulu

Time has taken on a different texture since we returned from Prague. Up to then it was like those floating blobs in the lava lamps, lethargically bouncing up and down to some hidden beat. Coming back from Prague seemed to crack the time continuum and eight weeks to retirement became seven that became six that became five all in the blink of an eye.

I have lots of time I thought. You know to get all those things done that have been hanging out there for years. I had years to get them done, what ever possessed me to think I could get it all done in eight weeks.

You can say what does it matter, I''ll have lots of time after I retire. Ahh but where will be the challenge, the stress and the recriminations when it doesn't come together. The fun will be gone, because no one will care. If I am making this sound terrible, it is not intended. Living life to no one elses demands but ours sounds terrific. Not going to happen just yet, but nice to think about even if it is even possible.

With our newly minted TESOL certificates we have seriously begun our search for teaching positions in Harbin. We have run into a small snag as my contact in Harbin who I have been corresponding with has disappeared off the map. His blog site has not been updated for over six months and the last contact I had with him was in January but nothing since then. He has been teaching in Harbin for years an is quite well connected. He was our in to the various schools in Harbin. This means will have to do it the old fashioned way and apply.

So for the last few weeks, we have been fine tuning our resumes and patiently waiting for our Trinity certificates to arrive. Once we have them in hand we can start pumping applications out. I sent out some query e-mails with out our CV but only heard back from one school. Our resumes look awesome so I am not worried. Our ages may present some challenges but you know what they say, 50 is the new 40 just with high cholesterol, blood pressure and grandchildren.

Are You Counting the Days?

If I had a dime for everytime someone asked me that question I could retire this week and skip the next eight weeks. The question comes in many variations. How many sleeps? How many days? The word is certainly out there. I probably had something to do with that. I can't seem to shut up about it. Perhaps mentally, I still need to convince myself of the reality of the situation.

I sense Nonie is struggling with the reality as well. She has invested almost twenty years into her career and has developed a great professional reputation. While she will continue to teach and will be liking starting over. It is not easy to walk away. But I give her a year and she will be at the top of her game.

We have sent out our first offer for employment to a school in Harbin. I have been watching the school for a year now as well as had some e-mails from a previous employee who still lives in Harbin but operates his own school. Sometime in January he seemed to fall of the face of the earth. His blog site has had no new posts and there have been no responses to any e-mails. So he will not be any help with our search in Harbin.

My research seems to indicate the school has a good reputation for treating their teachers respectfully. It has been a week and we have not received a response from them. Time to start looking at our next option. Our age will be a detriment to us until we get some experience under our belts but once we have a track record it will get much easier.