CELTA update - we accepted the offers of the place on the class - to begin later this year. We will have some preparation to do, especially in making sure we are up to date with our understandings of grammar. We are excited about the opportunity, but also a bit daunted - it is quite a commitment to study and work, and it will fall so soon after Evan has finished his anthropology degree. But it is the next step forward, and we are very excited about all the opportunities.
In other news, we are starting our plans for more travel this year, including a trip back to the UK in the summer for Andy's mum and dad's wedding anniversary. Evan continues to work towards completing his degree, a goal getting closer by the day. With spring seemingly here, we are celebrating the fact that we no longer have a garden to keep up - a recent trip to the home improvement store was a happy event as we could breeze past the lawnmower belts and pesticides and the lumber to look at garden chairs and wall hangings!!! Wonderful. No we are not missing the house.
We are working hard to save more money for our education and travel plans. Evan's private clinic is doing remarkably well these days, and we are both busy at our jobs, but still finding time to travel to Seattle and Vancouver and the casino as much as possible. Visited the Japanese garden, Frye art gallery and various coffee shops and restaurants on our trip to Seattle this week. (Quick stop at a casino on the way home - $50 richer!!)
Hopefully by next post we will have more definite travel plans developed. People are asking us when the next trip will be - so we have obviously been too quiet for too long.
Just finished reading "Travel as a political act" by Rick Steves - highly recommend this book.
That's all for now!
......
"Follow your bliss" Joseph Campbell
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Accepted
Well, Andy had his CELTA interview about a week ago, and Evan's was yesterday. We're happy to say that we both received offers to the program! If we accept, and learn to teach English on the program, we will be working with refugees and recent immigrants who cannot afford to take classes to learn English in their new country - so that is a cool bonus to working in this program.
With that said, we have a lot of thinking to do before we accept. The tutors were both discouraging of commuting from Bellingham because of the intensive nature of the course, so this would mean making arrangements for Colorado as well the added cost of staying in Vancouver during the week. We need to weigh out if that added cost is worth it, or whether we should reconsider doing the course abroad (in a less expensive country), or ignore the advice and commute anyway (if we followed all the advice we've received over the years, we would not be where we are; one has to pick and choose advice carefully); or simply not do the course since some employment is available with just a degree and no additional qualifications. We'll work on this decision tonight and then accept the course placements or not.
Ev has completed winter term and is now focused solely on his capstone project for the next couple of weeks- until spring term begins. This gives time for a bit of a breather. Timing is good since there is a lot to think about at the moment regarding plans for the future.
Andy continues to work hard and is back volunteering with the dogs at the humane society today after a needed break to move into the condo and settle in.
Life continues to tick right along- it is really stressful to be making plans of the scale ours are with all the other factors of everyday living, but the alternative seems pretty boring, so we are happy with our choices.
" Our souls look back in wondrous surprise at how far we have made it, so far from where we started." - Maya Angelou
With that said, we have a lot of thinking to do before we accept. The tutors were both discouraging of commuting from Bellingham because of the intensive nature of the course, so this would mean making arrangements for Colorado as well the added cost of staying in Vancouver during the week. We need to weigh out if that added cost is worth it, or whether we should reconsider doing the course abroad (in a less expensive country), or ignore the advice and commute anyway (if we followed all the advice we've received over the years, we would not be where we are; one has to pick and choose advice carefully); or simply not do the course since some employment is available with just a degree and no additional qualifications. We'll work on this decision tonight and then accept the course placements or not.
Ev has completed winter term and is now focused solely on his capstone project for the next couple of weeks- until spring term begins. This gives time for a bit of a breather. Timing is good since there is a lot to think about at the moment regarding plans for the future.
Andy continues to work hard and is back volunteering with the dogs at the humane society today after a needed break to move into the condo and settle in.
Life continues to tick right along- it is really stressful to be making plans of the scale ours are with all the other factors of everyday living, but the alternative seems pretty boring, so we are happy with our choices.
" Our souls look back in wondrous surprise at how far we have made it, so far from where we started." - Maya Angelou
Monday, March 7, 2011
California update
Quick update to upload our photos from our recent trip to sunny California visiting family and friends and old haunts ... oh the memories!!! Good times were had.
Monterey and Heart Castle with Mom and Nick.
Lauren and Walt in Berkley.
Gina in San Francisco Bay Area - including 2 of Andy's favorite places : Pier 7 and Cha Cha Cha's in Haight Ashbury.
and Cozy the French bulldog.....
Monterey and Heart Castle with Mom and Nick.
Lauren and Walt in Berkley.
Gina in San Francisco Bay Area - including 2 of Andy's favorite places : Pier 7 and Cha Cha Cha's in Haight Ashbury.
and Cozy the French bulldog.....
Friday, February 18, 2011
We Applied
Well, our biggest news is that we finished our applications for the CELTA English teacher training course. There was an application form as well as a "task" to complete which involved reviewing a magazine article and identifying parts of speech and other grammatical details. We also had to attach a resume and make a statement about our reasons for pursuing certification. Anyway, we did all this, and this past Tuesday had a great day up in Vancouver, the highlight of which was dropping off our applications at the Global Village English Training Institute. The school was very nice and professional, and we were both impressed, so we are excited. Once accepted, we will study for an intensive month in September then be eligible to teach English all over the world!
The rest of our visit to Vancouver was very nice. We had lunch at a place called Lonsdale Quay which is a food court of all sorts of ethnic choices. We had a couple of coffees at Tim Horton's (an upscale Canadian version of Dunkin' Donuts). We did a lot of wandering and appreciating the hustle and bustle of a big city. It was a nice day away.
We look forward now to our Cali trip which is fast approaching... Ev is cramming in a lot of school work so our time there won't be filled with that, and Andy is cramming in a lot of work so that our trip is easy on the bank account. So nice and busy!
Won't include too may other details this post as the news of applying for the CELTA program deserves a bit of relishing.
" If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them." - Henry David Thoreau
The rest of our visit to Vancouver was very nice. We had lunch at a place called Lonsdale Quay which is a food court of all sorts of ethnic choices. We had a couple of coffees at Tim Horton's (an upscale Canadian version of Dunkin' Donuts). We did a lot of wandering and appreciating the hustle and bustle of a big city. It was a nice day away.
We look forward now to our Cali trip which is fast approaching... Ev is cramming in a lot of school work so our time there won't be filled with that, and Andy is cramming in a lot of work so that our trip is easy on the bank account. So nice and busy!
Won't include too may other details this post as the news of applying for the CELTA program deserves a bit of relishing.
" If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them." - Henry David Thoreau
Monday, January 31, 2011
2011 plans come to fruition (and a ton of photos)
Now things are getting going.
We are now very organized with the nitty-gritty of our 2011 plans. Some short trips for the next few months (including a trip to California coming up in a few weeks) and a trip to the UK in the summer for Andy's mum and dad's 50th wedding anniversary. Then we will be taking a month to study and get our teaching English as a foreign language crendential in Vancouver, taking classes full time Mon - Fri and then working on the weekends. And then ..... taking some overseas time. We hope to achieve our dream of living and teaching in Asia by the fall - hopefully for about 6 months. We're open to where and when, although it is still very much our goal to spend some time travelling in China.
So now our focus is on working and saving as much as we can. Evan is hard at work nearing the completion of his degree in anthropology. His capstone project includes our worldwide travels, and an associated project is a photographic project of religious expression as we have observed travelling through the various countries - so this week we've been looking through hundred of photos that include the churches of England, Spain, Italy, Iceland and Eastern Europe, Cambodian spirit houses,Nepal funerals and Hindu gods, Egyptian pyramids and mosques, Easter Island statues and bird gods, palaces of Thailand, temples of Hong Kong and China, mayan sites in Costa Rica .... and on and on. Inspiring us all the more!!!!
So lots going on - all very exciting...
"That is the charm of the map. It represents the other side of the horizon where everything is possible" (Rosita Forbes)
We are now very organized with the nitty-gritty of our 2011 plans. Some short trips for the next few months (including a trip to California coming up in a few weeks) and a trip to the UK in the summer for Andy's mum and dad's 50th wedding anniversary. Then we will be taking a month to study and get our teaching English as a foreign language crendential in Vancouver, taking classes full time Mon - Fri and then working on the weekends. And then ..... taking some overseas time. We hope to achieve our dream of living and teaching in Asia by the fall - hopefully for about 6 months. We're open to where and when, although it is still very much our goal to spend some time travelling in China.
So now our focus is on working and saving as much as we can. Evan is hard at work nearing the completion of his degree in anthropology. His capstone project includes our worldwide travels, and an associated project is a photographic project of religious expression as we have observed travelling through the various countries - so this week we've been looking through hundred of photos that include the churches of England, Spain, Italy, Iceland and Eastern Europe, Cambodian spirit houses,Nepal funerals and Hindu gods, Egyptian pyramids and mosques, Easter Island statues and bird gods, palaces of Thailand, temples of Hong Kong and China, mayan sites in Costa Rica .... and on and on. Inspiring us all the more!!!!
So lots going on - all very exciting...
"That is the charm of the map. It represents the other side of the horizon where everything is possible" (Rosita Forbes)
Italy photos
Finally ... some of our photos from our recent trip to Florence and Pisa, Italy.
First five - Florence:
1. Florence's famous Duomo dome (main cathedral)
2. From the Ponte Vecchio along the river Arno
3. Piazza del Duomo - the main cathedral square
4. The fantastic interior of the Duomo dome
5. A not completely legal photo of the 17 foot tall David
Last two - Pisa:
1.From the top of the Leaning Tower of PIsa - overlooking the Field of Miracles
2. The cathedral and famous leaning tower
First five - Florence:
1. Florence's famous Duomo dome (main cathedral)
2. From the Ponte Vecchio along the river Arno
3. Piazza del Duomo - the main cathedral square
4. The fantastic interior of the Duomo dome
5. A not completely legal photo of the 17 foot tall David
Last two - Pisa:
1.From the top of the Leaning Tower of PIsa - overlooking the Field of Miracles
2. The cathedral and famous leaning tower
Monday, January 17, 2011
Saving to Vagabond
So, most of our time is being spent as we said in our last post: working to put money away for an exciting summer and fall. The spa has picked up just in time for Ev to save, and Andy has as much work as he wants as per usual. Andy's parents will be coming in the spring, so we helped them arrange that this past week. Andy is speaking to our friend, Gina, at this very moment to help us arrange our California trip which sounds like it will be happening in February or March. Ev will speak to his mom tomorrow to finalize things... trying to arrange dates that work for all involved.
We have booked our flights to the U.K. for Andy's parents' anniversary which will be in the first part of the summer, and next will be arranging dates, locations, and plans for our big fall vagabonding stint.
Ev's degree application has been approved as has his senior project which means all he has to do now is follow through with the next two terms of classes, and the bachelors is a done deal!
The most exciting events of the past few weeks have been 1)joining a casino because they were having a drawing for a trip wherever one wanted to go (we didn't win) and 2)listening to an inspiring talk at our local book store by Marcia Shaver, a women from Seattle who walked 500 some odd miles on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route in Spain; so that's another experience to be had!
By our next posting, we hope to have made some actual commitments regarding our fall departure, but it all depends on how much we can save, so we'll take a closer look at that this week.
Until then......
"We are all travellers in the wilderness of this world, and the best that we find in our travels is an honest friend." -Robert Louis Stevenson
We have booked our flights to the U.K. for Andy's parents' anniversary which will be in the first part of the summer, and next will be arranging dates, locations, and plans for our big fall vagabonding stint.
Ev's degree application has been approved as has his senior project which means all he has to do now is follow through with the next two terms of classes, and the bachelors is a done deal!
The most exciting events of the past few weeks have been 1)joining a casino because they were having a drawing for a trip wherever one wanted to go (we didn't win) and 2)listening to an inspiring talk at our local book store by Marcia Shaver, a women from Seattle who walked 500 some odd miles on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route in Spain; so that's another experience to be had!
By our next posting, we hope to have made some actual commitments regarding our fall departure, but it all depends on how much we can save, so we'll take a closer look at that this week.
Until then......
"We are all travellers in the wilderness of this world, and the best that we find in our travels is an honest friend." -Robert Louis Stevenson
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