SATURDAY/SUNDAY, 10/4-5/14
We’re back in Beijing and it’s time to get ready for the next 9 weeks (Xmas vacation). Judy takes care of all the final unpacking details, emptying suitcases, and laundry. I spend a lot of my time reviewing where we’re going on our next vacation time in February. It’s during the Chinese New Year, so it’s best to travel outside China to avoid all the local tourists. After Pangkor Laut, we’re going to have a tough time finding something that won’t be a letdown. I also inventory our supplies and determine when I need to head out to purchase groceries.
MONDAY. 10/6/14
Judy heads back to work today. The official Chinese National Holiday is not over until the end of the day Tuesday, but BISS is back in session. Traffic is remarkably light and taxis are plentiful.
Today marks the official beginning of “recruitment” for BISS for its’ faculty members for next year. The process of hiring teachers for an International School is tremendously complex. New faculty members are moving their lives (and families) into what for most of them is a completely new environment. We are intimately familiar with all the paperwork hurdles that have to be cleared.
The first step for the school is determining which faculty will be returning. Any rookie faculty members have been hired on a two-year contract, so their status is set. The questions lie with the “old” faculty. We watched the process with curiosity last year, but this year, we’re involved.
We’ve decided not to return for a 3rd year in Beijing. Judy’s job at BISS is the reason we’re in China, and she’s ready to try something different than teaching elementary music. This is year 39 for her career, and she’s reached that point where it’s time for a change. She could continue a few more years, and “mail it in”, but she’s never been the type to do that. She’s still staying late every day after school to plan, and comes home with work to do. There is lots of her weekend time spent looking for new music and ideas.
My job at BHSFIC has been part-time (two days a week) and a “blast”. It’s a nice change from the “contest grind” of band directing. I’ve had a chance to experience the education process at a high level Chinese high school with very motivated and focused students. The faculty and staff are dedicated and focused on helping the students achieve their dream of attending a university in the US.
We’d been struggling with this decision for months, dating back to April & May. We’ve loved our lives here, and all our new friends. We hate to leave them and know we’ll miss them. We’ve had the chance to travel and haven’t missed many opportunities. There is so much to see in China and Asia, we’ll never get it all in.
As a part of that decision to return to the US, we just completed the purchase of our new home in Fort Worth. We’ll be living in Museum Place, a condo in the Cultural District, sometime this summer. We lived in one of the units before our move to China (after we sold our Arlington home), and loved it. Every time we visited the DFW area, we were on the lookout for a place we’d enjoy, and found it this summer. Mortgage interest rates, and a location we loved all fell into place, and we began the process for the purchase. It wasn’t easy doing it from China. I don’t think it would have been possible without the help of an old high school friend, Debbie Hunn. She’s actively involved in the real estate business, specializing in downtown properties, and helped us work through all the hurdles of a long-distance sale. WE ARE EXCITED!
Our balcony view toward Will Rogers, Museum of Modern Art, and Casa Mañana.
Our building.