Slight Change Of Plan

After several deadends, it seems that there won't be available university positions in Beijing until September.  There are a number of private school options, however those all require Sunday classes.  I'm no Eric Liddell, but sabbath's not a day for playing ball.

So, for now, the plan is to stay in Cambodia (maybe Thailand or Vietnam) after certification.  And I'll be looking for weekday teaching positions in Beijing opening with the next academic year.

 Hopefully, this won't complicate obtaining a Chinese work visa.  We'll see.

Ticket To Ride

So, my ticket has been purchased (at a very reasonable price, thanks to my father's expertise. Thanks, Dad!).  I depart on 5 January 2011, a Wednesday.  I'll arrive in Phnom Penh late evening on the 8th.  Three days of air travel seems possibly brutal, but my spirits are up.

Avoiding Fatal Accidents

Apparently, thousands of people packed into restricted wet spaces with lots of exposed electrical wires is not a good combination.  Note to self: avoid Water Festivals, etc.

Adventures in the Orient

Here you will find the account of my time living and working in China [update] SouthEast Asia (and perhaps later, China).

I have been recently accepted into a certification program for teaching English.  Shortly after the new year I will (DV) be in Cambodia, training for a little over a month, then placed in a teaching position somewhere for about a year.

Eighteen years (approx half my life) ago, before attending college, I spent a 'gap year' in Chiba, Japan teaching English.  That was a formative experience for me in numerous ways.  I came away with, among other things, a knowledge that should I ever want to live and work elsewhere in the world I could likely do so by English teaching.

Presently I find myself in need of more reliable and satisfying employment.  With my schooling and career in academic philosophy on hold, with little current demand for my few sometimes marketable skills, I trust I am pursuing the best available course.

For the past 4 years I've lived in rural Pennsylvania.  The social isolation has not been especially good for me.  Moving back to a city and to one of the most populous regions on earth seems right.