Oops - I missed a week...

Well, here we are - approaching the middle of March.  Seems like just yesterday I was boarding a plane to return to Damascus after Christmas break at home.  Hard to believe in less than three months, I will be returning home again for the summer.

Since I missed a blog last week, I best catch you up on all the fun and exciting things happening in Damascus.  I don't remember where I was walking home from the other day, but it hit me again - I live in DAMASCUS.  It's sort of crazy, when you think about it.  It's one of the greatest things about being overseas is that I am getting to experience this great life, an amazing culture and meeting fabulous people.  The season is starting to change, though by the end of last week, there was snow just outside the city again...no snow day, but boy, was it cold.  On Wednesday last week, our school gardeners were out planting tulips...not the bulbs but the actual flowers.  When I can today, I half expected to see them withered and frozen, but they are hearty little plants.  It's no wonder we grow them in Saskatchewan.  Seeing the tulips makes me long for flowers in my little garden.  However, as I will most likely be moving before the end of the year, I think I might put it off and plant when I have my new home.  I also think I will try my hand at a little veggie garden if I have enough space.  There is space at the school that maybe I could start a little patch, but right now the 6th graders are using it for their science class.  A garden in my yard - now that does sound sort of loverly.  My mother would never think I would ever have a garden :)

We've got a wretched cold/flu running through the city.  So far, I've managed to keep it at bay, but I'm beginning to think my chills and stuffy head and general feeling of blahness is a sign that its not quite as bayed as I'd like it to be.  I might just take tomorrow morning to get some extra rest and then come for the afternoon curriculum workshop.  Speaking of curriculum workshop, I STILL don't understand why teachers get so whiny about the opportunity to learn more about the curriculum that we base our practice on.  Seriously, people, do they not understand that by actually diving into the document, it will improve our practice (and the student's learning).  I mean, how can you develop a well rounded program without actually understanding that document which holds it all together.  We are so fortunate to have this time scheduled into our year.  Professional Development with people who are trained and experienced and yet, people complain. Grrrr.  Enough of my complaining about the complainers.  When I'm the principal...hee hee hee

Speaking of principal-ness...I'm still waiting on word from the U of A.  My last notification said I'd hear the second week of March.  According to my calculations, that was last week, so maybe it will be any time now.  Who knows, though.  I'm trying to be cautiously optimistic.  I'd hate to not get accepted because I just feel so ready for the whole thing to get underway.  Patience is a virtue - I know, but I seem to have missed that part of the virtue distribution program.  Meh, what can one do...

Aside from waiting patiently (ha ha ha) to hear back from the U of A, being in a perpetual state of awe at the fact that I live in Damascus and having the opportunity to work on curriculum renewal at the school, life has been pretty full.  Spoke with the doctor last week about my totally stupid thyroid, and we've started to reduce my meds.  I may be the only person in history that when more than 1/2 a thyroid is removed, we reduce my thyroid medication because my body is overproducing the stuff.  Ha ha ha.  Whatever.  It's all a little frustrating, to be honest.  The constant sense of "not feeling right" but not being able to put it into words is a difficult one to face day after day.  I am hoping that within the next two months, with the reduction in meds that there will be some sort of improvement. 

I've also been keeping myself busy with body combat.  Thanks to our tech guy (and all around great friend) I have six new combat releases to keep me busy.  It's fun getting to switch things up a bit.  Although i still very much enjoy the 30 release, I was to the point where I pretty much had the whole thing memorized.  Now I have 6 more releases to learn just as well.

When I'm not combating, I've been in the kitchen cooking and baking.  The baking gets brought to school or friend's homes.  The cooking is for me in an attempt to lower my cholesterol. Yesterday's cooking task was chicken soup.  I had roasted a chicken the other day, but didn't take the time to make the broth so I had to use bouillon cubes.  However, the soup, in the end, tastes quite delicious.  It is chalked full of veggies and I managed to use the rest of the chicken from the roast.  I've taken to making mini-pots of soup, lately (only 4 - 6 cups of broth) That way, I don't use all my Tupperware and can get through a batch of soup a week.

This past weekend also saw three evenings out (which also contributes to my general feeling of sleepiness)  Thursday night was an impromptu night of fun at Chad and Lindsey's.  It was nice to have an evening with friends.  Paul, Cathy and Yousef also were out for the fun.  Then, on Friday night, Lolita hosted the gang for a loverly evening that also included some guitar playing/jamming.  Saturday was a potluck at Annie's.  While it was an earlier night in theory, for what ever reason it was still quite late before I was asleep for the night.  At any rate, it was a nice weekend - a busy one, but a nice one.

This coming week will be busy with Aero meetings (curriculum) as well as St. Patrick's Day festivities.  Our little family group here will hopefully take a trip to Ninar on Tuesday.  I will swap my "free food day" for my trip to Ninar.  All in all, with two half days, St. Patrick's day and curriculum meetings, I am hoping for a quick week.

And on that note, I best sign off.  I apologize that this blog might be a little all over the place.  I'd give my students the gears about forgetting to pre-write if they were to hand in such a paper...oh well.

Until next time, I hope you are all well.  Miss you very much and see you soon.

Tylene