New Year, New School, New Country

2014 brings with it changes and challenges.

I will be teaching a different age group in a different school in a different country.

Being ready to move on doesn’t make new beginnings any easier.

There are names to be learned.

A new classroom environment to set up.

Policies and procedures to be digested.

A new curriculum to get my head around, the Primary Years Programme or PYP.

The start of the year nerves are here big time. For someone who is perpetually restless I really don’t do well with transitions.

Nevertheless I’m looking forward to the challenge and find myself ready to be pushed professionally this year.  I really am looking forward to learning more about the PYP as I have been enamoured with the curriculum for  some time.

What has been effortless has been the move to Singapore.

And it call be explained by a box of Kraft Mac and Cheese.

Those who don’t know me well might not realise that I’m actually Canadian. While the accent has long disappeared, I have no affection for ice hockey and couldn’t name the Prime Minister if my life depended on it, a blue and gold box gets me salivating like one of Pavlov’s dogs. My love of Kraft Mac and Cheese is the sole reason the Canadian government still issues me a passport.

When I lived in Korea 10 years ago, procuring such delights involved multiple train trips and a trip to a black store in a somewhat dodgy neighbourhood. Instead of peddling weapons or illegal drugs this establishment sold a random assortment of  American groceries. These goodies were purchased at the adjoining American army base supermarket then on-sold to teachers desperate for a slice of home at a heavily marked up price.

It might have taken me hours to get to the store, my purchases were of dubious legality and cost an arm and a leg but it was worth the struggle.

Here in Singapore I can walk to my local supermarket and it’s there on the shelf.

I’ve been walking around of late wondering if in this age of smartphones and globalisation has made shifting almost too easy. The language barrier is almost non-existent while a host of smartphone apps make it almost impossible to get lost.

Nevertheless life seems to to have a different rhythm.

Seemingly small distances take a lot longer to navigate.

For someone who normally moves at 100km an hour this can be frustrating.

The tropical heat is merciless to those who stress.

I will need learn to chill in every sense of the word or suffer the consequences.