Brian caught what I've described as a wanderlust these past couple years, itching to go somewhere and do something different. We'd talked about teaching with DODS (Department of Defense) or joining the Peace Corps in our early years of marriage, way before kids, but never seriously considered it. Then kids happened, life went on, and we were busy building what we had here.
He'd applied for a few school administration jobs at miniscule towns around the state--and was offered one, but had to turn it down after I threw a crying fit. Around last summer, Brian started researching international jobs again. At that point, I asked him to give me one year to get used to the idea. Well, it's been a year, and I am holding true to my promise. Much more, after lotsa prayer, God has turned my heart, and I am now actually relishing the idea of living overseas.
Brian flew to Berlin in March for a four-day-long interview process. He became one of the top two prospects for an assistant principal job at the John F. Kennedy School there, but ultimately wasn't their top choice. He was disappointed, but through the process realized he had left the situation in God's hands, and left Germany at peace with their decision.
In the past few months, we have also looked at schools in Kuwait, Nigeria, and China. Brian actually interviewed with schools from Kuwait and Nigeria, the latter of which was looking pretty promising for a bit.
But out of the blue, we heard from Taejon Christian International School (TCIS) in Daejeon, South Korea. There were jobs for both of us: Brian as a Student Affairs Coordinator, and me as a secondary English teacher. We interviewed twice, via Skype, with the Head of School and Director of Student Affairs. At the beginning of the second interview, we were told that we were their top prospects for the positions. Suddenly, moving overseas seemed like it was actually a plausible option. I think we both started freaking out a little after that interview was over.
Reference checks happened, they skipped over our last interview with a school board member, and we were officially offered the jobs. We'd prayed a bunch about this, asking God to close doors to anywhere He does't want us to go (which I think he did with Nigeria). And to open up and provide a clear path to the opportunities he wants us to undertake. Everything has seemed to point toward TCIS. The path has been quite clear. So, what else could we do? We accepted the job offers.
Of course, this makes our already crazy lives an absolute whirlwind these next few months! We'll keep a small storage unit here, but we will sell or give away almost everything we have, including our house for the past five years, both vehicles, and most of our furniture and household items. We'll need to figure out plane tickets, shipping a few things over, where to bank, how to still make our biennial trek to Idaho this summer before we leave. We'll need to get everything else squared up: eye doctor and dentist appointments and a few others, I'm sure. We'll have to learn a little Korean, I'll need to research International Baccalaureate (IB) programs (as that's what I'll be teaching, the complete opposite of the type of population I've had in my classroom my whole teaching career). Brian will have a learning curve with his new position as well.
As for living in Daejeon, we will have a furnished apartment provided by the school in a community near other school faculty. The kids will all go to the school. There are plenty of after-school activities and sports to keep them occupied. It will be a 10- or 15-minute walk from our apartment to the school. There is a grocery store and a Costco nearby, as well as a walking/running path. We will get by, at least initially, without a car, and instead use public transportation when needed. The climate is definitely of the "four seasons" persuasion, which I've missed in New Mexico. It is green and lush and humid. EVERYTHING is going to change for us.
So, there you go. Our wanderlust is finally coming to fruition. I've not updated this blog since the first fall I went back to teaching. Life as a full-time mom and part-time teacher became too hectic. With this new adventure, I will be resurrecting 'The Overflow." And getting back to the meaning of the the title of my blog, which refers to living in the overflow of grace which has been offered to us. It'll give us a chance to share our adventures with our family and friends. We are so excited to see what adventures await us!
For now, some information about Daejeon and TCIS:
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| That's Daejeon, right smack in the middle of S. Korea. |
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| There is a high-speed train that will get us to and from Seoul (100 miles distance) in about an hour. |
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| Daejeon is the fifth largest city in S. Korea, at about 1.5 million people. |
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| The city is a major hub for research and development. |
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| We've been told that is a very safe and fairly quiet city. There is an annual Cherry Blossom Festival. |
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| Not sure what this bridge is called, but it sure looks cool! |
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| And guess what? Just like the Land of Enchantment, Daejeon has an annual International Balloon Fiesta! |
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| The history of the school goes back a century, but the current building was built four years ago and was recently ranked one of the top 10 international schools in S. Korea, as this article shows. |
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| Our kids will be getting a fabulous education there. Lunch will be provided for ALL of us, EVERY day. (Can you tell I'm super excited about not having to pack their lunches anymore?) |
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| We are excited to see the S. Koreans' high value for education and their work ethic. |
If you'd like to learn more about Daejeon, you can do that here.
And the school's website is here.
