It’s been a while since I have written. I have many more experiences to share from my Vietnam and Cambodia adventures, but today I want to pause, breathe, and explain.
My first excuse is, well, weak. It doesn’t mean I won’t use it though!!! During my adventures I had been writing every day. It was hard to keep up because so much happened. Not only had I been interacting with the world, but I was also forming fast friendships. I traveled with three amazing women who, in the midst of our time together, shared so many personal moments from their lives. We bonded and spent time getting to know each other. I also traveled with two men, one who had connections to many people from my church life, and one who helped me find the path to healing my heart. That experience was entirely unexpected, and yet the most meaningful one for me.
You might think that’s the excuse. Well, in part. Here’s the other part…one of the things our group did was share photos through WhatsApp. I haven’t used the app much, so I was unaware that I needed to turn off the setting that instantly imported their photos into my photo album. Since I neglected to do that, all of the pictures mingled together, and my chronological photo order became a hodgepodge of great photos with no particular order. I have this deep internal need for honesty, and I couldn’t figure out how to provide an accurate accounting for the events. That overwhelming struggle got me out of practice, and I stopped writing ‘til I made it home.
Within days of my return, I had two major events occur. First and foremost, I came out of my one month retirement and accepted a position as a fourth grade teacher. In case you’re wondering, this is my good excuse for not writing.
See, I’ve been a library media specialist for 22 of my 29 years in education. My plan had been to return to my old position, but while my principal took her vacation, the district hired someone for my position thus no library job was available.
Yes, I could have stayed retired. However, I was offered the opportunity to teach fourth grade at the school closest to my house. I mean, it’s only been 22 YEARS since I’ve been in the classroom. How hard could that be? I should have never asked that question.
The moment I signed my contract, I went to the school to introduce myself. They didn’t even know they needed a new fourth grade teacher 🤣. Talk about awkward!
Once the dust settled and they realized I really was going to work there, I made it into my room to begin the transformation. I thought I’d make some curtains and do a little decorating. No problem. What I didn’t expect was boxes of items thrown together haphazardly then placed in my room. What I didn’t expect was lacking sufficient yellow material for the curtains and having to find solutions to make it work. What I didn’t expect was a new set of acronyms, specific to the classroom, that my 29 years in education didn’t teach me. And, what I didn’t expect was the hours it would take to transform a teacher turned library media specialist into a library media specialist turned teacher. I’m still trying to catch up.
And, well, then one more unexpected event occurred. I went in for my annual mammogram, and they moved me to another room for a sonogram. From there I spoke to the radiologist…he saw a 9mm spot. “Here are your options…”
Well, because I retired, my insurance was supposed to end August 31. And, because I was rehired, my insurance would pick up again on October 1. I believe the district just kept me on the insurance, but without definitive confirmation, I scheduled my MRI for October. From there we will see what kind of spot he saw. It’s been on my mind for a month and a half, and I’m praying all will be well. I’ll know more soon.
All this to say, I’m sorry I haven’t been diligent in my writing. Now that my world has finally settled down again, I hope to pick up the figurative pen again.
However, I warn you…while my Vietnam and Cambodia experiences will all be truthful and accurate, they might not appear in the correct chronological order. I’m sorry for that, but I’m excited to continue remembering the beautiful experiences I had. Onward and upward!
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