General Update

[wrote_and_writ]

Howdy, y'all! I have been home for about three weeks and will be here for another four weeks, then I'll head back to Shanghai. The school year was rocky, although not nearly as bad as Clown School. However, it's not a place I see myself staying long term, which means when I get back, I'll start looking for jobs again. I really really want to be in an international school again, and I REALLY want to stay in Shanghai. It's an amazing city, and I plan to spend a lot more time feeding my soul next year instead of giving so much of myself to work.

That said, I am taking a summer class on using sketch notes in the classroom (credits toward recertification), and I'm excited to try those out in class next year.

I took a road trip to the Oregon Coast with my bestie. We spent a little time in Portland (hello Powell's!) and then drove up and down between Tillamook and Newport, poking around. I added a bunch of birds to my life list. I didn't get great pictures, alas, but I'm not really interested in investing in photography at this point. I am, however, determined to get some binoculars that work with my glasses. It was frustrating to see eagles and hawks soaring but not be able to really identify them. (Or to see some sort of sandpiper scuttle away as I squinted at it.)

On the subject of birds, I started my life list officially a few years ago, and I decided I would add birds as I saw them from the date I decided to start the list. So even though I have seen golden eagles, for example, I wasn't going to add them to my list officially until I saw them again. It's encouraged me to keep my eyes open and observe familiar places with fresh eyes. We saw a bald eagle as we were driving away from Cape Meares -- I said, "Holy shit! A bald eagle!" and made Erin pull over so I could take a pic. My favorite new-to-me birds from this trip are: white-crowned sparrow, pigeon guillemot, Brandt's cormorant, common murre, and a chestnut-backed chickadee. The rangers at the Yaquina Head Lighthouse were very helpful pointing out the birds that were hanging out nearby. I also saw a great blue heron walking along the tidepools and successfully spear a fish. It was really neat! A fellow tourist asked if I had seen the puffins yet, and I said no! She said she heard there were some at Cannon Beach, which was too far north for our plans, so alas, puffins remain unobserved.

Like many people, I am super into K-Pop Demon Hunters, so Erin and I listened to the soundtrack a lot on the drive. I also introduced her to Six and Hadestown.

On the subject of musicals and theater and art, one of my goals for next year (as a teacher, I view life in terms of school years) is to take advantage of the art scene in Shanghai more than I did last year. I plan to ask our drama teacher about plays, but I also happened to see ads for a production of Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake and a production of a Macbeth musical called Lady M and I went ahead and booked tickets for myself for each show, so I have that to look forward to. Mom and I are going to see Alison Krauss and Union Station in concert next week, and then right before I go back to China, we'll go see the Idaho Shakespeare Festival's production of Dial M for Murder. (ISF has really moved away from Shakespeare over the last few years. They only had one Shakespeare play this season, way back in May. They should probably change their name to something like the Theater Festival, but ISF is a beloved brand, so they probably won't.)

Oh, I also watched The Residence, taking advantage of Mom's Netflix subscription, and I really enjoyed it. I would watch many more series or movies with Cordelia Cupp!

Alright, that's it for now. I'm going to lie down in my cool bedroom and either knit or read (lbr I'll probably nap). I hope you all are well!

Comments

[pauraque]

I have seen many Bald Eagles, but my reaction is still always, "Holy shit, a Bald Eagle!" XD

white-crowned sparrow, pigeon guillemot, Brandt's cormorant, common murre, and a chestnut-backed chickadee

I love this list because they're all birds that were familiar to me growing up. Love the west coast birds. <3

[wrote_and_writ]

I have really loved getting to know what the common birds are wherever I go. In Shanghai, for example, I see white wagtails and light vented bulbuls all the time (plus a variety of tree sparrows and doves/pigeons), and at home in Idaho, it's robins and house finches and red winged blackbirds (and tree sparrows and doves/pigeons). Anyway, birds are neat!

[umadoshi]

I'm so glad Shanghai itself is such a good fit for you. Fingers crossed for finding a school that's better for you! *hugs*

[wrote_and_writ]

Fingers and toes crossed indeed!