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Okay okay okay! I leave in one week to return to Minsk for the 2021-2022 school year, which I hope is my last year there. I can put in for a transfer to another school within our system, and I am also going to sign up with a placement company (I need to do that THIS WEEK! I have been putting it off!) that helps me find jobs outside of the QSI system. It’s not that I’m super unhappy with QSI per se, but the places where they have schools are limited and often places other international schools won’t be (such as Belarus), and it turns out, those places are pretty stressful to live! Like I would never go live in Timor Leste. Kyiv seems like it’s pushing it, but I have a lot of friends who work at that school.
ANYWAY!
At the moment, I’m marginally less stressed than I was a few days ago. I started packing and weeding things out. For example, one of my cute dresses has acquired a grease stain right on the bodice, so if I can’t get it out, I’ll leave it here as part of my emergency wardrobe (if I make it home some day but my luggage doesn’t) which is mostly things that are fine but not great, or not good enough for the thrift store. I’m so grateful my mom lets me store things here that I’m still not ready to part with (childhood books, etc) but don’t want to haul around the world. I am bringing quite a few books with me, but most of them will be read and then left behind for my classroom library. I’m also bringing food things with me that I couldn’t find in Minsk. In the US, you can easily find all the basic ingredients for baking right in the supermarket, but in Minsk, things like vanilla extract and baking powder and chocolate chips are in speciality baking stores, and I never managed to find one. To be fair, I didn’t look too hard. But I didn’t have an oven in China so I got out of the habit of baking. I have a small oven in Minsk, so I plan to make some cookies and brownies from time to time. I’m also bringing taco seasoning and favorite candies, like Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups. The PB and chocolate combo doesn’t seem to have caught on around the world, so I always bring some of those with me. I think I need to buy a new suitcase, a slightly bigger one, and I may still have to leave a few of the books home for next time, but that’s okay. (And yes, I do have a kindle, but it’s hard to get current English-language books in country or sent to Belarus, so it’s nice to build up my classroom library or donate contemporary YA to the school library.)
As it is August 1st, it’s time to update my GYWO goal. I’ve managed to keep up writing every day, so I’m at 168 days of writing, so close to my 240 day goal! If I can keep writing a little something every day, I’ll meet my goal in October! Yay me!
Now for this week’s snippet. It’s another CQL fic — CQL has become my fan life. As I write this, I have 150 CQL fics on AO3! The second place belongs to Guardian, of which I have only 39 fics. 😬 That Jiang Cheng, man. He knocked me over! I think I’ve said before that I wasn’t into transformative fandom until 2014. It just wasn’t something I was aware that I could do, nor was it something I wanted to do until then. Plus other reasons that I’m still working out. Anyway, I’m happily swimming around in it now. This is my piece for the Summer 2021 Writing Challenge Week 6. I hope you like it!
Jiang Cheng stops and waits for Huaisang to catch up with him. “Foolish. As if we’d be allowed out of Yunmeng with anything less than full packs and half a dozen disciples following us, ‘just to be sure, Sect Leader, that you’re safe.’” He holds out a hand, and Huaisang takes it readily. Jiang Cheng hopes the thrill he feels with Huaisang’s easy affection never fades.
“Mmm, you’re probably right,” Huaisang says. He pauses, trying to decide the best way to get more snacks without letting go of Jiang Cheng’s hand. Jiang Cheng plucks a slice from the bag when Huaisang waves it at him. “Nie disciples, too. And your sister would commandeer a few Jins as well.” He opens his mouth, and Jiang Cheng obediently holds out the apple. Huaisang chews thoughtfully. “You’ve been planning this for some time,” he goes on after swallowing, “because you’d be too stressed about the work you’re leaving behind for this to be an impromptu walk.”
ANYWAY!
At the moment, I’m marginally less stressed than I was a few days ago. I started packing and weeding things out. For example, one of my cute dresses has acquired a grease stain right on the bodice, so if I can’t get it out, I’ll leave it here as part of my emergency wardrobe (if I make it home some day but my luggage doesn’t) which is mostly things that are fine but not great, or not good enough for the thrift store. I’m so grateful my mom lets me store things here that I’m still not ready to part with (childhood books, etc) but don’t want to haul around the world. I am bringing quite a few books with me, but most of them will be read and then left behind for my classroom library. I’m also bringing food things with me that I couldn’t find in Minsk. In the US, you can easily find all the basic ingredients for baking right in the supermarket, but in Minsk, things like vanilla extract and baking powder and chocolate chips are in speciality baking stores, and I never managed to find one. To be fair, I didn’t look too hard. But I didn’t have an oven in China so I got out of the habit of baking. I have a small oven in Minsk, so I plan to make some cookies and brownies from time to time. I’m also bringing taco seasoning and favorite candies, like Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups. The PB and chocolate combo doesn’t seem to have caught on around the world, so I always bring some of those with me. I think I need to buy a new suitcase, a slightly bigger one, and I may still have to leave a few of the books home for next time, but that’s okay. (And yes, I do have a kindle, but it’s hard to get current English-language books in country or sent to Belarus, so it’s nice to build up my classroom library or donate contemporary YA to the school library.)
As it is August 1st, it’s time to update my GYWO goal. I’ve managed to keep up writing every day, so I’m at 168 days of writing, so close to my 240 day goal! If I can keep writing a little something every day, I’ll meet my goal in October! Yay me!
Now for this week’s snippet. It’s another CQL fic — CQL has become my fan life. As I write this, I have 150 CQL fics on AO3! The second place belongs to Guardian, of which I have only 39 fics. 😬 That Jiang Cheng, man. He knocked me over! I think I’ve said before that I wasn’t into transformative fandom until 2014. It just wasn’t something I was aware that I could do, nor was it something I wanted to do until then. Plus other reasons that I’m still working out. Anyway, I’m happily swimming around in it now. This is my piece for the Summer 2021 Writing Challenge Week 6. I hope you like it!
Jiang Cheng stops and waits for Huaisang to catch up with him. “Foolish. As if we’d be allowed out of Yunmeng with anything less than full packs and half a dozen disciples following us, ‘just to be sure, Sect Leader, that you’re safe.’” He holds out a hand, and Huaisang takes it readily. Jiang Cheng hopes the thrill he feels with Huaisang’s easy affection never fades.
“Mmm, you’re probably right,” Huaisang says. He pauses, trying to decide the best way to get more snacks without letting go of Jiang Cheng’s hand. Jiang Cheng plucks a slice from the bag when Huaisang waves it at him. “Nie disciples, too. And your sister would commandeer a few Jins as well.” He opens his mouth, and Jiang Cheng obediently holds out the apple. Huaisang chews thoughtfully. “You’ve been planning this for some time,” he goes on after swallowing, “because you’d be too stressed about the work you’re leaving behind for this to be an impromptu walk.”
