i declined the job in costa rica this morning. the pay is really low and they only offer in country health insurance (costa rica is on a universal health system) that won't cover us while in the states and during the end of our pregnancy.
it's hard work making the grown up and responsible decision sometimes.
Showing posts with label how it started. Show all posts
Showing posts with label how it started. Show all posts
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
other job opportunities
in the last couple of days i have heard from two schools that are interested in interviewing us.
the international school ho chi minh city in vietnam and the la paz community school in costa rica. the school in vietnam is hiring an athletic director/head of physical education while the school in costa rica is looking for a middle school math/science teacher. both of them seem like pretty amazing opportunities and incredible places to live. costa rica would be a better option as it would be so much easier and less expensive to travel back and forth to houston/california. but we hear that vietnam is a great place to live and i would love being an athletic director.
the down side of taking another position (as much as an "upgrade" that costa rica or vietnam would be over kyrgyzstan) is that we would lose our health care for the summer... which isn't something we can afford to do while having a baby. also... qsi is really flexible in regards to jen's work schedule. she can take an extended leave... come back part time or come back full time. a new school isn't going to provide us with that flexibility and jen would have to wait until year two to get a position at the new school and that is assuming that a position opens up.
so in many ways... we are just going through the motions with the other schools and not seriously considering leaving here. we like bishkek. it feels like home and we have a good routine. the big downside is that it is SO FAR away from the states and if our "connected" friends are right... the country is becoming less stable day by day... although we don't see it our feel it. if there is a "revolution"... our contract says that qsi evacuates us back to our homes in the states and pays for the rest of the school year regardless if we come back to work. go revolution!
in the end... sticking with qsi is our best best. because of the pay... the insurance... and the fact that after next year we have the option of going to one of the qsi schools in eastern europe which would be ideal.
until then... we will keep you updated on the job opportunities in nablus, costa rica and vietnam.
the international school ho chi minh city in vietnam and the la paz community school in costa rica. the school in vietnam is hiring an athletic director/head of physical education while the school in costa rica is looking for a middle school math/science teacher. both of them seem like pretty amazing opportunities and incredible places to live. costa rica would be a better option as it would be so much easier and less expensive to travel back and forth to houston/california. but we hear that vietnam is a great place to live and i would love being an athletic director.
the down side of taking another position (as much as an "upgrade" that costa rica or vietnam would be over kyrgyzstan) is that we would lose our health care for the summer... which isn't something we can afford to do while having a baby. also... qsi is really flexible in regards to jen's work schedule. she can take an extended leave... come back part time or come back full time. a new school isn't going to provide us with that flexibility and jen would have to wait until year two to get a position at the new school and that is assuming that a position opens up.
so in many ways... we are just going through the motions with the other schools and not seriously considering leaving here. we like bishkek. it feels like home and we have a good routine. the big downside is that it is SO FAR away from the states and if our "connected" friends are right... the country is becoming less stable day by day... although we don't see it our feel it. if there is a "revolution"... our contract says that qsi evacuates us back to our homes in the states and pays for the rest of the school year regardless if we come back to work. go revolution!
in the end... sticking with qsi is our best best. because of the pay... the insurance... and the fact that after next year we have the option of going to one of the qsi schools in eastern europe which would be ideal.
until then... we will keep you updated on the job opportunities in nablus, costa rica and vietnam.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
we are moving to palestine!
ok... not really and not yet. but the interview did go really, really well and i have two follow up interviews (one with the outgoing director and one with the president of the board) next week.
the conversation with nell (the international relations director) was interesting. the ngo is called "tomorrow's youth organization" and they have been programing in nablus since last march... so they are very new and one of the few ngos on the ground in nablus. if you aren't familiar with nablus... here is the lowdown courtesy of wikipedia.
if you want to skip wikipedia and get right to it: yes nablus is part of palestine. yes it is in the west bank. yes access in and out of the city is tightly controlled by israeli defense forces. yes the idf conduct night time raids into the city to round up militants. yes the city is full of refugees from the palestinian/israeli conflict. yes an occasional suicide bomber might have come from nablus.
the other side of the coin is that people are the same all over the world and all they are looking for is a fair shake in life. tyo's mission is to provide kids with a chance to have a "normal" childhood. opportunities to learn and play the way kids should learn and play. seems pretty simple but when you realize that the palestinian families of nablus live very restricted lives and that everything from their food supplies to their water to their electricity is controlled by the israelis. it is a pretty bleak life and not a lot of hope growing up for these kids. without hope you get the same cycle of violence happening again and again and again. tyo is about giving hope and fun and joy to these families. to break the cycles of violence.
pretty inspiring stuff. here is a video from their website that talks about what they do:
i am still learning more about the position of "center director" and what it means to live in the west bank as an american (with a wife and a baby). will let you know more as we find out more.
this afternoon, we had "high tea" with the stillwells. and as i have mentioned before... they have spent the past 18 years living in central asia and afghanistan working for ngos. so they are a great source of inspiration and information to jenny and me. we talked alot about the opportunity and what it would mean for us, etc. it was good for us to hear their take on everything.
lots to think about.
the conversation with nell (the international relations director) was interesting. the ngo is called "tomorrow's youth organization" and they have been programing in nablus since last march... so they are very new and one of the few ngos on the ground in nablus. if you aren't familiar with nablus... here is the lowdown courtesy of wikipedia.
if you want to skip wikipedia and get right to it: yes nablus is part of palestine. yes it is in the west bank. yes access in and out of the city is tightly controlled by israeli defense forces. yes the idf conduct night time raids into the city to round up militants. yes the city is full of refugees from the palestinian/israeli conflict. yes an occasional suicide bomber might have come from nablus.
the other side of the coin is that people are the same all over the world and all they are looking for is a fair shake in life. tyo's mission is to provide kids with a chance to have a "normal" childhood. opportunities to learn and play the way kids should learn and play. seems pretty simple but when you realize that the palestinian families of nablus live very restricted lives and that everything from their food supplies to their water to their electricity is controlled by the israelis. it is a pretty bleak life and not a lot of hope growing up for these kids. without hope you get the same cycle of violence happening again and again and again. tyo is about giving hope and fun and joy to these families. to break the cycles of violence.
pretty inspiring stuff. here is a video from their website that talks about what they do:
i am still learning more about the position of "center director" and what it means to live in the west bank as an american (with a wife and a baby). will let you know more as we find out more.
this afternoon, we had "high tea" with the stillwells. and as i have mentioned before... they have spent the past 18 years living in central asia and afghanistan working for ngos. so they are a great source of inspiration and information to jenny and me. we talked alot about the opportunity and what it would mean for us, etc. it was good for us to hear their take on everything.
lots to think about.
Friday, March 13, 2009
job interview
i have a job interview today with a community center in nablus, west bank, palestine. the ngo is called "tomorrow's youth organization" and it offers education and community programs for families in nablus. i don't know much more about the job other than that... i found the organization on idealist.org and decided to see what it was all about as i was inspired by what they do.
i will let you know how it goes.
i will let you know how it goes.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
we are moving to bishkek!
it is (mostly) official... we've accepted the teaching positions with bishkek international school in kyrgzystan and will be spending our first year of marriage living in central asia! there are still a couple of logistical issues to resolve before removing the "mostly" tag. such as obtaining our visas, figuring out house and dog care, and a million other moving logistics. but it is all going to work out. we spent some quality family time this week and david's family is very supportive of the move and happy for us.
jen and i are both really excited to return our focus back to the most important day of our lives to date... our wedding!
jen and i are both really excited to return our focus back to the most important day of our lives to date... our wedding!
Friday, June 27, 2008
law of attraction
jen worked yesterday taking photos all day for chick-fil-la at the houston astros game. while there, she was approached about doing corporate work/photography for the company in atlanta. today jen received a random call from local wedding photographer looking for an assistant tomorrow night. sunday morning jen leaves for a three day trip to boston assisting for paul s. howell.
i received an email this morning from the city of houston asking me to apply for a position as the coordinator of the houston bikeways program - a really cool position. they are going to start interviewing in the next couple of weeks.
funny how the law of attraction works.
i received an email this morning from the city of houston asking me to apply for a position as the coordinator of the houston bikeways program - a really cool position. they are going to start interviewing in the next couple of weeks.
funny how the law of attraction works.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
we've been offered the positions
received a phone call from mr. philpot late this morning. he has offered us the positions. jen teaching kindergarten and me teaching (five preps) secondary science. we need to sign the contract by the first of next week if we are going to accept although qsi would prefer if we let them know sooner. wow...
bishkek international school website
bishkek international school website
Monday, June 23, 2008
the interview
we just finished the interview earlier this afternoon. we picked up mr. philpot at houston hobby airport and drove to the local marriot where we spend two and a half hours sitting and talking.
i want to give jen a chance to share her thoughts as well... but speaking for both of us... it was really good to meet with him. our topics of conversation ranged from the realities of living in bishkek to travel opportunities in the region; from letting go of our american perspectives to immersing ourselves fully into another culture; from the professional expectations of being a teacher for qsi to the flavor of horse meat. we spent more time interviewing mr. philpot than he spent interviewing us.
jen did a great job focusing on questions revolving around life in central asia. safety... standard of living... budgeting our money. we both felt like mr. philpot (he doesn't go by larry) was honest and open about the challenges we will face. he kept repeating that we needed to be intrepid and tough and flexible. he also called jennifer the most confident woman he had ever interviewed for a job to teach oversees (go jenny!).
needless to say the interview went well and we walked away both impressed with the qsi organization and feeling much more comfortable about moving to kyrgyzstan.
i want to give jen a chance to share her thoughts as well... but speaking for both of us... it was really good to meet with him. our topics of conversation ranged from the realities of living in bishkek to travel opportunities in the region; from letting go of our american perspectives to immersing ourselves fully into another culture; from the professional expectations of being a teacher for qsi to the flavor of horse meat. we spent more time interviewing mr. philpot than he spent interviewing us.
jen did a great job focusing on questions revolving around life in central asia. safety... standard of living... budgeting our money. we both felt like mr. philpot (he doesn't go by larry) was honest and open about the challenges we will face. he kept repeating that we needed to be intrepid and tough and flexible. he also called jennifer the most confident woman he had ever interviewed for a job to teach oversees (go jenny!).
needless to say the interview went well and we walked away both impressed with the qsi organization and feeling much more comfortable about moving to kyrgyzstan.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
planning
there are lists, and lists, and lists of things to do before we go.
i am the list maker in the duo.
1.get married
2.pack our stuff
3.get on the plane
sounds so easy, but there's so much to each step.
- jennifer
addendum - here is a packing list we received from the wife of the former director of bsi. just a bit intimidating!
i am the list maker in the duo.
1.get married
2.pack our stuff
3.get on the plane
sounds so easy, but there's so much to each step.
- jennifer
addendum - here is a packing list we received from the wife of the former director of bsi. just a bit intimidating!
how it started
tuesday, june 17
it started on a whim. our friends brian and giselle (with baby emma) were in houston visiting family and decided to spend a tuesday afternoon hanging out with us in montrose. they have been living and teaching abroad for the past three years in taiwan. prior to that brian taught in ecuador at an american school for three years. next year they are heading off to a school just south of seoul, south korea.
the life they live seems so “wonderful” to us. living in another country. traveling. teaching. saving money. having a baby. good stuff. it seemed really like something that we would like to do one day. one day.
we weren’t really in a position to go oversees now. jen is still working on her teaching certificate. we have only been in houston for a short time and seemed a bit too soon to leave the family behind. we really love houston. jen’s photography is really taking off. chick-fa-la for a year! and we are starting to build a really cool community of folks. maybe one day.
that said, it didn’t seem to hurt to send out a couple of inquires.
wednesday, june 18
a couple of emails greet me wednesday morning before i head off to work. one from ac barker the outgoing director of bishkek international school and one from jim gilson the president of qsi (quality schools international). both of them saying thanks for your interest... we are looking to hire a married couple to teach middle school science and kindergarten... and fill out an application!
mr. gilson also provided the following information...
QSI is a non-profit organization that has 37 schools in 26 different countries. QSI schools serve the international communities in our cities.
Many of our schools have come into existence at the request of personnel in an American Embassy (or Consulate). The Office of Overseas Schools of the US Dept of State gives small grants to 17 QSI schools. Except for our newer schools, all are accredited, 20 by Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (Philadelphia) and the two in Venezuela by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
jenny was already at work. i called her excitedly and just threw out words like "central asia" and teaching because i had no idea how to pronounce "bishkek" or "kyrgyzstan". although it seemed kind of crazy, we decided to fill out the online applications together later that night.
jenny and i stayed up late on wednesday filling out the online application and doing some research on qsi. we talked to brian and he sent an email out to his former director who has been in the teaching abroad circuit for quite a while to see what he knew about the organization. we went to sleep daydreaming about the possibilities.
thursday, june 19
the dogs finally had had enough of us sleeping by 7:55am. by "us" i mean me as jenny was in full fledged crashed out mode. she had thursday off so it was a good chance for her to sleep in. i let the dogs out and plop down in front of the laptop to read about another astro's defeat and check my email.
My name is Larry Philpot. I am a consultant for QSI. One of the things that I do for QSI is to check references and interview applicants in the Southwest area of the US. I worked overseas for 30 years with the Department of Defense Schools as a teacher and administrator. I am retired and live in Arkansas.
I will call you this morning at 8:00 a.m. to talk with you and let you know that we will begin calling your references today.
As you have heard from Mr. Gilson, we believe that we have two positions which meet your qualifications in Bishkek, Kyrgistan. I was in Bishkek last November and liked it very much. Central Asia and the Tin Shan mountains is one of my favorite places in the world.
Kind Regards...
No more than 10 seconds after reading the email and before i can even get up off the couch to wake up jennifer, the phone rings. it is mr. philpot.
the phone conversation lasts about an hour. the conversation flows back and forth between mr. philpot interviewing me and giving me a sales pitch on quality schools international, bishkek and living in central asia. most of his questions revolve around our relationship. how long have be been together? other than being recognized by the state of texas as a couple... do we have proof of a marriage license? how much more does she have in school? what kind of people are we?
i ask lots of questions about safety... living in a muslim country... standard of living... compensation...
the hour ends with mr. philpot saying he is going to spend the day checking our reference (both personal and professional) and that he will send me an UNOFFICIAL salary quotation. he thinks that we could be a great fit.grant, please excuse my grownup word... "holy shit!"
i get off the phone, wake up jennifer and try to fill her in with everything that just happened.
here are my notes from the conversation -
what are the preps?
US Textbooks
US School curriculum
David's Preps?
Algebra
Biology
Middle School Science
Need to be flexible
Jennifer - five year olds... Kindergarden
New Director
They don't know the level of kid yet... week before school
No travel outside of city... state department warning
Don't advertise that you are an american
No Guns! Very friendly people. Local american airforce base.
Be low key... safe, safe, safe
QSI has five schools in the region
Muslim
Bishkek - everything you could want to find
Salaries - around $30,000 tax free
Housing is paid for
Insurance is paid for
Transportaion once a year is paid for
Visa's paid for
Small shipping allowance ($1000 a piece)
Helps with logistics for paying water bill, electic bill
State department medivack to Dubia
Travel from Almaty
He has been in all kinds of "crazy" places... Central Asia is safe! Somewhat isolate. Muslim. Former russian republic.
Cost of Living -
we should be able to afford a maid
School will lease/sell a car.
Ride school bus to school. Ride bike. Come close enough to walk. Good bus transportation.
Pre-K through 8 program
Random High School kids
Small Classes
The school is the official school of the us embassy. Embassy chief of staff sits on the board of the school. High quality people are a priority. The embassy really looks over everything.
The problem in kyrgistan... the international diplomatic staff are mostly high power busy people. so the wife has nothing to do and hangs around the school alot. this means alot of parent involvement. school is the center of the community. we are invited to the marine ball. other embassy parties.
i head off to "work" for the day. it is one of my most productive days at work ever. no... i didn't do a single piece of work as the assistant director of programs, outdoor adventure. i spend seven solid hours researching bishkek. i looked up blogs of people who had lived there. i emailed them. i tracked down people on facebook who lived in kyrgyzstan and emailed them. i did about twenty different google searches. "bishkek"... "living in kyrgyzstan"... "travel warning central asia"... "cost of living, bishkek"... "outdoor recreation, kyrgyzstan". lots and lots of information.
i talk to my director jay about the opportunity and he is super supportive and excited about it. i talk to some of my student staff and they too are supportive of the idea. things are happen so fast it is overwhelming.
friday, june 20
jen and i don't get much chance to talk things over. she is busy and out late with work. i am trying to be realistic and not get too caught up in the idea. hard to do. yesterday's productivity doesn't compare to today's as a spend a solid eight hours at work online researching bishkek and talking to friends. mr. philpot has started to check with references as i get a couple of calls/text messages/emails through the day that say things like "you are going to teach in russia?" and "kurg-a-what?". i email back and forth with mr. philpot as he has trouble getting in touch with someone who remembers me at manor middle school or jennifer's former principal. he sounds frustrated at times but says that he is excited about this working out.
jen works late again. i spend another four hours (on the couch this time) online and i think that i have exhausted google. every once and a while i let out a little yep(!) as a find a new nugget of information. i want to share everything with jennifer so i start pasting post in facebook but that doesn't feel like enough.
the bishkek adventure blog is born.
saturday, june 21
another long day of jennifer being off at work. i have too much time on my hands to think and stress. do we really want to leave houston? is the timing wrong because of jen's photography business? what about the dogs? what about my family? what about... what about... what about...
sunday, june 22
seems like all of the "shot in the dark" emails are starting to pay off. thanks to anne, jeremy, mike and sarah for responding to our questions. they all LOVE bishkek but also are pretty honest about the realities of living in a second world community. rolling power outages (hey... happens in california every summer!)... drunk cab drivers (who doesn't love vodka?)... the lack of people who speak english (russian is the main language... this could be a problem)... but each of them says that it was a wonderful place to be with good people.
jen and i spent some time today talking about the realities of going. the apartment. our car. molly and boone (that one is really tough). leaving family. coming up with a budget to save money. traveling to california. having a wonderful wedding before we go. the reality is pretty heavy.
our interview is tomorrow. more information to come.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)