Sorry for the hiatus. I may or may not have been staying awake ’til the ass crack of dawn watching the World Cup with friends here in Rizhao these past two weeks. Also, I’ve been busy solidifying my legal residency in China for one more year, sending documents back and forth in the mail and whatnot, so the blog has sadly taken a backseat. Today, instead of publishing something about Chinese culture and cuisine, I just wanna announce a few things, including my plans for this summer and my next job. Plus, Monkey Abroad reached 100 posts!
The Summer Plan
Some folks use the money they earn while teaching ESL to return to their home country and enjoy a vacation in familiar territory, but not this monkey. I’m gonna do the smart thing with my dough and squander it all on travel.
The plan is to travel solo through China with no real plan. I’ll be on the road filming and taking photos of people, food and historic sites, using the website couchsurfing.org to hop around and sleep everywhere for free. I’ll stop first in central Xi’an to meet and consult backpackers and locals, then I’ll make my next travel decision from there, and so on, for one month.
Creating a detailed itinerary for a trip only leads to unnecessary anxiety, so instead of stressing over a set migratory timetable, I’m just gonna move in one direction at a time and focus on meeting new people and living in the present. The adventure isn’t in visiting any particular city or seeing any one historical site, it’s about the pathway and the unpredictable personal interactions along the way.
The Next Job
My next teaching gig starts in late August at Shanghai High School – International Division. It’s a huge step up in every way from my first teaching job at Pua High School in Thailand and a big step up from Rizhao Polytechnic College, where I just recently finished working. This new school has nearly 3000 students from more than 60 countries, 120 foreign teachers, and the entire curriculum is taught in English.
This summer, I’ll try my best to keep blog posts from becoming too sparse and sporadic. Once I move to Shanghai in late August and I’m settled and working, it’ll be easier to post on a regular schedule again. Until then, stay tuned for what’s ahead this summer.
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