The Countdown has begun!

26 days....26 DAYS!

Folks this is seeming all to real right about now! The countdown is ticking away, the stack of paperwork to complete before I leave is growing, and my to-do list seems to be never ending; but the time's   still ticking away!

I have an orientation this week in Columbus and it'll be the first time I get to meet some of the other crazies that are embarking on this amazing adventure with me as well as hopefully getting at least a chunk of my million questions answered.

I'll leave you go with a funny from a student of mine that I ran into at church the other day.

After running up and giving me a huge hug, he looked up at me with his big blue eyes and asked, "Miss St. John, when are you leaving to Tilwaynia?"   You've got to love them!

Taiwanese Foods?

I have been asked countless times during this preparation "journey" what I plan to eat for a year while living in Taiwan. If you've read any of my Semester at Sea blog, or shoot even if you just know me at all in general :) you know that I LOVE to eat! Needless to say I'm excited to try new foods.

That doesn't go to say though that I know exactly what I'll be getting into food wise though; so, I've been doing a little {actually a lot!} of research on what I may be eating for the next year.

Travel CNN has quite a list of foods that one should {supposedly} try while in Taiwan. After a year of living there I'm hoping to try quite a bit, and I will be sure to let you know what I think about them! (As a side note, I can't wait until smell-a-vision is a real thing, let's be honest smells of delicious foods are what I want to remember when I get home from trips!)

and without further ado... 

{clicking on a picture will give you a little more detail about what it is!}

Beef Noodle...sounds simple enough!

Bubble Tea..."tapioca" in tea

Iron Eggs...a chewy egg marinated in soy sauce {a little worried about this one!}

Pan Fried Bun...fried bread with pork inside

Stinky tofu...sounds self explanatory!

Any foods that you're dying to try or that you wouldn't dream about even touching?!

I Have a School!

OK....well technically 2! I continue to be asked if I know where I will be teaching at and I now have an answer (on a side note I'm not 100% sure why I was so excited to find out, it's not like I know any of these schools anyways! But nonetheless!). Initially we were given a list of each of the counties in Taiwan that had positions open and asked to rank the counties that we would like to live in, not knowing where to start I began ruling out places that were not options in my mind; counties that only had middle school openings, counties located on the western and much less populated side of the island, the teeny remote (like 11 sq. miles remote!) island off the coast of Taiwan...you know, rule out those types of options! I then, more blindly than anything, began to rank the remaining counties.

I received an email the other day stating that I had been placed in 2 schools nearby each other and that both schools were relatively small. Both schools are located in Hsinchu county on the northwestern side of the country just over 50 miles southwest of the capital Taipei (if you use the map above it is the light purple county).

The schools I have been assigned to are Hsin-Fong Elementary School, and Fu-Long Elementary School (again...like I said before I'm not sure why I was so excited to find out, clearly I have never heard of either of these places before! :) )

Since finding out my placements I have been scouring (ok trying to with the language barrier!) their websites. If you click on the pictures below they will take you to each schools' site to have a look for yourself!

Fu-Long Elementary School

Hsin-Fong Elementary School

BIG NEWS!

I guess it's time I finally make the big announcement....although if you have stumbled upon my blog you probably already know the new! I have recently accepted a teaching position for the 2015-2016 school year in ....drum roll....TAIWAN!!!!

There are still many unknowns and questions that I don't yet have answered about my upcoming school year, but I couldn't be any more excited about this amazing opportunity!!! I ask for each of your prayers and support as I begin to prepare for this next step and great change in my life!

 First a little glimpse to get you situated with the where abouts of Taiwan.

A closer look at the island country that I will soon call home.

 

The Taiwanese flag and symbol of the country.

 

August 8th can't come soon enough!!

Big Girl Life

If you were a previous visitor to my old Semester at Sea blog, you have most likely noticed (or at least lie and tell me you did!) that I have been missing for the last 4.5 year. Sadly, the truth is I’ve been stuck, for the most part, in the United States {OK I’m not going to lie to you completely! I’ve managed several trips to Mexico, NYC, DC, South Carolina, Tennessee….ok so may not so stuck!}. I guess things like college, big girl jobs, masters degrees, and moving out on your own tend to get in the way of exploring all that the world has to offer me!

The little brother and I at my graduation

So for the quick recap on my life since you last visited….I graduated from Ashland University in the spring of 2012 with my degree in Early Childhood Education. I received several job offers and have been teaching first grade at St. Edward Elementary School in Ashland, Ohio for the past 3 years. I recently also graduated with my master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Literacy from Ashland University. 

Although I have been very blessed with everything life has thrown my way in the last couple of years, a terrible case of wanderlust has sunk in and I am looking for something new…stay turned, I promise it’s worth it!