The Power of Positivity

To family and friends around the world...

I am one very fortunate person. Having landed back in India, back in Karnataka, back in Banglaore (aka Bengaluru), back in Sahakar Nagar, back at my old school, I do not believe I have not stepped back in time at all; I believe that I am moving forward and growing personally and professionally.

This was not totally my own personal decision. But circumstances, happenstances, or whatever you want to call it, created an opportunity to move. I have landed forward, I am moving forward, and for the first time in a long time, I am experiencing the power of positivity in my life.

What has caused this drastic U turn? I am not sure if it was a psychological, physical, spiritual, social or emotional change; perhaps it has been a combination of these influences. Perhaps it is because I am at the beginning of a week long holiday, but I am grateful today to write that I am feeling so much better!

At the end of this post you will find informationa about the India holiday Dussehra. All I can tell you now is that it is very quiet here in my apartment block. Usually on a Saturday afternoon such as this the play area outside my flat full of children noisily having a grand time. But today, not so much.

I LOVE Science

Perhaps it was the week that was. Many exciting things are happening at our school these days. This past week was a celebration of Science, culminating in a school-wide science exhibition whereby almost every student created a unique project having something to so with science. There were models, displays, experiments, and many "ah ha" moments for me. I totally enjoyed peeking at the projects and speaking with the young scientists. The event was for only 2.5 hours, and would have taken the whole day to see and appreciate everyone's efforts. All in all a great success. 

Jem

My state of happiness might have be caused by some of the regular conversations, chats, and communications that have been happening online over the past month. People like Jem (Kuwait) on WhatsApp and Messenger, and Em, and Lindsay, and The Glue (all in Kuwait) on Instagram, my brother (Ottawa) on Twitter, my sister from Florida on Messenger, my husband, my son and grandchildren (all in Canada) on Skype, my friend Carole Ann((Ontario) on Facebook, or even Cheryl (Clarksburg), my sister Karen (Missisauga), and Edith (Maberly) on email, Sarah, Tom, Anne and Anthony, and  Linda from Vietnam, and Lina from Sri Lanka. And these are only a few of the connections I have heard from over the past week. It is indeed a joy to connect, and I am grateful to everyone for staying in touch. 

A symbol for who keeps me steady

I have to admit that my anchor point is the daily chat on Skype with my husband, who has elected to stay behind in Ontario for the first four months of my stay in India. His cheerful face on voice on Skype is a delight to my eyes and ears. I am very much looking foward to his coming to spend time here during the cold winter months. 

Probably the biggest news is that I am going to have to move in the next couple of months. The apartment where I am living is called a "service apartment" reserved for people who are working at the building. Fortunately I have been able to stay here for as long as I have, but the school is now actively looking for another place, perhaps even closer to the school and the pool. So I am looking forward to that. 

And also to the Dussehra holiday which is upon us now. Here is a little bit of information about this festive time of the year in many parts of India. Enjoy the read!

Until next time,


Bee Rich

When is Dussehra?

How long until Dussehra?
This holiday next takes place in 7 Days.
Duration
1 Day
Summary
The festival of Dusseha symbolizes the triumph of good over evil in the legend of Rama and Ravana
Dates of Dussehra
Year	Weekday	Date
2019	Tuesday	October 8th
2018	Friday	October 19th
2017	Saturday	September 30th
2017	Friday	September 29th
2016	Tuesday	October 11th
Regions where Dussehra is a holiday
Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Madhya pradesh, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal

On this day, many of your colleagues in India will celebrate the culmination of the ten day Dussehra festival.

It may be known in some regions as Vijayadashami and in parts of southern India, it is known as Dasara. Other regional spellings include Dashera and Dussera.

As this is a ten day festival based on a lunar date with many important days and also because it has many different names in the various regions on India, it is difficult to determine when each region has a holiday. On this site, we show the date of the tenth day and you can assume that most regions will observe this a public holiday.

Traditions of Dussehra

In India, the festival of Dussehra symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. The festival traditionally represents the legend of Rama and Ravana. Ravana, the demon king, abducted the beloved Princess of India, Sita. The Lord Rama rescued the Princess, proving victorious over the powerful and evil King Ravana.

The Dussehra festival is ten days long, culminating on the tenth day, the Dussehra holiday.

On the day of Dussehra, large statues of Ravana are constructed and brought into open fields.

These effigies are burned and with them the evil they represent, so that the people are allowed to follow the path of virtue and goodness throughout the year.

Ayudha Puja

On the ninth day of Dussehra, Ayudha Puja is celebrated in several regions of India. Celebrations may involve many common and seemingly mundane tooo and implements used in everyday life, such as computers, books, cars, or kitchen tools.

The aim is to see the divine in everything, notably those things used in one's livelihood. It is believed that this day is also a blessed one for any new venture to start on.

In 2017, Ayudha Puja is a holiday in Tamil Nadu.

Navaratri

In the southern India states, this festival is called Navaratri ('nine nights') and revolves around the worship of the goddesses Lakshmi and Sarasvati. Lakshmi is associated with good luck and wealth, and Sarasvati is linked with wisdom and fertility.

The festival is a time for visiting friends and relatives, and houses are decorated with colourful displays of toys and images of gods. In Gujarat there are nine days of music and dancing..

Source: http://www.officeholidays.com/countries/india/dusserhra.php

Back to Blogging

Six months ago I wrote my last post. As they say in Kuwait, too much time has passed. It seems a lifetime ago. I was living in Kuwait, away from my family in North America, working at BBS, teaching a cute little Grade 1 class. I was happily employed by the school plus working as a tutor for several families. I fully intended on teaching for one more year in Kuwait, and then possibly retiring to a more settled lifestyle at home in Canada.

Sometimes the universe creates situations that mess up intentions. Just after the Family Day weekend in February, when my son visited by husband, the word from home was that my husband was not well. His symptoms were severe and included muscle and joint pain, and fatigue. He was not himself, and because he had been bitten by a tick in early November, he suspected that he might have Lyme disease.

It is a very long story. According to www.cdc.gov,

Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans through the bite of the black legged ticks. Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash....If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system. Lyme disease is diagnosed based on symptoms...and the possibility of exposure to ticks. Laboratory testing is helpful if used correctly and performed with validated methods, Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully with a few weeks of antibiotics.

What the CDC does not say is that some doctors are reluctant to diagnose Lyme, lab tests are often inaccurate, and the symptoms vary among individuals. Hence, to make a very long story short, my husband's illness was not formally diagnosed until April, and then only after several trips to emergency, many different diagnoses, and obtaining a second opinion.

The good news is that once the diagnosis was made by a competent doctor, antibiotics were prescribed, and my husband began to feel better. In fact by the time I arrived home in mid-June for the summer, most of his pain had subsided. Today he is feeling almost himself again, except for the need for frequent naps.

Here is a little more information about the tick from the National Geographic website:

The "loathsome" black-legged tick! 

"The loathsome deer tick, now known as the black-legged tick, is defined more by the disease it  spreads than by its own characteristics....These blood - sucking members of the arachnid family were vaulted into the public consciousness in the mid-1970s when it was discovered that they are the primary (and possibly only) transmitters...for Lyme disease...a debilitating, though rarely fatal, infection that is often misdiagnosed....Victims usually have a slowly-spreading bull's-eye-shaped rash where the tick is attached, but not always. If untreated by antibiotics, patients can develop a variety of health problems,including facial paralysis, heart palpitations, arthritis, severe headaches, and neurological disorders. Lyme disease is currently one of the fasted growing vector-born disease in the United States. More than 14,000 cases are reported annually, but ...scientists estimate as many as nine out of ten cases go unreported." (http://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/d/deer-tick/)

So, it appears that we are very fortunate to have a diagnosis and a treatment plan, including approximately six months of antibiotics, and that he can now move forward with a more normal lifestyle.

Before the actual diagnosis in April, I chose to be at home, so consequently resigned from my position in Kuwait. Fortunately, with my husband's improvement, I have once again decided to look for teaching positions internationally. Another long, long, long story made short, I have been hired by a previous school in India as the Primary Coordinator, and have now relocated to Bangalore. The best news is that my husband will be joining me for the winter months. For this I am very grateful, a little nervous, and of course, excited!

Here we are at our daughter's wedding- the subject of my next post! 

It can be said that with the bad comes the good, every cloud has a silver lining, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade, or whatever the weather, we will weather the weather, and all are true. My motto lately is:  "It is what it is." So, turn that frown upside down because there are always sunny skies ahead, with the possibility of rainbows.

Until next time,

Bee Rich

Hubby's Here, and so is December!

It is rather exciting that just over two weeks ago, my husband arrived in Kuwait from Canada. With him came the much anticipated jar of Kraft peanut butter and a big can of President's Choice West Coast Dark Roast Gourmet Coffee (so much for giving up peanuts and caffeine!).

Anticipation is one of the most glorious of feelings...the anticipation of the arrival of people, certain events, holidays, and other positive experiences often makes my heart sing. Fa la la la la! I am learning to accept such opportunities with gratitude.

It is not anything extraordinary that makes me smile. In fact, even the most mundane of tasks can be joyful when completed with someone you love. Some examples include cooking, washing and drying dishes, and making the bed in the morning.

Our days are simple, yet busy. Awake at 4 am, making the first French press pot of coffee, sipping that first taste of the dark warm fluid, walking to work, meeting up after work, preparing a simple meal, playing with the cat, watching the BBC or French news, and reading in bed, are just a few of the precious moments that occur on any given day.

For me, teaching on a regular basis is also heartwarming. I come home with some stories to share about children, colleagues, meetings, and sometimes even surprises. I had a whole string of positive messages from children and children's parents after the last round of report cards and parent teacher conferences. When problems arise, which often occurs, I feel stronger to face them knowing that I have an friend at home to on which to bounce ideas off.

All this to say that I am absolutely thrilled to be spending the next month in the company of family. Talk about anticipation. At school the countdown is on. A mere eight days of classes (plus another set of report cards!), and then we will be heading to our home in Canada. Shortly after that we will wing our way to North Dakota to spend Christmas with our daughter and her boyfriend.

On Boxing Day we will return home to await the arrival of our son and grandchildren for a couple of days.

But then, all good things must come to an end. January will see me back in Kuwait for the second semester of school. From January through June, it looks like I will be on my own again, teaching during the day, and hopefully swimming and walking and doing those things that I have not had the opportunity to do since the broken rib incident.

I have determined to enjoy each moment, to treasure the memories made, and to not obsess about the future. What will be will be. Life is good!

Until next time,

Bee Rich

PS  It is rainy season in Kuwait. Thunder and lightning and downpours remind us of a warm Canadian autumn.

New School Year- New Goals!

It's not all about the cat!

 Look at the date!  It's been less than a week since my last post and I am hoping that this will be a weekly event.  It is Saturday night here in Kuwait. I have been here for less than 24 hours, and slept for at least twelve of them.  It is hot.  The AC is not working and I have had several "technicians in and out, but no luck yet.  Keeping cool with a cup of green tea and a wet towel around my neck. The cat, as you can see, is very much alive. She has cried a lot since I have been here; her way of saying "Meow I missed you!"

The day before leaving for Kuwait, I had my teeth cleaned by my dear friend from elementary days, Muriel. She is an independent Dental Hygienist working in west Ottawa on Preston Street. Not only did I have the dental job done, but I joined  Muriel for a walk to a beautiful Thai restaurant, where we caught up with one another's lives (after all it's been more than a year since we chatted) and immensely enjoyed our food and drink. After dinner we went to an Italian bistro for a latte. Although tempted, I skipped dessert, for obvious reasons. This got me thinking about some of my goals for the school year- Goal #1- Stay in touch with friends and Goal #2- FLOSS!

I am so proud of my friend Muriel- almost 40 years as a dental hygienist! 

 My final morning in Canada was spent at home finishing the final packing for travel to Kuwait. My dear husband waited patiently while I checked and double checked for the essentials- passport, Kuwait identification card, toothbrush and floss, sweater and socks for the flight. I said bye bye to dear Mika, loaded the truck and set off to Ottawa to meet my favourite brother for breakfast at Joe's Pizza. No kidding, that is the name of the best breakfast restaurant in his area of Ottawa. Thanks Rick for the breakfast! Goal #3- Stay in touch with family

Now the trip was one of the best I have experienced. After clearing US customs in Ottawa, it was the waiting game. My husband had arranged for my laptop to be cleaned,( while I was having my teeth cleaned),so I was able to putter around on the web, keep track of the Olympics, and enjoy a cup of Tim's. Goal #4- Take better care of technology (laptop, iPad, iPhone, Kindle) and Goal #5- Cut back on coffee consumption

I boarded the plane to Newark and enjoyed the hour trip to Newark airport, just outside of New York City. The three hour layover there passed quickly and with no need to change terminals, I walked for an hour, then settled in to a lovely glass of Pinot Grigio while watching the end of the women's soccer match and the beginning of a men's. Goal #6- Cut back on pinot. 

The second plane ride of the day was a bit late departing Newark, but arrived only a few minutes late in Frankfurt. Upon landing I thought I had picked up some type bug...upset stomach, cramps, and a horrendous headache. It could have been the six hour flight with no bathroom break- window seat- or it could have been the pinot. Long story short, I found a quiet place to lie down and sleep, and woke up with some relief. Happily when I arrived at the gate, a colleague and her friend were waiting for the same flight. Fortunately, he had some extra strength headache medication, which helped. Big thanks to Mike and Hannah! Again, it was a three hour layover, and spent the time walking around, browsing the duty free shops, and a monitoring the Facebook chatter.

Plane number three out of Frankfort had me seated at the back of the plane in an aisle seat, I was happy to be able to get up and go when the need arose. I watched two different inspirational films, both which told the stories of about athletes who overcame great odds- tennis player Althea Gibson and diver Greg Louganis.

Tennis Star Althea Gibson

Greg Louganis is an accomplished athlete, LGBT rights activist, mentor to US divers, and auther

Goal #7- Must read this book!

Now, back to present day...I arrived in Kuwait at around 8 p.m. The line for passport control was extremely large; however, I was so impressed with the courtesy of the other travelers. When my turn came, I was stamped and then able to collect my luggage, which came out almost immediately. The taxis were also available and I was in the apartment by 9:30 pm.

After a bit of unpacking, I decided to get to sleep at 11 pm, thinking I would get up at 7 am and go for a swim. Not to be!  I did not even hear the alarm. A headache woke me up at 10:30 and after a black coffee and about a litre of water, I fell back asleep until noon. I noticed the apartment was a little warm and despite being on, it appeared that the air conditioning was not working. I fiddled with the settings, but could not get the temperature to drop below 27.5. As I write, I am awaiting the technician. Goal #8- Practice patience

In the meantime, I checked out what food was left in the apartment, and was pleased to find some vanilla ice cream and pita bread in the freezer, plus plenty of tea and peanut butter in the cupboard.
Goal #9- Shop for groceries tomorrow morning. 

If you know me, you probably realize that I like change. The rest of the day was spent moving furniture. The apartment is quite small and its furnishings are quite big, plus I had acquired some extra "things", so it was necessary to reorganize. The result is what you see below.  Goal #10- Get rid of (give away or sell) some of the extra things that are not being used. 

The dining room/den

The bedroom/workout room

The living room (TV in the corner)

The reading corner (and cat)

The cozy kitchen/laundry room- fridge is in the corner

That is the end of the apartment tour, the end of the goals (almost), and the end of this blog post. I have landed. I am feeling refreshed after a lengthy trip. I have wonderful memories of summer holidays. Finally, I look forward to a new school year with a class of new children, a new and improved positive attitude, and a long list of promises to keep.

Until next time,

Bee Rich

PS The AC is now working. Present temperature is 25.5 C. YAY!

Life at the Lake

As a younger person, I was always thrilled to take a trip down to upstate New York to visit my grandparents. They lived on Keuka Lake, one of the Finger Lakes located near Rochester and Syracuse. 

A trip to the lake meant a ride in a canoe, waterskiing, sailing, swimming, fishing, hiking, and eating around Grandma and Grandpa's lovely cottage table, set with the "cottage" dishes. Potato salad, macaroni salad, iced tea, sandwiches made up lunch, followed by a cookie or treat for dessert. 

It was a time to catch up with the family news, hear about the aunts, uncles and cousins that we rarely saw, and listen to my grandmother's stories about my father and uncles' childhood or her experiences as a itinerant teacher in Rochester. 

Our visits always started and ended with a warm hug, a "so nice to see you" or a "come back and visit soon!" Then, it was the long drive out the cottage road and the four hour road trip back home. Great memories. 

As our children grew up and left home, we often dreamed about having a place of our own on a small lake where my husband could fish and I could swim. In the early days of the 2000s, several years before my husband's retirement date, we began a search for waterfront property. 

We spent several weekends traveling to Eastern Ontario, which was closer to our mothers and also less expensive than the southern Georgian Bay community where we were living. We investigated properties around Kingston and Brockville, but were drawn northward by an Internet real estate advertisement. Driving around Little Silver Lake, where we had seen a not-so-suitable lot, we discovered one that seemed appropriate for our needs. 

It had a flat area perfect for a house and a gradual slope down to the water. We first saw it in the fall, and then contacted the real estate agent. By winter time, we were able to walk out on the lake and view the property from another angle. That was when we decided that this could be our new home. 

And the rest is history...purchasing of the lot, shopping for a builder, developing a site plan, attending council meetings for zoning changes, finding companies for escavating, drilling a well, installing a septic system. Each step along the way was discussed, debated and finally agreed upon, resulting ultimately with what we have today. 

As I write I hear the sounds of the water, the loons, the songbirds and the hum of a chainsaw, as my husband is out clearing property down the road, which is now owned by our daughter, who is planning to build her summer home in the next few years. I am reminded of the processes, the inevitable passage of time, and the joys of setting and achieving goals.

I realize that it was not just luck that brought us to this point in our lives, but dreaming, saving, planning and overcoming obstacles along the way. And as we continue this journey, we know that there will always be challenges, we trust that we will be able to face them head on, and we will continue to work together step by step. 

Until next time, 

Bee Rich

Making Progress!

I started this blog entry several weeks ago when I wasn't feeling very happy about the job situation.  I was moaning and groaning and feeling tremendous pressure to get out and get a job. The school year was (and still is) quickly coming to an end and because I left my supply teaching job in September, I was (and still am) really missing teaching and all the satisfaction of having spent a year with a specific group of children.

Adding to the unhappiness was the fact that my hubby was traveling to visit our daughter in Europe for two weeks. I had decided not to accompany him but stay home and catch up on some much needed house cleaning, job searching and down time. He will be returning this week and today I can say that I am glad I stayed home and accomplished several important jobs on my list: 

• Painting new trim- we have an almost completely finished "mudroom" entry way off the side of our house.  One of the items on the list was to fill the nail holes and seams and then paint the trim as well as paint the set of double doors for the closet. 

• Cleaning the house- after the construction the entire house was covered in a layer of fine drywall dust. This combined with an abundance of debris from not having cleaned for at least a month left our home looking pretty well dusty and dirty and ready for a clean sweep. I combined the cleaning with the purging of used items that were no longer necessary.   

• Painting the bathroom- a fresh coat of paint in the master bathroom kept me busy for one entire day.  How can such a small room take up so much time?  Perhaps it was because I was painting with a lighter colour and the walls required several coats of fresh paint.

• Cleaning up the cabin- my daughter has a log cabin just down the road from us which required a spring cleaning job.  Two half days of washing and sweeping and vacuuming has that job well under control. Did I mention that there were several families of mice living in the kitchen cupboards and in a Kleenex box?

• Visiting- It is always nice to step outside and have a visit with neighbours on our road who enjoy coffee in the morning and wine in the afternoon. We catch up on the latest news and views, swap recipes and gardening tips and enjoy said beverages. Sometimes we even share a meal together. Even more fun was the trip I took to visit with the grandchildren last weekend.  

• Writing job applications- I have applied to several local job advertisements as well as some international and Canadian teaching websites. I even got an email from an Egyptian school that may be interested in hiring me for the upcoming school year. 

• Cutting the grass- Usually I rely on my husband to start the gas lawn mower but the grass was getting much too thick so I was able to complete the job.  

• Refinishing dining room table- this is in process and would take an entire blog to explain some of the challenges.  Hoping that it turns out okay. 

• Weeding the flower beds- Just came inside from a warm afternoon in the flowers, pulling the alien plants. I love getting my hands dirty and it always looks better when it is done! 

• Laundry- It is amazing how little laundry gets dirty when there is only one of me at home.  I am sure I will have plenty to do when my husband comes home after two weeks away. 

• Cooking- not my favourite past time, but since I still have to eat, I have been trying out some new recipes.  Today is chicken soup with rice. Earlier this week I baked a banana bread and yesterday hosted a barbecue. Unfortunately the barbecue ran out of gas even before the burgers were on.  I guess I hosted a broil! 

We look forward to two events this summer. To celebrate our upcoming anniversary we are hosting a party in mid-July. I just know the next few weeks will be full just getting ready for that. In August we are flying to Vancouver as a first stop on our Alaskan cruise. This is one trip that we have looked forward to for many years. I am thankful to our daughter who has given such a wonderful gift.  Before you know it it will be school time again and hopefully by then I will be once again teaching.   

There are no pictures to document my jobs from the past two weeks because my husband has our camera.  Hopefully next time I will include some good shots!

Until next time,


Bee Rich

PS  I am passing on this blessing to readers everywhere...

Party Time with Colleagues

Too soon the end of the school year is coming!  I just realized yesterday that we have only five weeks left of our time here in Bangalore, and it made me feel nostalgic. In fact, I also felt a little bit sad. :(

To celebrate the ending of our school year and also the opening of their new "club" the owners of our school invited us for a day long event at the Chairman's Jade Resort.  It was the first major event held at the newly renovated facility, which will open to the public in just a few weeks.

The schedule of the day was somewhat of a surprise. We met at the school to ride a bus to the location. My first impression was "Wow!"  It was a beautiful resort surrounded by a variety of fauna.  Upon entrance we immediately were given drinks and then drawn to the very impressive poolside.

We rode a luxury school bus to the party!

Beautiful clean pool!

Even more beautiful colleagues!

There was much to do there.  The first little while was unstructured while we checked out the equipment- a trampoline, squash, badminton and tennis rackets, volleyball, to name a few and snapped pictures.  I took a little walk around and found the tennis, badminton and squash courts and skating park.

Tramping on the trampoline!

Walking under the vines...

Checking out the skate park.

Suddenly we heard a commotion coming from the poolside.  It was time to do some team building with a professional team builder from Bangalore.  Oh, right, I said to myself judgmentally, this can't be good. Well within minutes I realized I was wrong, wrong, wrong. 

It was fantastic.  The group of around 60 people played one of my favourite games, Fruit Salad, followed by a team competition to find things that began with various letter of the alphabet, then a ladies' only game similar to "BUZZ", where we stood in a circle and counted one at a time, but clapped on every multiple of five.  "One, two, three, four, CLAP, six, seven, eight, nine, CLAP", etc.  The first round was easy but it quickly got complicated as the circle decreased in size and the rate got faster and faster.  I was eliminated by clapping and shouting "six" at the same time! At the end the PhD on staff won while doing "sevens".  Way to go, Valentine! 

Another game was called "phone, stand".  Again I was eliminated very early for stalling.  That led to others being eliminated for other humiliating reasons.  

Finally we played a game men vs. woman which had us passing water from the pool down a line of about 25 people using only our hands. I eventually got to dip in the pool because my hands are so big; however, the men won the challenge by filling half of their beer bottle with cooperatively collected water. 

Team building with the whole gang.

Onlookers wondering, "What's next?"

Shortly after the games, a cake was presented to the couple who were married on May 4 and we enjoyed watching everyone share in the enjoyment and celebration.  After a lot of loud music and a little relaxation, we tucked in to a delicious dinner of Indian cuisine and then had a swim in the pool.  

Cake to celebrate the wedding of  Alwin and Sophia! 

My gorgeous TA and our 2013 baby!

One of the most interesting trees I have seen in India!

So much has happened in the past year.  I went from being an occasional teacher in Canada to a Year 3 teacher to a Year 3 Teacher and Primary School coordinator in six short months.  Several teachers and friends left our school, and then were were replaced by new colleagues.  My husband moved from Secondary school teaching to Middle school teaching. We got a new Headmaster and a new Director. Our Deputy Headmaster and his wife had a new baby. And so much more!

And finally, just near the end of the school year, our entire staff, including support staff, was treated to a marvelous day in the sun, designed to bring us together!  Now that I am feeling like we are together, it is sad to think that my husband and I will soon be leaving this amazing country, saying farewell to new friends and flying home. 

Fret not, I say to myself.  We will be heading back to another amazing country to spend time with our much-missed family and old friends and planning our future together. 

Until next time, 

Bee Rich

A New Adventure!

         

          Life is good.  Life is full of surprises.  Life happens.  In our busy world, sometimes it is a good idea to stop and say a prayer of thanksgiving.  Today I am thankful.  My husband and I are planning a trip in the very near future to a place where we never dreamt we would have the opportunity to travel. 
         We are going to India!  I was able to take a short term leave of absence from occasional teaching and will spend the next two months in a country that I have only read about in books, magazines, newspapers and on the Internet.  I have heard so many positive things from others about their travel in this far away land.  I am getting excited. 
         The next week will be a whirlwind of activity, but I am looking forward...

Until next time,


Bee Rich



        

An Unbelievable Beautiful Winter Morning!

An early morning ski!

           This morning was Sunday.  I woke up early and noticed the sun just peaking above the horizon.  Looking at the clock (6 a.m.) I stretched, yawned, and poked my husband. "It's time to get up if you are going fishing," I reminded him. 
           We made our way to the kitchen for that first cup of coffee and made our plan for the day.  He was going fishing and I would be doing course work before we left to visit my brother in "the city."  I finished an "e-tivity" and then looked out the window.  The fresh snow on the lake beckoned to me, and before I knew what was happening, I was dressing in layers, pulling on my ski boots, and sliding down the path to the lake. 
           I put on my skis and adjusted my poles.  Step, slide, pole, step, slide, pole...out I skied to the middle of the lake.  Stopping to capture my trail behind me on the digital camera, I also clicked a pic of our home on the up on the hill.

A winter wonderland!

         The I turned and headed down the lake in the direction of the ATV tracks.  Step slide pole, step slide pole, etc. In 500 metres I had lost my breath and my heart was pounding.  What a feeling!  I stopped to catch my breath and take a few more pictures. 

         
             What was that coming up the lake?  Was it a skid-oo? A fancy ATV? Superman?  I wasn't sure. You see my husband had just bought a new-to-him ATV and I had not seen it in action.  Honestly, as it came closer, I thought it was a snowmobile.  It couldn't have been my husband.  He hadn't been out on the lake long enough to even drill a hole.

           Then I realized that I wasn't wearing my glasses, so I couldn't see who or what it was riding up the lake, that was until it was right beside me...

           To my surprise it was my husband with a tale of woe to tell.  First, his new-to-him toboggan had fallen down the hill,breaking one ski.  He abandoned it at the bottom of the hill and headed out to his favourite fishing spot.  Once there, he got out the motorized auger to open the holes in the ice.  Unfortunately, snow had gotten in to where snow should not be and it would not start.  He had left his hand powered auger with the abandoned toboggan, so he had decided to come back to pick it up.  On the way back he noticed that the motor of the new-to-him ATV was running hot and steam was pouring out.  "Not a good morning," he told me. 
           Not to totally spoil a perfect morning I asked if he could do me a favour and take my picture, just to prove to my readers that yes, I was on the lake at 7 a.m., the temperature was -11 C, and I was wearing a smile.  Thankfully he obliged and this is what he saw:

Yes I do LOVE winter!!!

Until next time,


Bee Rich