Home for the Holidays

Greetings from Dubai! I am on a layover en route back to my new home on the other side of the world, so I decided to fight the urge to curl up and sleep on this lounge-y chair by writing about my first experience with reverse culture shock since starting this new chapter in my life.

Dubai really has it going on with these chairs in the gate area! 

My legs are so happy to stretch out after my 12-hour flight :-)

Many people told me that teaching abroad would change me. This seemed pretty obvious to me, but now I really understand what people mean. I knew that there was this evolution happening, but now that I have experienced my first big venture with reverse culture shock, it is even more apparent how differently I think, act, and feel than I did six months ago. It is difficult to explain, and I didn't even try to explain it to most people back home (unless they explicitly asked). On this trip, I visited Jacksonville, Gainesville (where I went to college - GO GATORS!), and New York City. In each of these places, I felt a strange mixture of feeling at home yet not truly belonging anywhere. I have happy memories and feelings in each of these places, but I am now in a completely different place in my life (literally and figuratively!). I'm not sure if it will ever be the same again. It is exciting and scary, and I am not in a rush for an answer. Time will tell.

But enough of the deep philosophical stuff. 

I started my journey back to the United States late night on December 16th. I was SO READY for break, as was everyone else on campus. I shared a cab to the airport with my friend Joseph that night because we were both taking flights in the 1 a.m. hour. Before making this trip, I reread my blog post about my journey over here. I made sure to pack the supplies necessary to make my trip comfortable. I also packed gifts to bring home to family and friends, and then I went on my way!

One of the main motivating factors for booking with Emirates this time (other than the fact that they are currently the #1 airline in the world...) is that the connections were so easy. The layovers in airports on my move to Yangon made me absolutely crazy - I spent 13 1/2 hours in airports on that journey! - and I knew I did not want that again. Emirates now flies into Yangon, so I did Yangon --> Dubai --> New York. So. Much. Better. I booked a separate domestic flight from NYC to Jacksonville so that I could spend a few days in New York on my way back to Southeast Asia. It is also easier booking out of a big hub like NYC. All of the trips to/from Jax were forcing me to spend 16-24 hours somewhere in the world, but the purpose of this trip was strictly to get me home and maximize my time there.

I see why Emirates is so highly regarded. First, they play music about airplanes and travel - such as "Fly Me To The Moon" by Sinatra and "Leaving On A Jet Plane" by Peter, Paul and Mary - as you board and exit the plane. The music selection was on point and definitely made me giggle. The staff is very friendly, the seats have ample leg room, the food is good... I could go on and on. I HIGHLY recommend this airline for those of you planning a visit to come see me on this side of the world. (Mama Britton is already booked for her trip in June! Yay!)

The first leg of my journey was six hours from Yangon to Dubai. It was a very quiet flight, as it took off a little before 2 a.m. and most people went to sleep. Emirates lights up a night sky in the cabin. I'm not going to lie... It was pretty cool! 

Not bad with the legroom... but the best part was that there was no seat to my left. 

It's reserved as a handicapped space, but no one booked it. My legs were 

able to stretch out the whole time without blocking the aisle!

Emirates and their night sky. Very charming. When it's time to wake up for landing, they have a sunrise too.

The food was actually pretty good... especially considering I was on a plane!

In my efforts to get on the correct time zone, I fought to stay awake for most of this part of the journey. I chatted with the guy next to me, who was from the UK and had spent the previous six weeks on holiday through Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. I was definitely envious of his trip and made mental notes of his recommended places to visit. When he fell asleep after dinner, I occupied myself with in-flight movies. I watched the new Jason Bourne movie and then started the Huntsman because I realized that I had started it on my trip to Yangon but didn't finish because the flight ended before the movie did. I started watching it again from the beginning, and wouldn't you know... they turned off the in-flight entertainment in the exact same spot I had to stop before. I actually laughed out loud about this (though it could have been the delirium setting in from the jet lag).

Welcome to Dubai!

Once in Dubai, I went through the connections security and nestled into a seat to wait for my next flight, which was in about two hours. I posted a picture of the glorious lounging chairs, and my friend Jeannie commented on the photo because she was IN the Dubai Airport at the same time! We took World Music Drumming together last summer in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. It is literally a small world. (Also, sometimes social media isn't all that bad.)

Jeannie and I had just enough time to hug, gush about how wonderful it is to be an international teacher, and talk about why it is so much better to travel in glasses than in contacts. This random little meeting really perked up my layover!

Once I boarded my flight to New York, I was really excited about the legroom. The flight was going to last about 14 hours, and there was no one in front of me to lean their chair alllllllllll the way back (because that is ALWAYS my luck!). Unfortunately, this flight was not as cozy as my previous one. It was hot, people were loud, the guy behind me kept kicking the chair, and the flight was full of screaming wild children. I forgot what that was like because children in Southeast Asia are simply not allowed to run around and lose their minds. The kids on this flight were actually running up and down the aisle screaming. Also, I was near the area where people went to stretch their legs, which made for a really loud flight and pretty much prevented me from sleeping. It was on this flight that I decided noise-canceling headphones were not a luxury, but in fact a necessity, and this would be my Christmas present to myself.

Holy leg room!

But at a cost... this guy was headed to the area where everyone else hung out 

to stretch their legs (and carry on loud conversations) throughout the entire flight.

Second dinner? Lunch? I had no idea. Day and time were a complete mystery to me by this point.

But then they gave us pizza as a snack. Steal. My. Heart.

It was a rough ride, but I finally made it to New York! I couldn't sleep because earplugs are simply NOT child-proof, so instead I finished the Huntsman and then watched like five other movies. The last one I watched was Elf. I am ashamed to say that I had never seen the movie in its entirety. I obviously needed to fix this problem. Also, this is the first time that I have truly felt the Christmas spirit in many years, so I was happy to watch a Christmas movie to add to my giddy, festive state. 

When I got to New York, I was excited to meet up with my dear friend Richie. He is an old running buddy of mine from New York. We go way back to the Queens Half Marathon in 2011. Surviving something that brutal creates a bond like no other! Haha! Anyway, Richie picked me up from the airport on my layover. We went to buy New York bagels for me to take home for breakfast in Florida, and then we ate at an Italian restaurant while we caught up on the last six months of our lives. It was so wonderful to see him, but in my delirious state from jet lag and lack of sleep, I forgot to snap a picture of us together. Next time, my friend!

As he dropped me off at the airport to catch my final flight home to Florida, I got a notification on my phone that my flight was delayed. It turned out to be delayed by more than four hours. I actually fell asleep sitting on a bar stool in a restaurant during that time. I decided that was poor form (do they charge extra if you sleep on the bar?), so I wandered around the airport so that I would stay awake. We finally boarded sometime around midnight, and I was immediately grateful that I had sprung for extra leg room on this flight. I got pretty lucky with my seat mates on this leg of the journey too. They were coming off an 8-day trip to NYC, and they excitedly talked about how much they loved the city. Anyone who loves my city like that is pretty awesome in my book ;-)

Yayyyyyyyy leg room!!!

Welcome to JAX! :-)

 

3 a.m. delirium + 8-foot tall flamingo in a Santa hat = very happy Stefanie!

And this is what I came home to!

My mom's first decorated tree in years. I was so, so happy to see this after almost two days of traveling home.

My time home absolutely flew by. The first week went a little slower, as I fought the jet lag (#thestrugglewasreal). On Monday night, Mama Britton and I went to see A Christmas Carol in downtown Jacksonville. It was the first time I had seen it on a stage since I was in college, so it has been quite a number of years (cue sniffles...). On Tuesday, I made an impromptu trip to Gainesville to see some people. It felt very nostalgic to drive around Gainesville. I had so many happy memories there. It always feels so different, yet somehow the same. In the following days, Mom and I filled our time with shopping and Christmas-ing, and then we worked together to make Christmas dinner. During this week, I also spent a good chunk of time going through boxes from my storage unit. I was determined to get it organized and a bit under control. I am generally pretty happy with the progress I made on this trip!

Mama Britton made me a sandwich and served La Croix... my favorites! What a happy "Welcome Home" :-)

I couldn't find my running clothes that I had left behind, so I went old-school. I wore cotton leggings and 

t-shirt, just like I did way back when I first started running. I kind of loved the throwback, but I also developed a deeper appreciation for my real running clothes!

I love running around my mom's little pond! 

I actually ran quite a bit while I was home (especially in that first week).

Monday night activity: A Christmas Carol!

Mom and I got travel immunizations together. That's just how we roll.

Did I mention that I DROVE to Gainesville??

Necessary.

Go Gators!

I had lunch with my college professor and mentor Dr. Robinson. He is the main reason I am teaching internationally and following my dreams. We also bumped into the woman that I student-taught with! All kinds of inspiration that day.

After driving around campus in the afternoon, I met Lindsay, Adam, their baby Avery, and Lindsay's mom for dinner at Satchel's.

Wrapping presents with The Master (#mamabrittonrocks).

Mom cooked a turkey for Christmas!

And I made mac & cheese. You know, since it's one of the main food groups.

I think this was my favorite Christmas present. My family knows me so well!

Champagne and cheesy Christmas movies while the food cooked.

Yum! #wemadethat

And apple pie a la mode for dessert. I was in heaven.

The following week got SUPER busy and absolutely flew by. My sister and niece came to visit from Monday to Wednesday. My brother and his stepdaughter came to visit from Thursday to Friday. Then my dear friend Kim got married (!!!) on New Year's Eve. In the meantime, I met up with my Chicago friend Leah who was in town for the holidays, and I also found time to go on a date.

Yep. You read that right. I went on a real live date. With another person. And had FUN! (I know, I am still in shock too... but I guess miracles do happen)

Needless to say, this whirlwind of a week went by in the blink of an eye. And before I knew it, it was time for New Year's resolutions (I am in the process of collecting happy moments in efforts to have less stress in my life) and to pack for my journey to New York and then back to Yangon. If you ask me, this week went entirely too fast, but it is never easy to say goodbye to the people I love.

Definitely a nostalgic place from Gainesville... but they have one in my mom's neighborhood now! 

I was thrilled that my sister wanted to go when she visited.

I was still battling the effects of that salmonella poisoning, but this was oh so worth it. #mmmcheese

My niece's latest obsession is the game Clue. I like that my sister is introducing her to all of the classic board games. I absolutely loved playing with her (and watching her get mad that I beat her every time!).

And then we showed her the 1985 movie. #classic

Also, her toys are way more sophisticated than mine ever were!

Girls day = Pub subs (yay!)

This is the board game version of Head's Up, an app we used to play when I lived in Chicago. 

The board game has headbands that obviously make us look way cool.

My favorite Chicago music teacher <3 Just missing Liz!

We got ice cream too. You can't find much of this in Yangon. 

Sunshine. Ice Cream. And Leah. Holy dash of happiness, Batman.

Things I learned when taking this picture: I am suddenly a wuss with the cold, I absolutely cherish every second of my time with my brother, and Autumn is way more fierce than I am.

While he was here, we enjoyed brisket and BBQ. Next time, 

I'll go to his house and he can make it for me. I can't wait!

We also got macaroons. I think it was my first one ever. Autumn definitely did not steer me wrong on this one!

And yes, I stuffed myself with pancakes at IHOP. I thought about an egg white omelet for about half a second, but when in Rome... #noregrets

In my storage unit with my boxes, where I spent a good chunk of my vacation time. 

Despite the annoyed look on my face, I am thrilled with the progress I made in here!

And of course, the monumental event of my break... THIS LADY GOT MARRIED!!! I was so privileged to get nails done with her, get sparkly for her New Year's Eve wedding, and watch her marry the man she loves.

We had to. For old time's sake.

On New Year's day, I finally got REAL onion rings! And some damn good BBQ...

"I can't let you leave Florida without one more Publix sub." Oh, how I love that Mama Britton gets me!

Bundled up for my trip up north! I have become a wuss with the cold in these past five months... 

I was shivering in the 70s!

I packed up and said tearful goodbyes to my Florida peeps. There were so many more people that I wanted to see, but time is never really on my side. I am so grateful for the friends I did get to see (and for the new friends I made), but that's the nature of my wanderlust: I am always saying goodbye to people. Fortunately, it's usually "see you later!" On Tuesday morning, Mama Britton drove me to the airport, and I gotta say, it was pretty cool to say, "See you in Bangkok!" to her as we parted ways. T-minus five months until she comes to my side of the world :-)

In case you missed it, I absolutely love New York. I haven't been back to my city during the holidays since I moved away over three years ago, so I spent the next couple of days doing all things New York. On Tuesday, I got my hair cut by my favorite girl (love you Janelle!), ate at my favorite pizza place, and got a cookie at my favorite bakery. Then I met up and stayed with my best friend. Words don't describe how good it is to be around her. We went to dinner and talked until late in the night. The next day, I went for a run in Central Park - my very favorite place in the whole world to run. I definitely don't have my hill legs anymore, but my body felt so good to be on that familiar course. That night, Tara and I went to see the tree in Rockefeller Center (you know she's a good friend to brave all of the tourists down there!) and then we went to see an opera at The Met. It had definitely been way too long. I forgot to take my usual picture of the program and tickets because I was so overwhelmed with the beauty that is this performance space. We saw Romeo et Juliette, and everything was spectacular: The music, the hall, all of it! (I actually squealed when the chandeliers rose at curtain call...) When the opera was over, we headed back to Harlem and met up with my other love, Matt. These two have been in my life for a decade, and I have absolutely no idea where my life would be without them (nor do I even want to try to imagine that!). It's sort of the cherry on top that they both live in my favorite city. My heart is always so happy in New York, and this was truly a magical night.

On Thursday, I had to run a few errands to buy some last-minute things that I needed to bring back to Yangon (running shoes and mascara are a must for me!). Unfortunately, I have friends all over the city as well as in Brooklyn, Queens, and Jersey, but I simply did not have the time to get to everybody. Hopefully people understand and know that I will be back again soon. I packed up my very heavy suitcases and said a very tearful goodbye to my best friend. I always cry when I say goodbye see you later to her. 

This fabulous lady makes me feel like my most fabulous self every single time!

There is nothing more magical than NYC at Christmastime <3

My favorite cookie! (Worth every single calorie)

"Ugh, Times Square... but it's Times Square!" I like that the lights came out 

blurry in the cold rainy mess that was Tuesday night.

I had to bundle up for my run, even though it was in the 50s. Last year when I lived in Chicago, that was balmy. Now that I've been leaving in Southeast Asia, it's frigid! Brr!

Such a happy run :-) #runhappy #stefrunstheworld

I miss NY delis for sure

And here's why: Bacon egg & cheese on a bagel, plus a coffee. All for $3.50. #foodcoma

More magic-y feels...

Love this girl.

It's been way too long!

That's what we went to see! The sign/art was way more impressive in person.

Pictures definitely don't do this place justice.

The two loves of my life <3

As I sit on the airplane on the final journey home, I'm thinking back to what I said about reverse culture shock. I tried to document here about my first trip home (while trying to keep it somewhat concise!), but I also think it's worth mentioning a few more things:

• It was strange to be back. Like I said before, it felt both like home and like I don't belong. I think that's the nature of my wanderlust, and my new life abroad.
• There is never enough time to see and do everything that I want to. But those that I missed, know that I am still thinking of you, and I am only one phone call away!
• I had trouble counting change when I was paying for something. I guess I have been working with Myanmar kyats for too long! (That was a little embarrassing...)
• My taste buds have changed! I had a long list of places and things I wanted to eat. About the third one in, I realized it all tasted different - waxy or greasy or just blah. Thankfully, this is not the case for pizza or Publix subs. (And by the way, pineapple and watermelon are WAY better on my side of the world!)
• The cost of things back in the States blew my mind. I wonder how I used to afford to live there?
• I was trying to strike a balance of explaining my new life and culture without sounding like I was bragging about my opportunity, or complaining about the States. Because I don't feel either of those things. I still absolutely love America, but I also absolutely love learning about new cultures. Figuring things out, being challenged, learning to communicate, and exploring the nuances of a new place are absolutely thrilling to me. I realized on this trip that it has always been that way, since the first time I went to sleep-away camp, to my first day in the dorms at UF, to moving to NYC alone and then Chicago years later, and now Yangon. I have definitely found my passion.
• While I loved to be home, I also found myself missing some things about Yangon. I am equally sad to leave the States behind and excited to return to my new norm. 
• I am one lucky lady to have so many people that love me in so many different places. One of my favorite Carrie quotes (that keeps getting nearer and dearer to my heart as years pass) says it best: "After all, seasons change. So do cities. People come and people go. But it's comforting to know the ones you love are always in your heart. And if you're very lucky, a plane ride away."

P.S. That plane ride is WAY more comfortable with noise-canceling headphones! 

These babies already paid for themselves on my trip home.

'Tis the Season... Concert Season, that is!

What does four and a half months of living in a developing country give you? Salmonella poisoning. That's what! (SATC reference, anyone??) After a very agonizing week, I am happy to say that I am on meds and feel almost like a real person again. I don't want this in any way to sound complain-y or anything. Actually, after surviving two of my three concerts while dealing with salmonella poisoning, I think it's safe to say that I can do anything! And I do mean anything. EVER.

I have spent a great deal of my posts covering the "wanderlust" part of my blog, but today I am going to focus on the "do re mi" part. I think the last time (and only time!) I posted about my adventures in teaching music was when I was settling in, just before the school year began. I decided that it's time. ESPECIALLY after the round of concerts that I just had! I also figured it would be nice to share what it's like to spend the holidays abroad, so there is some Thanksgiving and Christmas sprinkled into this post as well.

During our orientation, we learned about culture shock. We learned that there are a few different stages, beginning with the "appreciation phase," which I like to compare to the "honeymoon phase" of relationships. Just like when you are falling in love with someone: Everything is great. You just can't get enough. Nothing is ever wrong. You simply couldn't be happier. And then after awhile, those cute little quirks and things you found charming start to get on your nerves, and you aren't feeling so appreciative anymore. I don't remember the name of that phase, but it started to hit in late October and really got into it in early November. I was SO SICK of rainy season. Everyone told me it would start to lighten up in early October and taper off by the middle of the month, "at the latest," they all said. When it rained (hard) everyday and flooded in the first week of November, I was completely fed up. By mid-November, I was starting to get homesick. I really missed fall. It is my favorite season, and seeing all of the social media posts of my friends wearing sweaters and scarves, picking apples and pumpkins, and all of the different colors of leaves... It got to me for sure! Rather than wallow in self-pity, I went to the Japanese store and bought a ridiculous little display for my desk at home. When I found a small, live pumpkin at Marketplace a few days later, I almost cried. I was so happy. I had fall at home AND at school!

By the end of November, the rain had stopped and my spirits started to lift. I went running one morning and suddenly realized that we were in the elusive Cool Season here in Myanmar. The days are still hot but much less humid, and the mornings are simply delicious. The temperatures are cool and not humid at all, so my sunrise runs are even more enjoyable these days. I have also been Skyping and chatting a lot with friends and family, so my feelings of loneliness were replaced with happiness and feeling lucky that I am loved by so many people afar.

When Thanksgiving rolled around, I was able to Skype with my mom, sister, brother-in-law, and niece, who were together for the holiday. I also talked to my brother just before going to bed, so I fell asleep happy. That weekend, our school had a potluck. Our social committee was able to buy us turkey (which is impressive for this part of the world!), and everyone signed up for dishes to bring. This was only my second Thanksgiving away from family in my thirty years of life. I was worried. I thought it would be hard. But this silly little potluck ended up being exactly what I needed. Everyone put a lot of heart, effort, time, and money into the event. One woman spent like $40 on pecans just so that she could make a pecan pie like home. And she wasn't in the minority. Everyone chipped in and brought dishes that were very hearty, including me! 

Yes, that's right everyone. I COOKED. 

I'll just let that sink in a little.

Our secondary principal and his wife hosted Thanksgiving dinner. We had it on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, even though we had Thursday off for a national holiday (celebrating Myanmar's independence from Britain). The reason we did not have our celebration on Thursday is because we watched part of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and a football game, and none of those things had happened yet on Thanksgiving because we are a half a day ahead of the States. (That is still weird for me.)

Our principal's house is referred to as The White House because it's big, it's white, and the boss lives there. Haha! They set up tables in the yard and decorated with beautiful lights. They also set up a projector and screen for the parade and football viewings. It was at this dinner that I realized that my homesickness and borderline bitterness was lifting. Watching everyone talk excitedly over all this delicious home-cooked food was very heartwarming. And then when I realized that it was late November and I was sitting outside in sandals, I was even happier. Because as much as I missed fall, I will NOT miss the Midwest winter! 

I made mac & cheese, and not from a powder! It seemed to be a hit at the party.

The best part about a crock pot is this is how easy the cooking process actually is. I read in bed while the crock pot melted my ingredients into cheesy melty goodness. (This was especially good for me, as it was the start of my two weeks of being sick.)

Dinner is served! I was amazed at all of the delicious dishes. A lot of love went into this meal.

The dessert table

One of my roommates, showing just how happy we were about all of this food!

That's turkey and cranberry sauce in the background, and homemade bread in the foreground. These are all rare findings in Myanmar.

A plate full of Thanksgiving happiness!

Candid shot of the people I shared Thanksgiving dinner with

The viewing of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade - we ended up watching last year's parade because we had internet issues, which is typical for us.

I don't remember the game that was shown - I was mad at New Orleans because my Fantasy Team tanked this week, and I didn't care to watch how it happened. Haha!

As mentioned in one of the captions above, this was the weekend that I really started feeling bad. Which was perfect timing, considering it was the week that concert season was starting! (That was sarcasm, in case you didn't pick up on it...) 

When I accepted this job, I knew that I would be doing concerts again. I was equally excited and nervous about this. When I taught in New York City, my shows were the heart and soul of what I did at the school. I put everything into them, and it was by far my favorite part of my job. When I moved to Chicago, things were different on the performance front. There were assemblies, but it was very different. The classroom teachers did things with their students, and at one time I was scolded by admin for taking too much program time with my three songs. By the end of my time there, I ended up only doing one short song with each of my groups. I would record the rest of the pieces and show them to my classes during the school day, but that's not the same thing as putting on a concert. I was very honest with my new bosses that this had been the case, but made it clear that I looked forward to doing performances again.

In both of my previous positions, my after school ensembles were the ones that were showcased at performances every winter and spring. When I got here and realized that all students in all grade levels were to perform under my guidance, it felt like rock suddenly sunk in my stomach. I started to panic. Actually, "panicked" is putting it very lightly. I was completely freaked out. It is very different working with a group who wants to perform, versus having it as a requirement. The other terrifying news was that I teach six different grade levels, which meant I would be responsible for three different concerts. 

Three concerts. Over the course of eight days.

As any mature adult would do, I put off dealing with it until I absolutely had to. Then, once October hit and I realized how rapidly the concerts were approaching, I really started to worry. I reached out to the former music teacher and talked to her about what had been done in the past. I also asked my admin for some guidance as to what their expectations were for the performances. And finally, I spent a lot of time in the classroom of the secondary music teacher, trying to figure out what the heck to do with all of those kiddos. 

Initially I wanted to showcase things we had been learning in class. The problem is that I was teaching my units as usual, which have absolutely no holiday theme. That was a requirement, so after many hours of soul searching, I settled on what to do. 

My 6th graders would continue as planned. I have been doing West African drumming with them, and they absolutely LOVE it. (So do I! I'm planning on studying in Ghana this summer to learn more. But I digress.) The good news with Grade 6 is that I was only responsible for their portion of the middle school concert, and my friend was responsible for Grades 7 & 8. My students and I managed to work out three pieces to perform, all the while worrying that it wouldn't be enough. Because there needed to be a holiday-y theme, I looked up some Christmas songs that others have performed with the ensembles I was teaching (gotta love technology and social media!). At first, the kids were super excited because they voted to perform "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" with one of the ensembles. They were excited because they sang it last year, so they were familiar with it. Once we got into rehearsals, they started to get very frustrated because it sounded so different than what they were used to. Because they didn't like it, they started shutting down. It was really hard for me to see them struggling, so after a heart-to-heart with the other music teacher (and many tears of frustration on my part), I told my students that I had come up with another plan. They would showcase things we do in class, and we would just do an audience singalong with "Jingle Bells" at the end of our portion of the concert to fulfill the requirement to have a holiday theme. When I announced this, I thought they would be relieved. Ecstatic. Grateful. SOMETHING. So when they all gave me blank stares, I was confused. As it turns out, they decided that they had already invested so much time and energy into the performance that they didn't want to turn back. 

And this is what it's like to work with pre-teens. (Haha!)

Once we had that bump in the road, our final rehearsals became even more focused. It's no secret that Grade 6 is my favorite group to work with in my new position. I have two sections. We were practicing in isolation of one another, which seemed to be going okay. On the day of our dress rehearsal, I got goosebumps with all of the combined voices and all of the instrumental parts.

I spent most of that week going home and straight to bed, as I was nursing a horrendous cold. I think all the stress was finally catching up with me, as I put in many, many extra hours between the three concerts. By Friday morning, I was happy to be healthy enough to wake up and run. Nothing shakes out my jitters like a good morning workout. That day, I finished running well before sunrise so that I could get to work early. I needed to get everything set up for our final dress rehearsal and then the performance that would follow that evening. As with most music teachers, I was still teaching a full schedule in addition to my dress rehearsals, so my schedule was quite hectic. 

As a part of the middle school concert, we did a combined piece with all grade levels. The other music classes are choral ensembles, so my students learned a piece to sing, and I conducted it! I haven't formally conducted a large ensemble in a formal choral setting like that since I was student teaching over eight years ago. I was actually nervous! In rehearsals, though, it all came back to me. I remembered how to listen and offer corrections, and it was actually kind of fun.

Friday, December 2nd at exactly 6:00 p.m. was my debut to parents as the new music teacher at YIS. My 6th graders are a tough bunch, but when they got up on that stage, they performed EXACTLY the way they do with me in class. They were lively. They had fun. I had fun. It was all such a blur, and I couldn't stop smiling. I am so, so proud of those students. And the best part? When the concert was over, my first thought wasn't, "Ugh. Glad that's over." The first thing that popped into my head was, "Wow! I cannot WAIT to teach them more!!" I think that means it was a success :-)

My pre-sunrise run to shake out the concert day jitters!

44 sixth graders. 12 drums. 8 xylophones. 5 rattles. 3 bells. 1 amazing performance!!

Notice the sweat and the ridiculously proud smile plastered across my face. I was - and still am - so incredibly happy and proud of those kiddos! (Pictured with Katherine. She teaches music to Grades 7-12. And in her spare time, she helps me survive all of my growing pains and learning curves that are coming in my first year here!)

I received a lot of positive feedback from my fellow teachers and admin. But then I received this email from a student - I think she is in Grade 8. She is not my student, but she was under my direction when I conducted the group performance at the end of the concert. Her words absolutely melted my heart and made me truly feel successful. I did what we all strive to do - to make an impact on just one student.

By the end of the concert, I was finally feeling back to normal. Granted, I had that post-concert exhaustion mixed with Friday night teacher exhaustion, so I drank a glass of champagne and went to bed by like 9:00 p.m. When I woke up in the morning, I didn't feel so great. I thought I had a case of Burma Belly, which is common around here. My stomach was a little queasy, but I thought that brunch would help. I met up with a couple of friends and walked around a small market put on by local businesses, but I couldn't quite shake the queasy feeling. 

That afternoon I had signed up to volunteer at Help Portrait, which is an event put on by teachers and students at our school. There were many different teams involved, and local less-fortunate families came to the event. Students provided hair and makeup for the family members, took a family portrait, colored with the children, and donated rice and oil to the families. It was an amazing event, serving over 250 local people in need. It was a fantastic event to be a part of. Originally, I wasn't going to sign up because it was smack in the middle of my three concerts, but the woman that I coached volleyball with was in charge of the event, and I really wanted to help her out because she is an awesome person to work with. I told her I could help if she had a job that required no planning or extra time, but that I could just show up on the day of the event. She put me at the front desk, where it was my job to smile and greet families as they checked in for the event. Perfect. 

Our gym was transformed! A happy side effect of being a team player is that I got to use these same decorations for my upper elementary concert on the following Tuesday.

Love this Santa sleigh!

Tables set up for coloring and arts & crafts for the kids in need.

Many different booths were set up to take the portraits as well as print the pictures.

Hair and make up station for the adult family members.

Team Smile - we greeted families and checked them in at the door.

I went home from the event on Saturday and spent most of the weekend in bed. The Burma Belly went from bad to worse, so I was trying to rest up. I had two concerts the following week, countless dress rehearsals, and very little down time. It was no time to be sick! Monday was still rough, to the point where I just couldn't eat because the nausea would get so bad. This was my heaviest day of rehearsals (of course!). I had my full upper elementary (Grades 3-5), followed by individual grade level rehearsals with each of those grade levels. In the afternoon I went over to the lower campus and had two more grade level rehearsals for that concert, and then after school came back to rehearse my after school choir. I still don't know how I survived that day, not being able to eat and feeling like I would be sick at any moment, but I did. I guess it was that little voice that kept saying, "It's for the kids. It's for the kids." 

By Tuesday, I felt so much better. I was so happy because it was the day of the final dress rehearsal and the concert! With my upper elementary students, I taught a play called How To Train Your Reindeer (To Fly). You see what they did there? It was a very funny play. I have always wanted to direct a play. When I taught in New York, all of the classroom teachers were required to perform a play. I often helped with musical numbers, but I always wondered what it would be like to put on a production like that. When I was settling on what to do for this concert, I decided to try my hand at a play. It was an IMMENSE amount of work, but as always, totally worth it! I am proud to say that all 53 students who auditioned for a solo part got to do something in the play. Whether it was a small line as a solo in one of the songs or a major speaking part, they all did something. It was a lot of moving parts, and of course I had one of my leads absent on the day of the performance, but another kid had been paying enough attention in class to step into the part. I rehearsed after school once a week with these kiddos and offered optional before-school practices that always had kids show up. (Now you see what I mean when it was all catching up with me?) It was a ton of work, and in the eleventh hour, a small voice in the back of my mind started to wonder if it would be enough. I wasn't showcasing each class. I wasn't showcasing every student individually. What if it wasn't good enough? I pushed all of that aside and went forward because that is all I could do.

Their performance, in my opinion, was AMAZING! I am immensely proud of my upper elementary students. I am sure that there are others who have different opinions, but all of the feedback I got from teachers was incredibly positive. The concert was by far the best performance they had ever done, which is exactly the time every music teacher hopes her group peaks, right? 

On a side note, I want to mention my New York position just one more time in this post. I try not to dwell in the past, but I also have to compare this to experiences that I know. In that position, I would spend dozens of hours making decorations and props for my show. It was often a whole team of colleagues who would pitch in to help. I also choreographed everything, or asked someone to do it for me. It was always a lot of work and always beautiful, if I do say so myself. This time, everything was student-made with the exception of a few posters I made for the song "Hip Hop Reindeer." The only reason I made those myself was because I was so sick the week before with a cold that I couldn't stay after school to supervise the students who would be making them. However, many classroom teachers pitched in and took class time to make props and decorations. I cannot express my gratitude enough for that - it was a lot of work, and the students were SO PROUD of it all. Additionally, I took time in class to have students design the choreography of the songs. It took a lot of extra time, but my Orff training made me do it! In my opinion, all of this really added to the atmosphere and the energy of the concert.

The only part of my show that was teacher-made

Yet another goofy, proud smile on my face. I am so proud of these kiddos!

That concert was Tuesday, December 6th. Like I mentioned before, I was miraculously better that day, just in time to coast through my final concert, right? WRONG. Wednesday morning I woke up with horrible stomach cramping - something I hadn't experienced until that day. I had woken up early to go running because I needed to clear my head and shake out all the nervous energy from the concert, and I hadn't been able to do so for the previous days because I had that stomach bug. I thought that I could do a light shake out run and it would make me feel better. By the time I hit one mile, I knew I needed to cut it short, so I changed my route headed home. I ended up running a little less than two miles that day, which isn't too shabby. I felt slightly better than expected and headed to school. As the morning progressed, I felt worse and worse. By lunchtime, I had to concentrate on not crying because I felt so miserable. That entire day was a bit of a blur. By the time I got home that night, I had a fever and was on the verge of tears because I felt so horrible. My roommate convinced me to stay home in the morning because my morning classes had already finished their performances. I finally gave in to her sound advice and emailed my principal. Officially, I called in sick on Thursday but dragged myself out of bed Thursday afternoon to run the 123 Campus rehearsal. My students were performing their dress rehearsal for the upper elementary students, and I simply had to be there. As soon as the rehearsal was over, I went home and went back to bed.

I teach music to Grades 1 and 2 at the lower campus, and another teacher does preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten music. We decided to team up and combine all of the grade levels for our winter concert. Besides the fact that it was way more appealing for both of us to share the responsibilities of our first concert as music teachers at YIS, we also decided it would be best for the littles to have experience in a large group for their first performance of the year. In the spring when we do class performances and grade level showcases, we hope that there will be less stage fright because students have already been in front of a huge crowd. We'll see if our theory is actually right!

For this concert, we agreed to do a play as well. (Hey, when I go for something, I jump in head first!) This play was called Elfis and the Frozen Princess. The play was shorter but also very cute and funny. It was a whole lot of work because the students are so much younger. Both of use worked endlessly to teach the songs and the speaking parts. Suddenly, right before performance week, we had a play ready for the stage! I was hoping it would come together, and if it didn't, I was banking on the fact that they are all so little and would look adorable in their concert outfits. Luckily, we didn't have to rely on the adorable factor because the kids were awesome! It was over 150 students in all, ages 3-8. I overheard another classroom teacher criticizing this performance, saying it wasn't as much work as the others, but she is obviously a person who has never taught primary before. The fact that all of those students learned all of those words, when to stand and sit, and did it all well?? I couldn't have asked for more.

On (another) side note: For those who know me well and know what a perfectionist I am, please realize what a major moment it was for me to not take that other teacher's comment personally.

Again, approaching the concert, I had those same worries that I had with my upper elementary students. Was it enough? Did I showcase them in the right way? According to the classroom teachers, admin, and me, the answer is YES. It was enough. In fact, it was more than I expected. I am one lucky lady! 

Another candid moment, this time directing my littles. I really do love my job :-)

Cassie & I got beautiful flowers and lots of praise from our wonderful admin. She was a DREAM to work with. I don't know how I could have done it without her on this concert!

Santa even made an appearance... and he approved of our show! (The director of our school - isn't that awesome??)

After the photos and the congratulations were all over, I headed for my appointment at the hospital. I am so glad I was able to get in because I felt awful by that point. It turns out, I wasn't being a wuss all week. I had salmonella poisoning, probably contracted from the place I ordered lunch from last Friday afternoon (never again!). The fact that I did all of that at such a high level of success while horrendously sick makes me so proud. I have always been a perfectionist and really hard on myself, so it feels good to be this happy and feel this level of success with my students right off the bat. I really look forward to the spring concert - my wheels have been turning and I'm ready to hit the ground running! We will do a showcase as I had originally planned for this one, so basically, we are going to Orff it up in my classrooms for the next several months. I can't wait!

To close this post, I want to go back to something that may not have previously registered: The fact that holiday themes were needed for my winter concerts. In Myanmar. A Buddhist country. I didn't expect Christmas to be a thing here, but I found out that it is. I was very pleasantly surprised by this, especially because this is the first year since I left New York that I have been in the holiday spirit. The last few years I forced myself to decorate and listen to Pandora Christmas stations in efforts to make myself feel "in the spirit" like I was supposed to, but it was really just a matter of going through the motions. This year, I think there are a lot of influences on my feelings, but I am actually excited about the Christmas season. I thought it was a bit ironic, considering I just moved to this part of the world, but I excitedly made a Christmas playlist on Spotify (over four and a half hours of amazingness on there - everything from Tchaikovsy's Nutcracker music to the ever classic "Last Christmas"!). I also bought a small gaudy Christmas tree for my bedroom and an even smaller one for my desk at work. I bought holiday-scented candles from this local organic candle shop that I am obsessed with, and I have overall been really cheerful, despite the stress and the health problems. I even went to a Christmas bizarre this weekend (can you BELIEVE that was a thing here??). I have been excited to buy gifts for family and friends. And most of all, I have been counting down my days until I go home (ONLY FIVE MORE DAYS IF YOU'RE WONDERING!!). I am sure my family is bordering on being sick of my messages about the countdown, but really they are just as excited to see me. Duh.

The front of the marketplace closest to where we live and teach (Junction Zawana) - photo credit to my friend Paul!

The Christmas bizarre at the American Legion, where I stocked up on the remaining gifts I will be bringing home NEXT WEEK(!!!).

Last night, we had our staff Christmas dinner. It was at a beautiful hotel venue downtown. Our party was outside by the pool, which is never a bad place to be. It was beautifully decorated, and the food was amazing. (I was happy that I could finally keep food down for this event!) I am on a restricted diet while my body is fighting the salmonella poisoning, but I was able to eat a lot of things at the party. I had to pass on the alcohol (boo), but that didn't keep me from having fun. It is nice to be surrounded by people you really care about when it's time to celebrate. Although I wasn't feeling well, I had a great time with my little newbie family and other veteran teachers at the event. I had to pass on the after party (karaoke - oh my poor, sad little heart!). I had to take the early bus home so I could get some rest, but before I left, we had a few moments for some holiday cheer and cheesy photo ops. 

The venue for our Christmas party

It was poolside. Guys, it's DECEMBER!

We're not regulars at this selfie business. #letmetakeaselfie

Stefanie and Daniel showing off their swing moves on the dance floor!

Just OK Club - minus a few (important) members who were unable to come

Beautiful lights and the festivities while we ate 

Love these gals. I was DYING with laughter over our cheesy prom photos!

One of the Grade 2 assistants asked me to be in this picture. It means a lot because sometimes it can be lonely as a music teacher, so it was nice to be a part of this moment.

I am happy to say that I am on the road to recovery. While I definitely do not feel 100% yet, my body is settling and I am slowly starting to feel better. If gushing about my students and their amazing concerts and my generally giddiness about this holiday season wasn't enough for you, let me just leave you with this little quote I saw today on someone's social media post today: