I’m big on countdowns; at least I used to
be. Birthdays, vacations, big purchases, have all been eagerly anticipated with
mental marks on the master ‘life schedule’. These days life is so busy that it’s
hardly worth it to start crossing off the days because they pass in a blur
before you even have a chance to refer to a calendar and do the necessary
countdown calculations.
The busyness of this past school year was
even more extreme than usual [excuses for prolonged blogging absence to
follow]: In addition to my regular teaching load and extra-curricular
responsibilities, the school is going through an accreditation process, which
resulted in many extra hours of less-than-stimulating meetings and the
preparation of uninspired reports. You may be sensing my lack of enthusiasm,
however being the mature and professional individual that I am, I also
recognize the necessity of the process.
I also picked up two sections of a history
course on my schedule to cover for a colleague who was on leave for the year.
The course was fun. Who am I kidding, I’m a history nerd, I loved it! The students may not share my
enthusiasm, but I think that they each left with an entertaining memory
or two. If you grew up in church you may be familiar with the timeless adage,
“Jesus is always the answer” which can be interpreted both literally and
figuratively. Well, in Miss Black’s Western Civilization class this year, the
adage became, “ ‘Enlightenment ideas’ is always the answer. ” I like to think that
the kids walked away with a better understanding and deeper interest in
European history. Every once in a while I’ll get a Facebook message about a
connection they’ve made between the course material and their everyday lives,
Bastille Day July 14, for example. It gives me a warm tingly feeling and I’ll
be honest, it makes my day.
Needless to say, I was ready for summer
vacation fairly soon after the conclusion of the countdown to Spring Break and
the break itself. The subsequent countdown to Freedom Friday (the last day of
school) was, as always, bittersweet. Impending goodbyes to graduates, departing
colleagues, and in my case, two of my roommates who are also close friends,
make it challenging to truly celebrate the end of the year. As difficult as the
dichotomy between anticipation and dread can be, it slowed me down enough to be
sensitive to the memorable moments in which I found myself. It also provided me
insight into the tension of endless goodbyes and transitions that my missionary
kids/third culture kids experience as commonplace, just another part of their
reality.
Once I have navigated the goodbyes, the
year-end procedures, and the packing, I am able to decompress watching movies
on the eight-hour flight, and breathe a grateful sigh of relief once I have
landed in Canada. Incidentally, my
favourite parts of the trip home are buying a coffee and magazine in the New
York airport while I wait for my connection to Toronto AND more sentimentally,
when the Canadian customs officer says, “Welcome Home Miss Black”.
The nine-week summer countdown seems like a
lot when I arrive, but more often than not it’s fully scheduled before I even
touch down. Then there are the shorter countdowns within the grand summer countdown
to catching up with friends and family, day-trips to my favourite local spots,
road trips, and visiting my home away-from-home-away-from-home, Newfoundland.
This year there is also the added excitement of a family vacation to Alaska!
Though the countdown exists involuntarily
somewhere in the back of my mind, I have given up ‘conscious countdowns’ cold
turkey! As much as I like the thrill of anticipation, it seems that there’s
enough to enjoy in the present without having to rush the future. Besides, who
needs the hassle of all that countdown math?
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