Sunset from my window
It's been forever since I last posted. I haven't been in the mood to write anything partly due to the fact that I've been struggling some with being here. I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world, but where I spend most of my time, at work, is not so beautiful. I've learned some lessons that I will apply when searching for my next job, which may end up being sooner than later...I'm still deliberating. In the future I will avoid working for a "school" which is for-profit. Education does not come first at such places. I will also avoid working at a boarding school that is not independently staffed by someone other than the teaching faculty. We are put through a juicer here...squeezed for every minute and every dime. But being here has afforded some great opportunities when time allows.
Four weeks ago a coworker and I headed down the mountain to watch the first race in the World Cup Cyclocross series. National champions from all of the world kicked off the series in Aigle, which is just 30 minutes from where I live. There were 3 riders there from the USA, so we cheered them on...they were probably wondering who was cheering for them :)
Jeremy Powers at the World Cup race...go USA!
Amongst the snowy days and rain that has been common lately I was able to get out for 2 final rides before the season ended. Now I anxiously await ski season to roll around the corner. I went down to the ski shop last week to check out their "touring" skis, which will allow be to go just about anywhere. It's like a combination between cross country and alpine skiing. Great for fun and fitness!
My favorite bridge to ride across
The month of November is crazy at work since we will be processing about 800 college applications. But despite this I booked 3 of the 4 weekends for travel. This past weekend I went to Milan, Italy (I'll say more in a minute). Next weekend I will be going to Barcelona, Spain and the weekend following that I will be in London.
Since my time here I have been to Italy twice. I'm in love with this place, but will most likely never be able to get a job there because of visa issues. If I were to take a year off from work, I would definitely consider doing a language program in Italy. The people are friendly, the food is amazing, the language is beautiful and there is plenty of cycling all around the country. It's about a 3.5 hour train ride to Milan, which goes by quite quickly. For those of you fashion gurus, Milan is the place to be. I was with one coworker and we stayed with his friend that is studying there, so we had a "tour guide" and a free place to crash. A majority of our time was spent checking out the historical sites...the two most notable places being the "Duomo di Milano" and da Vinci's "The Last Supper." Ancient architecture blows my mind and to see one of the most famous paintings in history was amazing! A group of us then went to see one of the largest European soccer rivalries: AC Milan vs. Inter Milan. 85,000 fans chanting, singing, and yelling. They are emotional about their times. The atmosphere was buzzing with energy! Both teams have played much better soccer in the past, but it was a once in a lifetime experience to be there! We arrived back at Leysin at 3:30am Monday morning...work started at 8am...and I made it there at 9:30am.
Duomo di Milano
At the San Siro Stadium
It looks like the stands are on fire, but just some flares!
Audrey Hepburn and I
Christmas break is starts in about 5 weeks. I never thought I'd say it, but I miss Korea and many of my friends back there. So I'm planning on booking a ticket there for Christmas. I lost motivation to travel here during break. I just want to relax and not bounce around. So Korea here I come (90% sure).
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