Hello again

I have been meaning to set up a new blog for ages. So as I sit on my generous balcony on my first Saturday off in months, I thought I would just get started rather than worrying about all the things I should have done earlier.

Andrew and I are happily ensconced in a 1 bedroom apartment in downtown Toronto. WE are really happy with our apartment which is twice the size of our apartment in Seoul. This one actually has more than 1 room! However we are still adjusting to the added space. We realized the other night that although we have a TV in the bedroom we never use it, preferring instead to watch the same thing together. We are almost finished furnishing the apartment. We bought a black leather sofa 2 weeks ago and a computer desk that Andrew refers to as "Mechano for big boys". The only regret we have is that when we rented the apartment we had a view of the CN tower which has been blocked by a huge condo. The first few weeks living here it was comforting to sit on the couch and see the CN Tower and know that I was home in Canada.

Andrew started a new job 2 months ago. He works for a private school called TAIE. www.taie.ca It is a high school that caters primarily to Chinese students who have completed high school in China and need to upgrade their high school credits to attend university in Canada. Andrew is an administrator and guidance counsellor. The job utilizes his obsessive organization skills and ability to anticipate and eliminate problems. He likes the job and the staff are impressed and happy with him so alls well on that front.

I'm still teaching with Elite who opened a school in Toronto last November. I am currently the SAT writing teacher. To attend university in the U.S. all students must take the SAT which has 3 parts, a Reading/Vocabulary test, a Math test and a Writing test. I specialize in the writing part which involves grammar and writing an essay on a set topic in 25 minutes. Much of the preparation is the same as what I was doing in Korea. I spend a couple hours a day marking essays which can range from dull to infuriating, but in class we spend a lot of time discussing the possible topics and ways to address them so that is interesting and fun.

We are looking forward to the summer , now that I have Saturdays off and we can get out and about and see more of the city. On August 19 we will be in Goderich for my Grandma Woodall's 85th birthday party, and I will be in Goderich over the long weekend in August for my birthday. I haven't been in Goderich in the summer for 5 years and I'm looking forward to sitting beside the pool. That's all my news for now. I'll keep you updated on our adventures now that this is set up. Enjoy the sunshine.
M.