Today is one of those special dates in family history, marking the anniversary of both my step-sister and her husband and my grandfather and grandmother's anniversary. It's also the birthday of my other grandma, so a big day all around. I am celebrating these various occasions by laying in my hammock, icing my knee and catching up with people on Skype. My knee is giving me trouble again, but otherwise this Saturday is a perfectly good Saturday as Saturdays go- erring on the lazier side of productive, not too rushed, tentative plans for the evening that may or may not go through. It feels nice to be in a routine; even the power going out for an hour randomly earlier this afternoon doesn't dampen my mood, because any good routine in the 3rd world leaves room for adaptation.
Have this lazily productive time on my hands has me thinking a lot of about my time in the third world and what my next move is going to be. In two short weeks, I will have to notify my school of my intention to stay or leave next school year. Contracts in international schools come so soon since the visa process takes so long, and choosing not to renew your contract almost always means doing so without another job lined up. That is a very scary prospect for me, especially considering that Ivan and I are planning to make the next transition together. Moving as a pair makes my recruitment process quite a bit more complicated, and I would be lying if I said I hadn't lost sleep over my indecisions regarding this process. I continue to have stay days and go days and they continue to add up pretty close to even. When I make my mental pros and cons list, it also turns out even. Then of course, there are those nagging feelings that come about whenever you stand on the verge of a precipice. On one hand, the adrenaline of change overwhelms you- the excitement of possibility and new opportunity. On the other hand, the gripping fear of the unknown, the dread of uncertainty and change. After all, I like my routines in Caracas, even the ones that force me to be more adaptive than I had expected.
So, those three of you that actually read my blog, I ask for your prayers for discernment. May the best path for me present itself and may it lead me to continued personal and professional fulfillment. I, in the mean time, will be visiting Holly in Colombia, where I plan to ignore the impending decision deadline and instead eat at places called "chicken and crepes" and drink world renowned Colombian coffee, even at 3pm if I so feel like it. That is the kind of break in routine that I can really get behind.
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