It was only a matter of time, really. In fact, it’s surprising it took this long.
Two teachers resigned on Thursday and both are now out of the country. One is a good friend of mine and I am so proud of her for seeking out the experience she wanted when she left home in the first place.
At least four other teachers are looking on with envy.
Clearly, something has gone terribly, terribly wrong.
“The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” – Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck
We decided to come to Malaysia for my teaching job and we planned that Mitch would find a job working in finance in KL.
We were wrong.
People warned us that Mitch would have trouble getting a company to sponsor a visa for him. All over the world, non-citizens need to prove that they have something special to offer for a job that a citizen cannot. For me, that’s easy. I’m in an international school that needs Western teachers; Malaysians aren’t Western so I offer something they don’t. Since Mitch isn’t a CEO and doesn’t have decades of experience, companies are reluctant to hire him because it is very possible that Immigration will deny him a work visa. We knew this coming to Malaysia but we hoped that meeting expats who work in KL would point him in the right direction.
Fast forward two months: As of Tuesday morning, Mitch is in Singapore indefinitely trying the job search all over again. There are definitely more opportunities there in the financial sector and the visa laws are different, so hopefully productive employment will come along. Wish us luck!
On Thursday, Mitch and I will begin our adventure to Malaysia. Never in a million years did I think I’d be heading there, of all places. When I first learned about the job in Malaysia, I had to find the country on a map. That’s embarrassing because I teach Global History. I knew it was in Southeast Asia and I knew it was near Thailand. I didn’t know part of Malaysia shares islands with Indonesia. Now I do. And now we’re going.
Fittingly, I think, this is last post on my Journey Through 365 Photos blog. I started blogging in May 2012 as a way to cope with uncertainty and change. I kept it going because I learned that I really liked photography and I really liked writing for eyes other than my own.
Since those activities are still a lot of fun, I’m going to continue this blog in a new format. In the next day or so, I will change my blog’s title, theme, and URL. (At least, I plan to change the URL. We’ll see if it works.) Hopefully you’ll join me and Mitch on our upcoming adventures!
THANK YOU to those who have followed my 365 Photos adventure, and to those who continued to follow my regular life once that year ended. It has been a pleasure sharing my thoughts, photos, and days with you. See you on the other side of the world by way of a newly-formatted WordPress blog.
Over and out.
By Rebecca Michelle 