(thanks for the pic, J!)
Well, it is done. My time at the zoo is complete. Although I may have to make a couple of final trips out to campus, my responsibilities and work days are finished. It is surreal after seven and a half years to believe it is actually over.
When I arrived in 2009, I had grand plans of only staying for a year and then going on to rebuild the education system in another middle eastern country. It did not take me more than a year to realize that those lofty ideas were not going to actually happen. However, I have come to enjoy where I am and to appreciate the advantages this place offers. It was just time for me to move on from academia and English teaching.
So after 18 years of English teaching I am officially ending this chapter of my life. While I may still keep ties here and there or do some external work in the area of academia, I am 100% stepping into a world of sunshine and lightness which I hope to spread on to other people. π
With relief,
~T:D