Cuffer Prize

Just putting this out there for anyone interested:

The Telegram is once again having a writing contest, The Cuffer Prize.

I won't waste space giving more details, as everything you would need to know is available on the web page.

These are the prize winners from last year's contest:

3rd place

2nd place

1st place

Coming Home

A very big decision, no question about it.

And I can see why you and Sandi want to come home.

But, as you well know, I am still out of work. It will soon be a year without a job. The economy is suffering world-wide right now. And Newfoundland has always been a funny job market. There is lots of work, but it's lower-end jobs that none of us want to be doing. We are all over-qualified for a lot of the jobs, and in some cases, under-qualified. The good thing about being where you both are is that with more people comes more opportunity. Coming home, that is going to change drastically.

I'm feeling the opposite of what you are both feeling. If something doesn't change soon, I am going to have to leave. There are very few writing jobs here. At least if I go abroad (AKA outside NL), there will be more jobs.

I don't want to go. I really don't. My roots are here. My friends are here. And most of my family are here. But no money and no opportunity equals having to take drastic action.

Having said that, things always seem to come around. I'm sure if I stay here they will eventually. But how long can I continue to do that?

A Big Decision Part 2

In the midst of making the decision to go home, I've thought about the strange irony of the whole thing. In many ways, I have more opportunity, and can have a better life, right where I am now, rather than in Canada. Studying and teaching English is a huge business; its pretty much a necessity for most people in the world to know English. Thus, jobs are plentiful, and not ridiculously hard to find. Most jobs require a university degree in any discipline. For some of the higher end jobs, you do need experience and/or ESL teaching credentials, but I have these.

Consider what I would have to do to teach in NL. First, complete my "honors" BA. Second, complete my B.Ed. Third, probably complete a M.Ed. Fourth, get on the "substitute list". Fifth, hope something long term comes along. Worth it? I'm not sure.

I could "parlay" my business/accounting education into a job, but here again, what would it be? Probably a junior accounting clerk (in other words, data-entry). Worth it? Not sure.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with these jobs/career paths, but I just don't know how willing I am to do these things.

Consider the cost of living. I admit that some foreign teaching jobs "spoil" people, in a way, so that a lot of the things necessary for life back home aren't necessary here. Can you believe I've never owned a car in my life? Probably the average person my age would have owned at least 3-4 cars by now, if not more. Owning a car here, however, would be ridiculously unnecessary, and I've never missed having one. Most schools, too, will pay for housing...so the need to buy/rent a house is removed.

I'm not saying these things to brag...just to show how woefully unprepared I am for living in my own country. Somehow, I don't think a lot of people will be impressed with the fact that I was teaching English abroad for the past 8 years.

A Big Decision

Well, I've made the decision to go back home and see what I can make of myself. As I mentioned before, I was laid off in January (a jarring event even if I disliked the job at heart), and since then, haven't been able to decide what to do. We've had constant discussions about what we should do, and finally we decided that I would go home first, try to find a job/settle down etc, and then she can follow when things are "normal".

If this sounds strange, its because a Chinese citizen needs a visa to get into Canada, and to get this, she needs a sponsor (i.e. someone who will "be responsible" for her, money wise, when she comes to Canada). If I want to be the sponsor, it would be better if I was settled down, had a job, etc, rather than just doing it with no guarantee of the future.

Herein lies the difficulty. Visa processing can take anywhere up to 6 months, so separation is inevitable. We just don't see any other better way, however...if we're going to establish ourselves back home, it needs to be secure. We debated various options, but this one seems to be the best. Actually, I don't know if anything is "the best"; I just do what I have to do.

For me, its not a simple matter of just moving back home, either. I've lived abroad for about 8 years now, and am a visitor to my own country. I don't have any health coverage (free, that is) or any job/purchasing history in Canada going back 8 years. All of this will have to be re-established.

Living abroad was my choice, and I'm not in any way dissatisfied with it. I got married abroad. Thanks to the low cost of living, I was able to travel to interesting places I would never have dreamed of going, to eliminate all of my debt (except for some minor credit card bills), and to buy a house (which isn't even finished yet, but that's another story). Being out of the country has been very good to me, you might say.

Therein lies the other difficulty. What if I come home and am a "failure" (whatever that might be)? What if I can't establish myself? What if I have to "slink off with my tail between my legs" back to Asia? The self-doubting questions go on and on.

This has been an incredibly difficult decision for me to make. If I was single, I wouldn't care so much, but I have to take another into account in this. I have to constantly remind myself that nothing, no matter how bad it seems, is the end of the world, and that, sometimes, a little hardship is necessary before good things can happen.

If you're among those who pray, slip in a little intercession for us and this decision.

(BTW, I didn't reveal my wife's name not because I'm being rude, but to keep it from "online"...anyone who matters knows it anyway).

Cape Spear

I got a new laptop recently and it has led me to go through all my old photos again and salvage ones that I didn't pay much attention to previously. Here is one of Cape Spear from my first trip to The Rock. We must visit there again in the summer, though Lauren wants to show me Bonavista and other parts of the island that I haven't seen yet. Any suggestions for other scenic places to visit?

Coffee

Sometimes after a three day weekend when you return to work you need coffee more than on any other work day. Last weekend I found the nicest cup of coffee in Dublin, from a stall in a farmers food market. It's probably a long way from Canada to Dublin on a Monday morning for a cup of coffee, but if you like your caffeine then you'll do what it takes to get your hit :-)

Poetry? Part Five

Another poem. Not getting many comments on them; I would really like to get feedback on these, as I may send some of them to get published.

I borrowed the sun for my project

I borrowed the sun for my project.
It was early in the morning.
He was free for a few hours.
He had already shone down on the masses.
He could spare me a few hours.
The sun tried to cram himself in my house.
But he couldn’t.
Not completely.
His rays shot out of the windows.
The doors.
Every crack and crevice in my house was alight.
I told him not to worry.
I only needed him for a few hours.
So he agreed.
We worked all day on my project.
It was tiring.
But the sun never faltered.
His rays shone as bright as they ever had.
Brilliant.
Powerful.
Breathtaking.
Suddenly, it was late.
I knew it was well past the sun’s bedtime.
He usually went to sleep around 8pm.
Now it was almost 9.
He left in a hurry.
Rays bouncing everywhere.
Light reflecting off of the mirror in the hall.
The heat he bore quickly slipping into the cool of the evening.
He left without saying goodbye.
The next day I went looking for the sun.
He was no where to be seen.
The day was blanketed in gray.
The sky was one large sheet of gloom.
The horizon was sad.
I sat alone, staring through the window of my house.
No sun.
My project was stalled.
It stayed that way for three whole days.
The sun never came out.
The gray sky sat firm while the sun took a break.
My project withered slightly.
But it did not break.
I sat in the same spot.
Waiting for the sun.
I watched the gray sky.
I followed the gray people.
I looked with pity at the blooming gray flowers.
I looked with sorrow at the swaying gray trees.
Three whole days passed.
No sun.
Lots of gray.
More gloom and melancholy.
Then early on the fourth day, the sun came.
He appeared slowly over the horizon.
His rays peering slowly across my front yard.
The slate of gray that was the sky was gone.
The gray flowers were a burst of yellow, red and pink.
The green of the trees swayed slightly in the early morning breeze.
I smiled.
I wanted to ask the sun about resuming my project.
My project had sat dormant for three whole days.
I needed the sun’s help in finishing it.
But as I gazed up at his ever-growing brilliance, I knew.
I knew that I had no need to ask him for his help.
The sun was already helping me.
His return that morning was a sign.
I could borrow the sun for my project whenever I wanted.