Halftime

When a team struggles badly in the first half of a football game, they try to hang on 'til halftime, where they sheepishly head to the locker room with their heads down. They can't wait to get away from the field, away from the glare of the disappointed fans and the stresses of a failed first half. This is a time to regroup & refocus, to whiteboard some new plays, and for the coach to ask the age-old question- 'what the h*ll happened out there???' Most important of all: it is a time to revisit the original game plan.

Well, I just finished my halftime here in Toronto and have regrouped. I am now ready for the second half of the big game. I have made my adjustments, revisited my original game plan and communicated with my school.

In short:
1. I will now continue to teach at my school in Tallinn until the end of April. This is what the school has requested of me, and I have agreed. This makes me feel good as I get to complete my contract and fulfill my commitment to the school. I do not like quitting a job before it's done.
2. I will be doing much more traveling in the new year as I have freed up some extra money from my Canadian bank account. This will make a big difference as I won't be so tied to the salary I make at the school, which can be quite limited. St Peterburg (Russia) interests me greatly as does Riga (Latvia) and Parnu (Estonia). If I can sneak in a trip to Stockholm, that would be great too, but I'm afraid that might be too unrealistic given my timeframe and cost.
3. My brother will be coming to Estonia to visit me in the spring where we will both go to the island of Saaremaa, where our parents were from. I look forward to that in great anticipation.
4. The school has moved me to my own apartment for the new year where I will have more privacy.
5. I had a long talk with the sun and he promises to come out a lot more in the spring.

I feel good and am looking forward to continue my adventure in Estonia. Having gone through the first four months, I now understand much more as to what I'm getting into. I think my expectations are been adjusted.

It's amazing how clear things become once you are home.

Happy New Year, everyone.