Goodbyes and Transitions

Tomorrow will be my last day of work at my school here in Ulaanbaatar. Last Friday we graduated our seniors and yesterday was our last day with students. I've been both "Ms. Heather" and "Ms. Caveney" during my tenure. While the secondary students are aware of my departure I expect some of the incoming 6th graders will be disappointed when they come to the Learning Commons and discover I am not here. I will miss their smiling, fresh faces! 

Three special students--two of which I did not teach directly--made the time to appreciate me and that was nice. This handmade card was from a star student that worked with me on the Book Drive in January and February. A homemade chocolate cupcake accompanied it!

This next card is from a student that was in my college essay writing extra-curricular in the fall. I also helped her with recent essay applications for summer programs like the Mongolian Young Scholars Program through the famous Zorig Foundation which "aims to continue his legacy by spreading democratic values and ideals throughout Mongolia." We are still waiting to hear if she was accepted. Either way her essay about the need for Mongolians to find alternatives to their over-usage and reliance of plastic bags was powerful and personal. Both of these young ladies will go far in life no matter if they are in Mongolia or abroad. 

Finally, one of my AP Literature students brought me this beautiful bouquet of flowers last Friday before her graduation ceremony. They lasted nearly a week at my desk! I remember her visiting me at the end of last school year asking, "is AP going to be hard?" My answer was that it would be challenging! I'm glad she took on the challenge as her work and contributions in class were stellar! It was a pleasure to teach AP Literature and I'm thankful for the opportunity and will, I'm sure, miss teaching it this coming year (though I'll have plenty of NEW to learn and adapt to!). ASU gave me the opportunity to add two experiences to my resume--elementary library experience and teaching AP Literature. 

This summer I'll be relocating to Turkey, for my new position as Head Librarian at the American Collegiate Institute in Izmir, just a five minute walk from a promenade on the Aegean Sea. I know I mentioned it previously but here are some links to explore a bit more about the school, it's operating foundation, and the locale:

• Facebook page for ACI
• Instagram account for ACI
• ACI is a high school which shares a campus with an elementary/middle school, additionally SEV, the foundation that owns the schools also has schools in Istanbul and Tarsus
• Ideal location for travel!
• Turkey is considered the "cradle of civilization" and the Seven Churches of Revelation are located in the country 
• Gobekli Tepe, 6,000 years OLDER than Stonehenge, oldest monumental structure ever built! 

If you spend just 15 minutes researching Turkey you will find PLENTY of sites worthy of exploration. My problem will be deciding when to explore Turkey and when to hop to a country in Europe! I'm building a "bucket list" for both.

I know that some family and friends have expressed concern about my safety in Turkey. My response is two-fold. First--I've spoken with a number of current teachers at ACI and they all say they feel safe both at ACI and in Izmir/Turkey. One of them said he feels safer in Izmir than any other large city he's lived in stateside, as well as many European cities he's visited. Additionally, he said it feels safer every year. As any expat living abroad and plugged into the U.S. Department of State's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program knows--you receive notifications and newsletters from your local U.S. Embassy in country to stay abreast of anything concerning. 

Secondly I'd say that in this day and age "safety" is a bit up to the person and their experience, knowledge of, and interaction with their surroundings. Many Mongolian parents are sending their students to university in Canada because they feel the U.S. is NOT safe. I'd say that as we continue to become more diverse that safety is relative and a lot about mentality. I think what's most important is to be an informed citizen and traveler, to carry oneself with confidence, and be situation-ally smart. I plan to keep on doing what I've been doing. Fear can find us in any place, any time, and among any kind of circumstance--and we choose what to do with that fear. I will choose to be informed and prepared and push off from that foundation. 

Soviet mosaic art on Apartment Bldg

On that note I've been reflecting on my three years in Ulaanbaatar. In some moments it seems like just yesterday when everything was new, strange, and unexpected. I was afraid to take shortcuts walking anywhere and did not know what to find or expect in alley ways or among apartment blocks. The sounds and smells were foreign and unknown. But now I see that the city that was once scary did become familiar, became my home. There are things I will not miss (pollution, trash, traffic) and things I will miss-- the "big land country" feeling that is evoked no matter if you are in the desert, on the steppe, or in the mountains, drinking with good friends on patios in the UB summer time, and the sight of cattle walking on city streets. I expect I will reflect more in the coming days and months......

About the transition I'd like to tell you that I will wrap up "Mongolia" and my feelings and experiences about the country HERE on this blog. I will also soon be sharing a link to a NEW blog which I am building for my future adventures. My time as the American Tomboy in Mongolia is coming to a close. I expect there to be a little overlap--I'll write about Mongolia here and will share thoughts about my new place, work, and adventures on the new blog. So...please stay tuned for more information soon. Thanks for traveling with me!