Summer is coming to a close, and much like Tucker and I ourselves, you might be wondering what’s next for us? What are we doing? Where even are we? I know I don’t do a great job of keeping up-to-date on Facebook and other social media (mostly because I tend to post photos weeks or even months after the events actually happened), but I thought maybe I could share our plan and thought process here for anyone trying to keep up.

Back in the US (for family fun/easy transitioning):

My Fellowship ended and our China visas expired this July, so Tucker and I (and my parents) celebrated the upcoming changes by taking an incredible trip to Japan. We said our goodbyes to Asia (for now), really enjoyed the freedom of having zero work responsibilities, and began to plan what we wanted to do next. Of course, before any plans could really get underway, we had to make a stop back in Atlanta to visit friends and family (thanks to everyone who was able to hang out with us this summer – we had an amazing time!). After our family fun in GA, we had a bit more in FL before setting to work unpacking, consolidating, and repacking – our 10 boxes, 5 suitcases and a few odds and ends are currently all in a closet and ready to ship out.

Braves Game

Osaka Castle

Working online:

While working on getting our physical items into place, I also started teaching online. I’m currently working with VIP Kid and Lingoda, and typically teach 5-7 classes a day. VIP Kid uses their own platform to create a one-on-one virtual classroom for Chinese students aged 5-14. It has been so much fun for me to keep this connection to China (for example, I got to wish all the kiddos a happy Mid-Autumn Festival this weekend and show off my vast mooncake knowledge). I’ve also really enjoyed being able to branch out in my field by teaching kids instead of adults (for the first time ever!). So far I think my favorite moment was when I was trying to get a student to guess the word “alligator” by giving clues like “it is dangerous”, “it can live both in the water and on land”, “it goes chomp, chomp ” (with the accompanying hand movements), and he very confidently yelled “it’s a DUCK”! They really are hilarious and so impressive with their English skills!

Lingoda, on the other hand, is more of a video-conference style classroom geared toward adults. I can teach up to five students at a time, and we cover a variety of topics from specific grammar features to business communication skills. The company is based in Europe, but markets to English learners everywhere, which is awesome because not only am I being paid in Euros (how cool is that?!), but also in my less than one month of working for them, I’ve had students from over 30 different countries. I love being back “in” classrooms with mixed international groups; we have the BEST conversations! In addition to VIP Kid and Lingoda, Tucker and I have kept up with our English test recordings that we started doing in China as well. We’re both getting really good at our respective “Boy 3” and “Girl 2” voices. Needless to say, I’ve definitely been keeping myself busy work-wise, and I’m excited to say that I might never have to get out of my sweatpants ever again!

Off to the Great White North:

Okay, so now that I can work anywhere in the world, where are we going? Good question. In less than two weeks, Tucker and I are headed up to Canada for at least a month to check out the living/working situations in Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City. Neither one of us have ever visited this part of Canada, so before we make the decision to move there semi-permanently, we want to check it out in-person. Tucker is also waist-deep in job applications at the moment, and while we wait for news (and potential offers/visa paperwork) we’d like to get to know the lay of the land. By the way, if anyone knows someone looking for a highly qualified laboratory scientist in ON or QC, let us know!

Why Canada?

If you’ve ever spoken to me about my travel/living abroad obsession, you might be surprised that Canada is so high on our list of potential new homes. So why Canada? We have quite a few reasons: first, it’s Tucker’s turn to choose, and he’s dying for 1) someplace cold and 2) an easier language situation (after Polish and Chinese I think he wants to have even just a slight chance at fluency). We also want to bring our pups along with us this time, and since I refuse to cargo them, that means we’re really limited to the US’s two neighboring countries. Although I still have big plans to move to South America and the Middle East and some far flung Pacific island, for now, we need to be able to drive to our destination, all paws accounted for. Plus, I’ve always wanted to improve my French. 🙂

If not Canada, then what?

Of course, visas can be tricky, new jobs can be finicky, and Canada seems to be a place that wants long-term immigrants, not the flaky 2-3 year types like us. So, if we’re unable to get things to work out in the Great White North (or we find that it doesn’t fit our needs/wants), then we’ll be looking to Mexico next. Perhaps spending a month or two down there to assess the situation and eventually move all our stuff to our new country of residence, wherever it may be. Right now, we have two vastly different options ahead of us, countless exciting possibilities, and we’re definitely ready for whatever comes next!

Long-term plans:

So that’s what we have planned for our immediate future. We shouldn’t be too far away this time, but we are still making sure to find some new places and opportunities to explore. I promise when we settle into our new home, I’ll be sure to share the news all over my social media! As for the not-so-immediate future, Tucker and I are still both planning to take the foreign service exam next year (although I’m really having a hard time imaging myself no longer teaching!), but we’ll just have to see how that goes. We’re actually both interested in trying out some field-adjacent jobs in the future; I’ve been thinking about maybe something with international programming, and he’s been looking into hospital labs and even field service engineering. Of course, we do plan to continue living abroad in a variety of locations for the foreseeable future as well (hopefully with furry children in tow). The possibilities are truly endless!