Friday, August 22, 2014

Two

About a week ago now, two things happened that made me realize I needed to start updating this blog again:

- Tumblr wished "Mr. Ben at King's" a happy first anniversary, reminding me that I have a blog in the first place (although it isn't actually a tumblr)

- a woman on my flight from New York to Amman (first direct flight to Amman ever!) asked me if I was traveling on to Kuwait. I said no and asked why, and she responded, "I'm moving there to teach this year, and wanted to ask if you were too because you look like a teacher."

I didn't ask her what she meant.

Then, more recently, something else happened that led me to the same realization, which was that I learned that one of the new Teaching Fellows has read this entire blog, which he found in Google results for "King's Academy." I didn't know there were people who followed this blog who didn't share genetic information with me, so I was flattered/inspired/embarrassed/encouraged and have now decided to take up the mantle once more. Shout-out to Mr. Tom for all the page views.

So hello again, world! Since last I posted here, I have:

- flown on 9 airplanes
- gotten my passport stamped in America, Japan, America again, and Jordan
- eaten so much good food, so little of it hummus
- seen so many people I already know and love
- met and come to love so many other people (to which I largely owe GAKKO, which deserves a blog of its own that I will never write)
- listened to great music and made OK music
- thought about the new school year, but probably not enough
- a lot of other things besides

But now the summer is behind us all, and I'm back for another round of adventures. King's looks pretty much as good as ever:


And I have moved (and more or less settled) into my new apartment with Chase, with a significantly smaller room...but look at how efficiently my Shirt Rainbow uses that space!


And we've been orienting and meeting and writing and planning and recovering from jetlag and welcoming the proctors and getting geared up for the Actual First Day, which is just about 36 hours away. I would've written sooner, but I spent most of my free moments either putting together my bedroom or thinking about how much more productive I could be if I had had more than 4 hours of sleep. Glad that part's over.

Hopefully I'll be able to update as regularly and enthusiastically as last year! I preemptively beg your forgiveness, though, because of my increased responsibilities here: 

- teaching 4 sections (instead of 2) of 3 different classes (instead of 1), not to mention the Glee Club;
- advising 6 beautiful and amazing students, 4 of whom I already know to be beautiful and amazing and the other 2 are new but I have high hopes; 
- living with a roommate, which has already revolutionized the solitary and arguably over-scheduled existence I led last year;
- a lot of other things besides.

But I'll do the best I can, especially now that I know that this blog has so much traction vis-a-vis Google results. Future King's teachers of the world, find this and read it! At least one person who works here has already found it informative, and the school year hasn't even started yet.

Who knows what will have happened by the next time I post. It's definitely different to start the year already feeling so familiar and knowing so many people and so much Arabic, and I'm glad to know that this year will mean not only the old comforting routines, but also lots of refreshing, unexpected challenges and opportunities. For now, it's time to head to Burger Shack. Let's get this party started. 

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