Incredible; incredible how an idea can grow from a vague possibility to become a reality. The move is now staring me in the face* with only three weeks to go. It was only last night, during a moment of pure cliche, that I realised for the very first time what I was doing; that I'm moving away from the UK, from friends, from family and everything I've known.. I felt like a gap year student.
The CELTA course seems like it happened a long time ago now. If I'd got on the course that I initially thought I'd be doing, I would have only just completed the four weeks now and would be looking for a job now. As I managed to get on the summer course, time has been on my side and I have a job sorted, a city to move to and a flight to the other side of the world on the 6th December. The job is with a company called English First (EF), a group of franchised English schools spread around the world and which, as far as I have heard, have a fairly good reputation amongst employees. I will be working with just one other native English teacher in a small school, in the south of Bandung in West Java. Throughout the application process the people at EF have been helpful, responsive and efficient. Given that they will be sorting out my Visa, my work permit and my health insurance as well as other things that I would almost certainly ignore if it was left down to me, I see these as very positive signs for a future employer.
So the job is sorted, Anja and I have a place to stay when we get there. In fact, I saw photographs of her parents' house for the first time last week when we managed to boot up her old computer to drag important files off. The place looks absolutely fantastic. Really though. The setting is perfect greenery in hilly terrain and looks over the plain on which Bandung is situated. There are some photos here: http://www.crabbweb.de/index.htm. The house is just near the area that it looks like we'll be living in anyway and should allow us to find our own place with as little stress as possible.
