We DIY a lot of things including travel but it didn’t take long to realize that we would greatly benefit from a travel agent for our teaching exchange travel plans. With so many possibilities, flexibility in departure and arrival times, extended layovers, and a sense of frugality balancing the sense of adventure, it was more than we felt comfortable managing on our own.

James Gjaltema with Flight Centre Associates contacted us after we posted our travel needs on Tripology.com. Despite being half a continent apart, we emailed and telephoned to discuss our needs. He was able to search across days, destinations, and airlines and came up with trip that met all our needs AND was cheaper than we were able to find online. He also looked at the tour package we wanted for our layover in Beijing, vetted the company, and made those arrangements for us.

So, not only did we get what we wanted for travel, it cost us less, and we feel much more at ease knowing James is on things for us including our return journey a year from now.  In two more days we’ll be lifting off to start our adventure; back to cleaning up!

This article appeared in my local community newspaper, The Stonewall Teulon Tribune. We’re only 10 days away from departure and it’s feeling a lot more real with every passing day. I have such a terrific group of students that will be hard to leave, and friends at work who, while we’re away, will be getting married and growing families, maybe even a retirement or two. While we sure would love to be there for those events, we also know that you could spend a lifetime enjoying other people’s lives without really living your own. I may be overstating the sentiment, but all three of us, in some way, are experiencing that tension.

Tersigni, N. (2013, December 12). A year of switching places. The Stonewall Teulon Tribune, p. 12. http://c0002468.cdn2.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/StonewallTribune121213.pdf (21.5mb)

Today our school staff is putting on a farewell lunch for us followed by a last night out with our amazing work friends. We’ve had a lot of good-bye’s over the last couple of weeks with people we know we won’t see again until we’re back. So thankful for digital communication and social media that will keep us connected while we’re on the other side of the planet. In preparing for the exchange, we have been looking at our world with fresh eyes – acutely aware of how much we value our family, friends, our community, work, our cozy home, even the weather, as cold as it has been… all of it is highlighted as the unique elements that make us who we are.

Our son, eight years old when we first mentioned about applying for the exchange, was quite nervous and emotional. He wondered who would look after the dog, who will feed his fish, what about school, is someone going to use his room and his toys, what will we do when we’re there? Lots of questions, and, at the moment, not many solid answers. We talk about the adventure, the experience, the challenge of trying something new. Conversations in our family started big – forest view, so to speak – an exchange to Australia, the continent, on the other side of the globe. With a specific destination now, our conversations have started to narrow in focus as we look at states, capital cities, town names, river locations, and the beaches. GoogleEarth and street-view images bring us to the ground and help to appreciate that the gestalt view we have of the Australian continent is not the reality of daily life, in the same way that our daily lives here in Canada are not filled with majestic mountains on the horizon backing herds of caribou sweeping majestically across the snow-covered prairies. Rather, we wake up, eat meals, go to school, drive to work, pick up groceries, pay bills – the essential activities that make life work. Connecting with my exchange partner and his colleagues on social media, and “Liking” my destination school’s Facebook page lets us see some of the people, places, and activities of our home-for-a-year. This causes both excitement and a little anxiety as it brought the forest view down to the trees. It’s easy to think about travel and a little holiday, but it is so much more than that. Set that beside the new curriculum documents I’ll be teaching next year and it is a little like sitting at the top of a huge waterslide – you’re nervous and excited, it’s terrifying for a while, then just exhilarating. For my son, when I asked him what he thinks about when he thinks of the exchange he said something like, “I don’t really think about being there… I think about going there.” For him, so far, it’s the journey and not the destination. Time enough ahead to process everything!

We are less than a month away from leaving and our days are filled with planning, packing, cleaning, sorting, organizing, and attending to other details for our teaching exchange to Australia. We received an e-mail from Jennifer Gluwchynski, a teacher currently on exchange, with some advice for those of us getting ready to head over:

“The Exchange Teachers’ League, here in NSW, is very active and vibrant. There are heaps (lots) of amazing weekend events planned that allow for us to hang out, support each other, swap stories and see the sights at the same time! I hope you will all be able to attend the Welcome Conference in Sydney that happens in February.

Until that happens, I am happy to answer any questions or give you my advice and insights if you are interested. I know you are swamped wrapping up your school term, preparing your homes and that it’s a whirlwind time for you.

Here are a few things you may want to think about:
1. If you teach in a primary (elementary) school you will likely be required to wear a hat out on duty (supervision). I wish I had known that and would have brought something distinctly Canadian to wear. I’m not sure if high schools do this or not.

2. Getting your mobile (cell) phone working here is easy since you can buy sim cards for $2 at a grocery store or petrol (gas) station. Be sure to get your phone unlocked first. I found it easier and cheaper to do it on-line (www.unlock2go.com) here rather than deal with my carrier in Alberta.

3. It’s fairly easy to buy used cars here but I used a rental for a couple weeks to get used to the driving. It is an adventure! I found a great website for short term leasing that seems cheaper than a rental company. Unfortunately, I discovered this afterward but perhaps it will be of help to you. www.DriveMyCarRentals.com.au

4. Ladies…make-up is expensive here (along with everything else) so stock up if you are minding your budget. A tube of mascara can cost up to $30!!!”

Don’t forget to pack winter clothes too as most buildings do not have central heat. I found I needed my flannel pjs and I work my coat, in the classroom, for all of July.