Truth Over Harmony

Fifth Month of Pregnancy 
Some would say that pregnancy is a wild, wild ride.  The hormones making you Jekyll-and-Hyde levels of insane and these bizarre cravings take over your life.  Thankfully I haven’t had many of these “symptoms” other than morning sickness at the very beginning of the pregnancy.  Now don't get me wrong, morning sickness is a beast in itself and I don't wish it on anyone. I felt as if I was suffering one of the worst hangovers of my life for weeks…..kind of hard to put into proper words. So while I can definitely say I don't have the raging hormones or cravings, I most certainly can tell I am changing from the inside out.  I feel like a completely different person already and I’m pretty sure there is no going back to my “old” self when this is over. My bladder surely will never be the same again after this pregnancy! 

Pregnant and Living Overseas

We currently live 13 hours away from family and friends back in the States.  So we literally have no one but each other out here in Qatar.  And we know that can be both a good and bad thing, and sometimes I worry about postpartum (although generally I don't ever get depressed) after the baby is born without having supportive people around to make the transition into motherhood easier.  I know there will be times when I wish I could just drop by my mom’s house for dinner or to drop the baby off for a couple of hours to run errands.  On the other hand though, I guess I don't have to worry about any “drop-in” guests or always having people around who give me unsolicited advice lol.  I hope and anticipate that there will be nothing sweeter than lying next to my husband and infant knowing that the 3 of us having everything we will ever need in each other.  I trust that this experience will build my self-confidence in taking care of my child without leaning much on anyone else.

That belly tho'

I love my team!

History repeating itself? Working at another Dysfunctional School 

Sometimes when you’re in the moment it is hard to properly see a situation for what it is.  Thankfully this is not one of those times.  I can fully realize that all the craziness that is constantly going on around me at work is due to the lack of consistent structure, strong leadership, and targeted goals that drive the organization.  And bringing up a problem is seen as evidence of a personality defect rather than as an observation of reality.   Teachers at the school have gotten so used to the multitude of X factors, in fact, that they stop expecting very general things to be done efficiently. 

So what am I learning from this very interesting work experience? 

• A successful turnaround at a school requires transforming school culture, expectations, and routines......(much like the United States). 
• Unless your leaders and staff are deeply and irrevocably committed to making a turnaround work, school reform and progress is going to fail.
• A focus needs to be on possibilities and opportunities instead of barriers, while working to eliminate those barriers that prevent learning altogether.
• Truth Over Harmony always!

Thinking Ahead.....So what's next?

Who knows what next year will bring?  The past few weeks I have been seriously thinking about what my next steps will be and how it will affect my family, career, and personal development.    I have found in the past that knowing what my next few steps are have made it easier to make choices and to  

work a little harder even when I did not want to.  But what happens when you aren’t sure about where the next road leads?   I guess the only 'acceptable' solution I found and the one I'm sticking to right now is to do what I have started already, until I get to that point when I say "Stop!" and move on to something else, although starting from the beginning is not so intriguing….change is inevitable and necessary.

And on that note I always keep in mind………

“ Every man is the painter and the sculptor of his own life. ”

— St. John Chrysostom