Canada Born-Alaska Grown-On The Road

                                                                               ❓We've been getting a lot of questions, obviously!  So here's a common Q&A! Q: When are you moving? A:  Good question and we aren't really sure! The DoD is anything but transparent and expedient! Our best guess right now is sometime between Thanksgiving and mid Dec. At one point we though mid Oct so the timeline changes a lot and quickly. We are waiting on paperwork at the moment. We need the official orders to get our official non tourist passports. We need those official passports to get visas. Q: Will you sell or rent the house? A:  We will be selling the house and it will go on the market as soon as we have those elusive orders in hand. It's a good ti...

 We are moving 5,000 miles away from home. There is bound to be frustrations but this morning I feel a bit incensed. According to NATO SOFA rules and regulations, I cannot be gainfully employed in Italy in any capacity that isn't on the military base. That means I can't teach or tutor online. I can't work in the Port of Naples for a cruise company. I'm not even supposed to have an Etsy shop or Ebay store. 🛑🙅‍♀️🚫  We are waiting for the official "orders" to arrive from the Navy. Without orders we can't get our official passports. Without the red passports we can't get our Italian visas. Without visas they can't book plane tickets. Everything depends on those orders. August is a month of vacation in Italy and apparently most of the HR department in Naples are Italian nationals so they are on vacation this month. They are the ones who issue the orders to get this ball rolling.  RIDDLE ME THIS : why can Italian nationals work on base, in positions t...

 We found out about this job opportunity in early June. We've both had some time to process. That alone has been a process!  The largest obstacle for me has been my job at NPHS. For those that don't know, I've wanted to be a teacher since I was little. I never sincerely considered other career paths. I did my student teaching at NPHS in 06/07 and then waited five years for someone to die or retire so I could have their classroom.  (Side note, what a different time that was! Today, states are finding ways to fill thousands of vacant teaching positions while simultaneously thinking they can attack and attract teachers to our profession. In the five years I was subbing, only two secondary social studies positions came open in the district. While I processed the news of leaving my position, there were over 6 similar positions posted in the FNSBSD this summer. A micro example of how education has changed in the decade and a half that I've been an educational professional.) L...