Superficial Joy

After a few days in Dallas I arrived in Austin to volunteer for the 79th General Convention of the Episcopal Church. Not only is it in my hometown, I grew up in the Diocese of Texas , I was super active in the Episcopal Diocese of Idaho  and I stayed for two weeks while simultaneously visiting my parents [read: it's easy to visit for 2 weeks when we all have lots of things to do that keep us busy]. I imagined summer being full of rest and relaxation and sleep and pool lounging.  When I looked at my volunteer schedule it occurred to me that I may have sabotaged my own dreams...  The days were full but wonderful! I made some new friends and saw lots of old ones.  I volunteered mostly in the House of Bishops, one of our two houses of government (if you need sleeping pills, try this explanation of the structure of the EC). There were times when I wondered how in the world the Episcopal Church gets anything done, but other times I felt immense pride ...

Summer is well underway, but I haven't officially disclosed my plans for next year. Partly this is out of laziness and partly because I was unsure about my decision. Here's what I've decided: I'm going back for another year at the 2nd, great school! As usual, there is commentary: 1. You may be wondering,  wait, I thought you signed up for 2 years originally anyways?  Yes. But when I was hired by the new school, I signed a 6 month contract. This turned out to be a perfect situation in which I could stay in Abu Dhabi and experience non-traumatic living, work at a great school with a fantastic math department and be able to go back to Boise next year if it didn't work out. 2. I was really torn about staying another year because I had to decide in late April. Back then I hadn't begun diving, was feeling stressed, hot, somewhat lonely and doubtful about Abu Dhabi in general. 3.  The Boise School District asked me to tell them if I was returning in early...