It’s that time of year…. you know, when all the moms are posting cute photos of their kids holding Pinteresty signs announcing what grade they are about to begin. Not to be outdone, I was sure to take a photo of my (very cooperative) husband on his first day of med school year four:
Folks, this is the last first day of school for him. Ever. Twenty-plus years of school is enough. Next year, I’ll have him post for a “first day of work as a doctor” photo. But I probably won’t ask him to hold a sign.
I decided to find his other “first day of school” photos. I took them every year, usually chasing him out the door at the last minute because I just remembered I wanted a picture. His first year of medical school, we actually got a pretty nice photo for the first day of school, which was his white coat ceremony:
I’m not positive which photo is the “first day” photo from med school year 2, but here’s a photo from that year:
You can see Kito is enjoying her favorite perch, which is always behind Ben in whatever chair he happens to be sitting in.
Here’s last year, the third year of medical school, with his white coat freshly ironed on his way to his first family medicine rotation at the clinic:
And, of course, I can’t forget to do a throwback to his first day of college. This picture is provided by his Aunt Barb, who dropped him off at school not long after he arrived in Arizona from Tanzania.
Hard to believe that was almost ten years ago, in 2009!
So, what does 20th grade look like for Ben? Well, for the first four weeks, he has a subinternship rotation in internal medicine. He works 60-some hours a week over six days. I’m not going to lie, I was pretty sad to lose that Saturday with him. BUT- they aren’t requiring any overnight on-call shifts, so that is a major benefit. He doesn’t get “paternity leave,” since he’s a student, but fortunately he can take a couple of days when the baby is born. I’m hoping the baby decides to make his grand debut on one of Ben’s days off. Baby is due September 26, during his last week on this rotation, We’ll see if he comes on time or early. Or late– who knows?
After that, we’re not sure what Ben’s schedule will be. I figure that all of the rotations will probably be pretty intense, but at this point it’s just about getting through everything until April, when he’ll finish his last rotation. He just took the 9-hour USMLE Step 2 exam two weeks ago, which means no massive exams to study for this year! Phew!
After so much school, it’s hard to believe Ben’s almost done. It will be pretty weird to have neither of us in school for the first time ever! But it will also be pretty awesome.
One of the best things about living in Michigan is the availability of fresh produce. And I’m not just talking about dirt-cheap local peaches at Meijer, although those are amazing. I’m talking about the endless u-pick farms that offer everything from apples to asparagus to strange fruits I have never even heard of.
During my year in Michigan, I visited u-pick farms as often as possible. One fruit-picking season that I was particularly excited about was cherry season.
Cherry season just happened to peak during the time that Ben’s sister’s family was visiting, so I drove them out of the city to a cherry farm for some classic summertime fun. Ben had to work, so he missed out on the fun, but he did get to enjoy the result of our visit.
Westview Orchards in Washington, Michigan is the place to go with kids! Of course, my two nephews were perfectly entertained by picking (well, okay, eating) fresh cherries off the tree, but there were also plenty of other things for them to do, including a hay maze, a unique playground, and a petting zoo.
As far as fun experiences go, though, the cherries really take the cake. We pulled in to Westview Orchards the morning of cherry season’s opening day, and we were greeted by enthusiastic employees who seemed just as excited for the cherries as we were. The gentleman who monitored the picking itself was very helpful, pointing out the different cherry varieties in the orchard and giving fruit selection tips.
My nephews had a great time in the orchard, exploring the unique tastes of each tree’s fruit, climbing ladders, and choosing favorite trees. Even we adults had a hard time filling our bags faster than we could eat the cherries!
After a picnic lunch and ice cream, we headed home to bake a cherry pie.
I helped Annette pit the cherries, and she made the best cherry pie I have ever had. The perfect end to a great day on the farm!
Visit Westview Orchards
When to visit: Cherry season is in June, but Westview Orchards offers u-pick almost year-round.
Address: 65075 Van Dyke, Washington, MI 48095
Phone number: (586) 752-3123
Cost: Cherries are about $8 per person, which includes entrance fee and a bag to fill with cherries
Good things to know: Outside food, backpacks, and large bags are not permitted. I was able to take in my backpack camera case without a problem, however.
There are two things you should know about me before I write any posts on travel or adventure. Which I certainly plan to do now that I have finished my master’s program! It will be nice to write for fun again, rather than cranking out academic papers. I have definitely been enjoying reading for fun again!
The first life event is our move to Phoenix. Ben and I are back! I arrived a couple of weeks ago, and Ben just rolled into town yesterday. Ben will be doing the next semester of medical school at a hospital in the downtown area. We don’t know where we will be for his next (and last!) semester.
The second life event is that we are welcoming Johnson #3 in September! Baby boy is due to arrive on September 26. Currently, I am about 32 weeks along! Just a few more weeks before we get to meet him.
Well, there’s a quick update on our lives! A lot of change, and a lot of things to look forward to.
Every Michigander knows about Frankenmuth. There seems to be some debate about whether this is a worthwhile destination or road trip stop. After visiting, I would say Frankenmuth is a must-visit place if you’re in the area, and I wouldn’t mind staying a weekend there! I’ve heard this touristy Bavarian village described as “kitschy,” but I didn’t really find it to be tacky at all. It was really cute, albeit a bit cartoonish in a Main Street Disney sort of way.
If you’re looking for something fun to do, it’s a great place to go for the day! As a plus, it’s definitely dog-friendly and you don’t have to spend a lot of money to have fun.
Ben and I took our big summer trip over Memorial Day weekend. We opted for a classic Michigan road trip– up to Mackinac Island, across the bridge, and up to the UP. This trip served as summer vacation, a celebration of our fourth anniversary, and our babymoon, since we’re expecting Baby Boy Johnson in September!
On the way back, we decided to check out Frankenmuth at the Bronner’s CHRISTmas wonderland that I keep hearing about.
I actually wrote two or three articles for clients about Bronner’s, even before Michigan was on our radar. It’s one of those unique roadside attractions that everyone talks about, and I was very excited to actually see it in person!
Bronner’s bills itself as “The World’s Biggest Christmas Store,” and I believe the claim. This place is huge! There are probably a million or two different ornaments inside, You could be perfectly happy wandering around and just looking at the different options, or wandering through the small forest of Christmas trees. I did end up buying some ornaments, because why not get a head start on Christmas shopping in May?
How I feel about this store
What I liked best about the inside was the international approach. There were ornament sections representing every area of the world! Of course, you can also shop by color, theme, or object.
We had to take turns seeing the store because the dog was with us, but it wasn’t bad because there are dozens of Christmas displays to check out in the parking lot and lawns around Bronner’s.
The best part by far was the Silent Night Memorial Chapel. This is an exact replica of the chapel of the same name built in Austria to commemorate the writing of Silent Night.
You can go inside and learn the history of the song. It’s a peaceful place, and the sort of place that makes you want to stop for a moment and pray.
Outside, they have the lyrics to Silent Night in dozens of global languages! We hunted down the languages from places we have lived.
Once we finished with Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland, we went to the River Place Shops downtown. The shops were pricey, but most allowed dogs inside. We enjoyed the cool air and the chance to give Kito a bit of crowd training. I don’t know if it was the heat, the long car trip, or just her virtuous soul, but Kito was very well behaved and didn’t touch a thing!
Our favorite shop was Hello Cats & Dogs, which is basically a toy store for pets. Kito was pretty excited to go inside! She was very good and didn’t grab any toys off the shelf, although she definitely thought about snatching a tennis ball.
We rewarded her behavior with a hamburger patty treat, which was kind of ridiculous at $1, but worth it to give the poor dog something nice after such a long, hot car trip.
Kito quickly became the center of attention in the village. She was so cute and well-behaved, everyone wanted to pet her! If you know Kito, you know she can be a bit crazy! I was glad she was calm during this excursion and didn’t romp around when people came to give her attention.
After exploring the various shops, we wandered across the river. We looked down at the river cruises, which looked like a lot of fun. They are actually not to expensive, and I think dogs are allowed, but we didn’t have time to take one. We contented ourselves with walking across the covered bridge. Call me a dork, but I was pretty excited to see one in person for the first time!
It was getting late, so we hunted down dinner. It’s apparently traditional to get a chicken dinner when visiting Frankenmuth, but that seemed a little expensive and overrated to me, and we couldn’t do a restaurant with the dog, anyway. We opted for pretzels, because what’s more German than a freshly baked pretzel?
I found $3 pretzels in the basement bakery of the Bavarian Inn, and we settled outside the hotel to eat them on a bench. Luckily, we were just in time for the free glockenspiel show they do every few hours! The show included music, as well as a Pied Piper story using adorable clockwork figurines imported from Europe. What a fun way to end the day!
It was particularly fun for me to see a German settlement, since I am mostly German and it doesn’t look like I’ll make it to Germany any time soon. I’m sure the town looks a lot different than it did when immigrants first settled here, but I’ll take what I can get.
In total, we spent about $45 dollars in Frankenmuth, including dinner, Kito’s reward, and Christmas shopping. You could do it for less, or go all out with the big dinners, carriage rides, hotel stays, and tours. Frankenmuth is fun either way!
Is Frankenmuth worth stopping for? Resounding yes! If you have the time, don’t miss out on the photo ops and the fun.
I’m going to be brutally honest here for a moment. The one thing I really hated about living overseas was trying to find work. There was nothing else that made me quite as discouraged as trying to find a way to make some money! Before I finally found a steady source of income, I probably submitted around 40 applications to a variety of companies, some of which turned out to be scams.
Fortunately, you don’t have to go through the same painful process. Not only have things changed a lot in the past three years, but you’ve stumbled across a list of fantastic expat job resources! Take it from an expat (well, a former expat)…. these websites will be a whole lot better than wandering aimlessly around in the interwebs, hoping to stumble across a good job posting.
Getting a job abroad is now easier than ever before. Whether you’d like to find a job in Sydney or at a fashion store in Paris, France, international job hunting sites can help you achieve your goal. Here are a few tips and advice on finding expat jobs online.
Indeed Worldwide is very similar to the local job search engine bearing the same name. The only difference is that it allows you to search for jobs in more than 60 countries. You’ll find many job descriptions written in the local language, but that’s what Google Translate is for! Nonetheless, chances are you’ll have to know the local language in order to qualify for these jobs.
Jooble is one of the most popular websites for people seeking for jobs abroad. It is particularly helpful for finding job opportunities in developing countries.
This international job search engine will fetch you job offers in various locations or industries. It also boasts over 60 country websites. If you’re looking to work abroad then here is some good advice for travellers.
Go Abroad is an excellent resource of expert advice and information on various cultural programs for global travelers. They also post some interesting job offers, so make sure you check out their job board.
Going Global keeps you updated with the latest trends in the international employment and HR industry. Check out their “Country Profiles” section to see their latest job opportunities, as well as information on work permits, visa applications, and region-specific CV tips and advice.
TEFL is more than an online English teaching certification program. It is also a modern job board with lots of filtering options and features. You can use it to find pre-approved schools currently seeking for English teachers. Read more about their programs and opportunities here.
Good luck with your job hunting! If you end up getting a job on one of these websites, let me know. Post your success in the comments to help other expats find a good job, too.
This post contains sponsored content and guest posting
I have received some emails and texts recently from people who are concerned that I have disappeared from the internet. Thank you guys, that means a lot! It has been a while since I’ve blogged or posted on Facebook. I guess there’s a reason that most people announce that they’re taking a break for a while!
Honestly, though, I didn’t take a break intentionally. I’ve just been really busy and exhausted lately. That’s the thing about grad school, at least in my experience– sometimes you have nothing to do for school and you have a lot of free time, but you can’t fill that up with regular activities because when the workload comes, it drops like an anvil from a cartoon sky scraper.
As some of you know, I have been working to earn a master’s degree in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies from University of London. I am attending classes online, which has been convenient in terms of frequent and short-notice moves but very difficult in terms of getting the full grad school experience, including academic support.
Although it has been very difficult, I’ve managed to pass all my classes and learn a lot about my subject area. This past semester has been pretty intense. I have been working three jobs, and between that at the reading assignments, my life has been pretty busy. And I’ll be honest–after staring at a computer screen for up to 15 hours a day, I don’t really have the motivation to type any more.
We also have had a weird schedule this semester, which makes it hard for us to get out and do stuff. Ben’s doing his surgery rotation for med school right now. He is gone at least 12 hours a day. We get up a 3:45 a.m. so that he will have time to eat breakfast, warm up the car, and drive to the hospital through the ice and snow. I have been taking advantage of the early hours to teach more classes for VIPKID. I’ll be honest, though, I don’t really mind the early hours because I love my job! It’s easy to start the day early when you’re doing it with a smile and a happy kid on the other side of the screen.
At the beginning of this month, I took the hardest final I’ve ever done. It consisted of two 4,000 word essays on political science topics. Since it was worth 70% of my overall semester grade and I only had ten days to do it, it was pretty intense. It wasn’t fun, but I feel pretty accomplished that I managed it and I think I turned out some of my best work yet. I hope my teachers agree! I jumped from that back into work on my dissertation, which is worth 70% of my overall grade for my degree. As you can imagine, it’s a lot of pressure. I signed up for it, though, and I’m determined to finish strong!
My dissertation is due on March 26, so until then I’ll probably lay low. I am looking forward to the end of March, when Ben’s surgery rotation ends, my dissertation is submitted, and the snow melts! This season of life is good, but I won’t be sad to see it go. March means exploring Detroit and blogging more! I can’t promise I’ll write much until then, and I hope you’ll come back around once this blog comes out of hibernation again.
