It seems I finally have time to write once again. It seems that my energy is normally sapped by teaching and just basic living, and I have little left for things like writing and such. This week, however, has been a little different.

All this week I haven't had to actually teach any courses. The students have taken their finals and are on break until this Sunday. We are still waiting their results to see if they will need to repeat of if they can move on, but this is normal. During this time of no studentness, I have been sitting in my office trying to accomplish things that need to be done. Some of them personal, some professional, and one or two actually for this particular job. I would like to plan for my first lesson, but the books have yet to arrive, so doing this is not yet possible. Ahhh if only I could just be a little more proactive.

One may think that I am really enjoying this week without the students here, but truthfully, I feel extrememly weird being at an educational institution when there are no students. I have never liked the feeling as a student, a visitor, and now as a worker. It just seems wrong to have to take in such a site. I am looking forward to seeing the students once again on Sunday and trying to teach them things which may or may not be over their head (tough to tell when you don't know what it is).

I am looking forward to the weekend though. I am planing to go on a trip to another city here in Kurdistan. I haven't really been anywhere in all the time that I have been here, and I feel it is about time that I go out and explore the area a bit more. All I need to do is locate the taxis or buses that go. I was told an approximate cost, so I need to change some US dollars into Iraqi money so I can pay without too much difficulty.

Other than that, there is absolutely nothing happening here. It seems as if I really have no life here, and that is probably the case. I am busy applying for jobs and looking for programs to help me further my education. Hopefully I will settle upon something soon as I have to in order to do it. Who knows, I may end up spending another year here at this institution wathcing the students who started progress yet another year closer to graduation. Will I end up staying the four years that it will take for this to happen? Perhaps that is what is in the cards. I guess we shall see what happens with the applications I have already sent.