The heat is on!!!!

The main adjustment to life in Macau has been the heat and the humidity. There have been numerous days when the temperatures have hit the mid 30's with the humidity hovering around 80-90%. That's a lot of sweating one has to endure. Thankfully our apartment building has a pool to cool off in; it has gotten much use the past four weeks.

Back to School

Emily and Danielle started school late August. Emily is wearing the secondary uniform as she is in grade seven while Danielle is wearing the primary uniform. Mom and Dad are happy as there are no more issues about the choice of clothes in the morning.

Macau - Two Weeks In

It's been a busy two weeks to say the least. Thankfully we secured an apartment before we left Canada so we didn't have to bother with temporary accommodations. Funny enough, we are in the same complex and the same tower as before just up a whole lot higher. The nice thing is that it is quite quiet on the 23rd floor and the view is spectacular. Our apartment came nicely furnished so we only have to pick up a few pieces of furniture to complete our new home. I will provide photos of the apartment in the next post.
We are all trying to get used to the weather although that will take some time. Most days the temperature is in the low- to mid-thirties with humidity hovering around 80%; there has been a lot of sweating going on. Thank goodness for a pool!
Attached is a photo of the view from our living room as a photo of Danielle and her best buddy Dimity (aka "the evil twins").

Good-bye Canada

Oops, we did it again. We packed up and headed off to Macau for the second time. This time we sold our house and most of our belongings, shipping only the most important items to Macau by boat. We were out of our house July 29 and we stayed at my sister Marlene's place until we departed for Toronto on August 3rd. It was an emotional time for us all as there were buckets of tears at the Edmonton airport followed by smiles and hugs in Toronto about six hours later. The scenario repeated itself as we departed Canada August 12 for the long flight to Macau (sixteen hours via Taipei). See you next summer Canada!

The Blog is Back

The search for another overseas teaching position is over! Funny enough, we are returning to Macau for the 2011-12 school year where I will be teaching middle school physical education and health. Everyone is very excited about going back to a place that is so familiar to us although Macau has probably changed somewhat over the last eighteen months. How does everyone feel about this? Jackie is ecstatic and would leave next week if it was possible (she's had enough of winter) and the girls are looking forward to experiencing more travel around Asia (even Danielle won't miss winter).
I'm pumped about getting back to teaching again after some time as a student, although my teaching gig at the U of A is a lot of fun (and a ton of work).
We of course will miss our family and friends in the Edmonton area and this will be the most difficult part of moving overseas. We'll make sure to enjoy ourselves to the max over the next eight months (although an increase in temperature would help!).

Our Neighborhood

Well, it is our last weekend in Macau and we are saying goodbye to our friends and visiting some of our favorite spots before we go. Here are a few photos of the neighborhood we live in.

Mel and Jackie's Special Day

June 21 was a special day. It was Jackie's birthday and Father's Day! The girls treated both of us with cards and gifts and then all of us went to the Hard Rock Hotel for a BBQ brunch. We spent most of the afternoon eating, lounging, and swimming!!