[While you ooh and aah over the gorgeous pictures of Colorado, I contemplate on our first American summer vacation. That is to say, we have been in the country for the whole stinking and muggy duration of it. At the beginning of the holidays I whined to Craig about having nothing to do for three whole months.
It was difficult to stay enthusiastic about relaxing when I had already cleaned and disinfected and organised our apartment to my heart's content, in just the first few days of the break. Fortunately, I could also teach summer school for a total of ten days. This was very rewarding - foremost financially, but also, for the interaction and connections I have made with students and my co-teachers. The lunch table became a place to feed on juicy morsels of (harmless) gossip and trivial personal stories.
My summer reading list never waned. Apart from seeking new titles promising exciting and enriching reading, I revisited old stories that had once enchanted me. I also joined a book reading club I kept forgetting to attend. And although I have not mastered all of the pieces on the only three piano books I own, playing the same old songs became wearisome. My repertoire clearly needed to expand.
There were also the customary trips outside of our little known territory in North Carolina. This summer, we explored both the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Gunnison County of Colorado. Both offered the perfect chance for Craig and I to recoup from all the hoo-hah of the previous months. There were a few times we got together with friends, including a memorable Coldplay concert one balmy evening in Raleigh.
Truth be told, I would much rather a "short" summer - the usual fare in Australian schools, or what is called a year round schedule here in the US. I love having just enough holidays in the summer, six weeks sparked by Christmas and New Year festivities, and the two-week break in between each term is a very welcome sanity saver. But this was how my American summer vacation unfolded and how a compulsive, task-driven, workaholic of a teacher, decided to reflect and rest.
Ah, the luxury of time.
Crested Butte, Colorado, July 2009]
