The answer was...
I turned down the job offer in China.
I talked with my family and a few close friends from around the world who also work at international schools and decided that although the offer was good and quite tempting, it was no.
This decision has really turned me inside out as it has forced me to re-examine the course of my life. If I leave Canada again, I can't realistically see myself returning for years. If I stay, then I follow the dream of working with youth at risk and new Canadians.
I look at that writing and remark that those two decisions, on paper, look easy to make for me. Quite the opposite really. I've always worked with children at risk and I always look for the down and out underdogs when I walk into a class. I've also focussed so much on moving out into the world. To not be out and engaging new places seems daunting to me.
I feel closer to an overall decision and hope to have one in the next few days.
On the positive side, I have to:
a) placate an irate American who wants to know how this has all happened when he thought he had a teacher for his school.
b) let turnside know that for now, we are still the anti-facebook brothers.
c) hunt down Mr. Winfrow for caring enough to call from hick-ville Alberta to let me know about his disdain for my decision to leave Canada again. It meant a lot buddy. Thanks.
Ciao,
~V~