Since my blog is called Traveling with Claire and I haven’t done much traveling, I haven’t been writing too much. It’s not like Shekou where I was literally counting the minutes until my next vacation. I had a week off recently and I stayed here in Istanbul, exploring some new areas and trying some new recipes. I really do love this city.

However, there is another reason I stayed home – I got a new job at my school. I will be the Tech Integrator/eLearning Coach for IICS! Next year, I am out of the classroom and onto new challenges! It’s interesting because I was offered the same job at my school in China. And believe it or not, I really struggled with turning that job down. Although I would rather live with 52 feral cats in a one room apartment then stay in China, it was a great opportunity and fantastic to be recognized.

However, I decided to follow my heart and when I found out both of the tech people at IICS were leaving this year, I immediately updated my portfolio, cornered the headmaster, sent several emails to key people, and lost sleep preparing for my interview because I understand these opportunities are rare. I feel incredibly grateful and just thank my lucky stars every day.

So that’s my story lately. Not perfect, but I figure if I keep following my heart, I can always look in the mirror and know I tried my best. Plus, I can always count on the Bosphorus at sunrise to put a smile on my face. Not so bad.