Interesting....

I am not even sure how I ended up looking into the possibility of working in Abu Dhabi. I had a friend that is currently teaching over there, but I am not sure how the idea became a part of my spirit. I have a great job as a principal and "we" (students, staff, and community) have been able to turn the school around in just a year. I am closer to my family both in proximity and in connectedness than I have ever been in years.....So why Abu Dhabi? The question is simple....I LOVE LIFE! I think that there are many people who wake up everyday without an appreciation or even an understanding that you only get 1 life. The thought of being able to work with other educators who have made a commitment to something greater than themselves, disrupt their life, move half way across the world, and do all of this with many unknowns is exciting! I'm not much of a writer, but I figure this will be an outlet as I have heard the waiting can be painful. My goal also is to answer all of the questions for others, that I wondered about through myself. I am not sure how long this blog will last, because to date, I have not formally been offered yet. It may be over before it even begins:) LOL

I'll begin with my story..In October I decided to come home one Friday night and complete my application. Like most, I received an email within a week asking me to schedule an interview via Skype. I thought to myself, WOW! That was quick!! Originally, I had applied for a Cluster Manager position. The interview went well and I was notified that I would move to the next round, but that ADEC would be dictating the time lines which were not known by my recruiter, which was Teach Away at the time. I received an email a few weeks later stating that they had not heard anything about the positions so they were assuming that they had all been filled.

In November I received an email that I almost skipped right over asking me if I was still interested in a Principal/Vice Principal position. I replied YES!!!!!! I had a phone interview and was told again that I would advance to the next round.....but again timelines where unknown...SIGH..HERE WE GO AGAIN:) All I was told was that the next round would be after the new year (2015). So I went on with my life:) I have learned to be patient and not worry about the things that I cannot control.....I give those things to GOD. However, I think that this process will test both my patience and faith:)

In January I received an email asking me to choose preliminary interview dates and locations. This was difficult because I wanted to begin the process as soon as possible....so I could learn my fate, as soon as possible:) However, my girlfriend and I were expecting our little "Madisyn" during the same time period. What the hell, I choose the first location, which was New York and it was the same date as our due date:) For some reason, I just knew everything would work out. The wait was intense though....I checked everyday for an official interview invite. Again, I decided to just let it go and give it to God.

On February 2nd, Madisyn arrived at 6:41 weighing 6.2 pounds. My girlfriend had gone into labor at about 1:00 a.m. that morning. By the time we were assigned our room and got settled, it was about 10:00 p.m. I know I have no right to complain, but I was exhausted. I passed out on the make shift couch/bed and was awoken by one of the many nurse visits. It was around 3:00 a.m. I looked down at my phone and noticed that I had an email from my recruiter. IT WAS THE OFFICIAL NEW YORK INVITE!

Here is the ironic part of all of this. I interviewed for my first principalship "days" after my son was born. I literally still had on the arm band from the hospital. I took this a good sign!! When my girlfriend awoke, I told her the news and she was extremely supportive, although you can understand that her joy was a bit muted due to her exhaustion and new focus:)

When we arrived home, I made the flight and hotel arrangements. I re-read the invitation email again and noticed that it was going to be a Skype interview. While I am exited, I would prefer an in person interview. AND, because I was notified within a week of the  interview, the plane tickets were expensive....all this money for a Skype interview. Oh well, its a blessing to be chosen to be interviewed and even more of a blessing that God has provided the means for me to be able to purchase the ticket and hotel.

So needless to say, when i haven't been sleeping, I have been scouring the blogs and joined every Facebook page I could to connect with others to get some insight. Hopefully, the interview will be blessed and I will know rather quickly if I am selected so I can move to the next steps literally, mentally, and physically.

I titled my blog "Incognito for now" because there are only a select few that know about any of this. I already know that there are some people in my life that are happy with me living my life "inside the box" that they are comfortable with. I don't want the negative energy or the million questions about why. I want to be in a great space and my girlfriend and my mom are both excited about the process and potential, so those are the ones that I will take with me into the interview. Others will eventually find out if I am successful, but by then it will be too late:)