Megan Schmidt

Today is the day! Rachel, Hailey, Sara and I were dropped off at the Columbus airport this morning at 8am by Dear Husband. We made it through security despite Rachel's negligence in including a full water bottle in her carry-on. None of the girls have been out of the country or have even flown before, so there's a pretty big learning curve here. We are all really excited for the adventure ahead! We are traveling with two other groups: one from a high school in Iowa and one from New Albany High School in Ohio! The other groups are all Spanish classes, whereas we are just a service learning group. Luckily, Sara speaks some Spanish, so we are trusting her to not sell us off. :) Evening update: our flights have been delayed, but not devastatingly ... read more

Hello, All! A few weeks ago, I went to China for a long weekend with a friend of mine, Lauren, and we had an incredible time! We visited Beijing for 4 days and in that brief time we did WAY more than I would have thought possible. Let me break it down for you: Peking Acrobats show - incredible. A similar troupe of artists visited Miami in 2008 and it was quite a show! These young adults were doing flips on a slack rope, fitting 20 people on one bicycle, and bending in ways I didn't know possible while juggling, balancing, lifting, and somehow surviving! No photos were allowed, but suffice it to say I was thoroughly impressed! Jade factory - A few people working in a glass-walled sweatshop to demonstrate how jade is carved and ... read more

Hello lovely family and friends! I know it's been a while, but I wanted to wait until I had some things of substance to post. Not a lot has happened since my last blog, but just enough that I can let you all know what's happening. I will have you all know that I'm writing this with no visual assistance whatsoever. I got Lasik vision correction surgery one week ago and I can see like a hawk. A really fashionable hawk. With blonde hair and Mickey Mouse earrings. Yeah. Anyway, it was probably the scariest 15 minutes of my ENTIRE life, but well worth it. In the states, the same procedure cost upwards of $3500. I paid $780. Woot! Plus I never have to pay for glasses, contacts, contact solution... EVER again. I don't have to ... read more

Hello, All! Well, I've just gotten back from Japan a couple of days ago. It was okay... Or... It was amazing! I had an awesome time with my friend, Mike. We didn't have a real schedule or anything - just general ideas of what we wanted to do and see. I think our priority list went something like this: 1. Eat amazing sushi 2. See REAL Tokyo (not just the touristy stuff) 3. Tokyo Motor Show 4. Tokyo Disneyland 5. Participate in real karaoke I feel pretty confident in saying we achieved all of those things with flying colors. Friday was our flight out of Seoul, so we managed to get to Incheon International in just enough time to check in. Luckily, we had no checked luggage, so we just went straight for the plane. When ... read more

Hello, All! I have some wonderful news, some slightly old wonderful news, and general updates for you all. First and foremost, I have turned down an offer to renew my contract in return for a Harvard course training and certificate. I will in all likelihood be coming home in June of 2010, as scheduled. I can't wait to see you all! Secondly, I found out today that my application for promotion has been accepted. I am now the Shift leader for 1-9 and the Evening Activities Coordinator. The job entails a lot, so I won't bore you with the details. I'm looking at a lot of overtime before winter VIP starts up, but I have a great support system and am really looking forward to getting to teach in all of the different content areas instead ... read more