National Conference

Tomorrow is supposed to be the start of CfBT Malaysia's National Conference. All the other PET's (Project English Teachers, not a very flattering acronym), ELC's (English Language Coordinators- what can I say, someone in the Ministry of Education must have a thing for animal acronyms), at least the ones still standing, errrr . . . remaining, are going to be there. So will the whole CfBT office staff, higher ups from the CDC (No- not the Center for Disease Control. In Malaysia it means the Curriculum Development Center of the Ministry of Education, who are our bosses) and various VIP's from the Ministry looking for a free lunch. I'm told it's going to be held at a very nice resort hotel in Malacca. Which one, I'm not sure. It doesn't matter anyway. I'm not going.

Not that I wouldn't love to go. It would be nice to get another weeks vacation tacked on to a nine day semester break, at a resort hotel. Even at a crappy resort hotel. Or wherever. It also would be nice to get to see everybody again, and see how they are getting on. In any other situation, Trien and I would be going home after I finish here, and she's done talking with her friends at Vanessa's apartment, to pack up our things.

Not this time, though. Instead, we are going to go home, get a shower, and start decorating the baby's room, before her much anticipated arrival. Then I have to get to bed so I can go teach tomorrow. WHOOOOOOOPEEEE! Now isn't that exciting? I sure as anything rather be on the road to Malacca tomorrow. As long as Rod Deering wasn't driving his Proton Saga like a test track driver. He tends to do that when he gets deep into a discussion. Or maybe it's when he doesn't like the way the discussion is going. I'm not sure which.

I wouldn't be in this spot if the CDC didn't keep moving the date for the conference around. It was canceled twice. Originally it was going to be in June, which would have been fine. Then it was going to be in the beginning of July, which was still OK. Then, in all their infinite wisdom, they move it to the week Trien is due to deliver. So that means no free vacation with all the rest of CfBT, at least not this year.

Instead, my vacation will come after Melody is born. And what vacation could be better than that?