There goes another year.

New Year’s eve allowed me time to reflect on 2021. It had been a wild ride. I’d spent 2020 losing money hand over fist as Covid 19 gripped the world and tourism in Bali halted. From March 2020, I forked out money to keep staff employed and my business, Private Ubud Villas, going, but there was no income. This continued into 2021, without any recovery in sight. What was I going to do? My 66th birthday was approaching fast and the Australian Age Pension was looking good. I worked with my Bali staff, ensuring they were ready to take over the reins, while I returned to Australia. On the 4th April, I departed Bali and landed in Australia on the 5th April.

The first few months was spent organising to my pension, catching up with family and friends, and working my business from afar with daily phone calls and emails back and forth to Bali. Within a few months, I realised surviving on the Australian pension in Australia, with everything costing so much, was not a long term solution, so I re-registered as a teacher and put out feelers for a teaching position in the Torres Strait. I had fond memories of working there decades ago, plus accommodation was provided, so this seemed a good option. I received an offer in August and started at Badu Island in September, 2021.

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Teaching on Badu Island.

I’d not taught for the past 16 years and more than once I wondered what I was doing. I’d survived bladder cancer, now had a urostomy bag and wasn’t sure I could manage teaching with my altered plumbing, but I jumped in feet first and survived the challenge. Technology was king and all curriculum documents were now available on the net. Student records, reporting and communication used the net as well. Blackboards were a thing of the past and instead, classes had whiteboards and large computer screens. My learning curve was huge but I was up to the challenged, loved teaching my class and survived the final term of 2021. I was exhausted by the end of most school days and spent weekends resting and planning for the next week.

Summer holidays.

I was more than ready when we broke up on the 3rd December and began our six weeks of Christmas holidays. Four weeks of these holidays have now elapsed and I’ve had a five days in Cairns and the rest of the time here on Badu Island. Staying here has given me time to rest, work with my Bali team, revise my memoir and plan for my new class for 2022. While all my plans have progresses slowly and I’ve not achieved as much as I hoped, there has been progress, so I’m not disappointed.

And my 2022 plans?

I have plans and some would call them New Year resolutions, but I don’t. They are just intentions and as such may change. Here they are.

1. I will get my Covid 19 booster as soon as it is available here on Badu.
2. I will try and walk most days.
3. I will continue with sensible eating and hopefully lose more kilos.
4. I will plan and teach my Year 1 and 2 class for first semester.
5. I will return to Bali on the 29th June, 2022.

So they are my plans for 2022. What are yours? I hope we all have a magnificent 2022.