New Adventures

I have a goal...to blog! Not just every 6 months, but a whole lot more. I am not prepared to give a number of times a week or month, but it will be more than every 6 months. I have made this executive decision because I feel as though I am starting on a new adventure.

Things that are new...
1. I quit my job teaching kindergarten.
2. I got a new job teaching 1st grade in Mandarin Chinese!
3. I am moving to Salt Lake.

Although I will miss my students from my previous school, I am so excited to embark on this adventure and I want to share it with every one! I realize that with this job I have made my life a whole lot more challenging than I can even imagine right now, but I think it will be worth it. I love Chinese...the language, the people, the culture. I feel at home when Chinese is a part of my life! I also realize I have a lot of work to do. To start with I have conferences to attend in June, a trip to Taiwan for the month of July (hopefully to make my mandarin incredible!) and summer school to teach when I return! This is going to be a busy and challenging summer and I am ready to go.

Very quickly I want to share how all these changes came about...

For the last 2 years I have been trying to figure out what to do with my life. I would try my hand at many different interests, but nothing felt just right. Around January of this year I decided that I didn't care if things didn't feel perfect, I needed a change and I was going to make it happen. I applied for a bunch of different jobs and looked into going back to school getting a variety of degrees. To name a few, I took the LSAT, I looked into culinary arts school, I talked to professors about a two different PhD's I could start. I applied for jobs in Hong Kong, with the government, with Teach for America, and so on. I was on the hunt and I knew I could make it happen. I canceled my score for the LSAT because I missed numbered a whole sections and didn't realize it until I was done...LAME. Culinary Arts school was too expensive for a hobby. I couldn't decide on which PhD program I wanted to apply for. I got the job in Hong Kong, I got the job with Teach For America, my boss didn't complete the references thing for the job with the government, so I didn't finish that application, and then one day I got an email. This email asked me if I was interested in teaching a dual immersion Chinese class in the Granite School District in Salt Lake. To be honest I wasn't very interested. Then a few days later I got a phone call, a lady asked me if I would be interested in the job. I said my Chinese is not good enough. She asked me to come in and talk with her....I did. She asked me to see the classroom...I did. She asked me to apply for the job...I did. She asked me to come for an interview...I did. She asked to come observe my teaching...she did. She asked me to have an interview in Chinese...I had two. She told me I would find out the next day if I got the job...it took 3. I got the job!

This job was placed in my lap without any work done on my part. It was given to me and I didn't want it at first. Then in the middle of this whole process I realized I did want it and waiting those 3 days was torture. I know God had a hand in this. I know this is the job I need right now. I know this job is going to challenge me every single day. I also know that this job is worth it and there is NOT a better job for me any where in the world.

So there you have it in my longest blog ever...the start to my new adventure and how it all began! Hopefully later this week I can tell you about my trip to Powell...you won't want to miss it!