Tuesday, July 18, 2006

summer update

As you may have noticed, I haven't been posting as frequently as usual, all because my plate has been quite full lately. Between family visiting from Prague, teaching, being a mom, looking for a new job, and various other summer activities such as trips to the coast and garden parties, I've found it difficult to find the time to even wash my own underpants, let alone keep up with my various blogs. Hey, I'm sure you wanted to know about my underpants.

I do have some big news. I just got hired at a new place, a welcome development since I am getting laid off from my current job (vocational ed) at the end of this month. The new job is at a very small alternative high school where I used to work once upon a time. Only one teacher that I used to know has remained there since my hay day. I will be teaching evening ESL or ESOL classes, as they are sometimes called. ESOL stands for English for Speakers of Other Languages. The students in the evening program are pretty serious about learning, since they usually work full-time jobs during the day, and are often counted on to support families. They are generally motivated and polite. I know because I used to sub in that program. My new schedule will be a bit of an adjustment, but I think I may enjoy it, though I may miss out on a few dinner parties or evening lectures. The work hours are 4-9 pm Monday through Friday (=25 hrs/week). That means that Tim will get in nearly a full day of work each weekday, which he will be grateful for, I'm sure.

The fun part is that I get all of August off before I start my new job (except for the first three days when I will be subbing in another ESL program at my old job). A nice perk with the new job is that I will be on the public school schedule, complete with winter, spring, and summer break, as well as inservice days. I'm starting to like this already. Plus the job offers a lot of autonomy and health insurance as well, if I'm not mistaken. I hope I'm not mistaken.

So, I was just offered this job yesterday. Tomorrow, after my grandmother leaves town, I go sign the papers. And then it's off to the coast for "Couples and Baby" weekend with my in-laws (sister- and brother-in-law) and friends from Seattle. Can't wait.

In August, Tim, Jonah and I will be going down to the Bay Area to spend a week with Jonah's other grandfather, my dad, who will be meeting the baby for the first time. My dad's wife, my sister, and hopefully her boyfriend will be joining us too. Tim, Jonah, and I will spend a weekend in San Francisco alone after a week with family in Bolinas, a quiet little town close to lots of hikes and beautiful natural areas. Can't wait for the adventures.

And of course, August will be an eventful month with all the birthdays, wedding anniversary, etc. coming up. I just realized it may be a nice idea to throw a little kid get-together for Jonah's first birthday. Something like a wading pool and water baloon fun in the backyard. Sure, he is still too small to remember somthing like that, but hey, it would give mom and dad something to talk about.

Jonah is doing great. He loves having extended family around all the time. At our garden party in honor of my grandmother last Sunday, he had such a great time being passed from one person to the next. He even forgot about his parents for a while. Wow! My grandmother had a nice time too. We served mojitos - my first time making such a drink, with fresh mint from our garden. A refreshing experience for the pallet for sure.

My Czech class is going well, though the grammar does get harder as one delves deeper into the jungle that Czech is. Last time I confused and frustrated a few students. But hey, language students need to realize and get used to the fact that there will often be a certain degree of ambiguity when it comes to trying to understand a new language. So, there. Not my fault entirely. Next week we are going to begin looking at noun cases. My students are going to kill me. Maybe I should wear a bullet-proof vest.

1 comment:

bakhazuka said...

oh my,

you are one of those super moms. sounds like your plate is really full. i can barely manage anything with no events thesedays. i envy your strength to do everything and do them all good.