The adventure continues

Well, I guess it is official!

No more editing my resume and typing new cover letters. No more letters of recommendation. No more checking TIE online for job openings. No asking friends if they have friends who might have friends that are in education.

It is official.

I am off the market.

I found a great Christian school that I was interested in way back in November (that is pretty early to begin thinking about jobs for the next school year). I loved the mission and philosophy of the school, I loved the direction they were heading professionally and I loved the change of scenery/culture that would take place for me if I accepted a job at that school. I contacted the HR department and sent everything I could think of to try to make me look different than the 300 candidates that would come across their desk. Then the HR deparment contacted me and asked for a personal mission statement and my personal statement of faith. It took me some time to figure out what my personal mission for my life really is. What do I want for my life professionally and what have I seen in my life spiritually? It was therapuatic to have to sit and reflect on the things that are important to me.

#1 - I want to impact others - I became an educator for the sole purpose of impacting the world. Why wouldn't I want to be in a profession that can be such a catalyst for young kids and know that I have a unique role to play? - What an honor - tons of responsibility too, but I am always up for a challenge.
#2 - I want to be in an environment that is postive and supportive. I want to work for a school that has pillars of morality and is not afraid to teach morality to kids, teachers, parents and administrators.
#3 - I want to know that I am doing what God wants me to do. I was created with a purpose. I have met too many people in life that are stumbling around not really sure what they are doing or why they are even here - I don't want to be a wanderer anymore. I am convinced that I have the God-given talents to use in the classroom and on any sports field - I want to use those gifts and talents and I want to use them well!

So, on a fateful day while I was vacationing in Brazil - I had my third interview with the school. They expressed that they were interested in me and they didn't want to wait until I got back to Bolivia make their decision. They felt that I was a good fit for the school, just as I had felt peace about possibly coming to the school. They offered me the job while I was in a noisy internet cafe around 12:30am Brazil time (about 8:30am in Korea). Looking around me, the young teenagers were noisy and playing their video games. People were speaking in Portugese as they were talking to their friends on Skype. Yet, with all the distractions, with all the noise, I felt a peace and calmness as they offered me the job in Seoul, Korea.
I will be teaching 7th grade English and Social Studies. I will be living in an apartment that is paid for by the school. I will have retirement, health, dental and vision. I will be coaching volleyball and be involved in a discipleship program. I will be living and working among the Korean people.

So, for me the adventure continues. I have had an amazing time teaching overseas and traveling though South America. My eyes have seen things I would never have imagined and my body and soul are changed because of my time in Bolivia. But again, it is not over for me. I am Korea bound.
So if you need a place to stay while passing through South Korea, give me a call - I can be your tour guide - for cheap!

http://www.sfs.or.kr/

Online godess

My goal at the beginning of 2009 was to finish the first part of my Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies - that really is a fancy title for saying that I have taken some leadership classes that will help me later when I want to pursue a job as an Athletic Director. I was nervous because this was my first attempt at online classes. I was nervous for various reasons - At the beginning of 2009 I was traveling with some friends through Argentina. To begin my classes I was going to have to find an Internet cafe and communicate via Skype and rely on spotty Internet access. I was also nervous because I really truly hate school. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't hate LEARNING, I hate school. I hate the act of sitting down at a computer and reading through my classmates comments and then trying to find something that I can contribute - something witty, something worthwhile, something that does not convince them that I have no interest at all in what they are saying.

My online classes would last about 8 weeks a session. I would need to communicate with my classmates and professor every week and then complete 2 - 3 assignments every week. All of this was happening at the same time that I was teaching full time, coaching volleyball, attending my kickboxing and Pilate's class, grading papers and volunteering at my favorite orphanage! No problem, right?!?!

Well, I had started my classes in Buenos Aires, Argentina, I continued to take my classes online while living in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. I went home for the summer and so completed one of my leadership classes in Lafayette, Indiana and then my final class had an assignment due just as I was landing in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. I went to another Internet cafe with spotty internet access and chuckled to myself as I submitted my final paper. Nothing like online classes while traveling to 4 different countries and 2 continents! Cheers to online learning!

New Year Resolutions

One of my resolutions every year is to write more. I love to write, putting words on paper or typing them on the computer is therapy for me. My goal when I graduated college was to finally get some of my writing published. I have been told by others that I have a gift for prose. So, why is it a resolution for me EVERY YEAR?

Because life happens.

Work is overloaded, bosses are overdemanding, parents are overbearing, I feel overwhelmed and I am becoming over the hill!

Life gets in the way, that is true of anyone. There are too many lesson plans to create and not enough time. There are too many papers to grade and not enough ink in my pen. There are too many students with problems and I am only one teacher. It is too difficult to continue to exercise and not risk becoming mundane. It is too challenging to go to church every Sunday when it is my only day to sleep in. But - these are all excuses. And one of my other New Years Resolutions is to stop making excuses.

So, my reoccuring New Years Resolution for 2010 is to write more - on my new blog!

I would love for you to read it and check out what is going on with me. I am a Midwestern girl who is living in Bolivia. I love teaching internationally and I love to travel. My life has been filled with some crazy stories and I have documented many, but not all. I would love to read your comments and have us enter into conversations about life, but no offense...this blog isn't necessarily for you. It is for me. It is so I can FINALLY acheive one of my numerous New Years Resolution. It is my therapy, it is my cyber - voice, it is my healing for my soul.

Who is SweetThunder 413?

One of my fondest memories from childhood involves watching mom pack my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches into a brown paper bag. After the lunch was taken care of I would grimace as she lathered me up with sunscreen and placed a silly hat on my head to wear during the day. We would hop into the blue van and I was giddy with anticipation as I was transported to DAY CAMP! It was a glorious thing every summer when my mom would announce that me and my brother and sister had been signed up for YMCA day camp.

There was freedom in those hot summer days where I discovered how to prepare bait for fishing in the Wildcat River. I remember how my arm would shake furiously as I would try to hit the bulls eye with my bow and arrow. I imagined myself sailing the high seas as I was the commander of my little canoe where I would bark orders with my oars at hand. It was during day camp that I realized that I was allergic to horses. After my very first encounter with horseback riding I was sent to the clinic because my eyes swelled shut and my body was covered with welts. It was at day camp where I was able to foster independence as I had to make friends on my own , I developed my social skills by overcoming my shyness and talking to cute boys and I was able to gain my very first Indian Name!

During day camp we were assigned to tribes and all the tribes had camp counselors. We would play games with each other, learn new skills, eat lunch with our new BFF´s and then we would gather by the campfire to inherit our Indian name. It was a big deal, almost like a rite of passage and it only happened on the very first day of camp. I felt my knees knocking as the camp counselor called the kids one by one to the front of the fiery pit. One of the blonde hair boys was called BEACH BLONDIE. Not very creative, but it fit him since he actually lived on the beaches of California and only visited Indiana during the summer (seems a bit backwards to me now, but at the time I was not one to judge). Another girl inherited the Indian name FRECKLED DULCE. Her entire body was covered in freckles, and she was from Mexico so Spanish was her native tongue and she knew that the word DULCE meant "sweet". Next it was my turn. I could hear my heart about to pound out of my chest. What was my name going to be? How was this going to shape my identity? The counselor called me toward the front, I wobbled to the center stage and he said, "From now you you will be called Sweet Thunder! Misty, the reason why I chose this name for you is that it is evident that you have a big heart for others. You are sweet, but at the same time, you are one of the loudest campers I have - sometimes when you talk it is as loud as thunder!" Everyone in the group cheered for my new name. I walked back to the outside circle elated and realized that name given to me on that day would follow me for the rest of my life.

I love my Indian name - I embrace my Indian name - Sweet Thunder is here to stay!