Blessings in Disguise

Map from todislott.se

Still no word on the Big Job, but there are still threads of optimism here. Getting that job is how I can afford to keep this house, so over the summer, I will be looking for very cheap housing and piecing together an income from several part-time jobs.

Perhaps all this is a blessing in disguise, as things so often are. With a less perfect job, with a less beautiful home, I will feel less tethered to this place, more free to pursue dreams outside the area, outside the country even.

Even as we speak, my resume is on someone's desk in an international school in Sweden. I plan to put it on many desks over the next few months, beefing it up in the meantime with more relevant experience: teaching English as a Second Language.

Starting Tuesday, I will be teaching Advanced Reading to foreign students who want to enter HSU. My students will be adults from around the world and from a wonderful variety of linguistic backgrounds. To prepare for this, I've read everything I can get my hands on.

My reading list this week:

• The Art of Critical Reading
• Delta's Key to the TOEFL Test
• USA Customs and Institutions
• Introduction to Literature
• Tutoring ESL Writers
• Teaching Reading Vocabulary
• Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching
• Issues in Second Language Acquisition
• Timed Readings