the sloppy duck

Just found projectunbreakable on tumblr… and wow. I think everyone should follow this blog. Heartbreaking, terrifying, yet so necessary to bring light to the wrongs that happen every. damn. day.

I’m getting a little tired of the way I look… I’m in dire need of a makeover. I used to always look put together and nice, and now I feel frumpy about 80% of the time. On my list of things to do:

New haircut- cutting it short as hell. WAY too tired of my long curls, and the fact that I find dreadlocks in my hair is not a good sign.

Eyebrows done.

New make-up.

But ughhhhh I can’t afford a new wardrobe… anyone have any nice classy ideas for me?

Well, though family center is slowly but surely filling my schedule with piano lessons, classes, and kids to tutor, I’m still in a bit of a spot financially.

Private loans didn’t even wait a MONTH AND A HALF after I graduated to start sending out my interest payments. My interest amount is 1/4 the amount of what the loan is. Gotta love the fact it cooked for like four years.

Going to start cleaning houses for some untaxed cash.

And…started a savings plan.

Blegh.

Homegirl definitely got hired ON THE SPOT yesterday at the interview, very nice! They immediately set me up with a client, ON THE SPOT, which is also very, very nice considering she comes in twice a week for an hour and a half each.

And we talked and chatted and toured the facility, and then I saw the music rooms… *gasp!* And it just so happens that they’re looking for a piano teacher! And it just so happens that I was trained in piano for over 8 years! I casually mentioned this and blah, blah, blah, took some paperwork and sent my happy ass on its way.

Later last night I checked my e-mail, and they found another client for me already on Saturdays, and would also like me to immediately start teaching piano lessons beginning on Saturday!

YAYYYYY!!!!! I’M NOT A FAILURE!!!!!!!

Guess who has their first tutoring client tomorrow afternoon?

…..THIS GIRL

And I’ll tell you why.

1. Saw my counselor for the final time…. seemed to find closure on everything that went on the last few months of my life. Medications are great. Thought processes are great. Stress is down. I’m back to my old self :)

2. Surprised my class on Tuesday! They were presenting science fair projects and you know I had to check out what was going on there. It was so cute, I walked in the door and you could tell that it took a second or two for them to register who I was and then BAM. Desks fell over. Chair were knocked around. And I got my big ol class hug :) Then I couldn’t stop smiling the entire day.

3. Tuesday night got my first bite on a job! It was for the Costa Rica job, but as mentioned in my last post, I’m not gonna go for it.

4. Yesterday afternoon- got a realistic job preview for Boystown, which is working with at-risk youth. 

5. Last night I found a family center around here that seems pretty cool, so just out of curiosity I e-mailed and asked if there were any positions available. Long story short, they e-mailed me back at 8 AM this morning and said they were always looking for tutors and were interested. NICE.

6. I applied for SeaWorld lolololol

7. Made some follow-up calls about volunteering in the local schools this morning and actually got a nice conversation in with the assistant principal about my degree and credentials. Not bad at all! Then she referred me to the reading specialist who was also impressed with my reading endorsement and experience. We’re going to meet on Monday morning. At the end of the conversation she said she’d definitely mention me to administration even though they’re not hiring right now because everything helps. :) IMPROMPTU INTERVIEWS ARE AWESOME.

8. Guess who has a phone interview tomorrow morning about Boystown. This girl. And that salary (what they called the “minimum” I would be paid) is lookin’ gooooooood. Much better than my shitty $8.00 and 14 hour days jobs from undergrad.

CHANGED MY OPINION ABOUT POSTGRAD LIFE. IT IS AWESOME AND EXCITING!

Guess who FINALLY started hearing back about various jobs I’ve applied for?! YUP. Thank you, God.

Last night I received an e-mail for Politecnico Internacional for teaching English in San Jose Costa Rica. Basically, it was step two of the application process. Naturally I was stoked because I remember sitting there loling at the idea of me getting this job, so it definitely reminded me of my bad-assness….HOWEVER. After quite a bit of research online today (courtesy of DavesESLCafe which is an excellent resource) I realized that while this position isn’t exactly a scam, it’s not exactly ideal for what I want at this point in life. I knew the dangers of living in San Jose and that it was a high crime area, but from what I’ve read it seems like the salary is mostly enough to live on and hang out every now and then…not ideal for student loans. Also, I heard a lot of negative reviews about the director of the school and dishonesty.

That being said, I’m looking for any REPUTABLE schools abroad that would hire someone with a Bachelor’s. Mind you, there are a lot of these dishonest or scam ads posted on the TESOL website, so I guess they don’t really have a filter on what gets posted. Every time I found an interesting opportunity for someone with a Bachelor’s, once I searched the forums for more information I realized there were really negative working conditions. Does anyone have any ideas?

This afternoon (in the midst of my frantic researching) I also received more information about Boystown of Central Florida, which is a faith-based organization that works with at-risk youth in the area. It’d be tough and at times very frustrating, but this is something I’m extremely interested in as well, especially due to the fact that the county I’m living in right now has such a large population of homeless students. Again, I’ve heard a lot of positive things about this organization and what they accomplish, but I wanted to hear from some current or former employees. What was it like? Did you find it rewarding? If you left, would you do it again?

Decided I’m going to learn Spanish… sooooooo many cool jobs out there, but only if you’re bi-lingual :(

May the language gods smile upon me.

It’s the first of the year. You still have another month to think how wonderful and different things will be and how “this is going to be your year!”