Letter from my pre-school teacher

I just found a letter from my teacher:

"Dear Carissa,

Its been a pleasure having you in class. You are a wonderful, bright and conscientious student. You're also a charming sweet little girl who's eager to learn and to share her knowledge with her friends. At times you are quite shy and reluctant to change. However don't ever let that make you lose confidence in yourself. You are a bright little girl and you have so much to offer. Always remember you can do it sweetie. And knowing you, I know you can do it very well too. Underneath that shy exterior is a sweet intelligent Carissa ready to accomplish anything and everything she sets her mind to. I know you'll do fine in kindergarten and throughout your formal education.

You've made teaching enjoyable and rewarding. Thank you for sharing your love and super hugs with me. Have a wonderful summer and a great school year. You'll always be my Carissa-Bissa.

Love,

Mrs. Solomon."

I know some of it is probably the same that she wrote to other students, but I hope that I have met her expectations. I hope that I have gained confidence in myself and shown a stronger acceptance of change. I think that I have accomplished most my goals (though I admit I try to keep them low to make sure I can) and I really hope I can continue to do so.

Wow, who would have thought a letter from a teacher who knew me from for a brief year (when I was 4-5 years old) would inspire me to keep trying to be the best I can be.

Mexico...let´s go

"Dear Ms. Peck:

I am pleased to offer you the job of instructor of English at the Sinaloa Campus of Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey."

What's the job?

• Commit to a one-year contract (with possibility of renewal).
• Start work on July 25, 2011. (Classes start August 8.)
• Be on campus 40 hours a week (teach 4 different classes for 4.5 hours each which means 18 hours a week).
• Teach in high school and university divisions.

And what do I get?

• Salary of 23,000 pesos per month (that is about 2,000Euros/month)
• Paid airfare from point of origin to Culiacan, Sinaloa
• Paid airfare from Culiacan, Sinaloa to point of origin at end of one-year contract (and paid return to Culiacan if renewing contract)
• Paid housing (homestay) during first two weeks in Culiacan
• Assistance in finding apartment
• Five weeks’ paid vacation per year (two at Christmas, two in the summer, one during Easter week)

Why I am super excited?

• I am really excited to be back to working with older students
• I am super excited about being in a Spanish speaking country again
• I am thrilled about the weather (yes I know gross humidity, but my hair rocks humidity anyways)
• I am closer to home (actually be able to fly home for holidays or maybe even weddings!)
• The pay is enough that I can actually save again (wohoo!)

What I want to do when I grow up

I was talking to a friend via e-mail and she asked me how I decided to be what I am today. This is what followed:

I wish I knew.

When I was younger I said I wanted to be anything but a teacher. My mom, dad, and many aunts were teachers. I heard their horror stories, the lack of respect and thought...no way...not for me. This was at the young age of five!!!

I started with a love for journalism. When I was young I made a newspaper about our family news. I called it NO NEWS, because no news is good news, really I was adorable.

I LOVED journalism until my last semester of high school. My senior year our journalism teacher had a nervous breakdown. She walked off campus in the middle of the day. They hired an English substitute but she didn't know journalism. My father taught at the high school and I grew up there (literally since I was three) so they decided I could just moderate the class. Yes, they put a high school student in charge of the journalism class. I just about went crazy. I learned to set fake deadlines (the real deadline was one week after) to allow me to get all the stories in on time. I called my teachers constantly from the journalism room saying I was getting a friend to take notes for me could they please mark me as present and I would not show up. I basically worked my butt off. I graduated, got into college and went to freshman orientation.

There was a computer glitch on my freshman orientation form. Turns out they didn't know if my major was journalism or communications. I instantly told them it was communications. I'd never heard of the field but I needed to get out of journalism. I began studying communications and actually found it a great field. It was about how and why people communicated. I learned how to communicate effectively in a group, all about inter cultural communication, and even nonverbal communication.

I had gone to France once with the French Club in high school(no I don't speak French I took Spanish in high school). And discovered I loved it! I went on to study in Singapore and LOVED it even more! I tried to drop out of college after Singapore, my father told me I could, but then I had to pay him back for the tuition he'd already paid. I decided to finish up college. From there I studied in Spain and did a month in Turkey. I was really very happy living out of a backpack.

I now have a degree in Communications, a minor in Spanish, and NO IDEA what to do with it.

I am teaching abroad right now, but I can't decide if I like it or not. The Korean form of education is certainly different than the United States. Teachers get more respect, however, some students are in school until 10pm! I can't support this! So I will work here the rest of the year pay my parents back the loan they gave me. Maybe I will WWOOF it for a while. Then teach for the Peace Corps.

I feel like I have no skills, no desires, and no direction. But I am still young, right?

Basically, I know I want to be happy, but I don't know how, and I don't know doing what. I wish I did.

I have pictures

I've just been busy to load them

Anyone use a good online photo album so I don't need to send my parents to my facebook???

Anyways, been keeping busy planning the summer camps, seeing new cities and hanging out with friends...we had a wine tasting night at my apartment...thankfully I have "wood" floors and not carpet...red wine seems to spill faster than white wine

Koreans must be great at faking it

I have a degree in communications. I STUDIED communications for FOUR years. I KNOW what I am talking about...

yet...

I CANNOT read a Korean crowd.

I do not know if they understand or don't. They all look very intently and nod at appropriate intervals...but when asked a simple review question...NONE of them know the answer...and it is not just being shy as I thought at first...nope it is just NOT knowing

VERY bizzare

Woke up late today

Wake up time 8:10

At school: 8:30

I didn't embarrass America...I threw on a dress, did my makeup in the elevator, brushed my teeth at school (we all keep toothbrushes there for after fishy lunches) and put my hair in a french twisty thing to hide the fact I didn't brush it

Basically....I rocked it

First day of solo lessons went ok, but we'll see

I have a cell phone

Not that I expect phone calls, but in case you end up on a plane that lands in Korea, and you think to yourself, "if only I had her number"

voila!

01075830117

You got to pick the last four digits of your phone...

I could have been awesome and picking "phat" or "brat" or "luvr" or something else equally amazing/lame but I panicked and picked my birthday :-)

:-)

Carissa

Why Korea?

I have to finish packing, but I thought i'd take a moment to answer the question people keep asking me.

"Why are you teaching in Korea?"

A. Gaeul
B. I've never been
C. They don't require any experience and they pay decently
D. They pay for your apartment
E. Kimchi

A. Gaeul is my friend I met while studying Spanish in Spain. She is pretty much da bomb. She's one of those super smart people that makes you feel dumb because she speaks, French, German, English, Spanish and...oh yea KOREAN. But since she's in Korea I'll know someone and she can save me when I get arrested for accidentally claiming allegiance to their Northern counterpart.

B. I like going places I've never been. It is really fun. You have to deal with culture, languages, and full immersion. It is AMAZING! Plus it is close enough to Asia I can go to countries I know I love (China, Vietnam, Japan, etc.)

C. If you have a degree, you are hired. HOW AWESOME IS THAT? The pay isn't great but the taxes are lower (I don't pay American taxes) and with the dollar going down i'll be making even more..kinda.

D. I like free rent.

E. I like kimchi it is good.

So...yeah

Abroad...again

For those of you who know me I have a love of living abroad. It started in high school. A friend persuaded me into joining the French club so I could go on the Europe trip with her. It seemed like fun, so I joined...regardless of the fact I was in Spanish class, but hey I lived in San Diego anyone could go down to Mexico for Spanish. France was...across a really big ocean. So I sold Mardis Gras beads, picked up a part time job and voila France!

The airport promptly lost my luggage, we got lost in the red light district while looking for a church , had the best pick up line EVER (you, me, monkey fuck?) and I I got stuck going into all the cathedrals in my big red Coca Cola sweater in the middle of summer since I was wearing a tank top and had no luggage.

It was one of the most exciting trips I'd ever taken, and I wanted more of it, so I vowed to study abroad in college. I made it to Singapore, Spain and Turkey(kinda) studying abroad and it was an amazing experience I highly recommend to everyone!

But now I have graduated...and I am supposed to get a job...and the real world awaits, so.... abroad.

I am heading to Suwon, South Korea to teach English... pray for me, light candles, make vodoo dolls, or just keep me in your good graces and I'll keep you posted on my life abroad, my life as a teacher, and for now...the struggle getting there!

:-)

Carissa