You can do Anything...but you can't do Everything...
I remember as a kid being told to enjoy my childhood while I can because time flies. Of course, like every kid, all I wanted and wished for was for the time to pass until the day when I was finally going to be considered a "grown up." After spending my childhood blind to the truth of the statement "time flies," the reality of it is suddenly sinking in with each passing year. Fortunately, I have been blessed with a supportive family and have always known that I could do truly anything with my life that I chose to do. The trick, for me anyways, is in choosing. Because I can do anything, but I can't do everything...and I have a lot of things that appeal to me and that I would like to do! I've been able to have a lot of experiences and I'm blessed because of those experiences but I still feel like there is a lot more ahead of me!
But, time doesn't slow down for the planning periods. Really it seems like it just keeps speeding up! There must be some balance in planning for the future, while still living for the present, and in reflecting on the curve balls that life has thrown you while not trying to relive the past. Some days I feel just fine, others I feel caught up in everything that is yet to come, and then there are other days where I am just wishing I could go back and replay a part of my life. Time flies. Things change. And I suppose that everything happens for a reason and more often than not that reason doesn't reveal itself but you just have to believe that it's true.
Have you seen that eCard that talks about a woman's mind with 2,487 or some odd number of web browser tabs open all the time? (I saw it on Pinterest...I am a Pinterest addict) ...I can't speak for all...but for myself that is many times how I feel.
So, as of lately here are some of the "tabs" that I have open:
So (if you are still with me at the end of this ridiculously long post)...I can do anything but I can't do everything. I'll just have to choose wisely in how I spend my time, live in the moment the best I can, and be thankful for the good times of the past but keep looking forward! :) Until next time...
But, time doesn't slow down for the planning periods. Really it seems like it just keeps speeding up! There must be some balance in planning for the future, while still living for the present, and in reflecting on the curve balls that life has thrown you while not trying to relive the past. Some days I feel just fine, others I feel caught up in everything that is yet to come, and then there are other days where I am just wishing I could go back and replay a part of my life. Time flies. Things change. And I suppose that everything happens for a reason and more often than not that reason doesn't reveal itself but you just have to believe that it's true.
Have you seen that eCard that talks about a woman's mind with 2,487 or some odd number of web browser tabs open all the time? (I saw it on Pinterest...I am a Pinterest addict) ...I can't speak for all...but for myself that is many times how I feel.
So, as of lately here are some of the "tabs" that I have open:
1. Josh and Justin: Why my two amazing cousins were taken from this world so soon and within a year of one another, I will never understand. I struggle to wrap my mind around it as does the rest of my family. I miss them so much and reminisce often about our childhood days together and the brief times we spent together as adults.
At the same time, I am so thankful for the time that I was given with them. Especially this past year being able to spend time with Josh and his rescuing me after convincing me to take a ride on his scooter...I sailed down the "street" that was four neighbors's front yards before I finally was able to turn around and he had come running down the street to assist me in the turn. The scooter still sits in my Meme and Papa's garage where he left it and the thought has crossed my mind about taking it out for a spin but without him here to help me in my lack of scooter skills I think better of it before I go sailing through all the neighbors's front yards with no way of turning back!
Josh and Justin, you are both gone from this world but I know you are shining down on us all from up above. I miss and love you both so much and there isn't a day that passes that I don't think of you both.
At the same time, I am so thankful for the time that I was given with them. Especially this past year being able to spend time with Josh and his rescuing me after convincing me to take a ride on his scooter...I sailed down the "street" that was four neighbors's front yards before I finally was able to turn around and he had come running down the street to assist me in the turn. The scooter still sits in my Meme and Papa's garage where he left it and the thought has crossed my mind about taking it out for a spin but without him here to help me in my lack of scooter skills I think better of it before I go sailing through all the neighbors's front yards with no way of turning back!
Justin Wesley Dacus 9/16/1985 - 9/9/2013
Joshua Cole Dacus 10/28/1983 - 9/5/2014
Josh and Justin, you are both gone from this world but I know you are shining down on us all from up above. I miss and love you both so much and there isn't a day that passes that I don't think of you both.
5. Teaching English in South Korea: I am currently in the job application process to begin work in South Korea in February of 2015. I can't say exactly where the idea of teaching in South Korea originated from, picked it up somewhere along the way while looking into travel opportunities I'm sure... Anyways, after reading countless blogs and books about teaching there, actually speaking to some people that had the experience first hand, and learning about all of the crazy benefits (free airfare there and back, paid housing, and paid insurance to name a few...), it seemed pretty promising to me and the more research that I do the more intriguing that South Korea becomes.
So, as I said, I am currently in the process of getting hired as an English Teacher through the EPIK program (English Program in Korea) (https://www.epik.go.kr/index.do and http://koreanhorizons.com/). And when I say process, I do mean process. After a somewhat standard application that you would expect with any job, there is the essay on why exactly do I want to teach in Korea?, then the lesson plan example that turned out to be a piece of cake after my TEFL course in Barcelona (see "tab" #21). THEN, it is the collecting of all transcripts and degrees and fingerprints. Transcripts are good as is, the degrees have to first be notarized and then mailed to the Secretary of State to obtain an apostille, the fingerprints are off to be used for my federal background check, the results of which are mailed to me and then those have to be forwarded on to Washington to also obtain an apostille. When all of that is said and done, those documents are then mailed to the closest Korean consulate for a work visa and also on to my future employer in Korea... I think. I haven't quite gotten that far in the process just yet!
So, as I said, I am currently in the process of getting hired as an English Teacher through the EPIK program (English Program in Korea) (https://www.epik.go.kr/index.do and http://koreanhorizons.com/). And when I say process, I do mean process. After a somewhat standard application that you would expect with any job, there is the essay on why exactly do I want to teach in Korea?, then the lesson plan example that turned out to be a piece of cake after my TEFL course in Barcelona (see "tab" #21). THEN, it is the collecting of all transcripts and degrees and fingerprints. Transcripts are good as is, the degrees have to first be notarized and then mailed to the Secretary of State to obtain an apostille, the fingerprints are off to be used for my federal background check, the results of which are mailed to me and then those have to be forwarded on to Washington to also obtain an apostille. When all of that is said and done, those documents are then mailed to the closest Korean consulate for a work visa and also on to my future employer in Korea... I think. I haven't quite gotten that far in the process just yet!
6. Should I just stay here? With as much work as goes into preparing all of my previously mentioned documents, you think I would just make up my mind! I know I want to go...I'm pretty sure it's the right direction for me but if there is one thing that makes me think twice it is listed in #7...
7. ♥ FAMILY ♥ I love my family so much and the hardest part about travelling is the leaving them behind. (ALTHOUGH! I sure wish they would come visit me more when I am gone! hint hint!!!) I hate leaving because I hate the thought of something happening while I am gone...but as my mom has said, I can't just sit and wait for something to happen, so that fear can't be what stops me from doing what I love to do. Love my family though. Seriously, they are the best.
21. TEFL DAYSSS When I first came upon the bright idea of travelling the world and teaching English it occurred to me that I don't really have teaching experience... Many places around the world will hire you without TEFL certification but I prefer to be prepared and I would like to know what I am doing when I stand in front of my own class for the first time so I decided on a TEFL Course for the month of August in the lovely, sunny, Mediterranean city of Barcelona. (BTW, TEFL is Teaching English as a Foreign Language, there is also TESOL = Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, and TESL = Teaching English as a Second Language, and other acronyms but they are all different ways of saying pretty much the same thing!) And what an awesome decision that was! The course was great, the TEFL crew was awesome, in short, I had an amazing time!
The course itself was an extremely intensive (but fun!) four weeks. Day One was an orientation and Day Two was the first day of teaching! Spanish students from around Barcelona pay a discounted price to attend classes taught by student teachers. For the first two weeks of the TEFL course my teaching group and I were assigned to the Advanced Level course, which turned out to be the easiest and focused mainly on helping the students to improve their English conversation. Once I had the first day of teaching and all of the nerves that came along with it out of the way, it didn't take me long to realize that I really enjoyed what I was doing! For the second two weeks of the course, we switched and taught an Elementary Level class...and that was a whole different story...still enjoyable but just more difficult! The first day particularly in that class was very challenging. The trick (we were told) is to use minimal instruction (For example: "Listen and write" instead of "Today we are going to listen to a passage about blah blah blah and you are going to write....") because otherwise they are going to look at you with blank stares on their face and not understand the majority of what you are saying. I arrived at Oxford House most days between 9 and 10 in the morning to begin my lesson planning for the day. Early afternoon consisted of input sessions where we were actually in class learning what to teach and how to teach before another break for lesson planning and assignments and finally class (the one where we were the teachers instead of the students) at 6:30 in the evening. After class each day we had a feedback session to hear the comments and suggestions from our tutor and fellow student teachers. This schedule had me home each night between 9 and 10. I had long days but it was so worthwhile! (If you are in search of the perfect TEFL Certification course then I highly recommend OxfordHouse in Barcelona http://www.oxfordtefl.com/) I feel like I learned so much....
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AND when I wasn't in class, I had so much FUN out exploring Barcelona with my TEFL babes (also known as the Passion Girls...I don't expect you to understand!) and the rest of the TEFL crew!
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The course itself was an extremely intensive (but fun!) four weeks. Day One was an orientation and Day Two was the first day of teaching! Spanish students from around Barcelona pay a discounted price to attend classes taught by student teachers. For the first two weeks of the TEFL course my teaching group and I were assigned to the Advanced Level course, which turned out to be the easiest and focused mainly on helping the students to improve their English conversation. Once I had the first day of teaching and all of the nerves that came along with it out of the way, it didn't take me long to realize that I really enjoyed what I was doing! For the second two weeks of the course, we switched and taught an Elementary Level class...and that was a whole different story...still enjoyable but just more difficult! The first day particularly in that class was very challenging. The trick (we were told) is to use minimal instruction (For example: "Listen and write" instead of "Today we are going to listen to a passage about blah blah blah and you are going to write....") because otherwise they are going to look at you with blank stares on their face and not understand the majority of what you are saying. I arrived at Oxford House most days between 9 and 10 in the morning to begin my lesson planning for the day. Early afternoon consisted of input sessions where we were actually in class learning what to teach and how to teach before another break for lesson planning and assignments and finally class (the one where we were the teachers instead of the students) at 6:30 in the evening. After class each day we had a feedback session to hear the comments and suggestions from our tutor and fellow student teachers. This schedule had me home each night between 9 and 10. I had long days but it was so worthwhile! (If you are in search of the perfect TEFL Certification course then I highly recommend OxfordHouse in Barcelona http://www.oxfordtefl.com/) I feel like I learned so much....
In all my student teaching glory!
AND when I wasn't in class, I had so much FUN out exploring Barcelona with my TEFL babes (also known as the Passion Girls...I don't expect you to understand!) and the rest of the TEFL crew!
A few members of the TEFL crew!
At Barceloneta! (Photo credit: Greg's Go Pro!)
Because the real way you cook a pizza is by frying it. (In Spain, at least in my experience, you think you are buying a frozen pizza but its not really so much frozen as just cold and uncooked and therefore hard to get out of the packaging...so just fold it in half and put it in a skillet! Also the ovens are tiny and we were trying to cook two pizzas at once, one in the oven and one on the stove!)
TEFL Babes at the Gracia Festival! Notice that in Spain they do not care if you want to carry an entire bottle of wine around in public with you...the store where you buy it will even give you a plastic cup so you can be classy and not drink out of the bottle!
Badalona! About 20 minutes outside of Barcelona by train...beautiful and much less crowded than the city beaches.
Lazy day at the beach!
Crazy good times with the TEFL crew!
Me & Dana!
Once again...TEFL friends!
Conveyor belt buffet...need I say more? You don't even have to get up to go back for seconds just grab it from where you sit and devour.
Jacob, Greg, Sam, & me on the terrace at Oxford House celebrating the end of the course!
TEFL Girls!
The Passion Girls and our red lipstick!
And this is one wonderful way to spend the day...
Barcelona, I miss you.
108. BCN for NYE! Barcelona was so much fun that I'm trying my best to save for New Year's Eve back in Barcelona! Just a pit stop to see a bit more of Europe and visit everyone in BCN before heading on to Korea! It's an awesome plan (I think anyways!) so we will see if it all works out! The cost of airfare is a big determiner in whether not I will arrive in time to ring in 2015.
Not my picture...I googled Barcelona New Year's Eve and this is what I got...and this is what I'm going for!
746. Substitute Teaching & Tutoring In the meantime, I am at home and substitute teaching...ironically...at the high school that I could not wait to escape from 7 years ago. In fact, just today I got asked by a student "out of all the places why did you pick Duncan...?" ...I assured him that I was home temporarily and that I most certainly did not "pick" Duncan High School as a place to start my career. I have subbed at the elementary level too but I have discovered that I prefer the older students. I can take the little ones in small doses (for tutoring, for example as I am currently doing that too) but after a day spent in a wild kindergarten classroom, I decided it wasn't for me. Takes a special person for that job and that special person is not me. At the high school, smart mouths aside, subbing has been entertaining. There is not a class that goes by where I am not asked how old I am...evidently I can still pass for 18. Younger is better than older! The comment was also made by one bold student "I noticed there is not a ring on your finger..." as the class erupts in laughter. What do you even say to that?! There's not a chance in this world! Do your work!
2,487. Wait. Should I have been a vet for exotic animals like I had planned until my senior year of college? Then in the middle of all of my planning and reflecting and living and feeling like I am on the right path, I have moments like these (see below) with animals and wonder if I should just go back to school to be a vet like I had always dreamed of as a little girl! (once I decided my dream job wasn't WalMart that is, as my mom always informs me that I always told her I wanted to work at WalMart when I grew up! SO thankful that I outgrew that phase). Or even a zookeeper or something. I just really love animals!
So naturally when a petting zoo comes to town with the option to shovel out $17 for a picture with this irresistible 7 week old lion cub I just could not say no!
Not a part of the petting zoo...this is my little black panther! Patience :)
So (if you are still with me at the end of this ridiculously long post)...I can do anything but I can't do everything. I'll just have to choose wisely in how I spend my time, live in the moment the best I can, and be thankful for the good times of the past but keep looking forward! :) Until next time...
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