Hello!
Yes, it is true. I am alive. I looked at the last time I posted and it was the first of March! Three months and some days later here I am. There is a lot (and I mean a lot) of things that have happened so I will try and go through them. This may be long buuuut you know if you read it through you are pretty great. Basically the reason I have been MIA is because I have been doing nothing but studying, stressing, testing, stressing, and moving (but more on that later). The very last thing I wanted to do after working all week on my assignments was to sit down and write a blog post about it. No thanks! I wanted to forget my pains and watch a movie or actually see my friends. Now that I am done, you get updates! Woooo
So I started the program like I said on March 12th, which seems like forever ago, and jumped right into the studies. Every week I had four things that I had to get done. I had to first and foremost read the new chapter. These varied in length and subject matter and so it was a little unpredictable what my week would look like based on how long or complex the chapter was. The next thing I had to do was answer a forum discussion question...which I always think is pointless and a waste of time. These are due Friday. On Sunday I had two (or more) tasks due. A quiz (sometimes 1 to 6 of them), and one or two writing assignments that were anywhere between an essay and a lesson plan. I did my best to get this work done by the weekend so I could live a normal life, but as the weeks progressed that became harder and harder to do. So you can imagine that after all the work I put into the course the last thing I wanted to do was get on the blog and write about it. BUT NOW ITS DONE! WOOO! If you have any further questions let me know.
The next part of the program I have to finish is the practicum. I have to do a minimum of 20 hours, 6 of them has to be tutoring. The other time can be spent observing an ESL class. So far I have done the majority of my time observing an ESL class at a local community college. I didn't know what to expect going to one of these classes but I totally fell in love! The form that I have to fill out says that I am observing, but I am more like assisting the teacher. In this class the students are all immigrants and refugees, as opposed to international students. The attitude towards learning is really different. These students are so eager to learn and even ask for more homework than assigned. I assist with activities, help students with questions, and anything else the teacher needs help with. It's great and so fulfilling and I love it! I really hope that I'll have the same feelings about teaching my own class. For the tutoring I have two ladies from Taiwan who are friends. We have only met one time, but we pretty much will be focusing on whatever they want to learn. Anyway, once I get these hours in I will get my certificate for reals!
OKAY so now one of the real reasons I was avoiding updating this blog. The plans I had for going to South Korea has changed. As it turns out (I can't remember if I have brought this up, so here it goes) South Korea is extremely conservative and in being so they have a lot of stigmas on mental health. In their application they straight up ask if you have ever suffered from depression, anxiety, and mental or mood disorders. I know what you may be thinking. Uh, yeah. Hasn't everyone at one point? From advisers to recruiters to testimonies, everyone I asked or anything I read says that if I answer truthfully to this question I will not be accepted to work there. Lying isn't an option for me. If I did I would be watching my step and what I say and even just hiding who I am. If I was caught I could be fired on the spot and sent home. Suuuuper great. So when I found this out I went into a pretty deep depression and really started to question why I was even bothering with getting this cert. My mind went into some really dark and scary places until I realized it was the enemy telling me lies and it wasn't me.
I had to start looking into other options. There are countries in Asia that do not ask the mental health question. I did look into teaching in Thailand, but after some research I had an overwhelming feeling that I shouldn't go there. So that's cool. Now my goal is Taiwan for a few reasons. For one I have already been there and know that I love it. Another reason is that I found a group of ladies who have a sort of mental health support group in Taipei and referred me to a counseling office largely for westerners in Taipei. I am still having trouble telling people I am going until I actually know for sure. They say that you should talk like you are going for sure, but that is what happened with South Korea and that hurt me in the end. Now that I am out of the main course I can work on my resume and get it ready to apply for places.
Soooo I also moved! My lease ends in a week, so as soon as I was done with the course I had to get my butt into gear and start packing. It was really killing me that I couldn't start packing but there was no way I could move my attention away from the course and the final to pack. So I have no moved into a friend's house where I wait to get a job abroad and move again. It is so nice to get transitioned and now I am able to focus on other things. And have a social life again!
So that's all I got right now. I am back. I will update again when I have something worthy of an update! Cheers!
