Eight

Well, hey there. I have now been living abroad for 8 months. What a crazy thing life is. I’m counting the little bit at the end of Feb. as well because it all counts in this regard.

I’d like to say that I’ve seen some crazy, amazing stuff in that time but really it’s not about what I’ve seen but what I’ve experienced. The teaching is out of this world. By that I mean, the students are simultaneously very respectful but also very misbehaved. There is really no actual order. Just a lot of yelling in order to get the message across and make sure students that are misbehaving are hit “appropriately” (quotation marks being kind of loose here because I don’t really like the hitting in any form).

In between all that, I’ve found some real connections with the students. Well, at least some of them. I can’t get to all of them. There are some that will just continue to rebel against the new teacher and I cannot do anything about that. What, I can try though is to be authentic with them in a way that still doesn’t tell them EVERYTHING about myself.

So, I try to be fun. The key word is “try” here. Because its hard enough being in a new country, while also working with a new set of coworkers that may or may not acknowledge you depending on how they’re are feeling that day.

So, depressing notes aside its actually been great.

I feel blessed to be here. I feel like I want to see more of the world. I want to keep teaching the kids I am now but eventually, I will leave them and since they are young maybe a year from now they won’t even remember me.

From the moment I first stepped foot in this country, I knew my life was about to change. I knew before that, as I was going to be teaching abroad. Giving up a normal life to settle down and doing this in my later twenties instead. I wanted to be different, I always preached to others about finding your uniqueness. Maybe not preaching in the way of a large crowd or anything like that, but still wanting something more. I blogged about this idea, I internally journaled it. But, what did I even mean? I questioned what I wanted to be or do for so long that I lost all direction. I’m still trying to find one, but decided that if I don’t find one, it will probably be ok.

So, eight months in the country and over a year since I first seriously considered the prospect-has my life changed?

Yes. It has been impacted and I feel exposed to a world I never would have taken the time to think about. To reach out and make a part of myself. To embrace a completely new country including its culture, language and people is an experience I will probably never have again. Especially, since the memories made here are stronger than those I will make anywhere else.

❤

featured image source

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Thank you, President Obama

The year has just started and so has the start of a new U.S. presidency. It’s a person that evokes not the strongest source of pride in everyone’s hearts. When I say everyone, I mean Americans and those that value the American democratic system. But, I digress. Because this post is one I have been meaning to do for awhile but today feels like the right day.

Dear President Obama:

I’m so glad that you were able to be my president these last eight years. Glad doesn’t come close enough, what does is the fact that you were able to be the president that worked his very hardest to stand up for all minorities and age groups. That you went out to a mosque and spoke to a Muslim community, that reached to the larger U.S. Muslim population. You bridged a divide that we refused to acknowledge and encouraged acceptance, hope, and change. Things that we all thought we could do together.

You brought us together. You united communities. But, you didn’t fail to remind us that you’re still human and working hard to keep your emotions together.

You brought healthcare reform. And immigration. And climate change to the forefront. All things that I know need to continue to be at the head of the discussions for the foreseeable future. It’s true that some of your reforms and bills might get reversed, but I won’t forget about you working so hard on them. You and the team. And you and the public (not congress, of course). Because you stood up for the people who didn’t have a voice. And no, not everyone loved that but that never stopped you. You were steadfast and full of strength to move forward in your decisions, despite the rejections and oppositions from the other side.

I know that you’re not going anywhere either and that you will probably do your best to be at the forefront.

I don’t have anything else to say, just thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

 

Thank you!

 

 

Cover image gif that I love.

Friday the Thirteenth

Well, hello there 2017. You’re new here aren’t you?

 

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2017.2017.2017. 2017. 2017. 2017. 2017. 2017. 2017.

If I write it out I’ll know for sure that its a new year and not just another month. But, whenever it’s January, you suddenly realize “oh yeah, it’s a new year.” Just me? Alright, moving on then.

So, new year then. Let’s start this off right. Let’s start this off without any regrets. Without feeling as though I have to think too hard about the next day. These are the arbitrary goals we try to reach, amongst the still-standing goal of being more healthy, working out and “being more fit.” It’s possible that people feel a need to achieve more than, to do more than and to want more than they possibly are able to. As humans, this is our problem. We want more but we have no idea how to help ourselves get there. We set goals, sure but whether we work to see those goals through is another question.

Not hating on setting goals. Everyone should set goals and so forth. It’s great for self-help and self-health. Both of which overlap, but if either gets too heavy the self should be removed because we all need real help sometimes. We’re just a little scared to reach out. It happens. I get that, but goals want to happen. They are screaming at you right now, being like “hey, make me happen!”

So, today do something freaky: Do something you want to do today vs. what you have to do (unless you are a student, then continue on and come back to being wild later).

If following your goals is radical, then be radical. Be different and be yourself more than anything else.

 

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The restless and lost pupils

It’s a Tuesday night and I am going to give this blog some much needed posts. All to be scheduled later so yay.

So to start off, do you love to hate your job for the simple that its your job and no one else’s?  That’s alright. It’s perfectly fine, in fact. Well, no its not really actually. You should probably quit or leave if you hate it that much that you can’t stand to even be there. Something is probably wrong.

This year, I’ve ventured into the territory of teaching adults. By adults, I mostly mean high schoolers, but its not a high school in the four year sense that you would imagine when the word “high school” comes to mind. No need to get into that. The point is within that, I focus on English, history and writing. Primarily the humanities because that’s where my background is rooted in. And I held firm to only teaching that, but I’m becoming somewhat lax in realizing that its ok to help students in math (easy algebra or below only) if they really need it. These students need all the help they can get. Who am I to turn them away? I’m no one to them, which is exactly why they need my help. But there are no bad teachers either which makes it a great place.

I don’t know everything about working with these students. I don’t know about their lives. I don’t know what they do everyday or where they work. I care about them in school only. As soon as they are out of the building, I am not required to care anymore. That sounds harsh, but as a teacher’s assistant who only teaches sometimes this is the view I have come to know as truth because you won’t get anywhere with the students if they are just treated like your friends all the time.

I get bad looks from some students, those that regard me with a cold edge. Those that want my help, but misunderstand me all too often. Those that try to flirt their way out of doing work and quickly realize that won’t work on me. Those that refuse authority and are proud of it. Those that won’t do any work and ask for help with make-up work, only to ask for answers on everything failing to absorb the material at all. I don’t hate this, but it can be frustrating knowing this student is not doing all they can to do better. Because that’s all I want. For them to do well and excel. Go to college. Get a good career. Have dreams.

Anyway, but everything’s fine besides. I know that in order to make any real difference, every student needs to be met on their own terms. For some that means being their friend. For others, that means ignoring their requests to do so.

(gif source)

It’s not tough love, its called teaching. Something which I don’t know why I’m getting into, but here I am.

Schmidt gif in header.

What you should do to feel powerfully real

Hey you! 

Yes, you the one sitting reading blog posts when you should be doing other things. But, I hope you wrote a blog post of your own anyhow.

Why should you keep reading this post? Because it will be magical and will make you feel powerful.

Maybe. Just maybe you want to go outside right now. And maybe you don’t know what to do right now but feeling lazy is an easier option than anything else. Am I getting closer to anything? Nope? Alright, do this for me:

Better yet, go outside. Let yourself feel the air on your face. Feel the breeze, feel the rain and twirl around outside. Just because, there doesn’t have to be a reason. Take a walk, forget the phone for a minute and walk somewhere short, and take in life. Breathe deeply and look around you. Is there a dog somewhere near? Is there a cat? A squirrel? Alright, you’re getting hot now because it’s mid August so walk the less than five feet back to your house now.

Are you working this weekend? Are you not? You know that thing people and some scientists say about waking up without an alarm? Try it. See if your internal clock makes you wake up before then anyway. It might not and you might hate yourself, but try it nonetheless.

Now, that you woke up think about what you want to do today vs. what you really need to do or think you need to do. Then be realistic. It’s not often that most of us are that realistic with our daily goals. We just nab at the things we can and falter when we trip, then owe those mistakes to “life” when really we might not have planned out as well as we hoped. It’s fine, you can’t do it all in a day. It is not always “all in a day’s work” but sometimes “all in a week’s work.”

But, don’t most of us already know that life is hard. It would seem so. So, what do you really enjoy? What are your passions? No, stop. Don’t tell me you don’t have any. Don’t make me ask you for your “hobbies.” Everyone has things they enjoy or love to do take part in and people they sometimes love.

So, do you love yourself yet?

I’m calling out to the choir here, but they’ve all gone home it seems.

If you don’t love yourself, know that you’re never alone in the feeling of being lost.

If you want to live your life in a meaningful way, then you could start by simply not doing this today:

And instead doing this (especially when someone tells you you’re not good enough):

Thanks for making it through this amazing world. The world is better for having you in it!

(Also thanks for reading this post, I hope you feel inspired to get outside and let yourself live according to your limits).

All gifs are by Olivia Huynh, including the cover image.  Check her out on tumblr, her website, and giphy (where I got these gifs from).

Feel blessed everyday

Everyone always says “Life is short. Eat cake” or something like what you’d see on a Hallmark card. I get that maybe as you’re reading this you’re taking a break from working or you are working (you blog/write/social media) and you’re feeling the stress. Maybe you’re telling yourself you’re not stressed, but what did you accomplish this year. And before you say, “wait, I’ve been at this same job…” and sigh sadly you already know you did so much this year. You make yourself smile fondly at what you’ve done. You’ve actually accomplished a great deal, you just fail to think about that little part.

That little part where you laughed. Where you went outside and stayed there for a long time (maybe it was really hot or maybe it was freezing). Where you called a phone or cable company and wasted an hour of your day, maybe more. Where you didn’t reply to texts, emails or those times you spent entirely too much time on Twitter when that breaking news story happened that was just so tragic and scary. Then you shared and shared and shared your love of baking, and love of wanting to wish you could bake with your family and friends. Endless things you want to try or buy, but have no money and think “whatever, I don’t really need it.” Well, the sensible one’s do. Then, when we remember we have a roof over our heads and those who do not especially during this time of year we are thankful. We are #blessed.

So where are you in your life right now? Did you do all the things you said you were going to do this time last year? If not, what do you need to do to change that? Of course, if you’re a thinking, breathing person your goals do change. Sometimes completely. That’s a good thing.

If you made it down to here, then leave me comment of where you are reading this and what you want to see out of the world in the next year (even if its an outlandish thing!) I look forward to reading what some of you have to say.

(via GIPHY). If only we could all be Chris Traeger, then we might solve some of the problems in the world.

 

Can I do all the things I want?

oh hey. I think I wanted to write a blog. I need to fix the timestamp but until I do that I’m writing this post ahead of time (which I don’t always remember to do because sometimes you just want to blog something ya feel?)

So, like I said in my last post I am trying to contribute to healthy lifestyles. Am I doing a good job with that? Moving on. Looking at a post I wrote back in May, I was pretty sure that to get a job I needed to “put a little more effort into it.” Can’t say I did the best job with that, but I wasn’t setting the bar very high either. I should set my expectations higher maybe? I don’t know.

via: http://www.dumblittleman.com/2007/10/you-own-your-thoughts-now-control-them.html

I should just stop writing I don’t know. I don’t know is that weird? It might be a bad habit or might just be the way I speak. The truth is that I do know. I know I want a job, and a reason to feel somewhat accomplished. I haven’t gotten far in post-graduate studies, but maybe online classes will help along with some other fitness certifications I hope to achieve. Too many maybes, not enough certainly? Oh, but that’s only the beginning of the “why” question for me. The larger question of why am I here and what am I meant to be doing. That sort of thing. That’s probably a post for another day, though.

clipartsheep.com

So I’m a mix of whatever right now. I love to travel. I want so much to leave this small town I’m in (an easy feat, but I digress) and go someplace new. I started a TEFL class last week and so far its been readings and more readings. This is important though if I want to do this. For those not sure what’s going on, TEFL stands for Teach English as a Foreign Language as in another country. Part of the requirement for my class requires 60 hours of practicum teaching to be done locally. So, that’s another project for me but I’m not super stressed about it. Where will I teach? Maybe Asia. Maybe the Middle East. Maybe Europe (though not Greece, sorry). I’ve been thinking about this for awhile and I hope that I’m not in over my head. It’s obviously too late to have second thoughts, so I might as well go head first. So the real why? I don’t know. I want to teach. I guess I’ve always wanted to teach. In what capacity that is I don’t think I have fully grasped yet. I had a failed attempt at subbing locally yet that didn’t deter me from doing this.

However, that is not my only interest. I also love journalism and consider myself a writer first and foremost. I want to start a business of some sort, sell something people want to buy (yes, I thought about being a makeup rep. for a little bit but I know a few folks who do that and it feels weird but erm). Maybe one day I will be a good health reporter who is able to work abroad and occasionally teach on the side. While teaching some yoga and pilates classes. Maybe also working as a personal trainer for some people. And a health coach because that’s important to the package right? Being a sort of overachiever is hard sometimes. Or possibly I’ll just travel. Alone, because really isn’t that when the most reflection happens anyway?

from diy lol

Basically, I want to do all the things. When, people ask me a moderately reasonable twenty-something what she’s doing with her life my response is something like: “Teaching, but writing. I’m taking classes.” Oh, sidenote. If there are any family gaherings coming up, saying you’re doing more school always sounds better than doing nothing. At least it counts for something. For the answer after that? You’re on your own.

So, maybe just maybe I do not have all the answers. More likely, you might have just wasted some time reading this. But, fear not because if you are an awesome person than I’m sure you don’t have all the answers either. If you do, then great but would you mind sharing what you know with the rest of us?