I know a few of my more loyal readers (Thank you!!) have been wondering where the heck I have been all summer. I have nothing to say to excuse my absence, except that nothing very exciting, or blog worthy has happened since I have been back. I'll do my best to sum up what my summer has consisted of. Let's see...
I spent roughly 3 months earlier in the year nestled in a secluded, sleepy little beach town in New Jersey, to concentrate on my writing. I completed 13 chapters of my historical fiction novel about Pompeii. When the bank accounts ran dry I had no choice but to find a job, which was easy to do in my little beach town, which was beginning to awaken with the approaching summer season. I ended up working as a cashier at a place called Statintions, which was a collection of local/semi-local merchants. I enjoyed myself for the most part. The girls I worked with were friendly, and it was nice to share a space with interesting and creative people. The vendors were a mixed bag of personalities and backgrounds, but what I loved was that they were all carving their own, unique paths through life with a strut all their own. It was refreshing to witness, as I prepare to do the same.
Two days a week I helped my mother with my dementia-ed grandmother. It is a tough job to say the very least, and she gets so little support. Dementia is a tragic disease for the sufferer and their caregivers. I don't want to spend too much time in this post discussing my families personal issues, except to say that I hope the people who love my Grandmother show a little more compassion, dependability, and selflessness.
In July, my little brother got married to a beautiful girl who complements him in the best way. I am incredibly happy for him and wish them both the best.
Every spare moment I had this summer was spent studying, first for my GRE, then for my TESOL certification. I worked really hard to basically relearn high school math, and improve my vocab for the GRE. Still, when the day came I was only able to pull average scores. I decided that I will not take the $200 test again to try to better my score. I will simply apply to grad schools that both require and do not require the GRE and hope for the best. I think the rest of my application materials will be impressive, so I am not too worried. The TESOL training went much better. I took my course with the American TESOL Institute (ATI). I believe the materials were helpful in preparing me for my teaching experience, but I guess we'll see just how good they are when I get in the classroom. ATI has been responsive and helpful in helping me pull together the documents I need, and will be setting me up with a job upon my arrival in Bangkok. Most people I talk to are worried about this element of the program. "You mean you don't know who or where you are teaching until you get there?!?" Yep, thats about the gist of it. It's all part of the excitement, and I know if I do get thrown a curve ball I will be able to handle myself just fine.
That leaves me to this last week. Here I am 7 days before I fly out, and I am back in sunny Florida preparing for another wedding. This time my best friend DonnaMarie will be walking down the aisle, and I could not be happier to be a part of it. The wedding is on Saturday and I fly out of Orlando International Airport 2 days later. There is a lot to be done between now and then.
So that's all. I know this post sounds a bit random and disjointed, but that is what my 2014 was in a nutshell. Plus, its been a long day, and I'm a bit tired. I promise, my next post will be better, and not so far away.
I spent roughly 3 months earlier in the year nestled in a secluded, sleepy little beach town in New Jersey, to concentrate on my writing. I completed 13 chapters of my historical fiction novel about Pompeii. When the bank accounts ran dry I had no choice but to find a job, which was easy to do in my little beach town, which was beginning to awaken with the approaching summer season. I ended up working as a cashier at a place called Statintions, which was a collection of local/semi-local merchants. I enjoyed myself for the most part. The girls I worked with were friendly, and it was nice to share a space with interesting and creative people. The vendors were a mixed bag of personalities and backgrounds, but what I loved was that they were all carving their own, unique paths through life with a strut all their own. It was refreshing to witness, as I prepare to do the same.
Two days a week I helped my mother with my dementia-ed grandmother. It is a tough job to say the very least, and she gets so little support. Dementia is a tragic disease for the sufferer and their caregivers. I don't want to spend too much time in this post discussing my families personal issues, except to say that I hope the people who love my Grandmother show a little more compassion, dependability, and selflessness.
In July, my little brother got married to a beautiful girl who complements him in the best way. I am incredibly happy for him and wish them both the best.
Every spare moment I had this summer was spent studying, first for my GRE, then for my TESOL certification. I worked really hard to basically relearn high school math, and improve my vocab for the GRE. Still, when the day came I was only able to pull average scores. I decided that I will not take the $200 test again to try to better my score. I will simply apply to grad schools that both require and do not require the GRE and hope for the best. I think the rest of my application materials will be impressive, so I am not too worried. The TESOL training went much better. I took my course with the American TESOL Institute (ATI). I believe the materials were helpful in preparing me for my teaching experience, but I guess we'll see just how good they are when I get in the classroom. ATI has been responsive and helpful in helping me pull together the documents I need, and will be setting me up with a job upon my arrival in Bangkok. Most people I talk to are worried about this element of the program. "You mean you don't know who or where you are teaching until you get there?!?" Yep, thats about the gist of it. It's all part of the excitement, and I know if I do get thrown a curve ball I will be able to handle myself just fine.
That leaves me to this last week. Here I am 7 days before I fly out, and I am back in sunny Florida preparing for another wedding. This time my best friend DonnaMarie will be walking down the aisle, and I could not be happier to be a part of it. The wedding is on Saturday and I fly out of Orlando International Airport 2 days later. There is a lot to be done between now and then.
So that's all. I know this post sounds a bit random and disjointed, but that is what my 2014 was in a nutshell. Plus, its been a long day, and I'm a bit tired. I promise, my next post will be better, and not so far away.
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