Hello dear readers,
It's been a turbulent several months, in which I haven't kept this blog up like I should have...it's supposed to be a chronicle of my life, and also a place to read about interesting things I've come across in my journeys on the web. Lately I haven't had a lot of time to read interesting things, or to say more than just "hi and stuff," so the blog has been pushed back many times.
What's new in life...well, I moved out of Iowa, to Bloomington, IL, in preparation for some more graduate work in Instructional Technology. I found out quite late in the application process that I was denied because I do not possess an initial teaching certificate, and because they are phasing out the programs I was applying to. There was a chance for a "back door" route going through ISU's technology department for a "Technology Education" degree, but their department told me they will not accept my credits from Curriculum and Instruction at Iowa State. Not wanting to waste $20,000, I applied to NIU and am now in the admissions process. I'm going to take a class or two this fall, and then be a full-time student in the spring (I hope).
There is a new lady in my life...Clare is amazing, and has been both a great person to be with and a great help in planning this next stage of my life. She is very familiar with the area I need to be living in, and she and her friends are giving me lots of help finding work and a place to live that will be compatible with my needs as a grad student.
That said, I will be moving again, this time somewhere in the Chicago suburbs. Without a graduate program to call home, and with only one school district close by, Bloomington isn't the place I need to be. I've got an in with an old friend for both a private lesson teaching opportunity and a possible slot in a band, so it looks like I'll be busy with life again soon, after only a little down time. Geez, I just can't stop moving...
I spent three weeks in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China teaching English on an exchange program for summer enrichment for high school kids. It was an incredible, life-changing experience, and I definitely want to go back. China is an amazing place, and I learned so many things while I was there. Clare is the one who hipped me to the program, and we didn't even know whether we would be assigned to the same place (this program places people all over the province), but we ended up in the same city. It was a great time anyway, but it was even better to be traveling with a friend. We made some new friends on the tour too, so it was a fun experience in every way.
So here I am, preparing to be a multiple-district substitute and a grad student. There are about nine school districts close to where I want to live, they offer most of my classes on NIU's Naperville campus, and it's a quick route to the interstate if I have to go to DeKalb. Being close to my friends again is important too...I didn't know anyone but my brother's friends in Bloomington, really. It has been a great summer traveling and getting my head back together, but I'm not the kind of person who can be inactive for long, before I start looking for a new goal to chase.
Here's hoping...
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