Week 8
By week 8, I was over my mind consuming jobless situation and what’s next, but still had random ideas to press on, I guess one would say. I finally was at a place to write many letters of thanks to my Cullen staff and district. It was good for me to completely express myself and show my appreciation, as in June, it was hard and avoided. At this point, I decided all my interviews in West Covina were good practice, as the result of no job offers (which I am grateful in some ways, for in the three interviews I had, my gut was unsettled). Because I had a fun-filled-action-packed week planned, Sunday night I decided to fill out paperwork to sub through Glendora. To sub, would be my absolute last result job situation. I procrastinated long enough, so I finally responded the Glendora sub paperwork lady. The TB results I had were out of date, but I sent them in anyway, knowing she’d probably call me on it…this was when I began to ponder as I was falling asleep how my insurance was going to be cut soon...so I pondered my insurance backup plans. To maximize the current health insurance I never use, I came up with the brilliant idea to call the doc office Monday AM to update my medical records since it had been a long time.
The after explaining over the phone I needed to have updates stat to the nurses they finally gave into my plea. Going to the doc for me is like listening to someone take their fingernails and scrape them on a chalk board. My mind gets carried away with needles and blood, I get cold sweats, and typically faint. My great adventure to do one whole shabang of a doc visit turned into four different visits!
Doc visit #1:
I am explaining to the nurse that I need updates on everything. She looks at my chart and agrees. I then tell her of my psychological doc office visit-like symptoms. She laughs at and with me, but I told her I was serious. I then proceed to explain the faint prevention plan that works best for me. I first ask for a wet paper towel to place on my forehead, and ask her not to tell me what is going on and worse case scenario, my shoes need to be taken off. We were game, so I thought. I had a physical prior to the blood work/shots. So I am chilling in my paper clothes. I am healthy as can be, the doc says she was going to get a nurse to do the shots and blood work, I am game, yet as I am sitting up listening to the doc, I immediately said I don’t feel too hot, and what do you know, I faint, remember in my paper clothes! I woke up to a multitude of nurses around me! I did fall back (if I would have fallen forward the moon would have come out early!) the doc gave up on me and said I had to come back for a second visit.
Doc visit #2:
Yet again, I fasted. Choosing to sleep in rather than wake up prior to doc visit to run five miles. Get in the room, the nurse and I chuckle as she remembered my faint precaution awareness procedures. I am laying down, paper towel in hand on forehead. I made it through the first arm of torture. Couple shots and blood work. Then the nurse moved to my other arm, I got through the shots, and then she tried to take blood. My veins are deep and I explained that to the nurse, and reminded her, the less I know the better. She did not get the concept I guess, as I knew she was getting frustrated poking around, and moving the needle in my arm. I knew I was going to my black faint land soon, I gave her a five second warning, and what do you know I fainted again! Yet, again, I woke up to a multitude of nurses around me!
Doc visit #3:
Because I had to reschedule my first doc appointment, my TB test result reading day was messed up, so I had to make a new appointment for the TB shot. This time it was like clockwork, the nurse new what to do with my “special” shot needs…and I did not faint! By now everyone is beginning to recognize me and giggle when I walk by them! Oh man!
Doc visit #4:
I am clean. I was evaluated and came back healthy and now am officially up-to-date! All for the sake of my future job that I was unsure of! I laughed as I left the office, it is almost like I made new friends! I should have made them cookies or something! Maybe a Christmas card exchange! Hahaha
I also started my scuba school, sweating as I passed the five written tests. I love tests! My total strength! = ( I now will continue to go on a few more dives and I think I am good to go. It is such an incredible feeling breathing underwater!
By the end of this week I began to have some understandings of why, where and what I needed to do. I knew the West Covina door was closed. I also began to realize why the Japan door was also closed through the JoyTalk agency. Maybe, the idea of speaking Japanese was one thing I could not control, but kept me from going. Also, my grandma was getting worse, where my mom basically went from Africa to my grandma’s house and has been there all summer. I thought that maybe I was supposed to be in CA to help out rather then Japan, but the Duarte door was still half open and closed. In my heart, I knew week 9 was the time I was going to hear from Duarte based on previous conversations, but at the same time I was told things and then there was no follow through.
One thing that really hit me this week was the idea of hiding/taking refuge in the Lord. The concept of finding refuge and turn my thoughts back to the Lord. I am feeling weak, and uncertain, yet, I have not lost hope and certainty of the Lord. I am confident through this change I am growing in ways I would not choose freely! There are so many Psalms where David is feeling like he needs protection, to be rescued, or is facing an army of enemies, but each Psalm explains the character of David and Christ. David, no matter how tough it gets, keeps his mind on the Lord. The Lord is a shield, lifts our heads high, is a protector, provider, and gives strength. God has never failed me.
Week 9
I started this week with the mentality I needed to think about a job again. I looked for a while again on the edjoin website to check the availability of jobs, but as I have noticed since the start, there are none.
Monday and Tuesday were huge monumental days. Randomly, I get a call from the wife of the Duarte Superintendent (who worked with me at Cullen). Small chat at first and then, got to the punch line of my job situation. After she realized I did not have a job, the convo was soon over, and she said it was possible I’d hear from Duarte that same day. I did get some clarity and understanding of why I was treated the way I was with the Duarte principal. Basically, the week I was in Oregon, when I got the phone call to do a demo lesson, the superintendent’s mother passed away and he was out of the office for a period of time. When the principal needed his advice of what to do with me, he was in no place to be reached. I am not justifying the principal’s actions, but she went with what she saw, I guess needing to make a decision, and since I was not there, I was easily taken out of the picture, unless something opened up mid August. I harbor no bitter feelings toward her or the district. It is just the way it was!
Monday, mid-afternoon, I get a phone call from the personnel of Duarte. She offered me a 4th grade teaching job at the school I interviewed for with the principal whom I talked to several times. Yipppppppeeeeeeee! It has happened! Good News! The job is a temp job, which means, I have a year-to-year contract. The 4th grade teacher I am replacing is going to another school to help with their test scores and then come back the following year, is the information I received. No matter what I am grateful to have the opportunity to teach! I would say I am an expert on what the contract is. One day the contract will work in my favor on the other side! Then she asked me when I could come in and start paperwork! I set up a time for the next day! As I hung up the phone, what do you know a lil tear started to come down! It was like this huge burden had been lifted off my shoulder! I was trying to compose myself, and my phone rang again, seconds later, it was the principal to congratulate me and welcome me. She said school started Sept. 8th or 9th, I can’t remember, and if I wanted to pick up a key the 17th I could. By the time I talked to her I was really overwhelmed, but we chatted for a while! Funny, because prior to teaching 5th grade at Cullen, I had 2 years of experience with 4th graders in Hacienda La Puente. I loved the age, and the curriculum of what they learn! This is God’s hand, I know! Very exciting! I also would be working along the side of a teacher whom I worked with at Cullen who was also a temp and let go!
About twenty minutes after that I got another phone call from my mom for an update on my Grandma. After her MRI that morning (to figure out why the left side of my grandma was being favored), the doc called her on the way home requesting her to pack a bag, for they found a mass on her brain and wanted to monitor it with her spending the night in the hospital as seizures are pretty common, and they wanted to avoid that! It turns out that my grandma has brain cancer called Butterfly Glioma. This would explain a lot of what my mom and I have witnessed this summer as we have gone up to assess her health situations. The brain cancer is on both sides of her brain, mainly on the right side. The mass is so big that it is inoperable. The best treatment recommended to her is radiation (for several weeks daily) and oral chemo I believe for life. She is already weak, but wants to fight the battle of cancer. Not only has the 77year old been diagnosed with brain cancer, she has Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, emphysema, and has smoked her entire life resulting in her lungs to have the age of a 99 year old. My sis and I have not made a complete plan yet, but are going to be up north sometime this week prior to treatment. UG has already gone up north, as my grandma lights up when a man walks in the room. Unfortunately or fortunately, after talking with him, he decided to check himself in rehab, this week when he gets home! I guess that is good, considering the action going on. Can it get any crazier! When it pours it rains, but wait there is more!
A few hours later, as I am checking my email before going to bed, I get this email.
Erin,
I just got a call from one of the AETs in Moka and she is now home inIllinois. She has decided she does not want to go back to Moka. That meansI will need to find another teacher for her position. Are you still interested? I have not contacted Moka yet. Let me know whatyou think before I call over to Japan.
Steve
Moka was my number one choice to teach in Japan, but was extinguished quicker then I had the idea in my head. It was a sweet situation. As the sister city of Glendora, the program pays the teachers, and takes care of housing (as the teachers all live in a little community together), flights, an allowance for bills etc. I would basically come out on top. There are only six teachers that the program will hire. When I first looked in the program, in June, the 6 teachers who taught last year resigned their contracts for a second year. As I thought I still wanted to teach in Japan, I looked at the Joytalk agency (recommended to me from Moka) and applied with the knowledge that Moko was a much better deal, as I would barely break even through Joytalk. Really, the money did not matter to me, it was more of the ministry and experience. In my head, God would have provided. Then I get this crazy email that says Moka can be a possible option again….the same exact day that Duarte offered me a 4th grade teaching position…the same exact time I find out my grandma has brain cancer!!! I thought I was overwhelmed, but yikes, maybe now I am overwhelmed!
The Lord is my refuge, provider, and strength. I still have a peace and know God has big plans. I am in a win- win situation. But now I need to really sit and assess the situation. I have not communicated with Duarte about Moka, as they were the first to call me and I thought Japan was not an option. I am trying to make my personal deadline of contract signing commitment Monday, which will give me time to figure out what really is going on with Moka- aka if everything is truly a possibility, the family, and really what God wants me to do and how he best wants to use me aligned with my passions. Even though there are now options with a closer certainty compared to before, I am still in the same place of waiting on the Lord for complete assurance and discernment! Though it all, I have a feeling this year is going to be a dynamic year!
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