Time for a Change

Since starting to work, I've officially driven 13,000 miles. That's over 250 hours of driving, or more 10 days straight (and that's a very generous estimate!). That's a lot of driving for less than six months, and it's exhausting! So, it's high time to switch things up.

I guess I've been stubborn - I've been staying with my mom since I got home from teaching English in France last May, and I've figured that I'm spending less in gas money driving 120 miles per day to work than I would be if I got an apartment closer to my jobs. I'm extremely grateful to my mom for letting me stay with her for this time! Being a country-hopper from 2008-2011, it has been wonderful to have a home base where I can crash between jobs. And I may be crashing with her again in three months, but for now, I've decided to get an apartment closer to work.

For me, this has been a big decision. I love staying with my family (although I'm not a huge fan of the location, including it's distance from Springfield), and in a way I feel like I'm still on the metaphorical road waiting for that next job to catapult me into another year-long work contract like I did for three years. Since I'm looking for a permanent job, though, that likely won't happen. I'll eventually get the position that I'm looking for (and that is looking for me) and I'll be off again, and I won't have the time constraints of a contract. I'll be in the 'real' American work world, and I won't be able to come stay with my mom for extended periods between work contracts. Things are constantly changing, and I need to be able to change with them and know that even though I might be moving on soon, I'll still have a place to stay.

I'm being optimistic and thinking that I will land a 'real' full-time job soon, so I've decided to get a three month lease. I'll start moving in tomorrow, and the move will shave off at least 2 and a half hours of driving every day. I'm hoping that some of my exhaustion will dissipate soon. I'm sure I'll squander away this extra time, but it will be so nice to have extra time in my day to pursue some of the things I've been slacking on, like practicing those languages which I worked so hard to become more proficient with while I was abroad.

Beyond the next three months, who knows, but at least for now I will have less driving to worry about!

Limbo Land

They say that when it rains, it pours. I've been incredibly fortunate to have found 2 part time jobs! Both of them called me within 5 minutes of each other, and I started in October. With a 60-mile commute each way, a lot of my time has been eaten up with driving, and on my first day of work my car surpassed the 100,000 mile milestone. She's still going strong, and here's to another 100,000 miles!

Now, what are these two jobs, you might ask? Well, to be honest, I was getting desperate to find something related to International Higher Education. At the end of the summer, "real" jobs weren't being posted as often, and then after a lot of research about the tough job market, I thought about offering myself for free in order to gain some experience. I contacted several universities in my area asking if they would take on an intern, and one of them said yes. I went through an interview process with them, and they called my references. One of these references was from my old job at the courthouse that I held during college, and it sounded like the conversation turned into a discussion about how they could share me. So, I ended up getting a part-time job at both the university and courthouse, and I'm greatly enjoying being back in the working world, even if I still long for a real, full-time, grown up job. While the greatest upside is that I'm learning everyday, I also feel that the distraction that working brings is very welcome as well. Some of the 'new-ness' of working is wearing off, and there are starting to be more positions available out there, and now instead of just waiting for a call back every day, like I was in the summer, I'm getting out there and actually contributing something to a workplace. And I can't forget to mention that I'm working with the best co-workers in the world, who even celebrated my birthday with me only about a week into my employment!

I've been creating a theory about searching for a job. It brings to mind what I think on-line dating would be like. You send a message out into the world, knowing you're not likely to get a response. If you do hear something, you feel elated, like you really are worth it. This continues and after the first phone interview, you start to fall in love. If they contact you again, you are all but packed and ready to go, checking about housing wherever the position is and learning as much about the place/company/people as possible. But then, after you have an interview in person, you don't hear anything. They won't return your calls. You check your spam email to see if somehow you missed their message saying that they are continuing with someone else. But no, no one will tell you anything. You are in Limbo, waiting for what you hope is the call that will change your life, but when it doesn't come it turns into bitterness for a while. Time passes, and you give up hope, and eventually they might let you know that they've hired someone else, if you're lucky.

To me it's just amazing how emotional of a roller coaster ride job-searching is: from realizing that someone sees something special in you to feeling like you wish they hadn't contacted you in the first place because of all the heart ache it can bring. But in the end, all of it will be worth it. It is a learning experience, and I know I've learned a lot from every interview I've had, and every application I've sent out into the abyss. And, as I mentioned, I am so grateful for the opportunities I have been given in this moment, and I know that somehow, someway, they will help me to get into a career, even if it takes a while.

So, here's to living in the moment. I am trying to be optimistic about the future, but it's easiest to live in the here and now, and not think about tomorrow. I know that today will bring new opportunities and that I will be making a difference, and I know that there is hope for where I will be in the future.

(To be a little wacky, I will leave you with a photo of a Christmas display set up in the Historic Courthouse here. Isn't it fun/creepy? And such a great idea is you need some inspiration for taxidermy!)