Was I able to do my 2010 plans?

2010 was my craziest year ever since I migrated to the US. I did not expect grad school is that taxing and it would take most of my time. Let me review the plans I set for myself in 2010 and evaluate them:

In random order:

1. learn Spanish (seriously learn)---- no improvement at all!
2. start studying for MA + teaching credential ---- YES!
3. transfer to a bigger place ---- my biggest frustration but in 2 weeks we are moving to an apartment.
4. visit my home country (yay!!!) ---- nope. we planned it but I got pregnant so the baby is the priority.
5. buy Skechers running shoes ---- hmmm..I bought two for my parents.
6. visit my favorite relatives in Modesto ---- yes! but only once, or twice?
7. submit more to Alex's leadership ---- still working on it =)
8. pay off some debts (LOL) ---- YES!
9. learn how to drive and pass the driving test in one take ---- YES! YES! YES!

See, it was not that bad!LOL

2010 was a blast!

Before this year ends, I would like to recollect the important events that happened to me and my family. I can say I made better decisions in 20101 than in 2009 and so here they go!

1. January: I started working as a Teacher Asst at a charter school. I was so happy that finally I got into the field I really wanted to get into. That was my first step to a good teaching career.
2. January : I also started going to graduate school at University of Southern California. I am in their MA in Teaching program.
3. March: Alex and I bought our first car in cash! Where? From Ebay!=)We had the car shipped from Pennsylvania.
4. June : Alex got a job at an IT company. That was my birthday wish granted from God! I did not tell anyone until Alex broke the good news. After all the layoffs and economic brouhaha, that job is such an answered prayer!
5. June: My college friend/orgmate/roommate became my sister-in-law. She married my brother-in-law. They had a nice wedding in Palmdale.
6. June: My dad was diagnosed with kidney failure. Dialysis was highly recommended.
7. July and August : I worked as a camp counselor at an Art Summer Camp!
8. September : I started my student teaching at Roscoe Elem School in Mrs. Binnie's class.
9. September: I started working as a tutor for LAUSD. =)
10. November : Started working at Mrs. Hadnett's class.
11. November: I learned I am pregnant!=)))))))
12. December: I passed the RICA test!

I am sure 2011 will be a blast! I will be graduating from grad school and I will be a mommy! What are we waiting for? Here we go!

Baby Glaze is coming!

9.3 weeks inside as of 12/14/2010 =)

Christmas...Christmas..

1. What is your holiday wish for your family?

House furniture! My family (husband, me, and unborn child) is moving to an apartment at the end of this month and we need new furniture.=)

2. What is your Christmas morning / Hanukkah Nightly tradition?

Play Christmas music

3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be?

a Subaru car!

4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money?

spend quality time with my husband at home, sing songs..

5. What games did you play with your family growing up?

Scrabble

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood?

Christmas

7. Where would you go for a Christmas/Hanukkah-away-from-home trip?

Europe!

goal accomplished!

Now that summer is over and it is early Fall, I can finally announce to the world that my big summer goal was accomplished. I PASSED THE ACTUAL DRIVING TEST IN CALIFORNIA!

It is big deal because I had never driven in my life and my driving instructor was my husband. I got my driver's license last week and I am treating it like $1000 cash in my wallet. =))))

I still do not drive on a daily basis. The school I am teaching at is only 3 miles from our house and so I bike there. However, I am the driver on weekends.

Welcome me, California highways!

Fun fun fun at Art Summer Camp!

When I used to be a Pathfinder camper in 5th and 6th grade, I was always fascinated with how adults lead the kids at camp and how they can make the daily activities enjoyable for them. When I went to high school, I missed camps - sleeping in tents and waking up early, like 5am early, to start doing our responsibilities. Fast forward =====> When I arrived here in the US, I noticed that day camps are the normal thing in the summer. The camps can be anything from sports, farm, art to magic. This summer, I had the privilege to be hired as camp counselor at Summer Art Academy. And it was a wonderful experience!


I saw the job posting at craigslist and I applied right away. I met Elizabeth and Minnie, the camp directors, during my interview. The meeting was sort of orientation, that's when I realized that I would be hired. Three days later, they called me. Two months later, I was in front of kids and parents at 745am greeting them, leading them to the auditorium. My fun fun fun experience as camp counselor began.


We counselors were given different art classes where we helped the teachers and supervised the students with their work. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, my classes were Hocus Pocus (Magic class), Taekwondo, Yoga, and Lego Robotics. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, my classes were two Acrylics classes (with different teachers and students), Popstarz, and Pastel perfection. I met different kids in this camp and they are children of the people working for the media industry.

We had theme days most of the time. We had Pajama Day, Rock star day, Cartoon Day, Superhero day, and Crazy Hair Day. My co-counselors, 15 of us, got along pretty well. We had jobs starting an hour before camps starts in the morning until 30mins after camp ends in the afternoon.We were also divided into two lunch breaks. I was in the 2nd break. The one I got closest to was Nare, a 20-yr old Armenian girl who is going to UC Berkeley this fall. We shared stories everyday during lunch and when we were both supervising the kids in the cubbie area when they got their lunches.

Here are some pics of the 4-wk camp! Enjoy!


She just got out from her Stage Makeup class


Lego Robotics class


Cartoon Day


Getting messy in Acrylics class


Showing off their pastel masterpieces


Cubbie area


Crazy hair Day with some counselors-in-training


Nare with two boys on Rock Star Day


Coool

Bye, Crescendo... for now.

From January to June,I was working as a Teacher Assistant at a charter school named Crescendo Charter School. I was also studying full-time to be a teacher at University of Southern California. It was the craziest 6months of my life! I worked full time and studied full time. After the school year ended on June 25, I was on a crossroad. If I would get a teaching job this coming Fall, I needed to transfer to another university and start the teacher prep program all over again. That means more $$$ and time before I become a credentialed teacher. That may mean two more years. By June, I was already halfway through my MA in Teaching (credential track) at USC and by Feb 2011, I will be done. Yes, that soon. So what should I choose? I decided to just get over my studies. With California's economy right now and teacher situation, I need to be qualified and more prepared for a teaching job. I do not want to be fired in the middle of the school year just because I am not credentialed or a Master's degree holder. I am doing student teaching in the Fall, instead of the full-time teaching job. By Feb, I will be a full-pledged Trojan! Fight on!

I was so happy when I got that job. I was finally able to creep in the educational sector which I am focusing myself into. I have learned a lot in my 6-month stay at the school. Miss Panaga, the 3rd grade teacher I was closely working with, was helpful. It was her first time to teach and she was learning some things too. We learned them together. The kids there were predominantly African-Americans and I learned a lot about their families, culture, attitudes, and many more. I did not have an easy time there. It was a challenging experience. I had to be careful with my words, jokes, dealing with my Hispanic co-workers, and making my Master Teacher and Mr. O'daniel happy. And this school is in downtown LA. Because I do not drive, I always took the bus and train to get there which is fine because I would have more study time. That was a one-hour trip one way everyday. More importantly, at that school, I learned how to become an affective teacher. I knew more about teaching strategies. I was able to observe what methods teachers use to encourage the kids and make them on task. With my studies at USC and daily exposure at school everyday, I was definitely getting the reaching my dream.=)

I will miss Crescendo. I would like to work with them again when I am done with my MA and credential. That would be awesome.. but nobody can tell what the future holds. I want to experience other schools too in other parts of LA. More exposure, the better. USC is trying to place me in a predominantly white school in the Fall and I am excited about that. I want to know how they are doing too.

Twas a date!

Spring Break

Spring Break is over!

It was a fun week. Alex and I drove to Modesto, 300 miles from Burbank, to visit my relatives. It was my uncle's birthday, and that means, pigging out!!!I missed Filipino food and it was awesome to be able to eat lutong-bahay again. Alex and I stayed there until Tuesday. We drove back to Burbank because I had a job interview the next day. The job was Receptionist at the Hollywood Bowl Museum. The interview went well but the director said they were looking forward to hire someone that can go on even after summer. Well, I could not do that so I moved on. Alex and I went to visit his bestfriend's family in Moreno Valley, a 1.5 hr drive from us. We had not seen them for more than a year!the get-together was a blast!Brad and Denae had two beautiful kids. (I am sure Alex envies them.)We were supposed to leave their place at 7pm but we decided to extend our stay and so we left at 12mn. That's how much fun we had!

Then my allergies struck. I was coughing really hard and my runny nose came the day after. So for the rest of the week, I have been nursing myself. I was supposed to relax, have fun, go to the beach maybe. But I guess my busy life has finally gotten a toll on me. Until now, I still have my allergies. I heard in the news, this is the worse allergy season in LA in a decade. Sigh*

Spring is ending. I hope I will feel better soon. I need to go back to work tomorrow.

Subaru Forester is here!!!

No complaints..

Last Friday, I was with my group of 7 students reviewing the long division process when my principal's boss, Mr. Allen, and someone from LAUSD came to observe the class. They were in our small room for just 2 minutes and they left.

During lunch at the cafeteria while I was supervising the 3rd graders, Mr. Allen came. We said our usual, "How are you doing?" Then this conversation followed:

Allen : Ms Glaze, do you have a teaching credential?
Me : I am actually working on it. I will be done next year. By the time I complete my program, I will have my Masters and credential.
Allen : What are your plans for the fall? Are you staying or leaving?
Me : It is really up to you. As long as you want me here...
Allen: (extends his hand to me) Well, Ms Glaze, you are guaranteed a full-time teaching job in the fall. Mark my word.

Then we exchanged phone numbers.

I could not ask for more. God is truly amazing!!! Since the beginning of this year, I have been silently praying for a teaching job in the fall. If I won't get one, I will quit working as a teacher assistant because I need to comply with my student teaching requirements with my graduate school. However, God has some other plans. With this full-time teaching job this September, my student teaching experience is my job! I am earning money and studying for my credential at the same time. That is really neat.

I remember Isaiah 65:24 (King James Version): "And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear."

Friends, I can only give praises to God right now. His will be done.

Work and school

So since January 4, I have started working as a Teacher Assistant at Crescendo Charter School. I am so happy to have gotten out from my previous job. Let's just say, it was for me a second-best decision to have stayed there. I am glad I have moved on, and this time, I am in the field where I am passionate about and where I am really directing my career into - EDUCATION.

Crescendo Charter School is under LA Unified School District. It has many locations but I am assigned in the LA campus, along Western/Martin Luther King Blvd. With this job, I get to work under the direction of a credentialed teacher, Miss Panaga, in her 3rd grade class. I assist her in everything, from sharpening students' pencils to teaching the lessons in small groups in her class. I greatly admire her for organizing her big class of 29 third graders - how she can lead them to enter the classroom in the morning without noise, make them write in their journals quietly, make them all listen to her, and many more. She is Filipino, by the way. I was not sure at first but when I entered her classroom and saw the pictures of her family and boyfriend (?)displayed on her table, I was 85% sure she is. We have not talked anything about our personal lives. We do not have time. We have not talked in Filipino yet. I am not even sure if she speaks it because her English fluency is excellent. I finally became certain that she is Filipino due to two instances : 1.One morning, she is talking about imagination in class and her example was that she is imagining she is in the Philippines and she even mentioned that it takes almost 16 hrs to get there: 2.While she was relating a story in class, she has interchanged HE and SHE and she only realized it 3 minutes later. The latter is so common among Filipinos who do not grow up and whose first language is not English. I know I will learn a lot from her and her class. I am so receptive to learning new ideas. I am trying to gather as many ideas as I can for future use.

I work from 8am to 1pm every school day in Miss Panaga's class. Then I get a 2hr break. I usually stay at the conference room with my co-Teacher Assistants Miss Newton and Miss Guerrerro to chat and surf the internet. Then at 2:45, we start getting ready for the After School program. I handle the first graders who stay after school to do their homework while waiting for their parents to pick them up.My day ends at 4:45.

This job is soooo much better than my previous job. I love it. It is sometimes hard to deal with kids but that is the challenge there. You get to listen to them, anticipate what they are thinking, discipline them, talk to them, help them, and most especially, care for them.

This year also marks my first time to be in a Masters program. USC accepted me last year and I did not expect I would finally get myself into this. I am with their Masters in Teaching program + credential. It is a one-year program and at the end of this, I will be a credentialed teacher. I will be able to teach finally at any elementary school in California. I am very much looking forward to that.

As I was reading the syllabus of my first class, I realized that God is indeed the best Director in my life. My first class requires me to do school observations, interview school staff, analyze instructional materials, etc. and with my present job, I need not go out to complete such activities because I can do it in my school. Amazingly perfect. Had I stayed at my previous job, I would be a bad employee because I need to be absent every time to do school observations and interviews. I could not afford not to work. Bills need to be paid so this setup is perfect. Thank you, Lord.

I do not have complaints. Everything has turned out perfectly and I credit everything to God.

My motto for this year "No Complaints" is still on. =)

2010 little hopes and dreams

Here they are, in random order:

1. learn Spanish (seriously learn)
2. start studying for MA + teaching credential
3. transfer to a bigger place
4. visit my home country (yay!!!)
5. buy Skechers running shoes
6. visit my favorite relatives in Modesto
7. submit more to Alex's leadership
8. pay off some debts (LOL)
9. learn how to drive and pass the driving test in one take

I will get back to this list at the end of 2010. Happy New Year everyone! Be stronger, wiser, and smarter!=)

Bye, 2009.. Ready for you, 2010!

Alex and I agreed last night that 2009 was a bad year for us. I need not enumerate why was it bad. But despite the bad-ness of it, I will still dwell on the blessings we both received last year:

1. I passed CSET: Multiple Subjects (Subtests 1 and II)
2. I got my greencard!
3. I was able to go to UCLA to take an Education course.
4. I got accepted at USC for their MA teaching program + teaching credential. I will start in January.
5. I was interviewed in early December for a school job. I will also start in January.
6. Alex went to tax school and he is now a licensed tax preparer. I am so proud of him. He will also start his new job in January.

Our goal for 2010 is: to do God's will in our lives. God has blessed us tremendously but we still made 2nd best decisions last year because we did not listen to Him enough. So I claim that this is will be a better year for me and Alex!!!Goodbye, 2009!And here we come, 2010!

New year. New life. New jobs.=)

God is already there!

Living in the US is not easy. At least, not for me. My husband is also an immigrant like me so both of us are working very hard for the future of our family. Right now, we are both in school. He is studying to become a licensed tax preparer and working on becoming a CPA while I am studying at UCLA to supplement my degree and learn new things and have fun.=)

Good things happen while Alex and I are working on our respective businesses. He topped his tax class and is now advancing to advance tax classes. Tax season is almost here and licensed preparers are in demand. I am proud of him for working so hard to be best in whatever he does. On my end, my class just ended and thankfully I got an A. I also applied for a grant for winter quarter. Hope my application gets approved. If not, I will find a way to enroll again next quarter. It is just freaking expensive to study in this country. So annoying, but something tells me it is worth it.

I am really hoping and praying that I will get into a teaching credential program next year. I have been in the US for 1.5 years now and after all that happened and I went through, it is about time to enroll in a teacher prep program. It takes a year to become credentialed and I want to start as soon as possible. I can no longer waste time.

Thank God for my greencard which helped me get around and plan these things. The day I got my greencard was one of the happiest day in my life. Alex was sooo happy too, after all the money and effort we've spent.Whew. But God is good, He answers prayers. He knows what He is doing.

God has been the author of everything that had happened, is happening, and will happen. No worries, God is already there, wherever we go and whatever we do!

Anniversary special

So two weeks ago, Alex and I went to San Diego and celebrated our anniversary there. Felicia, his cousin, was so nice to accommodate us over the weekend. Overall, it was a very nice experience. I praise God more for blessing Alex and me with a very happy marriage.

So we left in the morning of Saturday, took Amtrak train to San Diego. I thought it would be a 2-hr boring ride but when I started seeing beaches along the way, I got excited. It was my first time to see so beautiful beaches and resorts in California. I have been to San Francisco, I live in LA, but the beaches here and up north have not appealed me. San Diego beaches did!! We arrived at our destination at around lunchtime. After Felicia picked us up at the Amtrak Station, we went for a walk along the harbor in downtown. She showed us San Diego skyline which looks like a toolbox. I was awed by the waters again. The beaches are just soooo beautiful. I cannot stop admiring it. Alex always warned me, "No swimming please," and I would teased him back,"But yes to jumping, right?" The water was just tempting but I did not give in. I did not bring my swim wear. Too bad. We then headed to a school where a football game was going on. Felicia's fiance served as the coach of the team. It was fun seeing middle schoolers playing tough football. I was munching on chips on cheese jalapeno and finishing my orange juice I bought on the train while watching the game. I clapped and cheered, and admired the young cheerleaders. After Felicia's fiance Aaron's team won, they both drove Alex and me to Coronado, an island that is part of San Diego. They showed us Hotel de Coronado and we bought ice cream afterwards. We also drove to Chula Vista, the city just at the border of Mexico and California. There was a huge Mexican flag on the hills indicating that that part we are seeing is already Mexico. I saw Mexico from a distance! It was my first time to see a different country from another country a few meters away from me! We then headed to the couple's place getting ready for dinner which Alex has been longing for months.

At 8pm, wearing my shorts and black shirt with a Philippine peso printed on it, I went with Alex to Old Cafe, where the best Mexican restaurant (according to him) is located. Wearing his 'Mahal Kita' shirt, he was so happy that night to see tortilla-making being shown in public just in front of the restaurant. We had the freshest tortilla for dinner along with our respective meal.

On Sunday, we decided to go on a ferry ride to Coronado. It was just a 30-minute ride on the ocean but I really enjoyed every minute of it. We had breakfast in the island and headed back to San Diego through the ferry again. We then went hiking up in one of the short mountains. I thought it would be a nonsense hike but lo and behold, the exercise was worth it. The sight when we got on top was amazing! Blue waters are all I can see! Big and beautiful waves are a sight to behold! I could sit down there and stare at them for the rest of my life.

We went down the mountain and killed time walking on the seashore. The cold water on my feet was a tingle. The people on the sand were enjoyable to watch. San Diego is beautiful.

We went to catch the train at 4pm. It was a trip to remember. It is always nice to get away from our regular lives in LA. I proposed to Alex we should always try a different place on every anniversary we have. To visit a new state is better. I think that would be fun, especially when you're with someone you really love.

Thank you, Lord. Thank you, San Diego! Thank you, cielito! Happy Anniversary! We made it!

California 101

Well, things have been pretty crazy since the middle of this year. There were drastic changes in my life and the changes are good. For the better, as a matter of fact.

My life revolves around work, house, swimming, library, choir practice, church, and of course my husband.

Even if I already passed the California Subject Exam for Teachers (CSET) and I am already qualified to teach, I did not find a full-time teaching job that is really for me. I was in the waiting list at Oakland Unified School District, I was at the eligibility list at Pasadena Unified. I was accepted as a Substitute Instructional Aide at Burbank Unified, and I was hired by LA Unified as a teacher assistant. But I did not pursue any of them. I think I deserve more and that I might as well go back to school and take courses to help me become more qualified to teach.

So my work right now is at a company based in downtown LA. I work as an office assistant handling research and orders from Amazon.com and Overstock.com. Honestly, I enjoy what I do. The job is super busy that I cannot even notice the time passing by. The next thing I knew, it's already 5pm. I enjoy working with Paolo and Heidi, the other office personnel. There's challenge in the job. I am ok with what I am doing as long as I have something on the side. I easily get bored after work and my mind yearns to analyze and digest new things. Well, there is an instant answer to that. UCLA accepted me last week for its Certificate in Childhood Education program under its Extended Education Dept. What an opportunity to be able to study in the most prestigious university in California!I am so excited!This week, I will be able to enroll hopefully. I decided to take one course for now. I cannot afford to take more than that.

Well, as for our place, our poolhouse is still a mess. I mean, everything is in its right place but I just think Alex and I need a bigger place so we can be more organized. One very good thing about this place though is that we have a pool, just literally 5 steps from our doorstep. Since its summer, I always enjoy swimming there to have my own share of exercise. I love swimming very much that I even bought a Speedo goggles to keep my head safe from hitting the side of the pool which always happened when I close my eyes while swimming. Now with the goggles, I can freely swim around the pool without hurting myself.

Of course, I cannot forget Burbank Library where I frequent on Saturdays. Burbank residents are entitled to borrow 25 books and given 3 weeks before returning them. Libraries are always good to go to. There are always good books to read and new things to know. I am more interested in biographies of known and popular people. Ask me why. Because I am chismosa. Hahahaha.

My choir, Sole Voce of LA, has taken my time too. We have practices every Saturday and Sunday, 3-hr practices on each day. We are all Filipinos from different churches and we go to different churches to sing for the Lord and use our talents. My choirmates are really good singers. There are 20+ of them. Some of them are professional singers. We are eyeing on singing in Georgia next year. This December, we will go to San Francisco to, of course, sing. Sole Voce has become my social circle.

As for my church, I found a family at Burbank SDA Church. We are a small church and everybody feels at home. There is always love in the air and nobody is judged so Alex and I like going there. We are also active in the praise team which has practices every Thursday. We both feel very welcomed and loved under Pastor Jan's sheepfold. Thank you, Jesus.

Alex and I will be celebrating our 1st year anniversary on Sept12! Time flies really fast. Personally, I want to go to San Diego for a weekend getaway but Alex seems like to have some other plans for us. We had a long discussion over this but I think I will just trust him in this. He knows what he's doing. He has a new job now. He is already in the medical field with a team of doctors hiring him. I am so happy for him because he is happy with his job, he is not as stressed as he was in his previous job, thus we can spend more time together. He is also very well-trusted by his employers which is really cool. Plus, there is a very big room for growth.

Many, especially my parents, have been asking me if I am already pregnant. The answer is a big NO. Alex and I do not want to have children yet. We want both of us to be more prepared. We still want to enjoy each other's company. We still want to establish our career. We are young anyway. No reason to rush to have children. In time, we will have Kai and Cinzia.=)


Alex and I during our church's centennial anniversary 2 weeks ago

I miss dreaming

I have always been a dreamer. I always dream of things I want to achieve in my lifetime but lately, I have not done a lot of dreaming. And I miss it.

It always starts with looking at pictures or hearing stories about this and that. Listening to myself helps too. What do I want to do? How do I myself with years from now?

I have always wanted to travel and here I am, thousands of miles away from my home country. I still want to visit Hawaii, China, Japan, Europe, Canada, Panama, and many more!

I have always liked studying and I wanted to go to the premiere university of the Philippines after high school. Gotcha, I graduated in 2005! Now that I am in California, I want to take further studies in UCLA or CSU or CSULA. I want continuous world-class education!

I have always wanted to marry a nice, decent, conservative, tall, and handsome guy, and I have him now. Alex is one Godsend. Even if he grew up here in the US, he is more conservative than me. He is a strong foundation of our family. We're a great team.=) And everyday, we try our best to make our relationship stronger. I cannot ask for more.

I have always wanted to have a nice house and simple car. Nothing fancy. I am a simple woman. Those are still work in progress.

I want to have a baby for Alex. I cannot imagine myself yet carrying one or breastfeeding him/her. I am not even sure if I will be a good mom. Alex will be a good dad, for sure. Because of the love that we share, I think it's not a bad idea to have a 'souvenir' of the strong bond that we share. As a matter of fact, I am excited to see how our future children would look like. Tall with black hair? Short with black hair? Hairless? Brown skin? dark brown skin? Curly or straight hair? We plan on having two - Kai and Cinzia. While I am concerned on how our children would look like, Alex is more concerned on how are they going to behave. Sigh* So serious..

Let me continue.. I dream of working at a tall and classy corporate building wearing corporate attire with pumps, light makeup, and my laptop. That is the perfect picture for my dream career. I will be well-educated (with a PhD wishfully) with a stable job at a stable and prestigious company.

Dreaming...It feels soo good. It's nice to dream because it makes you focus on what you want to achieve in your life. Dreams all start in the mind, don't they?

hey!

It's been a long time huh. Well, been going around LA for job interviews. I finally got a job in downtown. It's with an online business company. I am one of the secretaries/clerks who work closely with the owner. I like the job because it is busy and there is no idle time. There are just so many things to do.

Good news!I already passed the California Subject Exam for Teachers (CSET) and I can already teach anywhere in the state. I am actually hoping for a full-time teaching job this coming September but if I cannot, it is still okay. It is still a win-win situation for me. I already have a job. I went to a teaching job interview last Wednesday and I had a 45-minute teaching demo. Well, the experience was really good. Let us wait and see and pray.

So working in the US is not easy. I need to leave the house at 6:30am so I can make it to work at 8am. Every night, I arrive around 7am at home. By that time, I am already tired. But it's still fun to cook and press my housewife mode button whenever I get home. Alex does not arrive until around 7:30pm so I usually make sure food is ready before he arrives.

What else can I say? Well, I need a car soon. I will save up for that.

work permit and SSN aftermath

Ok, so I got my work permit in April and my social security number 2 weeks ago. Meaning, I can finally look for a job that I want! No. My work permit just simply means I need to work on my desired career and not just any other job. Since I got my work permit, I've always had at least one interview every week. Praise God for that! With the recession and rising unemployment rate in California, my pace is not bad. I give God all the glory for that.

So what is my job now? Well, I am working on becoming a certified teacher. I need to take exams and education units to reach that goal. While I am doing that, people who know me very well know that I cannot just sit down and wait. I need to do SOMETHING. I need to WORK!! So I applied and applied, resulting to interviews scheduled week after week after week.

Week 1 - I was in Oakland with my husband for a job teaching interview. The Oakland Teaching Fellows invited me for a 6-hr interview. After two weeks, they told me I am on the waiting list because the Oakland School District made some budget cuts, but they encouraged me to continue keeping in touch with them because once a slot is opened, they will offer me a teaching position.

Week 2 - I was interviewed for a Receptionist/Marketing Assistant position for a skin care clinic in Glendale. A Filipino aesthetician owned the clinic. They hired me right on the spot. It's part-time and I get to write press releases, assist in marketing, invite more clients to come and avail of our services, etc.

Week 3 - I was interviewed by a staffing company for a Receptionist position at a medical office. The doctor really wants a Filipino receptionist. The interviewer really liked me and he already oriented me how the job should be, the pay, and the employer but...I changed my mind. After all the orientation, he told me I will be working on a Saturday and it is required. I politely told him I am not able to do it for religious reasons. We called it a day. Until now, the position has not been filled up yet.

Week 3 - I went to a building near my husband's workplace. A Marketing firm called me the day before for a Receptionist position but the guy said, my personality fits more for a Marketing position. Two days later, he called me and said I got the job and I will do marketing FULL-TIME. Waaah. I do not think I still want a marketing job. Enough is enough.

Week 4 - I had an interview yesterday for a Teacher Assistant position at a school in North Hills. It's high-performing, especially in Math and Science. Out of almost 20 Teacher Assistant job applications I did last week, only this school replied. This is how hard it is to find a job right now. Anyway, the interview went well. The Principal and the School Coordinator were basically asking me about my teaching experience in Palau. They said I am qualified. They will let me know next week what are the next steps to do. The school district has requirements I need to comply. School starts in September and so I still have time to do all the tests and they still have time to do background checking.

Week 5 - Interview on Monday next week for a Hotel Clerk position. Instructional Aide Test with Burbank Unified School District on Friday.

There you go. I really do not know where will I be in the next days/weeks. Let God lead me. I enjoy doing interviews and jobhunting. How I wish there's a job that entails jobhunting and be paid for doing it forever. I would love to have that job. I love jobhunting so much, but I just hope and pray I will not get stuck doing this for a long time, unpaid and unemployed. Of course, I want to have a stable job with benefits and retirement plan.

Let us wait and see. All I can do is do my best and let God do the rest.