Welcome Home

After most of the interviews were done, I grabbed Alicia, went down to the Tube and headed to church--Hillsong London. I was pumped! I had staked out the theater the day before just so I wouldn't get lost. Let's just say it's hard to miss their location.

We found our seats in the balcony and I think Alicia (who is super conservative) was shocked. I was in heaven! The music started and worship seemed to go by super fast. Looking at my watch I realized it was 45 minutes later and Alicia would be late for her last interview if she didn't leave right away. So she missed the sermon which was a shame.

They had a guest speaker, a man by the name of Sy Rogers. His testimony is this: he became a Christian before almost having a sex change operation. Yeah, talk about life change. He has an amazing ministry and testimony.

I think the thing that struck me the most about Hillsong was their sense of community. They translate services into several languages. Your bulletin and all the signs say, "Welcome Home!" Even though they're a large church, they read prayer request cards and praise reports from the stage. They have people in the lobby who can help you find a job, an apartment or a small group to be a part of.

Briefly, as I stepped out of the theater back into the hussle and bustle of Totenham Square, I thought, "Gee, would it be weird if I moved to London just for this church?"

Makes me wonder, how do you build that community? I left impressed not by the lights or the stage, but the people and the overwhelming sense that you were welcome and that you belonged.

Conversations...

I could bore you with minute details about the interviews I had, but let's just say that God worked in some amazing ways! Actual conversation:

Principal: So why did you want to get into international teaching?
Me: Well, I student taught at HKIS under Jim Carlson and...
Principal: I love HKIS! I know Jim!
Me: Yeah, and worked with Dr. Bruce Kelsh...
Principal: Bruce is great
Me: I stayed with the Oettings.
Principal, leaning back in his chair and just looking at me: Dennis and Donna have been our dearest friends for years.

WOW! So let's hope that conversation turns into something...:-)

God, this is enough!

First it was the appearance of Alicia. Then it was the free wireless and the opening of the bank account. Then it was great interviews with schools that I never thought in my wildest dreams I'd interview with.

At each point, I kept saying, "God, this is enough! You can stop right now and I'd be perfectly happy! This is enough!"

Yet God still kept pouring out His blessing.

I knew I was exactly where He wanted me, doing exactly what He wanted me to do and He made a way, He guided my steps exactly...even to Elvis...

Interviews...

The main reason I went to this fair as opposed to sending out resumes or emailing people is because I wanted face time with real people. Emails, although they connect a lot of people, aren't personal and don't really show who you are.

The interview set-up process at recruitment fairs can be a bit stressful if you've never been there before, but it goes something like this:

1. Line up in front of a door with resume in hand.
2. When doors open, run to the school table you want to interview with most
3. Smile, shake hand and request interview
4. Respond to either "yes" or "no" with smile
5. Move on to next table
6. Repeat 18 to 20 times.

I was able to set up 5 really good interviews. Many of the schools had restrictions where they were either looking for teachers with PYP experience (it's a specific international curriculum) or teachers who are European Union citizens.

I'm still waiting to hear back from several of the schools and it takes time for them to call references and what not.

But here's the thing: I'm not worried.
I'll say it again, I'm not worried.
I don't sit at home frantically checking my email for the okay or no or whatever.
I've been there, done that, wrote the theme song.
It makes your life miserable.

Believe me, many of you will be the first to hear if I hear anything back, but know that in the meantime I'm resting in what He's got for me.
And that, my friends, is enough.

3 AM, free wireless and sovereignty

Jet lag. If you have never experienced jet lag then I pity you. You don't know what it's like to stay up for 72 hours straight and wonder where you are and what time it is. Aren't you sad you haven't experienced jet lag?

Anyway, it was early Saturday morning and I had done everything. I had prayed. I had read my Bible. I had rehearsed possible interview questions in my head. All of sudden, I felt prompted to turn on my laptop. Here's a peek inside my head:

Voice: Turn on your laptop
Me: No, that's dumb. I'll waste electricity and I don't even had internet.
Voice: Turn on your laptop.
Me: I don't want to.
Voice: Do it.
Me: Okay, fine.

I looked at my watch: 3 AM. Ugh.
Turned on my laptop.
I had wireless.
I don't know where it was from, but it was there, in the middle of central London.
I praised Jesus and went to my email where I got four emails from my mother explaining how my bank account had been shut down due to weird charges at the airport and that I needed to call this number.
So at 3 AM, I was able to email my mother (who was still awake and able to respond), use Skype to call my bank and after explaining my difficulty with the ATM at the airport, reopen my account.
I sat there in shock. Not only had I stayed awake for this, but God had prompted me to open my laptop, provided the free wireless, reminded me of my Skype log-in that I haven't used in a year and keep me coherent enough to reopen my banking account.

He had it all covered. All I had to do was listen and respond.

See that little blue circle: that's wireless internet!

Hello, love

A lot of times I think we forget God is in control of everything. I mean, everything. What you wore today, the path you took to work, the amount of sunlight you got or didn't get, everything was due to God's provision and guidance.

Friday night was orientation night. There were 450 candidates and recruiters in one room, nervous, waiting to hear where there were openings. I sat alone, with my bag of resumes and tissues (I was getting over a cold) and someone sat down next to me. Not a random someone. Alicia. Alicia Pashby from Michigan. Alicia Pashby from Michigan who went to Hope College and is my age and is a Christian. 450 people. She was placed next to me.

We talked. And talked. We sat through the presentation and I assured her it would be okay. We talked and planned and talked. The next morning we ate breakfast together and the morning after that. We went to church together. Every time we saw each other in the hallway we talked and prayed and encouraged each other.

We're still emailing. She got a job and I could rejoice with her.

What would have happened if I hadn't said, "Hello". If I had kept to myself and been so worried about my own situation that I didn't take the time to look around. I would have lost a lot.

So look around. You never know when love, encouragement, friendship or grace may be sitting right next to you.

Being cheap and paying for it

I wanted to frugal for this trip so I set a budget. Once I got to London, I would withdraw a certain amount and that was it! No more! It took me a few tries to get my ATM card to work at the airport ATM, but I got my cash and went off to buy my Oyster card.

The London Oyster card allows you to electronically pay for bus, train and Tube tickets. The big perk: there is a daily cap of anywhere from $8 to $18 depending on where you go. This saves you HUGE amounts of money. For example, a single ticket in Zone 1 whether you're going one stop or 12 is $6. With my Oyster card it cost $2.

Anyway, got my Oyster card and set off for my first ride on the Tube...with luggage...and no real idea what I was doing.

I had to change to three different lines: Piccadilly to Jubilee, Jubilee to Central. The first change went fine because there was an elevator. That was rare. Very rare. The Jubilee to Central was a killer. NO elevators, only stairs. Lots of stairs. So I definitely had my workout.

But eventually, I made it to my hotel even if my arms were falling off. I decided that next time, I was paying the extra $15 and taking the train.

Flying with Skot

I've flown long distances by myself before. I've done a 15 hour flight in two legs to Hong Kong...4 times so the 10 hour flight to London non-stop seemed easy. Oh yeah and I was flying British Airways. I flew them when I went to Italy two years ago and loved my experience.

So I flew out of LAX since they had a non-stop and it was considerably cheaper. My lovely parents drove me up to the airport and off I went through the international terminal that is getting a huge overhaul. You literally are walking on exposed cement and the walls are made of plywood. Welcome to Los Angeles, everyone!

As I was lingering around the gate waiting to board, I noticed a few characters. With a plane this big, you're always going to have a few interesting people. There was the Sheik family that kind of freaked the Americans out, but didn't bother me. Just because men wear turbans doesn't mean they are all terrorists. I mean, most people wouldn't even recognize that they are Indian, not Arab and it's a totally different ideal. Also I had an Indian professor once who went on and on about the differences because she was tired of being stopped at every single airport she went to. But then I digress...

There was one guy who had a nicer purse than me and his carry-on was a big pleather black bag with gigantic red letters that said, "100% SEXY!" Haha...yeah, he was definitely from LA. And as I found my seat and sat down, Mr. 100% SEXY! turned out to be my seat-mate. His name was Skot and he was on his way to Oslo, Norway and was super nervous. Not to fly, of course, but of being cold. In a rare event that could only have been orchestrated by Jesus, the middle seat was open and Skot and I got to spread out. Woohoo!

Also a big woohoo for the fact that British Airways updated their entertainment system and now each screen was a touchscreen where I could choose from 36 movies, 25 TV shows, about 40 CDs and a whole host of other things to eat up time. It had a pause, rewind, fastforward button and everything. Which is great especially if you have to go to the bathroom and don't want to miss the most crucial scene of a movie.

The flight was uneventful and as usual I didn't sleep a bit. I did manage to watch 95% of The Duchess but tragically, we landed before I could see the ending.

I said goodbye to Skot and breezed through immigration before picking up my luggage and heading off to the Tube...

The why of it all...

Number one question I've gotten: why? Why would you even want to teach abroad? Why go all the way to London to interview for international teaching jobs when there are jobs right here in the US?

Well, my answer to that would take a lot longer than I have room for, but here's the short and sweet version.

It's my passion. I student taught in Hong Kong for two months and had the best teaching experience of my life. Ever since then, it's been my goal to teach in an international school.

Now what an international school is NOT:

• a military school; these schools have nothing to do with the Department of Defense
• a missionary school; these are not religious schools
• an American school just like in the US with American kids only

The schools I applied for have many different backgrounds but the common theme is that parents wanted an English language education for their students. Curriculum is usually the International Baccalaureate program for elementary (called PYP) or an American curriculum adapted for an international audience.

So enough introduction...let's here about my trip!