New job! (most likely)

Oh hey!

As the title suggests, I've got a new job, or rather, a new opportunity/path to a new job. I interviewed and was selected to become a teaching fellow with teachNOLA. (www.teachnola.org) I will be training for the next month and then hopefully by January 20th (or so) I will be in front of a classroom of elementary age kids. Pretty crazy, but pretty exciting!

What thrills me the most about all of this is that I am finally able to really start what I moved here to do, which is help rebuild. I don't know how many of you visited New Orleans before Katrina, but even for the passive visitor, like I always was before the storm, how the city has changed is clear beyond obvious physical damages. Even still, I know Katrina was a devastating storm and that it takes time to rebuild, but I am still surprised when I see decaying and unoccupied buildings or empty lots. It's easy to forget how long it takes to recover from a storm like Katrina, especially when you come from a place (Austin) that has a seriously active volunteer community and strong interest in the well-being of its residents. That's not to say that their isn't a disinterest in the well-being of residents of New Orleans, but that it is a different sort of interest than in Austin, I think. Furthermore, I discovered pretty quickly how decades (and probably longer) of racial favoritism and corrupt politics have left rather large portions of New Orleanians in the dust...or underwater...too soon?? (as HBW would say)

Diatribes aside...what's most important for people to realize is that New Orleans has a huge potential to become great. People care about this city and that is also something I've learned (big time) since moving here. The passion of people from New Orleans about being from New Orleans is incredible. And I thought I was proud to be a Texan(!)...

There are things that are maybe inherent to the New Orleans attitude that could stand to be adjusted in order to facilitate a faster recovery effort (for example: "we can do it tomorrow, let's party today" or "it's always been this way and it will always be this way" or "who is going to fix this for me?"). But I think that these attitudes are shifting too, or well, being influenced positively by the influx of non-New Orleanians moving to the city. And the other side of this, I feel like I have definitely been positively influenced by moving here too. I can't see myself leaving for a long time. I rather like it here.

Anyway, this became convoluted really quickly. Basically what I wanted to say was that I'm on the path to a new job and I'm excited to be helping, or rather, helping more. I want New Orleans to be great. I want kids to know that they are capable and intelligent. I want people to believe in public education. I guess I want a lot of things, but I see them as being completely possible and I think that's good. You gotta have hope, right? I think I heard some guy say that...

Oh and here's a picture of my house...

New Post!

Hi hi, salutations!

Clearly I'm having a rockin' Friday night. I came home from work today and began final preparations on dinner for Boys Hope (http://www.boyshopegirlshope.org/what-we-do.php). Caitlin and I worked together to make a cake, sandwiches, pasta salad and veggies. Last month when we brought food, Ms. Mona invited us to eat with them, but we were going to see a play that evening and couldn't. Therefore, this time we planned to stay with them and we did. I said grace, which was weird, only because I haven't said grace since I was 12 or something. I've heard it said plenty of times, but I never say it...mostly because I think I get stage fright, which I definitely did tonight, but I think also because I try to think what everyone would be thankful for, besides the obvious food sitting in front of us and then just get awkward and say too much...and anyway. I think it went all right. ANYWAY, I started to volunteer to make this dinner once a month, the first Friday of the month, as a part of my personal campaign to get involved in the world outside me and it's neat that it is becoming something for Caitlin and I to do together...which also sort of happened all by accident anyway. But, that seems to be how everything is happening with life here in New Orleans: "accident".

I got a job offer! http://library.uno.edu/about/jobs/la_services_4548.html That's a lie, by the way! Not the job offer, but that it's available, because I took it!! I put in my two weeks at Earth-Search, which is sad, but necessary. Hopefully I'll still be doing some baby sitting and screaming and running and nose wiping and all of that because I have grown to really enjoy it, but it's definitely time to move on and start using my degree. Turns out I went to college for a reason....

OOH! And, I have another interview coming up for TeachNOLA. I'm pretty nervous but excited and need to call my sister (Sally) for advice about a lesson plan. As part of the interview process, which lasts all day (!), I have to make a mock five-minute lesson plan. I can cover any material I want, at any grade level. I figure that because I am interviewing for the position of an elementary school teacher, I should go for that range and I think that I'd really like to teach fourth or fifth graders. I'd really like to avoid any ages that might consistently "accidentally" pee their pants. I'm done with the defecation in the clothing. Another part of the application process is taking the Praxis I and II tests, which I am also anxious about, mostly because the last time I can remember sitting down for an extended period of time and taking a standardized test was six years ago in High School. Ew.

Anyway, I kind of digressed...After dinner tonight, I came home and reclined with the intention to stay reclined for the first time in several days. I obviously immediately fell asleep. It's probably because I took my pants off first. It is absolutely impossible to sleep comfortably in jeans. But yes, I passed out and woke up nearly every hour to read some sort of silly text message and make a half asleep response and then fall back asleep. I have been worried the past couple of days because I was loaned a copy of A Confederacy of Dunces (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Confederacy_of_Dunces), an apparently essential New Orleans read, and thought I had lost it. I was frustrated, mostly, because I was just getting interested in it and wanted to keep reading. I had remembered seeing a copy next to Allison's bed and asked if I could borrow it for the time being. But then I had a "light bulb" moment and thought to check the crack between my bed and the wall. And of course it was there. I had checked under the bed, but not the crack. Almost all things I ever seem to lose have been found in that crack. It's a black hole for my half-thoughts, or something.

ANYWAY, with all this sleep, I woke up around 10:30 to come downstairs and find Allison and Kolbe and John drinking in the kitchen. It smelled like a bar. Don't worry, I put on pants before I went downstairs. It's funny. OR well, it has been funny, living with another girl. It reminds me of living at SRD, mostly because every time I hear a male voice my ears perk up and I immediately go investigate. What's the deal with that? ANYWAY, I came downstairs and ate a banana. I wasn't really hungry but it seemed appropriate to me to have something in my hand because everyone else had a beer. So I ate the banana and flipped through the channels on the TV about thirty times. I watched a couple minutes of what I'm going to assume was Soulplane, got disinterested and came upstairs. I think that maybe I'll see how late I can stay up tonight. I haven't stayed up all night in a long time (sober...sorry mom and dad) and I forgot how nice it can be to watch the sunrise and the early early morning news (you know, the broadcast from New York, from London if you're REAL early). And then you fall asleep at 7:45AM, just as the normal people stir. ANYWAY. I think that's what I'll do and study for the Praxis exams and think about what I'll do tomorrow. The plans already include shopping for interview clothes (pants) and going to see Dark Knight at the IMAX. This has been the topic of conversation for literally months. Perhaps seeing it will finally quell the noise...or just make me become an active part of it.

But, that's what's been going on, today anyway.

How do you spell zoo?

I have thought about many different things to write about in the last few weeks and per usual, I have forgotten all of these things as I sit in front of my computer. I have a little moleskin that I really should employ more often. I guess the trickier matter is having a pen at hand...

The weather has begun to turn slightly cooler. Today was the first humid, sticky day in a while, and I think tonight it is supposed to become cooler and drier again. I would like that, but I have been able to sleep with my balcony door open every night and wake up not sweating...so! ... this is a good thing. Any time I can not turn on the air conditioning, I am happy.

I am also sick. Sick sick sick. Something has been going around with the kids at work and I guess I'm bound to get it too if I'm asking people to blow their nose, more or less, into my hand several times a day. Being sick and being alone isn't fun. BUT!! The reason I am alone is good. Allison's older sister just had her second baby last week!! Congratulations to them! He is happy and healthy and named Rowan. I can't say that I'm not looking forward to Allison coming home tomorrow though. I even cleaned the kitchen floor. If that isn't love, I don't know what is.

My ESL classes have been going well, but I left lesson plans and home baked cookies with someone else tonight to teach my class. My voice sounds mannish and smoker-y (I don't smoke) and so...you know, it's important to have a nice sounding voice if you're teaching someone a language. I think they will be in good hands. I am kind of disappointed to miss tonight's lesson though because it is all about food. Damn. Anyway, each class I've had between four and eight students from Mexico, Honduras and Nicaragua. Pretty fun crew. I think they think I'm just a crazy gringa. I guess that's pretty true.

So besides all the childrens being ill, work has been pretty fun. I took Penelope and Maelene to Audubon Zoo last week. We saw elephants and flamingos and monkeys and gorillas and white tigers and found a pink binky on the ground, but then put it back on the ground and rode the carousel and learned how to spell zoo and passed out in the car (not me, I was driving) and ate gelato and just had a lovely time. I learned to appreciate fold down changing tables in the women's rest room and had some conversation with a grandma about sunglasses on kids. All in all...a good experience. I did sort of feel compelled to talk loudly about bringing them back to their mothers though. I guess if they did anything really naughty (which they didn't) I didn't want people thinking they came out of me. ha! It sorta felt like rent-a-kid.

I'm going to be a ninja for Halloween. Ex-ci-TED! I'm gonna karate chop the crap out of people. I'm going to have no friends by the end of the night....ANYHOO, totally worth it.

I'll try to write down funny things that happen so I can relate them back to y'all. Most of the stuff I can think of right now that has made me laugh super hard in the past two weeks has been kid-poop related. Gross, right?

Sunday Night

I am excited. Tomorrow is the first day of Fall. I think Fall is the best season, hands down. And October is the best month.

Tomorrow I also start teaching an adult ESL course through the Hispanic Apostolate-Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans. I went to volunteer orientation all of Saturday and it was interesting and kind of scary. I know that I want to do this because I really value the chance I've had to work on acquiring a second language, HOWEVER! when theory becomes practice and I actually have to stand in front of adults and teach them English, it gets scary. We've been provided books and rough ideas for what to do each class, but lesson plans and creativity are up to me and I guess I'm feeling concerned for my students. The good thing about this program is that it is incredibly interactive between the volunteer teachers, tutors, etc etc, and we can bounce ideas off one another. I guess...I just, you know... public speaking...people depending on you...responsibility...scary.

These past couple of weeks have been strange. We're lucky nothing really happened with Gustav or Ike but adjusting after evacuating and screwed up schedules and pay checks and whatever else goes along with stopping real life for a week has kind of been miserable. Or well, I don't know, maybe I shouldn't use a word as strong as miserable, but it has been unpleasant. I've written about my love of routine before and so I think I don't really have to expand on the topic. I'm just looking forward to things feeling "normal" again. Or something like normal. It's funny to wake up and go to sleep and remember that this is "LIFE" and this is what it means to be "grown up" and it's weird because it's one of those things that you don't ever think is going to happen. And then it does, and your constantly reminding yourself that it is and you have to enjoy it. And do things. And live "life". And really consider phrases like "I'll sleep when I'm dead."

And I guess further on this, I've been realizing that all these past twenty-two years, when I didn't do something, someone else had to. And the only person you're truly accountable toward is yourself. And when you don't do these things (normal day-to-day things like eating healthy and changing your sheets), you're really hurting yourself. And I'm glad I'm learning this because I guess that's what it means to be responsible. AND ANYWAY! This blog went in a direction I wasn't expecting, but I guess that's the way it is. I'm going to work on my lesson plan for tomorrow now. I sure hope my students appreciate a sense of humor.

Back in New Orleans

yeeHAW! Back home to sweet, sweet lady NOLA. Very strange, but very good. Just as we pulled off of I-10 and onto S. Carrollton, I could already smell the vomit. MMM! Smells like home....

SO! Here's the report: There are police, EVERYWHERE. I've never seen more blue lights in my entire life. There was actually a hummer parked down the street from our house with a national guardsman and a gun sticking out the top. So I guess that's good??? There are branches and bits of trees lining the streets and boards still cover many windows and doors. The huge hibiscus plant that was in our front yard got pretty messed up and had to be cut down. Also, somehow... during the storm a pigeon got inside of our house!!! There is bird shit EVERYWHERE. On the kitchen counter...on the couch...on the stairs. Kind of disgusting. BUT! Really...if this is the worst we got from Gustav, I'll take it.

ANYWAY, now we just have to clean up the poop and sort of clean up the house. We left in a bit of a hurry. And Lana is here visiting from Alaska! I feel bad that it was such terrible timing... but I think we'll be able to make some fun anyway.

So that's all. I'm alive and well. I don't know when I'll have to go back to work, but I imagine it'll be Monday. Power is mostly on, at least in our neighborhood, but not everywhere in the city. A lot of street lights are out. I don't know. It's weird. But okay...bye.

Sunny, hot

I'm in Austin, still, and that's okay. It's hot and sunny and everything Austin is supposed to be in the summertime. Things don't really start to become any kind of cool until the end of October...and even then, it's iffy.

The first thing I do when I wake up is check the news. It's good to know the storm is passed without major catastrophe for New Orleans. We don't know what's happened to our house, but I can't imagine it is anything terrible. I'm not sighing with relief yet, but I'm certainly feeling a lot less "dooms day"-ish. I hate how influenced by media scare tactics I can be. But, to be fair to myself (which I like to try to be) I've never experienced anything like an evacuation before and it's not a normal thing to have to do.

This last thought being said, I continue to struggle with my feelings. I obviously can't take the situation lightly, however! considering my minimal investments in the city (time wise and "property" wise) I feel less justified in my feelings of ... well, anything. I'm having a hard time putting this into words. I guess, mostly, I just think I shouldn't be so "dramatic" about it all because I wouldn't really be losing anything had something happened. My home isn't New Orleans. I'm not living in a hotel right now. I'm not being TRULY displaced. I'm just having to go home to Mom and Dad. Wah wah, boo hoo. See what I mean? Maybe not. I haven't said anything.

ANYWAY, I'm in Austin with nothing to do, not so much with where to go. I took my laundry basket out of the trunk of my car this morning and a gecko came out. Mixed feelings: I saved a gecko from a hurricane! and disgusting...there was a gecko in my f'ing sheets. I've been spending a good amount of time with my family, which is welcome. You forget how funny your family is when you only talk on the phone. Mom made a ton of food on Saturday night for the Texas Football game. This she does always and as always it was delicious and too much. I had to bring a bag of cookies and brownies over to Jon and Tyler's the next day to deal with the excess. I also haven't been eating so vegan in the past couple of days. Kind of hard to not eat what Mom puts in front of you.......

SO that's it. I'm just trying to think of things to do. New Orleans didn't seem so small until coming back here. From my sisters' house it's hard to go anywhere without having to get on a high way. The streets are smoother, though...and people sort of use more turn signals. ANYWAY, I'm going to go pretend I have something important to do.

K.I.T.

Nervous

(from nola.com)
No worries, I'm not in New Orleans.

This is upsetting, to say the least. I've only been in the city barely 2 months and already I can't imagine not going back. It feels strange to be gone. I liked the way my life was going. I had plans. I can't even begin to fathom what it must be like for people who are from New Orleans. People who have real investments in that town. I can't fathom a lot of things.

We left (Allison and I) on Friday around one o'clock in the afternoon. I didn't think to pack really anything. In fact, I couldn't even find my keys. Luckily I had a spare car key, but I guess my other keys are going to be floating around somewhere....Let's hope not. But I suppose losing a set of keys is better than just about anything else you could lose. We saw caravan after caravan of buses on I-10 East, headed toward the city to evacuate people. It was surreal.

So I'm nervous. And I'm praying. And I hope you are too. This isn't looking good.