Dear Obnoxious Customer Who Tried to Get My Friend Fired Becuase Her English Isn't Native,

You suck.

Sincerely,
Wen

Most of you heard that March 27th came and went without an answer: still very uncertain about the fate of the program, NYCTF asked me to wait again until April 17th. Most of you probably also heard that around about then I gave up. Everything I read, everything I heard about New York and the New York education system screamed No Good. Budget issues ( Read more... )

So, courtesy of some pretty slick networking, I now have a second job working in a supermarket bakery about 45 minutes from my house. I wanted something in the food industry. It fits with this totally out there, very long term, more than a little unlikely dream I have of working for a year in the Antarctic, where, since I’m very much not a ( Read more... )

So... after waiting 6 weeks since doing the interview (after waiting 6 months since submitting the application (after waiting a year to be able to submit the dratted thing)) I got a response back from NYCTF today. And it said: due to unclear budget issues our decisions will be a little late this year, expect to hear from us no later than MARCH 27. ( Read more... )

but it’s not coming. So, instead I thought I might tell you about my job. I work here, and as far as I can remember I signed no non-disclosure agreements when I started working for them, so I’m pretty sure I’m allowed to tell you whatever I want, as long as I don’t start, y’know, publishing the sales figures each night.

I mentioned in the last post ( Read more... )

It’s been two and a half months. Two and a half months of home, and there’s no possible way for me to express the weirdness of transition, but you’ve all been there at some point in your life, so I beg your empathy and offer snippets, which, at some point, I’ll flesh out…

1. I got home on the 18th of October, more or less, and immediately left again ( Read more... )

Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye. Never-ending goodbyes.

Goodbye to the teachers who have taught and frustrated me.
Goodbye to the students who have drained and delighted me.
Goodbye to the iwes who dance on my steps and steal my clothespins.
Goodbye to the amayis with their shy smiles and strong hands.

Goodbye to the church with its wonderful music; goodbye ( Read more... )

Otherwise Titled: A Holiday with My Parents

Upon my arrival in Malawi, as a matter of course, I signed up for my Malawian Sunrise Observation Diploma. I felt my candidacy was supported by many years of Sunset watching*, some experience in art and colour composition, and some limited experience with Sunrises.

I made excellent progress in my first ( Read more... )

This week in my English class we read fables, courtesy of Prairie, who gave me a big illustrated book of Aesop’s Tales. And, because this seemed like the next obvious task, I made the kids write their own after we’d read some of the classics. In general I’ve had trouble getting my kids to write stories. I usually end up with reports or just ( Read more... )

When the water goes out everything falls apart. The rhythms are disrupted. My schedule gets messed up, the kids schedules get messed up, the daily lives of the teachers and their families are suddenly refocused. Survival is always a concern here, but when the water goes out the possibilities suddenly loom larger, the realities get a little more ( Read more... )