CELTA Course and Plans

After working full time the whole of last year I am back to doing part time tutoring and ad hoc work. Although I get bored with routine I do miss having structure to my day and wasn't doing so well with endless hours of free time at the beginning of January with no firm plans. A teeny part of me regretted not taking the job teaching maths full time at Peterhouse.

Since then I had two Skype interviews, one for a CELTA course in Oxford and the other for one in Cape Town and accidentally forgot about an interview set up for a scientific equipment marketing job in California. The California job might have been interesting but is a little far from home. I got accepted on both CELTA courses and have opted to do it in Cape Town in March. It sounds like it is going to be quite an intense four weeks but will give me some needed skills in teaching and a qualification.

My plan is to then visit the UK in the summer and use the CELTA qualification in Oxford. I have also been invited by friends to go with them to the south of France which will be lovely. 2015 is therefore going to be a bit of travel and new things (nearly said 2014). From my art group we did chapter 7 of The Artist's Way looking at recovering a sense of connection. We had each collected pictures that reflected our past, present, future and dreams. One of the things that came out for me from that was the wish to travel so 2015 looks set to check that box. It is thanks to a very generous friend helping assist me do this.

I think it will do me good to step out of Zim for a bit and get new perspective. I need to decide on my longterm plan. On my current and past salaries I could not really afford to live here if something happened to my Mum. “Science,” Einstein once wrote, “is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one’s living at it.” I may need to make a career shift. While in the UK I might see if there are any conservation jobs going or otherwise tutoring. I don't know though that I would cope with winter and the English weather - I would miss African soil and sunshine and my dogs!! We will see. For the moment I have the next couple of months mapped out for me and they should be exciting.

New Year's Day

Today has been a long first day of the year. I welcomed in 2015 with friends after an evening of board games and bananagrams. At midnight we lit sparklers and played Auld Lang Syne and danced around  my friends Lucy and John's lounge. We then became anti-social whilst messaging people and then bid each other Happy New Year and goodnight. On my way home I unfortunately hit a pot hole but luckily got home before finding I had a flat tyre. My first of January then involved sorting out getting a new tyre.

This afternoon we went to see a good family friend but she got news on her cancer test biopsy and it was not good. Suddenly makes life seem so much more fragile and precious and makes me realise you just never know what will come next. Our friend is being very stoic and we pray it has been caught in time and she will make a full recovery.

God has been good and I woke up to two possible tutoring jobs for the new year. One Grade 6 English and the other O Level Maths. I will also be helping the daughter of the man who cleans my Mum's classroom with maths.

I got a new year's whatsapp from one of my students who I taught under the Makomborero Project. I don't know that he has family but will try meet up with him in the new year. He has just finished his second year of university and it is nice to know that he is doing well. The Makomborero Project helped students who had done well to finish high school. All of the students came from disadvantaged backgrounds and many of them were orphans. It is nice to know that my student has done well and is pursuing his dreams.

Happy New Year everyone! Wishing you peace, joy and hope for the coming year. Thanks to everyone who helped me get through rough patches last year and for your concern and love. I deeply appreciate it!