Skip to main content

Whoa Nelly!!

Well, the next two years for D and I will be filled with sandy beaches, exotic animals, a new language, and a whole lot of adventures.


We survived the overseas fair (and the Iowa weather, negative 8 for the whole weekend)! The whole experience was absolutely amazing. I have never seen, met, or talked to so many wonderful, dedicated, and encouraging people before. All of us were in the same stressful state of mind that we seemed to emphasize with each other immediately. Instead of there being the atmosphere of competition, there was a feeling of "we are all in this together." It was incredible.


The fair started on Friday morning. The first thing we had to do was check our mail folder for the ever-elusive interview request slips. Because of our special situation, where I am the only teacher in this marriage, there were no interview requests to be found in my mail folder. To say the least, we were discouraged but not all together surprised. We were then given a brief orientation and some time to plan our strategy for the round robin portion of the fair. The round robin is where the schools who are seeking teachers are set up in rows in the huge conference room. We are then given an hour and a half to visit as many tables as possible and convince them to interview us in 45 seconds or less. That means that D and I had less than a minute to sell ourselves and convince the schools that we were worth interviewing even if D does not also have a teaching degree.
By the end of the round robin, we had four interviews lined up and the day was looking a bit brighter.


We ended up interviewing with a school in Ecuador, Turkey, and Mexico (the school in Trinidad filled the position before my interview time). I think all the interviews went well, but it was Ecuador that I felt the most connected with. D, who went to all the interviews with me, and I clicked right away with the director of the school and had a complete peace about the destination and terms of the position.
Saturday, the director offered us the job and just like that our lives changed. We leave in 5 months and will be gone for two years. We are excited, scared, ecstatic, and sad all at once. It is an adventure of a life time, and I can't wait.

Popular posts from this blog

Here Comes the Sun...

Well, not really.  It is actually pretty overcast around here and lightening has been flashing across the sky for the last couple of hours.  But...I'm in a much better mood than yesterday.  I have been feeling a bit guilty because of my pity-party extravaganza...okay, okay, tantrum.  Mostly because I know that Dave is the main recipient of those party favors, we know that can't be so much fun. Today I felt the urge to throw an anti-pity party.  You are all invited to join in these festivities, and I promise that there will be no screaming, throwing of dishes, or crazy ravings from the host, just good ol' fashioned thankfulness. * My boss brought me pretzels today from her trip to the states.  Love that. * The kids loved my arm-sized bruise and the EcuaBus story that goes along with it. * My husband made me laugh today.  A lot. * I am feeling so much better on the cold front, it is unbelievable.  (Isn't that always how it works out?  You're sick during vacations and ...

What in the....?

I know...it has been months (months!! How did that happen?!). I can tell you how it happened... * swine flu paranoia in Ecuador * whirlwind tours of the USA from D.C. to California * a swimming sensation that is six years old, and the Transformer's expert * a beautiful 11 month old that fell in love with her uncle * bbq's galore * weekends away with the greatest of friends * new bikes (Oh, Isis...I miss you already) * let's be honest....Target, Costco, and the Patagonia outlet contributed to the silence * 14 hour road trips * napkin making * concerts that had to be attended (I really do love you Josh Ritter. Really) * books to purchase and read * and, of course, all that repacking * which only leads to all that unpacking It's been a busy two and half months kids.

Años Viejos, Pyromaniacs, and Fireworks...Oh My

I have to admit, it has been quite awhile since I have actually been awake to ring in the new year and say goodbye to the old.  Dave and I have always been a bit more concerned about the eight hours of sleep necessary to enjoy life rather than seeing the ball drop.  But this year...is different.   It is 12:58 and the neighbor's hired band just started, there are rapid fire explosives (aka fireworks) going off in three minute intervals, and the car alarms throughout our block seem to be answering the loving call of said fireworks.  There will be no eight hours to start off the year for the Richert's this time. Nothing about our experiences in Ecuador could be classified as typical, and New Year's Eve is proving to be no exception.  The evening started out quite and low key, dinner at home with a movie.  There were the occasional firework, but that isn't anything atypical.  I was even contemplating continuing the tradition of snuggling into bed by 10:30.   Before I called...