While it’s evident from my last posts that I left Huelva and returned home to the US, I never gave an update of what was coming next. A return to Spain? Moving back to Arlington and getting “a real job” (as my mom likes to call it)? Bumming around Europe on all the money I saved last year in Spain? hahaha good one, self. It turned out the answer was none of the above.

I spent about 7 weeks of my summer up in New Hampshire teaching ESL at Cardigan Mountain School’s summer session. I had reapplied to the Teach in Spain program, but because I applied toward the end of the application process (I wasn’t sure in Jan/Feb that I wanted to go back, those were the days of the miserable rain and cold apartments) I was placed on the waiting list. So while I was in New Hampshire I was looking for other opportunities to teach abroad. One of the teachers I worked with taught in Egypt, so I applied there. Another taught in Ecuador so I applied there, too. No dice on both accounts. I applied to a few other random places, all the while contemplating going to Asia or going back to Spain on my own (which would mean illegally since they don’t give work permits to Americans, too much paperwork and money involved).

Then toward the end of August there was a glimmer of hope: an email from the Spain program saying “we have several vacancies! please respond immediately if you are still interested!” So I replied right away, assuming I’d hear from them in the next few days. Which I never did. So I followed up and they said “what email? oh, that email? that was only so we could remove people from the waiting list who were no longer interested. you’re still screwed” or something like that. Gee, thanks. Because that was abundantly clear from your original email…

So I was depressed for about a week, realizing I was now officially  unemployed, living at my parents’ house and turning 27 years old. Ouch. The night after my 27th birthday (depression mildly lifting) I applied to a job in the Czech Republic, half assuming I wouldn’t ever hear back. But I awoke on Friday morning to an email asking me to fill out a detailed application and make a web video of myself introducing a new vocabulary to an imaginary class. On Saturday I had a skype interview and was offered the job. On Wednesday I boarded a plane at Dulles, setting off on my next adventure: teaching English in Karlovy, Vary, Czech Republic!

Follow my exploits at my new blog, Czech, Please!