Icing on the cake

We work hard for the money. Well, when we work we work hard, but Stephen and I are both blessed beyond belief that our jobs are rewarding, but not all-consuming.

Me...

This past Monday I started my brand new, part-time online teaching position and after just a few days I am already really enjoying it. The class I'm teaching is beautifully designed. Students login, complete course projects/readings, and also complete units through the commercial language program Rosetta Stone. My job is to make sure the students are logging in and staying on task. I also help trouble shoot any issues that arise, grade assignments, and respond to student e-mails and phone calls. All of my students come from two rural school districts – one near Lubbock and one near Dallas – that don't necessarily have access to or funds for a certified in-class Spanish teacher. All of my students actually attend Spanish class as a period throughout the school day by going to a computer lab with a campus facilitator. This past week I've been in super close contact with the campus facilitators at both high schools who have been great resources and great hands-on help to my new students. My job is a unique mix of administrative work and teaching. I like it!

I've also had an unprecendented amount of translation contract jobs this month. I continue to work for the biological/adoptive family reunions and in the third week of August alone, I translated four different cases. I was also contacted recently by a non-profit agency here in Guatemala and did a written translation of a project report for them. The translation opportunities are like Wheaties for my brain and are (most) always interesting.

Stephen...

Yesterday, 15 students from the University of Texas arrived in Antigua to start their Fall semester study abroad program. Starting Monday, these 15 students will be staying in Guatemalan host homes and be taking Spanish classes, archeology classes, and history classes. I'm going to call Stephen the "associate teacher" for the history classes instead of the assistant teacher because Stephen will be leading a good portion of these classes by himself. The real professor of the history classes will come down to Guatemala twice this semester, but is leaving a lot of it up to my husband. It's exciting for him and great practice for what he'll be doing full time next year. As a teacher, it's also been cool to see him go through the lesson planning process and get excited about a new school year.

We attended a welcome dinner with the students last night. Maybe it's just steam still blowing off from my 30th birthday fire, but the students seem so young. I found myself thinking more about Sam studying abroad one day than I did thinking about my own experiences studying abroad 10 years ago. I was also privy to a conversation that went something like this:

Student 1: "Oh, I'll be celebrating a birthday while we're down here, too, in October."
Student 2: "Oh cool. What year were you born?
Student 1: "In '91."
Student 2: "Wow, you'll be 20 this year!"
Student 1: "I know. I'm already having a hard time with that. It feels so old."
Megan's brain: "Whaaaaaaaa? Born in the nineties?? Old? Whaaaaa?"

Stephen and I have great opportunities, have conversations daily with amazing people, get to live in a different country, read great books, and when we work hard, the money is just the icing on the cake.