I've (Sort of) Made It

As of tomorrow, International Student Summer Intensives are over. Well, sort of. They are supposed to be over and come next week I was supposed to have three glorious days to sleep until noon. Right up until I got saddled with a first grade class that started three weeks late. Meh. So, I will continue to come in (granted, I do get extra pay for another three days, but still...) at 9 a.m. and will do so, baring a two day vacation at the end of July (poor Patrick is covering me for those two days), until I go on my six week vacation in August/September.

I know, I know. I'm bitching about working very little overtime for extra money to pay for my super-duper holiday. None of you are crying in your cocktails for me. However, after a week with a seriously nasty cold and freaking poison ivy of all things and hours that are stretched throughout the day in such a way as to make it nearly impossible for me to accomplish anything outside of work, I'm done. I've worked for almost two full years now, one of them teaching 10.5 hour days, with only three weeks of vacation and a scattering of Korean holidays thrown in. I need a break and the fact that between me and it is another set of intensives (granted, I should be off by 6 once those start), a move I haven't even started planning for (including, you know, finding a place to move to), some shots for yellow fever and the like is not making me a happy camper.

However, on the good side, I've had the chance to be paid to read five great books, four of which I haven't read since I was in high school myself. Having to teach Lord of the Flies, 1984, The Great Gatsby, The Catcher and the Rye, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime has been illuminating - I now get symbolism in a way I very much didn't at 16 and I now find it fascinating to puzzle out such things in novels. I've actually been pondering the feasiblity of trying to do an English course by correspondence (that whole September vacation being slightly problematic there, along with my present allergic reaction to any more items to add to the To-Do list). It's been lovely teaching 10th graders and lovely teaching students who are fluent rather than ESL for a change.

At least I haven't needed this particular book.