Life's stories connect lives
“You’ve never traveled internationally, and for your first trip, you picked China?” My world-traveling friend marveled at the adventure awaiting me and gave me advice for mitigating jet-lag.
He was right. I might have fared better had I traveled to Europe first, but I’ve always been an all-in sort of gal. Off I went on a nearly 16-hour flight with a group of people I had never met. [Read more…]
Note: This post was written before my departure, but I did not want people knowing I was leaving the country until after I returned. I will write more about the trip in the coming weeks.
Todd and I have teased our children and grandchildren for years when they constantly ask, “Where’s Mom–or Grandma?” He always tells them she went to China. Imagine their confusion next week when I actually do. [Read more…]
I drove home from a friend’s house Sunday, and I hit the stop lights on our main drag just perfectly to make sure every subsequent light turned red just as I arrived. At each stop I rolled my eyes realizing if I had just sped up a little before that first one, they would all have stayed green long enough for me to make it home five minutes faster.
No harm came from those extra five minutes, other than my own impatience, but the extra time did allow me some reflection. [Read more…]
When people find out I teach for a living from my home, they get confused. Then they learn my students are from around the globe, and confusion grows. How do you teach people who don’t speak English from so far away? [Read more…]
I remember my first job interview. It consisted of the manager at our local Burger Chef calling me on my sixteenth birthday to ask me when I was coming to work. Nearly all of my older siblings had worked there, and he had anticipated his new cashier for some time. I showed up, donned my brown and orange polyester uniform, and walked straight into the work force.
Not all interviews are quite that easy. So much can’t be learned from an application or even from a cursory interview. A resume only tells part of the story, but a person’s character is so much more than what a piece of paper can tell. How will this person handle pressure? Is he kind? How will he treat people? [Read more…]