December 19, I passed (so far).

These past few weeks my life has felt like a series of nearly incomprehensible moving parts, this week especially. I had to become the project manager of my own life to organize the documents I have and have not received for my teaching visa, coordinate mock interviews and real interviews since my application was accepted, realign expectations that Gyeongnam wanted me to interview for a March start date instead of April, schedule and reschedule teaching exams, avoid COVID, ship Christmas gifts, cancel long distance trips and set up small meetings with friends, and try to put on pants at least once week.

I decided to bite the bullet and take all three teaching exams in the next two weeks so I can get that teaching license as soon as possible. The Florida Department of Education refuses to allow international students to test abroad even though its contracted testing center has exam locations all across the world…

Last week I passed the first of three exams needed for my teaching license. Yesterday I passed the second of three exams (essay pending grading).

If Gyeongnam falls through, at least I can shop myself on the job boards as a licensed teacher and filter out the cram schools that are looking for a warm body.

All my apostilled documents have arrived, and my license is very nearly within reach. It’s all coming together. Kind of.

But as Mary Oliver says, “keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable”. It is 2020, after all.