Monday, August 02, 2010

Workin'

Hey all!  I'm already getting lazy about updating this, but I'll try to keep at it, since I know some of you must be reading.  :)

Last week I finished my web-based training for my new interpreter job, plus two phone sessions with trainers.  This Tuesday I have my first phone meeting with my manager, who will give me my Interpreter ID as well as last-minute tips, etc., and Wednesday afternoon at 3:30, I go LIVE as a professional phone interpreter!  I also got around to calling AT&T and setting up my landline work phone.  I was worried because I called them on Wednesday and the earliest they could get it set up was Thursday.  That was the day I needed it by and they weren't sure what time it would be ready.  In any case, my church family came through for me (again) and loaned me a phone line for the two sessions that day.  Since my landlady said that the house has had several phone lines, I was also worried that the line they activated would be an inconvenient one.  But it turns out that at the moment it is the same line in the whole house, so I'm set.  Now to get a comfortable binaural headset that doesn't cost me an arm and a leg.

In other work news, last weekend I finally got a tutoring student!  It will only be three sessions tutoring a little kid in reading to prepare him for first grade, but at around $22/hr, it is definitely better than nothing!  My official rate is $38/hr ($2 less than average), but the site I get students through takes a cut of that.  Their cut gets smaller the more hours I tutor, but since this is my first job, their cut is still large.  The lady who's hiring me also gave me a few tips about being creative while tutoring a little kid like this, which is cool.  I got inspired and wrote out a whole plan and brainstormed a bunch of ideas to keep him busy and having fun.  Hopefully, it'll be as fun for me as it will be for him!  My measurable goal here is to get a review/testimonial that is exploding with compliments.  It is important to make them measurable so that you can tell if you've succeeded.  :-)

I'm still looking for a second job for this month.  Once August 23 rolls around, I won't have time for one, since student orientation is that week and classes start the following week, but for the three weeks until then, it would be nice to have more money coming in, since I have several expenses and my rent is around the low end of my interpreter income (which can vary depending on how busy one is).  To put it another way, if I only make the minimum from my interpreter job and don't find another source of income, I won't have any money for those other little expenses like, say, FOOD!  Fortunately, I have a very supportive family that is willing to loan me money (as they already have a few times), and my school loans will doubtless cover some living expenses, but it is still somewhat worrying.

On another note, I'm pretty much all settled in my new place.  My new rental agreement is month-to-month and includes a bedroom and a study.  Plus my new landlady said that she won't raise the rent when my wife comes if we decide to stay here.  Another plus: I'm right next to downtown (about half a block!), only about 7 minutes from school, and only a few blocks from the local church.

And I'm getting more involved in church activities.  It was good to be back at church after two Sabbaths of camp meeting.  I missed regular church.  And this Friday I'll be leading songs for vespers at the beach (they wanted me to play guitar, but I only really know one song, so I think I'll just be singing mostly) and Sabbath morning I'll be leading song service at church, too!  Plus they seem to want me to teach the SS lesson (again), though it wasn't perfectly clear.  I seem to teach the lesson just about every second Sabbath.  That's okay with me, but definitely wasn't what I was planning upon arrival, especially since I'm not an official SS teacher here!

I also made a new friend a few weeks ago who is turning into one of my best.  He is from China and arrived recently to start the same graduate program that I'm in, but with Chinese instead of Spanish.  Naturally, he loves languages, which is something we share.  He is also recently baptized, so we spend lots of time studying the Bible together and discussing theology.  That's fun, too!

Well, that's most of what's going on right now.  I hope you all have a great day!