TEFL Classes: Days Five and Six (Final)

Well, I'm officially certified to teach English as a second language. This is almost like a birthday. Before it comes you keep thinking that you'll feel different once it comes, but once it does you realize that you're still the same person. I have the same feeling about China. I keep thinking like I'll have some epiphany once I step off the plane, but I know that I won't be any different. I'll just be the regular me in a different country. I think it takes at least a year to notice that you've changed. If I look a year back and think, "Man. I was a real idiot back then." then I can believe that I am maturing and becoming a better person. The hard part is looking at myself now and making the same evaluation.

It's weird knowing that I won't be making the two hour drive back to Pittsburgh next week. Even over three weeks it's become such a habit that I'll need to find a bit extra to do to replace the eighteen hours of time spent in class. Everyone in exchanged email addresses so I'm hoping we'll all be able to keep in touch. Some of us already have jobs lined up. Some know where they want to go. A couple are still thinking. I'm going to contact the placement assistance people tomorrow. I want to get a job lined up as soon as possible.

It's a good thing I have steady work through the summer. I need to pay my mom back for the $534 plane ticket to Costa Rica. Luckily my tax return should take care of most or all of that. Then I just need to start saving for a couple other things. Spending money for Costa Rica, a nice little laptop, and enough money to get me through the first month or so in China. I'm probably going to use craigslist to try and sell some of my stuff. I can only take so much stuff with me, so I need to get rid of some of it. The extra money will help too. My mom has already told me that she's taking over my room as soon as I leave. It feels really weird knowing that when I go, I'm moving out for good.