A Happy Story

Recently I've been calling my Dad a lot to help me solve the complicated problems that often arise from working in the position I'm currently in. And he told me it sounded like I was getting more unhappy with my job every time I called. And yes, there are times when I'm unhappy, but there are also times when I'm extremely happy. Then I remembered what the Rockmont Camp director Dan told us all the time over my summer in North Carolina: write a happy story. He would always tell us that we are writing our own story, so don't make it a sad story, make it a happy one. So this post will be a happy one.

This is really materialistic, but it's still happy so here it goes. This job doesn't pay very much at all, but the perks are through the roof. Still, it's nice to have opportunities to earn extra money doing something you like. My boss, Joanna, owns all the English First schools in the city, and when any of the schools is short on teachers she always asks me if I would fill in. I've taught a summer course for $15 an hour and then did a summer camp where I made $1000 for teaching English (easy) for 3 hours a day, 6 days a week, for 2 weeks (super easy). That's almost $28 an hour! (Another side note, you get paid pretty well to teach English here.) The other perk...I never have to pay for anything. As part of my au pair contract, the host family pays for literally everything except things I buy when I go out by myself. So that's Starbucks a couple times a week. Like I've said before, it's really weird to be making money, but not having to spend any of it. I think it's a great lesson for me for saving money because I wasn't very good at that before.

I read an article once that said women want to be cherished and men want to be needed. I agree with that wholeheartedly because I know from experience that it is very true. I didn't have to read an article to tell me this, but I love English. I'm weird and I love grammar and spelling and all that other English stuff. So when Jonathan or even Joanna ask me questions about my language, it just feels really great! It's fun to be the resident English instructor for a whole family.

And on the note of languages, I've already learned more Chinese than I ever thought, and it's still less Chinese than a first year Chinese student could speak. But I'm very happy with my progress and my knowledge of very random, everyday Chinese phrases. I would tell you what they are but pinyin is hard for this reason: the pronunciations you learned and have used for ever and ever don't apply in pinyin. For instance, wu shi in English would be pronounced like woo shee, but in pinyin, it's pronounced like www shrrr. Plus the tone marks make things infinitely more complicated. Every Chinese class I feel lost, but my teacher is very encouraging and every "good job!" makes a huge difference.

My favorite thing about living with a family is that I get to be around a family again! I've always been extremely close to my family and being away from the family setting in Thailand was really hard for me. And even though I'm not back with them now, being around a family makes me more happy than being by myself. If it's just sitting with one boy in my lap and another asleep on my shoulder while we watch a movie, or all of us (and I do mean all, grandparents and everyone) going "outside" for dinner, families make me happy.

Those are my happy stories. Now, reader, I will encourage you to write a happy story for yourself. I know when I journal or call my parents, I write a sad story. But do you really want to look back and read or remember sad stories? Not really besides they may have taught you a valuable lesson. Anyways, the point is to stop moping around feeling sorry for yourself and your sad stories. Instead focus on what is making you happy, because just like sadness, happiness feeds on happiness. Everyone has a reason to be happy. Share your reasons.