A bag worth 5,133 kr

As many of you know, I teach English online. I have on average two lessons a day, although it is quite difficult to throw out an average since business goes up and down like a roller coaster. Sometimes I have four, sometimes I have none. Some weeks are busy, some weeks are slow.

Today I had four lessons scheduled. I woke up on time and even ate breakfast before my first lesson at 9am but it was no use. Lars' poor little laptop is reaching the end of its time (probably doesn't help that I dropped it from head height and basically have it on all day long). Teaching has therefore become a bit of a juggling act; because of problems with the microphone, I have had to continuously click the mikrofonforsterkning box to be heard, and of late I have to hold the charger at exactly the right and most awkward possible angle. Meanwhile, of course, I am trying to concentrate and explain difficult English concepts and am toggling between windows, online articles, a virtual textbook or whatever source we are engaging. Have I mentioned that I'm not a fantastic juggler?

Today, the computer had had enough and no matter how I massaged or tickled that little charger, he wouldn't work for me. I watched helplessly as the battery died while I was chatting with my first student explaining my dilemma. I am no stranger to technical difficulties and normally I just huff it to the library, borrow a computer and notify my students of the situation and reschedule. But four lessons was a lot to cancel and I just wasn't having it!

So out I went, into the little winter world to solve my problem. I made it to an electronics store, somehow managed to explain what the heck I needed in Norwegian and bought a new charger cable! Sure I was out a ridiculous $135.41 (OUCH!) but it's a necessary investment since I do depend on that computer to make money.

BUT, to get to the fun part of my story! I had some time before my other lessons were going to start so I headed next store to Maxi, the biggest shopping center in Hamar. I wandered around and was lured into Voice of Europe because of numerous signs that told me that I could take as much as I could fit into a bag for only 300 kr ($50)! For those of you that aren't familiar with the shopping scene in Norway, let me explain: normally 300 kr wouldn't get you very far; it's maybe half the price of a decent pair of jeans or a party dress. 300 kr is maybe a cheap pair of shoes. But 300 kr is still 300 kr and I wouldn't be tossing that around unless there was something I really wanted/needed. A pair of jeans caught my eye, I tried them on and they fit! So basically it would have been worth it to leave with only that pair of pants in my bag...but of course I filled that baby to the brim. Here is the little bag:

I meticulously packed in 5, 133kr ($866.15) worth of merchandise into that plastic sack! I must say that I am pretty darn pleased with myself. The sales lady was absolutely flabbergasted with my packing skills! I told her, of course, that I had moved here from the U.S. so I had had plenty of practice.

It was fairly liberating taking anything that could fit in my bag. I almost felt like I was stealing, to be honest.

Too bad the store was so picked over! But I still managed to find some stuff that was wearable (or gift-able). I grabbed three scarves, numerous tops and dresses, a necklace, a ridiculous sequined green vest and of course the jeans that got the ball rolling. Lars got 5 shirts and a tie. I even threw in a fancy pair of pants for Stine and some tights for Iselin.

(So the new jeans are a bit too long, but that's an easy fix!)

And then, on the way home I ran into Linda on her way home from work!

And we enjoyed our first cup of coffee outside! Well, I opted for hot chocolate but still--GLORY!

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Jenga

My tentative plan is to become a teacher in Norway. The job pays well, offers excellent vacation time and is absolutely something I think both that I would be good at and that I would truly enjoy. The plan would be to teach languages--English to begin with and potentially Spanish someday if I can convince myself that I am enough an expert to teach others (or most likely take some kind of refresher course).

I have been told so many different and contradictory things about being a teacher in Norway. Some people say that you don't need any education to teach at all while others insist that you need just one year of pedagogic courses, or only the subject that you will teach in, or that you do indeed need a four-year teacher's education program. I didn't really know what to believe, but I do think I finally have some answers.

It turns out that maybe everyone was actually right in their own way. It seems that different levels of education can serve you in different ways. I do not believe that it is REQUIRED to have any formal teacher's education to teach in Norway, at least at lower levels of education. It seems, however, that any education that you do have will make you more competitive to be hired (i.e., you will have a chance!) and worthy of better pay, not to mention more competent as an educator.

So of course I am planning on studying some more before I try to apply for teacher jobs here. I am, in fact, an English teacher now. I help students daily with English conversation, grammar, expressions etc etc. So I know that I can do the job; I can survive, I can be helpful and I can enjoy it. From these same experiences, however, I have also realized that while I have a lot of strengths as a teacher, I also have many weaknesses. So before I try to be an English teacher I absolutely want to at least take what is commonly referred to as PPU or Praktisk Pedagogikk Utdanning (Practical Pedagogical Education). And luckily for me, they offer just that here in Hamar! And it is only a year course!

Since I knew that application deadlines were looming on the horizon, I finally made my way up to the college here in Hamar (Høgskolen i Hedmark) to ask the handful of questions that have been running around my head as I have been trying to sleep for the past months... How do I apply with a Norweigan personnummer (SSN)? When is the deadline actually? What courses do I actually need to take to become a teacher? Is being a native speaker of English enough to allow me to teach? Does my education from before qualify me to apply? And so on and so on... I finally got my answers, so that is good. It is just the answers make me giggle. They make me giggle in the "well that's just so bad it's silly" kinda of way.

For example, to become an certified, competitive English teacher in Norway I need to also take some English courses. So no, being a native speaker is not enough. Or maybe it is, but it is not recommended if you actually want to get a job. And understandably so! I know plenty of Americans who can't teach a lick and who can't even manage to distinguish between "too" and "to" or "your" and "you're" (huge pet peeve of mine). So I get that. Just because you can speak a language doesn't mean you can teach it. So then I had to ask the question that I was dreading the most:
Do I have to document proficiency in Norwegian to be accepted into either of these programs?

The answer, unfortunately, is YES. Even to study English at the college I have to document that I can manage Norwegian. Even though there is no Norwegian spoken whatsoever in the course. NO NORWEGIAN WHATSOEVER. Haha. I understand the process but it still tickles me pink. I have to take a Norwegian test so that I can study English? For real?

So I have officially signed up for the intimidating Bergens Test, whose tag line I believe goes something like "Been terrifying foreigners since 1910". Rumors are aplenty; people say that even native speakers can't pass the test and that it can eat you alive among other things. The good news is, if I pass the test it is sure to be a huge plus on my resume and could very well be the key to be getting hired in a totally different type of job. So really it is something I should have signed up for regardless of my educational goals.

Needless to say, I am anxious about this upcoming test (I think I have about two months to study) and my tentative future plan here in Norway. I feel like my plan is a bit like a game of Jenga--about to topple down at any moment if just one little piece comes out of place.

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Glass walls

"If slaughterhouses had glass walls, then everyone would be a vegetarian."

-Sir Paul McCartney

One of my favorite students from BuddySchool named Sergei sent me a video posted on BBC from PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) that seriously made me rethink my everyday life. See it for yourself here.

If you don't have time to see the video (it's about 13 minutes), I'll give you the main idea, even though I insist that you attempt to make the time to see it for yourself. Then you will see with your own eyes how animals are brutally handled so that we can eat them. Brutally handled. They squeal, they bleed and they are conscious of what is happening--sometimes even when their throat is slit and always in the uncomfortable months before their deaths. The thing that is so strange and doesn't quite make sense is that we absolutely do not need meat to survive. So why do we eat it?

I have never seriously thought about being a vegetarian until now. I never knew much about PETA besides what I learned from the headlines about them throwing paint on fur coats. Obviously I was ignorant, not only to what PETA is all about, but also to what is really going on to get that chicken breast into my local grocery store. Of course this is not the first time I have heard about animal abuse within the dairy and meat industries but maybe this is the first time I have really let it sink in.

I was going to make spaghetti for dinner but now I am not so sure...Are any of you vegetarians? Ever tried being one?

Maybe the idea of being a vegetarian is absolutely repulsive to you. Maybe you don't give a damn about animals and don't think they have any rights. Even then, eating meat is really destructive. According UN scientists, eating meat causes about 40% more greenhouse gases than ALL the world's transportation systems combined. Studies also show that vegetarians are less prone to obesity, heart disease and even cancer.

It's amazing how much I learn when I teach.

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New Students!

I forgot to mention that I have recently acquired two new students: Miyoun, a South Korean looking to improve her English for business and Lucia, a Spanish woman (from Murcia, close to Granada where I studied/lived) who is now living in Miami, Florida. From her mouth: "the U.S. is just not a place to come to practice your English; all of my friends here speak Spanish." Pretty insane that she is in the U.S. and has to pay a native speaker online to chat with. (!?) I want to go to Miami.

Anyway, I am really pleased with both of these students. Lucia's English is excellent. She is a Spanish teacher right now in Miami and is hoping to feel more confident explaining tough language concepts to her students in English. I am actually a great outlet for her; I know what it is like to be a Spanish student and, imagine that--I command the English language! We are a match made in heaven (it's so nice to feel useful!). She is also my first student that has turned on her web cam, which was super strange but simultaneously endearing. She is really likable and watching her body language gives me some serious throw backs to Spain.

Miyoun's English is not as good, but that just means we have more room to grow! She is really a sweet woman, and is about my same age. And she wants to just have half an hour classes, which is really a blessing in disguise. Sometimes forcing conversation for an hour (even though it is twice the money) is really exhausting, for both teacher and student.

I have also reunited with one of my favorite old students: Sergei. He is from a city outside of Moscow and is so easy to work with. He is always bringing his own material and is just a joy overall. It looks like we will keep meeting two mornings a week.

So it looks like I have a little bit of income, even though I am still unemployed! If all these students remain steady, maybe I will be able to make around $200/month. That might be enough to pay 1/3 of my bills? Maybe? Ugh, I need to get a "real" job.

Well, at least I have a kick ass view.
(Plus working in your underwear/pajamas ain't so bad).

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10$ an hour please

BuddySchool has really taken off for me. I upped my price (from $8 to $10) and still I seem to be attracting new students. I have given over 50 lessons (most of them in English, but a pair in Spanish) and am making a bit of money in the process! Not too shabby! It is really nice to be able to buy a bit of food at the grocery store etc. and not have to wait for Lars to come home to go shopping!

So far I have interacted with the following students:

• Filip, Poland
• Gil, S. Korea
• Raimundo, Brazil
• Marco, Spain
• Sergei, Russia
• Kenny, S. Korea
• Gertraud, Austria
• Natalia, Israel
• Yasuko, Japan\Italy
• Sofi, Turkey
• Nico, Spain

I also had a couple of people contact me (as I have detailed previously) from Saudi Arabia, Cyprus, Slovenia...but nothing really ever came of those advances.

This week I have had a lesson with Sergei (Russia, 25 yrs) everyday, and he is delightful to talk to. We have very intellectual discussions based on art, culture, history etc. It is safe to say we are learning a lot from each other. We also take some time to read some goofy top-ten articles that he finds online, for example, Top Ten Irrational Fears or Top Ten Most Controversial Magazine Covers.

I was teaching a student named Gilmyung from S. Korea quite regularly on the weekends. I didn't look forward to these lessons as much because a) they were on the weekends, b) we had agreed on a much lower price ($7\hr) and c) we met in two hour sessions. Not exactly an ideal way to spend a Saturday or Sunday morning, if you get my drift. Gil is a nice guy though, and I do want to continue helping him. He actually teaches English but finds it important to keep his idiomatic language up to date and uses me as a resource when his textbooks fail him. Lately we haven't met that much because I have been a bit busy on weekends...doing OTHER things than working. Part of my decision to quit Norwegian class had to do with creating more time during the day to offer lessons, and it has really paid off. Sorry Gil, ... maybe we can catch up again when I am back in the WA and we are then 16 hours apart instead of only 7!

Another student who I haven't told you much about is Nico. He is a 30 year old Argentian born man living in La Palma, Mallorca (Spain). We have also met quite a bit lately as he is frantically preparing for the IELTS (English proficiency test) that he is taking tomorrow. It has been a lot of fun talking with the students from Spain that have authentic Spanish accents; it is much easier for me to recall my long lost Spanish skills when I hear a native speaker. I think I am also a suitable teacher for Spanish speakers because I understand why they make some of the mistakes they do, or why they ask some of the questions they do.

Did I mention I have also been meeting with an Austrian grandmother? Her name is Gertraud and she is 61. She is the sweetest lady, and although she has a thick accent (think female Schwarzenegger) she makes herself easily understood. She is visiting the U.S. this summer (N.Y., New Orleans, Chicago) and is hoping to improve her speaking skills a bit more before she makes the flight in August.

Man this site was really a good find. I feel so lucky to have stumbled across it! It has really kept me quite busy, especially in the last couple weeks. Today, for example I have 5 hours of lessons! That's $50 right into my depressed Wells Fargo account! Whoo hoo!

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Teacher, don't worry, this is the love

I have to say that I am really fortunate to have stumbled across this BuddySchool site where students have been contacting me to take English lessons. It has been a fun and slightly lucrative process. I have been regularly giving lessons to Filip a Polish boy who wants to live in the U.S. two hours a week. Gilymung (or Gil for short) and I have been meeting for four hours of idiomatic English on weekend mornings for me, and evenings for him in Korea. I talked a couple of times with Raimundo from Brazil who is an author, a pilot and working on 'green energy'--a huge blimp that floats and uses high winds to create power. Lately I spent a few hours with Marco, who is from Cadiz, Spain but is now living and working in London as a handyman.

I have been contacted by a couple new students as well: Yasuko from Japan, who is a divorced woman living in Italy and working as a translator there, Natalie a Palestinian, and Sergei a Russian both of whom I expect to be scheduling lessons soon.

Overall, this has been a great experience for me. I have the opportunity to make a little money, talk with people from all over the world and be exposed to all different types of personalities, learning styles and world perspectives. Yes, I am in love with this site and what it has presented to me.

It seems that there have been a couple different kinds of love floating around the site however. If you remember I described an interesting message sent to me from "Antigone", from the island of Cyprus. I have received a new one that even tops this man's advances, this time from an 18 year-old Saudi Arabian. He wrote me weeks ago asking for a lesson, but then it seemed he wanted to be friends more than anything else. I thought I made it clear that I am using this site for business, not social networking of any kind. But suddenly with his last message it became even more clear about what kind of "making" he was hoping for:

baby .. Your are free nice girl . If I saw you picture..? ? become crazy .. you lips and eyas and hair .. Ohhh my gud ..My hope make with you making love ..Teacher don't worry this is the love. I am waiting you reply "

I am choosing to reply with no reply on this one. Obviously he didn't get it when I lied to him and told him earlier that I was MARRIED when I got a drift of the crush. Some people just don't give up!

But that's the risk putting yourself out there on a site like this. Luckily there is no specific or personal information listed (don't worry all you parental types out there) so I don't have to worry about the few too ripe apples in the bunch.

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ANOTHER new student!

I am pleased to say that it seems like this BuddySchool thing is really taking off. I just spent an hour talking with Gil from Korea and think it is not such a bad way to make a $7\hr wage. :D

Even more excitingly I got contacted by a man named Raimundo from Brazil! Another new student--heck yes! He is looking to take both English and potentially Spanish classes from me and seems like he has a good level of English already (much easier to teach via Skype if you can understand what the hell they are saying haha). He hasn't tried to raggle my price down either, which means I will be making a whopping $8\hr teaching him on Monday and Tuesday next week. Not too shabby...

Maybe I will quit school and tutor all day long!

Easter stories to come one day I PROMISE! Stay tuned!

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New Student!

I just finalized some lessons via BuddySchool with a man named Gilmynung (Gil for short) from South Korea. I talked for him a bit on Skype today and his English is good. He is actually an English teacher in Seoul! Cool! We bartered the price around a bit, and settled on $7 an hour. I am pleased with that. It sounds like a heck of a lot too when he is paying 9, 104 South Korean won an hour!

Even though it is not so much money, I think I am on a bit of a high just knowing that I will have an income (however small it may be). I will be teaching Filip two hours a week for $6.50 and it turns out Gil wants 5 or more hours per week! That is a chunk of change I just can't scoff at from my current position...in fact, I think I can pull about $200 a month between these two eager English learners!

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BuddySchool

In one of my desperate online searches for work, I came across this site called BuddySchool and on a whim I went ahead and registered for it. The site allows you to create a profile where you can basically offer to teach anything you want. The most popular service offered seems to be languages. I registered myself as an English and Spanish teacher, and just thought what the hell!

Almost immediately, I received a message from a man from Cyprus named Antigone (or at least with the username of Antigone). His message read as follows:

hello beautiful teacher. how are you? i want to be your students. i think you are the most beautiful teacher in this world. i want to improve me with you. take care

Guess I had chosen a fairly flattering picture of myself as the profile picture! This was not the most encouraging message for this website. It was most definitely not instilling confidence in me that this was a legitimate way to make some money. His next message oh so subtly said that he was single. Oh bother. I oh so subtly replied that I was NOT single, NOT looking and NOT interested in using BuddySchool as a dating site. I was, however, interested in teaching English. Haven't heard much from him since.

The next couple hits were a lot more successful however. I have been in touch with two or three South Americans (Peruvians and Colombians) who are interested in doing a English\Spanish intercambio (and these are serious people--professors etc.). And, most excitingly, I will begin teaching English to an 18 year old guy from Poland next week! AND, he has already pre-paid! I made 10 bucks!

Since the Norwegian kroner is so strong and the Polish zloty is so weak, I am only charging him the equivalent of around $6 USD an hour and with the time we are putting in I'll be making $10 a week. I know it is pathetically under minimum wage, but hey, at this point--money's money!

Wow! As I was writing this, I just got another request for a lesson from a guy who I think is named Khaled. (Interesting how only guys are asking me...hmm...maybe I need to rethink that profile picture). . . I looked his email up on Facebook and it seems like he is from Saudi Arabia! Cool! I hope something positive comes of this one as well! :)

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Money money money

A week ago I got 3 000,- kr from my boss (he still owes me well over 24 ooo) and since I have been resisting urges to spend it all at once--on anything! I could buy three thousand kroner worth of oranges and apples at this point, it is THAT nice to have money in my wallet. I can't even explain how nice it is to be able to buy a frickin' loaf of bread or a carton of milk if we need them!

At the same time, it is painful as I watch each little ore slip out of my hands; it is really hard spending money when you have none coming in! I really hate this feeling of not knowing. . .

AND NO, THERE IS NO MORE NEWS ON THE WORK PERMIT!

Still waiting...

However, I have not just been sitting here idly waiting for the ax to fall. I have mentioned a few posts ago that I was going to speak with a woman who works for Folkuniversitatet (a school that offers a variety of night classes)(the little red owl is their symbol). I had seen on their home page that they were looking for Spanish and English teachers. Turns out they didn't have any open positions at the time, but the woman I had been in contact with wanted to talk to me anyway. Long story short, the 'interview' went GREAT. So great in fact that the woman began to coach me in how I should go about my first English lesson! Cool!

It's not as easy as it seems though. This job needs a work permit just like any other, so again, I am still waiting. It is comforting to know, however, that I do have other options in Hamar besides just making coffee and sandwiches. And, if I do have to go back to the U.S. and reapply from there, having a job as an English teacher is a much more appropriate reason for UDI to grant me the oh-so-desired permit of work.

*Also, for those of you that read frequently enough to notice (or care)...sorry about the ADD with the blog layout. I can't seem to find something that I am satisfied with for an extended period of time. Bear with me.

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Jobs

As I haven't heard anything back from the NRC yet, I am assuming the worst. I really think the first position I applied for was over my head, and they say on the website that they have finished the recruiting process for the second one (the administration assistant). I feel like that means a bit more than they just aren't accepting more applications, and I am thinking I am out of luck on this one. Unfortunately.

So that means my search continues. I picked up this pamphlet from school that was advertising all different kinds of classes and I tuned in quickly to the language classes. They offered so many, and among them Spanish and English...hmmm...so later on I checked out their site and in small print at the bottom it just happened to say that they were looking for English and Spanish teachers! Allrighty then!

Needless to say, I was thrilled and I contacted them immediately. I sent them my CV (resume) and I have been in conversations with this woman named Anne. She says that while they don't currently have a need for Spanish or English teachers (who knows how long that has been on their website) she wants to have a chat with me anyway! So next week I will be going in to talk with her. I hope something comes of this...I am at my wits end!

*I realized that I haven't explained why I am looking for other jobs. I still have my job at Poesi waiting for me, HOWEVER I am thinking that if I get denied the work permit again (which I feel like I might) then maybe I will have to go back to the states and reapply from there. I don't feel that I will be granted the work permit for this barista job even if I go about the application process the right way (from the U.S.) because it is not a job that they need to import someone to do; anyone can do it, i.e., a Norwegian. So I am trying to find a job in Norway that really NEEDS me for my skills and talents. Then if I find something like that, and I reapply from the U.S. like a good girl, they shouldn't have any reason to reject me again!

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