Sheesh, these weeks of summer fly by without a warning. One moment it is Monday morning and then next it is Sunday evening. When you are in transition time often feels heavy, though at the same time I am continually surprised of how fleeting it is.
Aside from family visits in Redding, Grants Pass, and Vancouver and a camping trip where swimming, hiding from blue dinosaurs with my two-year old baby brother, birthday cake, Harry Potter 7.2, crabbing, and ABBA/Ace of Base jammin' took place, there have been a few developments in life.
I have a VERY part-time job! Yes! Alxhumdiliay! I have been exchanging emails with a school in Dakar, Cours Saint Marie de Hann, and have sucessfully procured a guaranteed 4 hours a week teaching position in a bilingual program. The school has bilingual education programs where students begin courses in French (the national language of Senegal) but then a second language is integrated in increasing amounts each year of school so that by the time the students are in middle school and high school they are taking courses souley in the second language becoming fluent. I have been assigned to teach a geography course in the English bilingual department, teaching 13 & 14 year olds in quatrieme, the third year in secondary school. I am delighted to have this opportunity! Also a substitute, which they do not have many (or any) considering they try to have the staff in the English bilingual department be native speakers. As I was interviewing (or really simply being offered the position) with the headmaster, Madame Cuenot, she mentioned that faculty is still fluctuating and will continue to fluctuate until September so as it gets closer to the beginning of the school year, it is possible that she will have more hours or classes for me to teach. In the end, it feels wonderful to have at least a part-time job because it supports my hopes of supporting myself to live independently in Dakar.
As for a different topic - here is a link to a radio show I was interviewed on. The show is called Positively Healthy. Basically I was contacted by the radio show host who asked me to air with him because his show is about engaging in conversation with those who are making positive impacts on lives and who are striving towards some sort of worthy cause (I know, "worthy cause" is a very subjective term). Anyways, despite the fact that I am not fond of attention like this, I was urged and The first 10 or so minutes are slow but I think the interview's content improved towards the end. NO PRESSURE to listen to it, but I thought I would pass it along.
http://www.kcnr1460.com/Show/archive/dr_trudi_pratt
Oh, also, below is a link to a blog someone in the McMinnville Community wrote about me - it was written about a month ago during a time I was helping behind the scenes of a student and professor collaborative research project here at Linfield through the Linfield Center for the Northwest (where I have been employed the past 3 & 1/2 years).
http://ipnc25.wordpress.com/2011/07/07/behind-the-scenes-lacey-dean/
Well, that is all the news for now! Thank you for your support!
Cheers,
Lacey
Happy Birthday Dad!
Thank you for dinner Mom!
Love you.
Melissa crabbing.
Me measuring the crab to find the keepers!
Papa, Me, Melissa
Papa, Michael, Mike, Melissa, Me
