busy busy busy

Wow! I didn't come here to make a lot of money. I was content with saving a little with which to travel while I'm over here, pay some bills I still have in the U.S. and bring a little nest egg home with me when I'm done.

Having said that, it is pretty easy to make decent money here. I work approximately 30 hours a week at my school. That is where my bread is buttered, so to speak. The school sponsors me for my work visa, and my health insurance comes through them. A few weeks ago, I began working at a kindergarten four days a week, for two hours in the morning. This pays well, and I get a free lunch out of the deal. The kids are adorable, and it is really easy to teach. I pretty much figured out that if I can make them laugh a little, then I've got their attention for maybe ten minutes. After that, it's just a cycle. Make them laugh, teach for ten minutes. They really don't even mind if I use the same material each time. Kids are a bad comic's perfect audience.

So, I'm working less than 40 hours, and am in a position to save a lot of money. A teacher at my kindergarten approached me about private tutoring, which is even better money. All this is happening because I show up to work and try my best to do a good job. I'm no teacher-of-the-year here, just someone who enjoys his job. I feel odd mentioning money, but it's weird how quickly things have fallen into place. While I was at American Century Investments, at first I was seduced by the professional atmosphere and the slick environment. It was my first corporate gig. All that comes with it is intoxicicating, from the underground parking to the manager buying her team expensive lunches every few weeks. Then, the intoxication ends. I suspected that I wasn't really cut out for it, and now I have proof. When you really enjoy what you do, things do take care of themselves. Either you start making money, or it truly doesn't matter because the work is satisfying enough. I'm fortunate right now to have a little from column A and a little from column B.