tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405161597717357912024-03-14T00:22:55.740-04:00international [cat] lady of mysteryAnnie Nimityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09711448646226959206noreply@blogger.comBlogger297125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340516159771735791.post-82902173704201507032014-04-28T20:16:00.003-04:002014-04-28T20:16:58.864-04:00New direction, new blog<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm starting an all new direction in my life: I have accepted a full-time position here in Florida, and my goal is going to be to remain here as long as possible. I certainly still intend to take international vacations whenever possible, but I'm planning to work in the US from here on out. This has been my plan for some time, but it wasn't until today - when I was actually offered a job - that this plan became reality. Since I'll be [mostly] in the US from here on out, <i>International</i> Cat Lady isn't exactly appropriate. As such, I've decided to continue blogging at <b><a href="http://americancatlady.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">American Cat Lady</a></b>. I hope you'll follow me over there.</span></div>
Annie Nimityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722342397108168476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340516159771735791.post-42156712102014428802014-04-21T16:36:00.001-04:002014-04-21T16:36:21.827-04:00Florida and the lack of opportunities for ESOL teachers and students<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I recently wrote my last ever paper as a Master’s student on
a topic that is very important to me professionally: the state of Florida’s
policies towards English language learners in the public K-12 system. I could
copy and paste my paper here, but I suspect that most of the people who bother
to read my blog don’t come here for academic writing and education jargon.
However, since this is a topic that I think is pretty important, I’ve decided to
convert my academic paper into a more accessible blog post. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Something like 220 languages are spoken in the state of
Florida. There are roughly 270,000 students in Florida’s public K-12 system
that are considered English Language Learners (ELLs). That’s roughly 10% of the
K-12 population. You would think that this would translate into a lot of
available jobs for people like me: experienced, qualified ESL teachers. Sadly,
that’s not the case. What is typically seen are ads for content-area teachers
holding ‘appropriate ESOL certification.’ There’s little to no demand for ESL
teachers in the K-12 system at all, just regular teachers with this ‘appropriate
ESOL certification.’ Why is that? What does having ‘appropriate ESOL
certification’ actually entail? And is this what is best for Florida’s
students?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Prior to 1990, the way ELLs were treated in the public K-12
system varied substantially by district, as there was no state level legislation
pertaining to how they should be treated. Some districts had really great
programs, including bilingual education, sheltered content instruction (in
which subject matter such as Math or Social Studies was taught to ELLs
specifically by an ESOL professional), and pull-out programs (in which students
were pulled out of mainstream classes during the day for one-on-one tutoring or
tutoring among a group of their ELL peers). Other districts had nothing;
students were simply tossed into mainstream classes with teachers who had no
training in dealing with ELLs. A group of advocates filed a lawsuit against the
State of Florida in the late 1980s, arguing that as legal residents of the
state, ELLs were entitled to equal access to education, understandable
instruction, and intensive English language instruction. They won their suit,
and in 1990, the Florida Consent Decree was enacted. The Consent Decree
mandated equal access, comprehensible instruction, and language instruction for
ELLs, and required that the state’s K-12 teachers actually have some sort of
training for working with ELLs. Elementary school teachers, as well as middle
school and high school language arts teachers were required to have 300 hours
of training for working with ELLs. Middle and high school math, science, and
social studies teachers were required to have 60 hours of training, and all
other instructors were required to have 18 hours. Sounds great, right? In
theory, perhaps, but not so much in actual fact.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of results of the Consent Decree was that the Florida
Department of Education (FDOE) began pushing for mainstreaming of ELLs across
the state. While it was left up to each district as to the specifics of how
they would comply with the Consent Decree, there was a lot of pressure for
districts to work towards mainstreaming of ELLs. (Mainstreaming – sometimes referred
to as inclusion – is the practice of putting ELLs in regular classes with
native speakers.) The pressure to increase mainstreaming actually led to many
quality bilingual, sheltered, and pull-out programs being dismantled and
replaced with mainstreaming. After all, if all teachers are now “qualified” to
teach ELLs, this should be fine, right? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, just how “qualified” are they? Is receiving 300/60/18
hours of instruction in working with ELLs enough? And what kind of instruction
is that, anyway? Since 1999, all university teacher training and certification
programs in the state of Florida are required to provide their pre-service
teachers with their needed hours of ESOL training. However, pretty much all of
the universities did this not by adding 300 hours’ worth of required coursework
for their students, but instead by creating an ‘ESOL Infused’ program. This means
that topics pertaining to education of ELLs would be included in general
Education courses; very few of those 300/60/18 hours would be earned in a class
that actually focused in its entirety on teaching ELLs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The university where I’ve just earned my MA in TESOL requires
its undergraduate Education majors to take only two courses that are
ESOL-specific. I just spent the past two semesters teaching one of those two
courses, and let me tell you, my students – junior and senior Education majors –
had <b>no clue</b> about teaching ELLs when
the semester began. Even at the end of the semester, there are <i>very</i> few of my students whom I would
recommend to work with ELLs, and yet most of them are now “qualified” to do so
according to state regulations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While writing my paper, I read a lot of articles, including
a lot of published research on the views that teachers and program
administrators had of both mainstreaming and of the required ESOL training. The
majority of teachers and administrators did not approve of mainstreaming – with
the biggest complaint being that mainstream teachers lacked the time and/or the
skill to properly modify their lessons for their ELLs. The majority of teachers
themselves also complained that they did not feel adequately prepared to work
with their ELLs. One article I read referred to the results of the Consent
Decree as the “the
deprofessionalization of ESL teachers, rather than the specialization of
mainstream teachers” – and sadly, that seems to be the case. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh, and
the FCAT? That standardized test that one must pass in order to graduate from
high school in the state of Florida? ELLs are given one year – ONE YEAR – to get
their language skills up to par to pass the FCAT. Research in the field of
second language acquisition shows that it typically takes 5-7 years to master a
second language, yet ELLs are given just one to take a test that is often
challenging to native speakers. Seriously?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">As a
professional teacher of English as a second or foreign language, I found my
research into this subject disturbing to say the least. Certainly, at the
moment, finding a job is a pressing issue for me. My goal is to teach ESL to
adults, although there aren’t that many jobs available. I had (rather naïvely)
assumed that if I could not find work with adults, the public school system
would remain an option. As it is, while I have applied for several K-12 ESOL
positions, none were in Florida. Straight-up ESOL teachers are pretty rare down
here. Then I think about the fact that so many people sacrifice so much to come
to the United States in order to give their children better opportunities. But
are they really getting better opportunities? If they come to Florida, it doesn’t
seem that they do.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Annie Nimityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722342397108168476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340516159771735791.post-87696941044625162902014-04-16T13:44:00.000-04:002014-04-16T13:44:33.700-04:00Almost done!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last Friday I took my comprehensive examination for my Master's degree, which was (as you might expect) a Big Freakin' Deal. Essentially, if you don't pass, you don't graduate. While I never thought that failing was a possibility, I was still pretty stressed out over it. Not to worry; I passed :-) I have not yet received my <i>official</i> score (one can fail, or one can receive a low pass, a pass, or a pass with distinction), but I have been unofficially told that everyone who took the exam last Friday received a passing score. Official scores should be out by the end of the week. Now that comps are over, my to do list has shrunk to an amazingly small size: finish writing a paper (it's almost done; all I have to write is my conclusion and then proofread the thing), teach one class, attend one class as a student, and administer a final exam to my students. And find a job. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I thought <a href="http://internationalcatladyofmystery.blogspot.com/2014/02/job-hunting-is-stressful-thing.html" target="_blank">job hunting was stressful back in February</a>. Now that it's April, the stress level has increased exponentially. There still aren't many jobs in TESOL in the US, the positions are very competitive, and I am developing an ever increasing urge to punch the people who design some of these job application websites. (The last job I applied for required me to submit a US state, zip code, and telephone number for each of my former jobs... a bit of a challenge for those positions in South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia. In order to get the website to accept my application, I had to enter false information... and then click a checkbox certifying that all of the information I had entered was accurate. Grrrr.) </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll be moving out of Orlando and back 'home' to Georgia at the beginning of May, where I will remain until I find a job. Moving is an expensive and annoying process, and I would have loved to move straight from Orlando to the location of my next job, but unless something appears in the next two and a half weeks, it seems that wherever I end up, I'll be getting there by way of Georgia. Whatever happens, though, the graduate school phase of my life is nearly over; time for a new chapter to begin!</span></div>
Annie Nimityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722342397108168476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340516159771735791.post-18442246168010822262014-04-03T12:29:00.001-04:002014-04-03T12:29:56.492-04:00The Adventures of Charlie and Mochi<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't forget! Charlie and Mochi now have their own Facebook page! If you haven't already 'liked' it, <b><a href="http://www.facebook.com/charliemochi" target="_blank">click here</a></b> for all the mustachioed cat and underbite-faced dog action you could possibly desire!
</span></div>
<br />
<center>
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/charliemochi" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo charmo2_zpse62e44b1.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady022/charmo2_zpse62e44b1.jpg" /></a></center>
<center>
<br /></center>
<center>
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/charliemochi" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo charmo_zpse99ffc95.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady022/charmo_zpse99ffc95.jpg" /></a></center>
Annie Nimityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722342397108168476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340516159771735791.post-91455033491006482002014-03-31T19:51:00.000-04:002014-03-31T19:51:18.922-04:00Food, friends, and frolics in Portlandia<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While I have mixed feelings about the fact that I shelled out a rather large sum of cash to <a href="http://internationalcatladyofmystery.blogspot.com/2014/03/tesol-2014-my-experiences.html" target="_blank"><b>attend the TESOL 2014 conference</b></a>, my feelings about Portland itself are not mixed at all: <b>I love Portland</b>. Portland is a pretty awesome town on just about every level and I had a fantastic time there. I could definitely see myself living there, except for the fact that the cost of living is a bit too high for me and I would be absurdly obese from all of the amazing food available. In addition to seeing Portland itself, I got to meet up with several people whom I hadn't seen in years, as well as one person whom I'd previously only known online, and we had a lot of fun.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On Wednesday night, after the keynote address (<b><a href="http://internationalcatladyofmystery.blogspot.com/2014/03/tesol-2014-my-experiences.html" target="_blank">see my previous post</a></b>), I met up with a blogger named Joy (of <b><a href="http://foreignerjoy.blogspot.kr/" target="_blank">ForeignerJoy</a></b> and <b><a href="http://american-joy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">AmericanJoy</a></b>), whom I've known online for years now. We were in Korea at the same time, although we never met in real life. She is now in a Master's program for TESOL in Seattle - where she lives with her black and white mustachioed cat that she brought home from Korea :-) She and her boyfriend had come down for the conference, so we got together and wandered around downtown for a bit before settling at a delicious Mexican restaurant called Santeria. (Note: they give you a TON of food here - if you're staying in a hotel sans fridge and microwave and therefore can't take leftovers, order less and share!)</span></div>
<br />
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady021/americanjoy2_zps4f1a0618.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo americanjoy2_zps4f1a0618.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady021/americanjoy2_zps4f1a0618.jpg" /></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Joy</span></center>
<center>
<br /></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady021/americanjoy_zpsb945a3b6.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo americanjoy_zpsb945a3b6.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady021/americanjoy_zpsb945a3b6.jpg" /></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Joy and Ian</span></center>
<center>
<br /></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady021/portlandweird_zps2a328606.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo portlandweird_zps2a328606.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady021/portlandweird_zps2a328606.jpg" /></a></center>
<center>
<br /></center>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After I left Joy and her bf and hopped on the MAX (the light-rail) to head back to my hotel, I ended up having quite a bizarre ride. I've never had a public transit ride that was full of so many talkative, funny people - one of whom was a local ESOL teacher who was also attending the TESOL conference. We talked about bad smells, Israeli Mossad, ballroom dancing, and (of course) the TESOL conference, among other things. Then one guy says 'I'm gonna take a selfie, who's with me?' and everyone in the car got up, so I figured I would, too:</span></div>
<br />
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady021/maxselfie_zpsa3cb571a.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo maxselfie_zpsa3cb571a.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady021/maxselfie_zpsa3cb571a.jpg" /></a></center>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wednesday night I realized (via Facebook) that Brooke - a friend and former coworker from <b><a href="http://fromrussiawithblog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">my days teaching in Vladimir, Russia</a></b> - was in Portland for the TESOL conference as well. She was presenting at the conference and had a pretty hectic schedule, but we agreed to meet up for lunch on Thursday. We decided to head for the Georgian food food-truck. Apparently food-trucks are a Hugely Big Deal in Portland, and you can get pretty much any kind of food from these things, and they are DELISH. Now, if you know me or have read any of my blogs for a while, you probably know that Georgian food is my absolute favorite food ever, although it is a huge challenge to find it in the US - especially in my part of the US. And Portland sells it out of the back of a food truck. Heaven! So not only did I get to see a really wonderful person whom I hadn't seen in ages, I also got to chow down on some exquisite Georgian food. Win!</span></div>
<br />
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady021/georgianfood1_zps86a1cfbf.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo georgianfood1_zps86a1cfbf.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady021/georgianfood1_zps86a1cfbf.jpg" /></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Georgian food! If you're in downtown Portland, eat here.</span></center>
<center>
<br /></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady021/brooke2_zps684b533c.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo brooke2_zps684b533c.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady021/brooke2_zps684b533c.jpg" /></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brookinchka!! :-)</span></center>
<center>
<br /></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady021/georgianfood2_zps936cce0b.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo georgianfood2_zps936cce0b.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady021/georgianfood2_zps936cce0b.jpg" /></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cheese khachapuri, lobio khachapuri, khinkali, eggplant salad, other-veggie salad = TASTE BUD HEAVEN</span></center>
<center>
<br /></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady021/portlandhorsecops_zps94a6fbf2.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo portlandhorsecops_zps94a6fbf2.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady021/portlandhorsecops_zps94a6fbf2.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While we were eating, horse cops rode by!</span></center>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Friday evening, I met up with Jill and Johnny - two friends of mine who moved to Portland from Florida ages and ages ago, and whom I hadn't seen since 2004. I had a great time catching up with them - and we had some great food, too, including some lovely Vietnamese dishes and the most amazing ice cream I've ever tasted at <b><a href="http://www.saltandstraw.com/" target="_blank">Salt and Straw</a></b>. We finished the evening at some woman's house (the wife of a friend of a friend or something), drinking wine and discussing our favorite NPR personalities. I kid not.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady021/johnnyd_zpsc0af4061.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo johnnyd_zpsc0af4061.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady021/johnnyd_zpsc0af4061.jpg" /></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Me & Johnny</span></center>
<center>
<br /></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady021/jill_zps697f13a7.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo jill_zps697f13a7.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady021/jill_zps697f13a7.jpg" /></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Me & Jill</span></center>
<center>
<br /></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady021/vietnamese_zps7d6810ee.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo vietnamese_zps7d6810ee.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady021/vietnamese_zps7d6810ee.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some sort of Vietnamese mushroom dish</span></center>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Saturday was pretty chill. I have my comprehensive exams for my MA coming up, so I spent some time studying for them. There was a local restaurant (the name of which I've sadly forgotten) located not far from my hotel where I had a wonderful brunch consisting of the best latte I had all week (and it's Portland, so I had some amazing lattes), as well as an omelette stuffed with some kind of specialty bacon and topped with salsa, fresh avocados, and sour cream. I camped out there for a while with my study notes.</span></div>
<br />
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady021/omelette_zps6ca0a79b.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo omelette_zps6ca0a79b.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady021/omelette_zps6ca0a79b.jpg" /></a></center>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That evening, my friend Linda (whose <b><a href="http://dayiranaway.blogspot.com/">poetry blog is here</a></b>, BTW) arrived. She and I knew each other ages ago when we both lived in San Diego, CA, and while we've kept in touch over the years (yay, internet!), I hadn't seen her since 2005. She now lives in southwestern Washington, and she drove down to spend some time with me. Earlier in the week, I had discovered that my hotel was within walking distance of an all-you-can-eat Indian buffet restaurant called Namaste, which was excellent. Linda mentioned having eaten at a delicious Indian buffet north of town on a previous trip to Portland, and upon hearing her description I was pretty sure it was the one near my hotel. So we walked to it, and it was! Nomnomnom.</span></div>
<br />
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady021/linda2_zpsf4deab7f.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo linda2_zpsf4deab7f.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady021/linda2_zpsf4deab7f.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Linda and Indian food, yay!</span></center>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Linda and I had a great time catching up and sharing stories about all sorts of things from the past nine years of our lives. We also spent Sunday exploring downtown Portland. While the weather on Friday and Saturday had been pretty abysmal (even locals were complaining about how unusually heavy the rain was), Sunday was gorgeous. We drank a good bit of coffee, bought some specialty chocolate and some mouth-watering cupcakes, spent a bit too much money on souvenirs, and camped out for a while at a noodle shop. It was absolutely lovely. I could do that every day.... except that my bank account would probably rebel pretty quickly.</span></div>
<br />
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady021/linda1_zpsec07d05d.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo linda1_zpsec07d05d.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady021/linda1_zpsec07d05d.jpg" /></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Linda and some Pad Thai</span></center>
<center>
<br /></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady021/DSC_0631_zps5c797aee.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo DSC_0631_zps5c797aee.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady021/DSC_0631_zps5c797aee.jpg" /></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Linda and a cool elephant statue thingy, which (sadly) was too slick to climb.</span></center>
<center>
<br /></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady021/DSC_0649_zpsf5f3cb24.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo DSC_0649_zpsf5f3cb24.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady021/DSC_0649_zpsf5f3cb24.jpg" /></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chinese Garden in Chinatown</span></center>
<center>
<br /></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady021/DSC_0613_zpsabd033e8.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo DSC_0613_zpsabd033e8.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady021/DSC_0613_zpsabd033e8.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Funny Chinatown signage</span></center>
Annie Nimityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722342397108168476noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340516159771735791.post-18965959566415831862014-03-29T18:31:00.000-04:002014-03-29T18:31:24.007-04:00TESOL 2014: My Experiences<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Those of you who follow me on Facebook know that I’ve spent
the last week in Portland, OR. For those of you who don’t, well, I’ve spent the
last week in Portland. I left Orlando on Tuesday, immediately following my
classes, and flew to Portland for the purpose of attending the TESOL 2014
international conference. I’ll blog a little later about my non-TESOL
conference experiences in Portland; this post will be limited to my conference-specific
experiences. I’ll post about the rest of my Portland adventures later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have mixed feelings about the conference. On the one hand,
I saw a lot of really great presentations on topics that I found quite
interesting. Additionally, I was able to meet up with some really fantastic
people and have some really informative conversations. (Where else can you have
an academic discussion about Konglish?) On the other hand, I came to the
conference specifically for the job fair, and to be honest, I found the job
fair disappointing. But more on that later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wednesday was a pretty slow day at the conference. I
explored the convention center, and found myself a nice spot to sit and dig
through the 200+ page schedule of events to plan which presentations I wanted
to go see. I met a guy from Florida who had watched my presentation back in
2012 at the Central Florida TESOL conference on <b><a href="http://internationalcatladyofmystery.blogspot.com/2012/11/low-tech-and-no-tech-tesol-solutions.html" target="_blank">Low-Tech and No-Tech TESOL in places such as Kyrgyzstan</a></b> – and who remembered me and the presentation. I had
the aforementioned conversation about Konglish, with a fellow presenting a
poster on ‘Semantic Shift in Blended Languages in Korea’ (yes, by ‘blended
languages’ he meant Konglish), and I met a woman doing research on state policies
towards English language learners (ELLs) in Alabama (which seem just about as f’d
up as the state policies towards ELLs in Florida, but at least she had some
solid research to prove its f’d-up-ness). This was followed by the welcome reception
for first time attendees, which was rather pointless (they taught us how to use
the 200+ page schedule that most of us had spent the day familiarizing
ourselves with, yawn). I did, however, meet a woman seated at my table who
administrates the ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) in a
north-Florida county. Sadly (for someone like me, looking for an ESOL
position), her county only hires mainstream teachers with ESOL endorsements, not
full time ESOL teachers. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady020/conventioncenter_zpsd1dae22e.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo conventioncenter_zpsd1dae22e.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady020/conventioncenter_zpsd1dae22e.jpg" /></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Inside the Convention Center</span></center>
<center>
<br /></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady020/conventioncenter2_zps3474a514.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo conventioncenter2_zps3474a514.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady020/conventioncenter2_zps3474a514.jpg" /></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just outside the Convention Center: "Attention: Bell will ring without warning"<br />I never did hear it ring.</span></center>
<center>
<br /></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady020/tesolswag_zps29ce6bb9.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo tesolswag_zps29ce6bb9.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady020/tesolswag_zps29ce6bb9.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Convention Swag</span></center>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After the welcome session, we had the keynote speech, given
by <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surin_Pitsuwan" target="_blank">Surin Pitsuwan</a></b>. It was a fantastic speech. Pitsuwan isn’t an ESL/EFL/ESOL teacher;
instead he’s the product of such education. He came from a working-class, rural
family in Thailand, where he was taught English by Peace Corps volunteers as
well as volunteers from Canada and the UK. This gave him the skills to apply
for a study abroad program in the US. Since then, he’s done all sorts of
things, including getting a PhD from Harvard, becoming a member of Parliament
in Thailand, and becoming Secretary-General of ASEAN. His point of view was
that those of us in this field are helping to spread a necessary skill, and
that he wouldn’t have achieved anywhere near what he has without the help from
the volunteers who came to his village when he was young. This made me feel
really great about some of the life decisions I’ve made (working in Russia for
a pittance, volunteering in rural Kyrgyzstan). <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady020/surinpitsuwan_zps81c35531.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo surinpitsuwan_zps81c35531.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady020/surinpitsuwan_zps81c35531.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Surin Pitsuwan</span></center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thursday was a big day. It was the day that I had one
interview scheduled and when I planned to spend the afternoon cruising the job
marketplace, distributing my resume willy-nilly. However, in the morning my
goal was to attend several presentations. The first presentation I attended was
on ‘English only’ policies at Intensive English Programs (IEPs) in the US.
Ideally, I would like to find a job at an IEP, so this was something that was
quite interesting to me. The ‘English only’ concept (students may not speak in
their first language (L1) during class and are discouraged from using it while
at the facility or on IEP events) is essentially standard IEP policy across the
country. However, research has shown that allowing students to use their L1,
especially for school-related purposes (i.e., explaining directions or a
grammar rule to a classmate, or looking up definitions in a bilingual
dictionary) is actually very helpful to students. This isn’t really surprising,
especially since recent research in K-12 ESOL education has shown the
importance of incorporating a student’s L1 into their English education. The
sad thing is that despite the research, this policy remains in place – and both
teachers and students actually support it, despite its various downsides.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next presentation that I attended was on transitioning
from teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL; involves teaching overseas)
to teaching English as a Second Language (ESL; involves teaching in the US or
other predominantly English-speaking country). While I am not making a direct
transition (going as I did from overseas to grad school to the job search), I
felt that this was still an applicable topic. While I didn’t get much
information about the topic that I didn’t already know, I did learn that the
job market in my field here in the US is much tougher than I had expected. I
have applied to an absurd number of jobs in the southeastern United States.
While I haven’t heard back from most of them, I did hear from two (on Tuesday
as I was on my way to Portland) that they had selected someone else. I had been
hoping that was an anomaly, but according to this panel, jobs are few and far
between, and that’s to be expected. The presenters were all fellows with advanced
degrees and 10+ years of EFL experience, and they had all had trouble finding
jobs when they returned to the US. One had returned last June AND IS STILL
UNEMPLOYED. This made me feel rather panicky.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next, I had planned to attend a presentation on the use of
movie trailers in the classroom, but by the time I got to the room in which
that presentation was being given, it was so packed that I couldn’t even make
it through the door. I opted instead for a presentation on Global Englishes
(different types of English spoken around the world, from the types that are
considered more prestigious like American and British English, to the types
that are often stigmatized, such as Indian or East Asian English). Sadly, I
missed the beginning of her presentation, but I arrived in time for an
interesting anecdote about teaching the phrase ‘on the bus.’ She discussed
experiences in India where one normally says ‘I am in the bus’ unless there is
no room and one must actually climb on to the top of the bus, in which case one
would say ‘I am on the bus.’ I loved this, mainly because I have had students
struggle with the fact that in American English we say ‘I’m in the car’ but ‘I’m
on the bus.’ I also had a couple of experiences in Russia and Kyrgyzstan where
I told people I was ‘on the bus’ (literally translating word for word into
Russian) and having them think I meant I was on top of the bus, as in Russian
you use the preposition ‘in’).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After lunch, it was time to find myself a job. Or so I
thought. I had decided to come to the TESOL 2014 conference specifically
because I was told that its job fair was absolutely the best place to find
jobs. Based on the explanations I had received, I envisioned an area of booths
manned by potential employers where you could talk to representatives, decide
if you were interested in working for them, and then arrange a time for an
interview. Sadly, it was not like this at all. You could only meet with the
employers if you had an interview scheduled with them, and there was no direct way
of scheduling an interview. After checking in at the job fair, I was directed
to a computer which gave me access to the TESOL website’s jobs section (which
believe me, I am already intimately familiar with). I was told to submit my
application to any employer marked as present at the convention, and that if
any employer was interested in interviewing me, they would call me. Nearly all
of the employers listed who were present at the convention were out of the
Middle East. As I am looking for work in the US, my options were incredibly
limited. Of the very few US-based employers on the website listed as present at
the convention, there were only two that I was interested in working for – and I
had already applied for positions with both. While one had already arranged to
meet with me during the convention (it was the only interview that I ended up
having), the other had never gotten back to me. I re-submitted my application,
stating that I was in town for the conference and would love an opportunity to
meet with them in person, but never heard anything back. At least I had the one
interview that I had arranged in advance. (It went really well, but they also
had a stack of resumes about an inch thick from all the other people they planned
to interview that day.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was feeling a bit discouraged after leaving the job fair
section, but since I knew there were a small handful of booths with recruiters
for other positions (all overseas) in the Expo section of the convention, I
decided to see what else I could find. I had some people from Saudi Arabia and
Oman attempt to recruit me, but like I said, that’s just not on my list of
places to go. I have mentioned before that I had applied for a competitive position
that is overseas. They, too, had a booth, so I decided to ask them about their
time-frame, as I hadn’t heard anything yet. On a positive note, they told me
that they were running behind. Normally they start interviewing people in
March, but this year (“due to the overwhelming number of applications”) they
wouldn’t be able to start conducting interviews until April. Then I asked them
about pets. Their website had said that they allowed pets, but strongly
discouraged them. I wanted to ask about this in person. Well, you can bring
your pets, but if you’re in a position in which you are told you must evacuate
(they just evacuated their personnel from Ukraine), you MUST leave your pets behind.
(The other option is refusing to evacuate, in which case your position will be
terminated.) Sorry, I’m not leaving Mochi and Charlie behind; I guess I can
rule that job off my list.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Friday had a whole slew of presentations on language
education policy in the US. I find language policy (and specifically language
education policy) incredibly interesting, so I decided to attend three of these
presentations. The first couple weren’t overly exciting, as they essentially
reiterated a lot that I already knew. The third, however, entitled ELLs and the
Law, was fascinating. They delved quite deeply into the legal reasons why
schools are required to provide special language education services to ELLs,
and what comprises the bare minimum of services allowed. Comparing what I
learned in that presentation to what I’ve learned in recent research on Florida’s
language education policies, it seems that Florida is skirting that bare
minimum line pretty damn closely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After three presentations on language policy, I figured I
needed a change of pace. I attended a presentation on professor and resident
ESL students’ interactions in higher education. The presentation ended up
focusing a lot on the views professors held of ELLs who were legal residents or
US citizens versus ELLs who were international study-abroad students. It was
interesting – and a bit disturbing – to see that the professors almost
uniformly held much more negative views of their resident ELLs than they had of
their international student ELLs. Sadly, she didn’t delve into if this was
based on the actual performances of these students in the classroom, or if this
was merely the professors’ preconceived biases towards these students. (I also
found this interesting, because when I taught ESL in the US, my resident ELLs
vastly outperformed my international students, most of whom seemed to just be
in the US in order to party or go to Disney.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The last presentation I attended was put on by Brooke – <a href="http://fromrussiawithblog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><b>one of my former colleagues at the American Home in Russia</b></a>, where I worked in
2005-2006! She and her classmate (both of them are PhD students at Penn State)
presented on ESL students’ reactions to the use of Global Englishes
(non-standard English) in their Freshman Composition class. They discussed
their ESL students’ reactions to readings from <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Brief-Wondrous-Life-Oscar/dp/1594483299" target="_blank">The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao</a></b> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sozaboy-Ken-Saro-Wiwa/dp/0582236991" target="_blank"><b>Sozaboy: A Novel in Rotten English</b></a>. Despite the huge push for inclusion
of Global Englishes in ESL/EFL curricula (at least in a top-down sense), they
had quite a strong pushback from the students, who didn’t see reading such
texts as beneficial and not academic. In some ways, the students had a point –
learning to include aspects of their native language/dialect in their writing
is great from a creative-writing standpoint, but isn’t something that would be
beneficial in terms of learning to write a Political Science or Chemistry term
paper. The most interesting thing I found was that while the ESL students who
were exposed to this kind of writing resisted it and gave a lot of pushback,
the mainstream classes (native and fluent speakers of English) accepted these
stories with little to no pushback.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady020/brooke1_zpsd994233e.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo brooke1_zpsd994233e.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady020/brooke1_zpsd994233e.jpg" /></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brooke presents :-)</span></center>
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So there you go; that’s my round-up of my experiences at TESOL 2014. I’ll post
my non-conference related Portland adventures in a day or two :-)</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Annie Nimityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722342397108168476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340516159771735791.post-69099259222008824292014-03-22T19:52:00.003-04:002014-03-22T19:52:48.648-04:00visits, springs, and things<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Melissa, my friend and landlord (who lives in CA) was in town this weekend with her kids. Two of our childhood friends were in the area as well, so we all met up:
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady019/visit5_zps29441c29.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo visit5_zps29441c29.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady019/visit5_zps29441c29.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
Melissa and her two adorable children, Madeline and Miriam</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady019/visit2_zps4e2856b9.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo visit2_zps4e2856b9.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady019/visit2_zps4e2856b9.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
Me with the kids :-)</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady019/visit3_zps03b2424d.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo visit3_zps03b2424d.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady019/visit3_zps03b2424d.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
Chris visits with Miriam and Melissa</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady019/visit1_zpsa52c86ca.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo visit1_zpsa52c86ca.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady019/visit1_zpsa52c86ca.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
And we added a second Melissa to the mix: <br />Melissa, Miriam, Chris, Madeline, and Melissa</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The two Melissas had to head out around 2pm. After they left, Chris and I decided to visit some local springs and historic sites. First we went to <a href="http://www.volusia.org/services/community-services/parks-recreation-and-culture/parks-and-trails/park-facilities-and-locations/ecological-nature-parks/gemini-springs-park.stml" target="_blank">Gemini Springs Park</a>, which was really quite lovely. Swimming is prohibited, although pets are allowed AND they have an off-leash dog park section. I wish I'd known; I'd have brought Mochi.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady019/gs6_zps60c7320b.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo gs6_zps60c7320b.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady019/gs6_zps60c7320b.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
There might be a reason why swimming is prohibited...</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady019/gs5_zps7eaa97d4.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo gs5_zps7eaa97d4.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady019/gs5_zps7eaa97d4.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
Hello, buddy!</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady019/gs2_zps5bdf7977.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo gs2_zps5bdf7977.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady019/gs2_zps5bdf7977.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
There were many trails through huge old growth oaks, just dripping with Spanish moss.</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady019/gs8_zps23871126.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo gs8_zps23871126.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady019/gs8_zps23871126.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady019/gs7_zpsb690085c.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo gs7_zpsb690085c.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady019/gs7_zpsb690085c.jpg" /></a><br />This was actually *very* comfortable!</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
We left Gemini Springs and drove to <a href="http://www.volusia.org/services/community-services/parks-recreation-and-culture/parks-and-trails/park-facilities-and-locations/ecological-nature-parks/green-spring-park.stml" target="_blank">Green Springs Park</a>. It wasn't quite as picturesque as Gemini Springs, but it was still quite nice. It was another place in which swimming was prohibited, although the spring hole was filled with teens happily ignoring that directive. They were also repeatedly climbing up very tall trees and plunging a great distance into the water below. Safety first!</span></center>
<center style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady019/ogs3_zps4f44dc01.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo ogs3_zps4f44dc01.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady019/ogs3_zps4f44dc01.jpg" /></a><br />The guy in the black pants has just jumped.</span></center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady019/ogs2_zps740a6755.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo ogs2_zps740a6755.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady019/ogs2_zps740a6755.jpg" /></a><br />Chris (not preparing to jump) on a tree on the far side of the spring.</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady019/dbh2_zps29ba664a.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo dbh2_zps29ba664a.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady019/dbh2_zps29ba664a.jpg" /></a><br />Then we drove to DeBary Hall</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady019/dbh1_zps648dd47f.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo dbh1_zps648dd47f.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady019/dbh1_zps648dd47f.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, it was around 5:30pm, and the place had closed for the day. We were still able to explore outside though.</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady019/gt3_zpseb1aed53.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo gt3_zpseb1aed53.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady019/gt3_zpseb1aed53.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Driving back to Orlando through Sanford, we spotted this large building and stopped to check it out. It turned out to be the old Georgetown school.</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady019/gt1_zps42a97f98.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo gt1_zps42a97f98.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady019/gt1_zps42a97f98.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady019/gt2_zpsf93f8e75.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo gt2_zpsf93f8e75.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady019/gt2_zpsf93f8e75.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our last stop of the day was at <a href="http://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/parksrec/PassiveParksandBoatRamps/BigTreePark.aspx" target="_blank">Big Tree Park</a>. The park used to be the location of a 3500 year old bald cypress tree nicknamed 'The Senator' that was 118 feet tall. It was, sadly, destroyed by arson in 2012. Below are some pictures of me, Chris, Melissa, and her husband Alex visiting The Senator in 2006. Under that is a picture of it today.</span></center>
<center style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady019/tree2006_zps9febd90a.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo tree2006_zps9febd90a.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady019/tree2006_zps9febd90a.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Poorly made snapshots of snapshots.<br />At least you can see the tree.</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady019/btp2_zpse0f1cff3.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo btp2_zpse0f1cff3.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady019/btp2_zpse0f1cff3.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What remains of The Senator.<br />To read about his sad demise, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/28/the-senator-burns-fire-sara-barnes-arrested_n_1308513.html" target="_blank">click here</a>.</span></center>
Annie Nimityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722342397108168476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340516159771735791.post-55889931745395647122014-03-18T20:14:00.001-04:002014-03-18T20:14:49.214-04:00Republic Wireless: Pretty good for $25/mo<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>NOTE:</b> I do <b>not</b> work for <a href="https://republicwireless.com/" target="_blank"><b>Republic Wireless</b></a>. I am not getting paid to write this review. No one connected to Republic Wireless (or anything else) asked me to write this post, and I am not benefiting in any way from doing so. Why am I blogging about Republic? Because I am seriously impressed.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hadn't had a smartphone since leaving Korea (and <a href="http://internationalcatladyofmystery.blogspot.com/2011/10/can-we-not-call-it-phone.html" target="_blank">my Samsung Galaxy SII</a>) behind in March 2012. I just had a cheap little pay-as-you-go 'burn phone' that could call and text and that was it. I liked having a smartphone in Korea, but I viewed it as a luxury that, as a grad student here in the states, I could no longer afford. And after having gotten into a long running war with T-Mobile over early termination of my contract before I moved to Korea in 2010, I did NOT want to get stuck in another cell phone contract... especially when I was still planning to move overseas again following graduation.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last fall, a friend of mine posted a link to Republic Wireless on Facebook, which was the first time I'd heard of it. It's a phone company that integrates wifi and cell signals in a rather interesting way. If there's wifi around, the phone automatically uses it for data and calling purposes, and it switches over (seamlessly, as far as I can tell) to 3G or 4G (depending on your "plan") cell coverage when you move out of wifi range. You have to buy your phone outright, and the phone selection is limited (currently) to the Moto X and the Moto G. You then <a href="https://republicwireless.com/plans" target="_blank">choose a "plan"</a> (not a contract; you can cancel any time with no ETFs). One option includes unlimited talk, text, and data on the wifi + 3G plan for $25/mo. (If you want 4G it's $40/mo.) After spending something like $75 on my pay-as-you-go burner in December, I decided to make the switch. I started using Republic Wireless in January, but I didn't want to review it until I'd used it for a while - including up in rural GA, where I was worried about signal strength.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I signed up for Republic, they were only offering the Moto X (which I got for $275, but which they are now selling for $299). They are now offering the cheaper Moto G as well, for $149. I chose the $25/mo plan... and it's been excellent. I keep wondering why everyone isn't using this service. Calls are clear, signal strength is great, all of my apps work wonderfully, and I even had a full strength 3G signal most of the time that I was in rural GA. When I'm in GA, I don't have internet at my house, so being able to have internet access there for the first time (even if just on my phone) was fantastic - especially since I wanted to follow Ukraine closely every waking moment.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The service is occasionally glitchy. Occasionally. The night that the Russians were entering Crimea, the 3G signal vanished completely. It was back by morning, but that was annoying. Also, at one point they had some sort of computer glitch which made my phone decide it wasn't able to make calls or record voicemail messages (although it could receive calls and use the internet). However, the Republic Wireless help center folks were very helpful, and got everything fixed within a couple of hours of my query. Those are the only two issues I've had with the phone, and they were short-lived. For $25/mo, I'd say that's a pretty good deal.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also, the Moto X is a great phone. I had to install Greenify to improve battery life (I highly recommend Greenify!), but other than that the phone runs great. Also, its camera is better than my old point-n-shoot. It's not as good as my DSLR of course, but for those days when I don't want to lug a big camera around, this thing is a great substitute. That picture at the very top of this page of Charlie licking herself? That was taken with my Moto X. The videos in <a href="http://internationalcatladyofmystery.blogspot.com/2014/03/bay-area-renaissance-festival-2014.html" target="_blank">my Renfaire post</a>? All shot with the Moto X.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady018/phone3_zps087ebb52.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo phone3_zps087ebb52.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady018/phone3_zps087ebb52.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is what it looks like - now starring Mochi! :-)</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady018/phone2_zps7bc22f18.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo phone2_zps7bc22f18.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady018/phone2_zps7bc22f18.jpg" /></a><br />I bought it a green and hot pink owl cover that includes four little black cats. I am also amazed that such wonderful things exist. Yay, interwebz!</span></center>
Annie Nimityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722342397108168476noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340516159771735791.post-83336130742403451472014-03-16T14:28:00.001-04:002014-03-16T14:28:55.847-04:00Bay Area Renaissance Festival 2014<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yesterday I went, with my father and brother, to the Bay Area Renaissance Festival in Tampa. We went together last year, although apparently I didn't blog about it. Last year, I discovered (and rather fell in love with) <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SirenaTheSirens">Sirena</a>, the best act of the faire in my opinion. They put on a performance within five minutes of our arrival at the faire, and it was excellent. Seriously, they were the main reason I wanted to attend and their performance alone was worth the price of admission. I took a bunch of photos of them, as well as a few short video clips (below) - if you like that sort of thing, I definitely recommend buying their albums.
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="253" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/KrUtJzHCm_U" width="450"></iframe></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady017/renfaire1_zps71cb073d.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo renfaire1_zps71cb073d.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady017/renfaire1_zps71cb073d.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady017/renfaire3_zpsc807d6b8.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo renfaire3_zpsc807d6b8.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady017/renfaire3_zpsc807d6b8.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady017/renfaire2_zpsbf0b1916.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo renfaire2_zpsbf0b1916.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady017/renfaire2_zpsbf0b1916.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
Sirena might have been my favorite performance, but they weren't the only one I enjoyed. Below are a few photos and videos from other acts that I enjoyed:</span></center>
<center style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady017/renfaire12_zpsd870cd72.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo renfaire12_zpsd870cd72.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady017/renfaire12_zpsd870cd72.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Crannog</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady017/renfaire11_zpsc9b4c8bd.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo renfaire11_zpsc9b4c8bd.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady017/renfaire11_zpsc9b4c8bd.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Crannog</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="253" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Y-fl5Q9j4ts" width="450"></iframe></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Crannog</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady017/renfaire8_zps144ff909.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo renfaire8_zps144ff909.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady017/renfaire8_zps144ff909.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Bawdy Boys</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="253" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/IhxLcyJRIY0" width="450"></iframe></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Bawdy Boys</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady017/renfaire9_zps40b4487a.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo renfaire9_zps40b4487a.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady017/renfaire9_zps40b4487a.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Demzarah Gypsies</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="253" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/cWNMgn3o_xs" width="450"></iframe></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Demzarah Gypsies</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course, one of the best things about any renfaire is the opportunity for people watching:</span></center>
<center style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady017/renfaire7_zpse0e994d9.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo renfaire7_zpse0e994d9.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady017/renfaire7_zpse0e994d9.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady017/renfaire5_zpsf98722ad.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo renfaire5_zpsf98722ad.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady017/renfaire5_zpsf98722ad.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady017/renfaire6_zpsda3554a6.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo renfaire6_zpsda3554a6.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady017/renfaire6_zpsda3554a6.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady017/renfaire13_zpsb2a26b2c.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo renfaire13_zpsb2a26b2c.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady017/renfaire13_zpsb2a26b2c.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My brother and I</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady017/renfaire4_zps7b6c7993.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo renfaire4_zps7b6c7993.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady017/renfaire4_zps7b6c7993.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My brother in the stocks.</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady017/renfaire10_zps7c4e4f69.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo renfaire10_zps7c4e4f69.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady017/renfaire10_zps7c4e4f69.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I like posing with trees.</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lastly, remember <a href="http://internationalcatladyofmystery.blogspot.com/2014/01/doggie-deliveries.html">Molly, the Christmas Puppy that my dad adopted</a>?</span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady017/molly1_zpscf623c4a.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo molly1_zpscf623c4a.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady017/molly1_zpscf623c4a.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She's gotten a lot bigger! She's full of energy and incredibly sweet.</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="253" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/e1YMnTIavyE" width="450"></iframe></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Watch Molly playing :-)</span></center>
Annie Nimityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09711448646226959206noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340516159771735791.post-50322204576629257742014-03-12T12:11:00.000-04:002014-03-12T12:11:52.212-04:00Nationality and Language in Crimea<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">If
you know me, or if you’ve followed this blog for a while, you might have
already guessed that I would be following the events in Ukraine closely. I
haven’t blogged about it any, as I am not an expert on Ukraine</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">, and as there are many experts and folks on the ground sharing their views and stories.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"> (However, as
there are many talking heads out there presenting themselves as ‘experts’ who
in fact have no clue, I’d probably fit right in, and maybe even do a better job; sigh.) However, I ran across
something last night that I really wanted to share. That ‘something’ was an
article, published in 2004 in volume 27 of the Ethnic and Racial Studies
journal, written by Greta Uehling, and entitled </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">The first independent Ukrainian census in Crimea: Myths, miscoding, and
missed opportunities</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">. It discusses the 2001 Ukrainian census, with a focus
on the Crimean peninsula. It’s not the most recent of articles, but it provided
some really interesting insight to the current situation in Crimea.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Over
the past few weeks, I have seen an inordinate amount of maps, such as this one
<a href="http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2014/02/world/ukraine-divided/">from CNN</a>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady016/dividedukraine_zps5a5af6a0.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo dividedukraine_zps5a5af6a0.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady016/dividedukraine_zps5a5af6a0.jpg" /></a></center>
<center>
<br /></center>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">From what I read, however, it seems that the facts pertaining to nationality and language in Crimea might not be as clear-cut as presented in the mainstream media. Now,
granted, the article I'm referring to is on the 2001 census, not on the more recent
2011 census; however, if any of the flaws present in the 2001 census remained
in 2011, then the lines on the map might not be anywhere near as distinct as
the ‘experts’ on the various news shows would like us to believe. As I
mentioned, the article in question focused on the Crimea. Based on the
observations and interviews conducted by Uehling, it seems that there were a
lot of biases among the census-takers themselves, and these biases directly
affected the manner in which facts pertaining to native language and
nationality were reported.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The
article stated that that when individuals were asked what their native language
was, "if</span><span class="apple-converted-space"></span><span data-reactid=".uw.1:3:1:$comment10154001592195122_23923964:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".uw.1:3:1:$comment10154001592195122_23923964:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$0:0"> </span>a
person responded 'Russian' or 'Crimean Tatar' it was simply written as stated.
If, on the other hand, the answer was Ukrainian language, the census takers
were instructed to ask for clarification. This created a certain pressure for
respondents in Crimea to scale back their level of Ukrainian” (p. 158). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span data-reactid=".uw.1:3:1:$comment10154001592195122_23923964:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.3"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">In
addition to asking about individuals’ native language, census-takers were
instructed to ascertain each individual’s nationality. “[O]ne census-taker
automatically identified several respondents as Russian, based on the fact that
they said Russian was their native language…. [because] it had been ‘apparent’
to her that they were Russian” (p. 156). During my (albeit short) time in
Ukraine, I met many ‘ethnically Ukrainian’ people who spoke Russian as their
first language, which makes this kind of assumption seem rather absurd.
Additionally, people were allowed to report on other individuals, such as
fellow dorm residents and flatmates, whose actual first language and
nationality might not have been known to them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Another
problem was that mixed nationalities were not an option - so if someone had,
say, a Ukrainian mother and a Russian father, there was no accurate option to
explain their nationality. In Crimea, apparently, the census-takers tended to
write 'Russian' for nationality in such circumstances, whereas in western
Ukraine census-takers tended to write Ukrainian in such circumstances. One
example included in the article stated, “[W]hen a woman did not know what to
say about her son’s nationality, the census-taker suggested that, ‘Since
nationality is determined by the father in Russia and by the mother in Ukraine,
we will write down <i>Russian</i>.” Such ‘logic’ is rather mind-boggling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Like
I said, this article is based on the 2001 census, not the most recent one.
However, it should give you something to keep in mind when you see all those
maps of a ‘divided’ Ukraine.</span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Annie Nimityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09711448646226959206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340516159771735791.post-85697307507043321482014-03-09T18:18:00.003-04:002014-03-09T18:18:55.236-04:00Cat Lady Spring Break<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first week of March was Spring Break at the university where I both study and teach. It's a bit early for Spring Break, in my opinion, although perhaps The Powers That Be felt that we Floridians should be given our Spring Break before the college-aged masses from across the country descend on our state later in the month. Who knows. It had been t-shirt weather here in Orlando for the last two weeks of February, so when I started packing for my trip to southeast Georgia, I initially only threw t-shirts into my suitcase. I added a couple of sweaters as an afterthought, and it's a good thing I did as it was pretty cold the entire time I was there - and rainy most of the time I was there. As such, I spent a lot of my Spring Break huddling under the covers with my animals, keeping warm and dry. I didn't really do a damn thing blog-worthy, although I did take a good number of animal photos, especially on the dry days. Let's start with the dogs:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady014/wolfie_zps7f532792.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo wolfie_zps7f532792.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady014/wolfie_zps7f532792.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wolfie is a little obsessed with his food bowl. He continually prances around with the damn thing, all the while looking incredibly proud of himself. Below is a video of Wolfie showing off his bowl-carrying skills.</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="253" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/t5f7eOjcKFU" width="450"></iframe></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady014/viktor_zps3e464c1d.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo viktor_zps3e464c1d.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady014/viktor_zps3e464c1d.jpg" /></a><br />I was going to take a cute photo of Viktor... then he did this.</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady014/nadya_zps71ab6382.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo nadya_zps71ab6382.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady014/nadya_zps71ab6382.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nadya now must be kept on a running tether at all times, because otherwise she gets loose and runs around the neighborhood. As she's one of the three cat-killers, we really cannot have her getting loose. She doesn't seem to mind the tether, though. It's pretty long, and she's still in the yard with Viktor and Kali.</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady014/kali_zpsd8774c76.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo kali_zpsd8774c76.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady014/kali_zpsd8774c76.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kali: Fat, lazy, adorable, shy, sweet, and occasionally kills cats. Sigh.</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady014/brin_zpsaff38385.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo brin_zpsaff38385.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady014/brin_zpsaff38385.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I swear Brin gets greyer every time I see him.</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady014/hound_zpsc164d6f3.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo hound_zpsc164d6f3.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady014/hound_zpsc164d6f3.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is not our dog. She has apparently been running free through mom's neighborhood for the past couple of weeks - although she's not thin at all (and turned up her nose at a bowl of food), so she must have a home somewhere. Unfortunately, mom's dogs go nuts when she shows up. Brin even attacked her on Friday... perhaps after that she'll stay closer to her home.</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady014/mochibagira_zps298c228b.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo mochibagira_zps298c228b.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady014/mochibagira_zps298c228b.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mochi being his adorable self, with Bagira in the background</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady014/catpile_zpsf8a01df5.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo catpile_zpsf8a01df5.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady014/catpile_zpsf8a01df5.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My mom really didn't want me to post this, but is is seriously one of the most adorable photos ever, in my opinion. And it works well for a transition from dogs to cats.</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady015/stranger1_zps674e7063.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo stranger1_zps674e7063.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady015/stranger1_zps674e7063.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is Stranger. He showed up out at mom's land back in January. And by "showed up" I suspect I actually mean "was dumped" - he's a full grown male, but young. Super friendly.</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady015/stranger2_zpsd4b6b48d.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo stranger2_zpsd4b6b48d.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady015/stranger2_zpsd4b6b48d.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He loves to roll over.</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Watch Stranger in action:</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="253" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ddwrpdaAphg" width="450"></iframe></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady014/buddy_zpsdd272652.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo buddy_zpsdd272652.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady014/buddy_zpsdd272652.jpg" /></a><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is Buddy. He was trapped as an adult feral cat in 2009. He didn't start allowing humans to pet him until January of this year.... and he has discovered that he loves it! Although if you watch the video below, you'll see his feralness rear its head (or its claws!) a few times. You can also clearly hear him purring :-)</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="253" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/x4bQMMmKnJ8" width="450"></iframe></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady014/charlie_zps2098c9f9.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo charlie_zps2098c9f9.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady014/charlie_zps2098c9f9.jpg" /></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Charlie, being all ladylike.</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady014/bagira_zpse4920da4.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo bagira_zpse4920da4.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady014/bagira_zpse4920da4.jpg" /></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Bagira, who is always ladylike.</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady014/echo_zps9e1088bd.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo echo_zps9e1088bd.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady014/echo_zps9e1088bd.jpg" /></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Echo, our oldest cat. We found her as a kitten in 2002.</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And now for some rainy photos to show you what most of my Spring Break was like:</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady014/wet3_zps421ebf9a.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo wet3_zps421ebf9a.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady014/wet3_zps421ebf9a.jpg" /></a><br />Merlin</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady014/wet2_zps9ff59045.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo wet2_zps9ff59045.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady014/wet2_zps9ff59045.jpg" /></a><br />In the distance you can see one of the kitties (Solly, I think)</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady014/wet1_zps1180f8dd.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo wet1_zps1180f8dd.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady014/wet1_zps1180f8dd.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Honey, Merlin, and Solly</span></center>
Annie Nimityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09711448646226959206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340516159771735791.post-87688459782265660032014-02-12T13:06:00.003-05:002014-02-12T21:13:10.063-05:00Job hunting is a stressful thing.<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am not yet unemployed; that won’t happen until I graduate
in May. Even then, I’m lucky to have enough in savings (*cough* hoarded student
loan money *cough*) that I can be unemployed for a few months if need be.
Still, it’s stressful. I can easily imagine how much of a nightmare the process
must be for someone who is currently unemployed and who has already drained his
or her savings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the first time I’ve gone job hunting in the US since
2002, and the process has become a lot more internet-based in the intervening
twelve years. While there were some online application websites back in 2002,
most of the jobs I applied for back then either required me to snail-mail hard-copies
of my application materials, or asked me to email the relevant documents to the
individual in charge of the hiring process. Nearly all of the jobs I’ve applied
for in the intervening twelve years have been overseas EFL teaching jobs, and
they, too, merely required that I email my resume, cover letter, and references’
contact information to their HR person. While there are a very small number of
job openings (in my field, mind you) here in the US that do simply ask for
documents to be emailed, most seem to rely on online job application submission
websites. These things are responsible for a lot of the stress that I’ve been
feeling lately.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are some of the thoughts I’ve had while dealing with
these job-application websites:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">If I am able to submit my resume to the job
application website, why must I then manually copy and paste every single
section of my resume into teeny-tiny little boxes? Surely one or the other
should suffice!</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I swear, half of these websites must have gone
live a good ten years ago or so, and are desperately in need of an update to
become more user-friendly.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PLEASE enable a save-as-you-go feature. Nothing
like using an application website that doesn’t allow you to save until you have
spent several hours filling in all the little boxes… especially when, right
before you hit submit, your cat jumps onto your laptop and closes the browser.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dear Job X: I see that you have been advertising
the same positions over and over for MONTHS now. The reason why no one is
applying is that your job application website is broken. After potential
applicants spend several hours completing their application, the website tells
them they can’t submit the application until they answer Question X. Except
that they have indeed answered Question X. Even attempting to provide different
answers to Question X or attempting to apply via different browsers does not
solve this problem. I would contact you directly to inform you of this issue,
but the only contact information you provided was this broken job application
website.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are advertising a position on a
third-party job-search website that allows applicants to apply for positions
directly through said website, <b>but</b> <b>you do not want applicants to use this
function</b>, please make this clear sometime<i> <b>before</b></i> the applicant completes the
third-party site’s application submission process.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If the instructions clearly state that letters
of reference must be submitted directly from the reference himself/herself, why
won’t the application website let me submit the application until I upload
three letters of reference? You do realize that if I am uploading them, they
are not coming directly from the reference, right?</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>UPDATE:</b> If your website doesn't recognize *.docx files, even when it specifies <i>Microsoft Word files only</i>, your website is in serious need of an update.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s not just the job-application websites that are
stressing me out, although they’re a good portion of it. For one thing, there
just are not that many full time jobs in my field. I don’t want to graduate
with over $20,000 in student loan debt only to make $15,000 a year as an
adjunct, but that might very well happen. When faced with the option of making
so little as an adjunct or going back overseas, I definitely start considering the option of going overseas again. I’ve even been corresponding with a potential employer in
Kazakhstan and looking at job ads at Korean universities… although notice how
that wouldn’t help me to <a href="http://internationalcatladyofmystery.blogspot.com/2014/01/please-help-dogs-need-adoption-in.html" target="_blank"><b>take some of mom’s dogs off her hands</b></a>. Not to mention
that I feel all kinds of stress when I think about the logistics of international
travel with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/charliemochi" target="_blank"><b>Charlie and Mochi</b></a>. Arrrrgh. Lastly, very few places seem willing to
get back to applicants. How much effort does it take to email a ‘thanks, but no
thanks’ form letter? So far, I’ve gotten one. ONE. Does that mean the others
are still considering me? Have they hired someone else? Have they thrown my
application in the trash and are looking for someone better? I have no idea.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sigh. There’s not really any point to this post; I just
wanted to vent. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Annie Nimityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722342397108168476noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340516159771735791.post-78800062200741219142014-02-02T23:31:00.000-05:002014-02-02T23:31:11.207-05:00Keeping my options open<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m not really a fan of Orlando. I don’t like theme parks. I
don’t like strip malls. Orlando and the surrounding communities are, to me,
little more than overpriced neighborhoods linked together by theme parks, strip
malls, and toll roads. If I’m missing out on something superawesome about
Orlando, please feel free to clue me in, but I’ve been here for a year and a
half now and this is what the place seems like to me. I mean, you can drive
from Orlando to Winter Park to Casselberry without any sign that you’ve gone
from one community to another. It’s all strip malls and boring, identical,
overpriced neighborhoods. You head west and you run up against the Disney
nightmare. I am not a fan of Disney, theme parks, or crowds, so you can guess
that I head west as seldom as possible. Luckily I live in East Orlando.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve pretty much decided that unless I get offered something
spectacular overseas, I’m going to stay in the US. Ideally, I’d like to stay in
Florida – although I’ve been looking (and applying) at jobs in Georgia and
Tennessee as well. Ideally, I’d like to get away from Orlando, as pretty much
anywhere else in this state is more appealing. However, I want to keep my
options open – especially since there are a lot of jobs in my field in this
area. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Assuming that I get a full time job in the US, I am going to
buy a house. I don’t like renting. I want to be able to paint my house funky
colors and fill it full of cats. I also need a yard to put <a href="http://internationalcatladyofmystery.blogspot.com/2014/01/please-help-dogs-need-adoption-in.html" target="_blank"><b>some of my mom’s dogs in</b></a> so that she won’t have to deal with them anymore. There are properties
in Orlando and the nearby communities that I could afford… although they’re not
exactly in the best neighborhoods. (OBT, anyone? Hah.) I started thinking about
communities within commuting distance, and ended up checking out Titusville
online – and discovered that there’s a good bit of affordable real estate
there. Now, I’ve only ever known one person who lived in Titusville, and he has
since been arrested for child molestation. He also said the place sucked and
was full of rednecks. All and all, it didn’t sound like the most likely of locations.
But, I could afford to buy a place there, were I to get a job in the Orlando
area.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, today I decided to drive over there – both to see how
long the drive really was (albeit I didn’t do it in rush hour traffic), to see
how sucky it really was, and to see if the affordable houses were all in
terrible neighborhoods. My thoughts on Titusville can be summed up by saying <b>Titusville: Surprisingly Not Horrible.</b>
I expected it to suck, and it didn’t. Yeah, there was a bit of a redneck vibe…
but I grew up in north Florida, and (despite my current location) am a legal
resident of southeast Georgia. Redneck is relative. The waterfront areas were
lovely, the town had some character, and the houses I looked at were in
reasonably nice neighborhoods. I’m not sure how I feel about the commute – it was
40 minutes in Sunday afternoon traffic – but it’s doable. Anyway, this is all
just silly conjecture at this point, as I have only applied to one job in
Orlando so far, but it gave me something to do this afternoon when I should
have been grading essays.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyhow, here are some shots of the waterfront area in
Titusville:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady011/tville6_zps15e1ef76.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo tville6_zps15e1ef76.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady011/tville6_zps15e1ef76.jpg" /></a></center>
<center>
<br /></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady011/tville5_zps12b6bdd9.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo tville5_zps12b6bdd9.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady011/tville5_zps12b6bdd9.jpg" /></a></center>
<center>
<br /></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady011/tville4_zps56d68915.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo tville4_zps56d68915.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady011/tville4_zps56d68915.jpg" /></a></center>
<center>
<br /></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady011/tville3_zpsa7e690e4.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo tville3_zpsa7e690e4.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady011/tville3_zpsa7e690e4.jpg" /></a></center>
<center>
<br /></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady011/tville2_zps61d2121f.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo tville2_zps61d2121f.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady011/tville2_zps61d2121f.jpg" /></a></center>
<center>
<br /></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady011/tville1_zps701883d7.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo tville1_zps701883d7.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady011/tville1_zps701883d7.jpg" /></a></center>
Annie Nimityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722342397108168476noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340516159771735791.post-44329600005315962662014-01-29T00:06:00.000-05:002014-01-29T00:06:23.396-05:00State of the Charlie/Mochi Union<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Charlie and Mochi now have their own Facebook page! For those of you who enjoy seeing pictures and videos of these ridiculous looking lovable beasts, <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/charliemochi" target="_blank">click here</a></b> or on the image below to check it out - and don't forget to like the page :-)
</span></div>
<br />
<center>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/charliemochi" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo charmounion_zpsbd54aba9.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady010/charmounion_zpsbd54aba9.jpg" /></a></center>
Annie Nimityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722342397108168476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340516159771735791.post-27250514367947813062014-01-20T15:50:00.001-05:002014-01-20T15:50:27.900-05:00PLEASE HELP! Dogs need adoption in southeast GA!<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve written <a href="http://internationalcatladyofmystery.blogspot.com/2013/12/southeast-georgia-animal-hell-animal.html" target="_blank">at length</a> (<a href="http://internationalcatladyofmystery.blogspot.com/2012/06/people-are-assholes-also-please-spay.html" target="_blank">numerous times</a>) about the problems of
being one of the fairly small number of folks in Southeastern Georgia willing
to take responsibility for animals no one else wants. My mother and I like dogs
(I have Mochi; she has eight – and you may remember that we picked up six
puppies in December), but we are cat people. Cat rescue is our thing. My mom has roughly 25 cats (all rescues, all spayed/neutered and vaccinated).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cats and dogs do not always get along. Luckily Mochi is great
with cats (I’m fairly certain he thinks he <b>is</b>
a cat), and mom’s three indoor dogs (two little ones and one pit bull) are also
great with cats. The dogs in mom’s backyard, however, are cat-killers.
Specifically Kali, Viktor, and Nadya. It’s not their fault. They were all full
grown when we found them. Kali and Nadya (found separately) were starving, and
probably hunted whatever they could to survive. Viktor was most likely a
lost/dumped hog-hunting dog, whom we found injured and on the side of the road
in the absolute middle of nowhere. Whatever hunting instincts they had when we
rescued them were already fixed into their brains. Mom has had Kali since 2009
and Viktor since 2012. During that time we have lost several cats to the
backyard dogs. Most of the cats know not to venture near them. I picked up
Nadya <a href="http://internationalcatladyofmystery.blogspot.com/2012/12/happy-new-year-nadya.html" target="_blank">last New Year’s eve</a>. We’ve lost two kittens in little more than a year,
once they’ve gotten big enough to venture out the cat window. Kittens who didn’t
know that the backyard dogs were not friendly like the indoor dogs. We lost
little Sunshine today. It was probably Kali that got her (apparently she had a
scratch to the face), although we don’t know for sure.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady009/sunshine1_zps633a1ce6.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo sunshine1_zps633a1ce6.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady009/sunshine1_zps633a1ce6.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rest in peace, poor, sweet Sunshine.</span></center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>WOULD ANYONE BE INTERESTED IN ADOPTING A DOG? (Or if you're a dog rescuer with some cats that don't fit in at your place, would you be interested in trading?)</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Perhaps this isn’t the best way to introduce the question of
adopting these dogs… But we really need to find homes for them. We’ve wanted to
find homes for them ever since we found them, but they’re not the easiest to
place (especially Kali and Viktor). Viktor and Kali couldn’t go to anyone with cats or
small dogs. Viktor can’t go to anyone with male dogs (he’s viciously aggressive
against male dogs), and Kali has in the past been aggressive towards female
dogs. However, they get along great with each other. I wouldn’t want them to go
to someone with little kids. They’re not aggressive towards humans at all (they’re
quite friendly), but they might view a small child in the same way they view
cats and small dogs and I wouldn’t want to take that chance. What they need is
someone with a fenced in yard, no small children, and no other animals that
might wander into said yard. They are both very sweet and love attention. Kali
is actually <i>passive</i> aggressive; when
you try to put her in her kennel, she will often roll over on her back and
refuse to budge until her belly is rubbed to her satisfaction. Nadya is
incredibly sweet, and could go to anyone with a good fenced in yard and no
cats. (She's great with small dogs.) I’m sure she’d also LOVE to be a house dog.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady009/viktor_zpsd4c8a659.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo viktor_zpsd4c8a659.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady009/viktor_zpsd4c8a659.jpg" /></a><br />Viktor</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady009/viktor2_zps122f4496.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo viktor2_zps122f4496.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady009/viktor2_zps122f4496.jpg" /></a><br />Viktor</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady009/kali2_zpsf257e956.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo kali2_zpsf257e956.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady009/kali2_zpsf257e956.jpg" /></a><br />Kali<br /></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady009/kali_zpsca85ec39.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo kali_zpsca85ec39.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady009/kali_zpsca85ec39.jpg" /></a><br />Kali<br /></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady009/nadya_zpsfbc54b4f.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo nadya_zpsfbc54b4f.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady009/nadya_zpsfbc54b4f.jpg" /></a><br />Nadya</span></center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve mentioned before that my mom is 69 years old and lives
alone. She has about 25 cats, in addition to the eight dogs. If I get offered a
job in the US, I will take Viktor and Kali off her hands, but my future is (<a href="http://internationalcatladyofmystery.blogspot.com/2014/01/showing-my-floridian-roots.html" target="_blank">as I mentioned in my previous post</a>) rather up in the air. I might be living in the
US after I finish my Master’s program, but I just as easily might be living
somewhere like Kyrgyzstan. (This also, of course, depends on me being able to
live somewhere where I could have large dogs. For example, I would not be allowed to have
them in the place that I am currently renting.) Additionally, right now half of my
mom’s cats live out at her land (where there are no dogs). When she moves out
to her land (once <a href="http://youtu.be/RLi8YHqvNu8" target="_blank">the house</a> is finished; probably in June) she will be bringing
the eight dogs out to the land. While she plans to have dog ‘yards’ out there as
she does at her current location, there are about 15 cats out at her land who
have only ever met Brin, the cat-friendly pit bull, and who are used to having
free reign across all her of her land. She is terrified of what might happen to her cats if she brings Viktor, Kali, and Nadya out there, and so am I.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These dogs are cat-killers, through no
fault of their own. We took these dogs in because they were abandoned and mistreated, although since we are cat people, it is proving quite a heartbreaking hardship. If anyone is interested in adopting them (or knows someone
who might be), please leave me a comment and let me know. All three are fixed, have had their shots, and are on heartworm preventative. <b>Please share this post and help me get the word out.</b> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Annie Nimityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722342397108168476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340516159771735791.post-68676298794184594932014-01-19T19:41:00.000-05:002014-01-19T19:41:08.320-05:00Showing my Floridian roots.<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I took Mochi for a walk down along the <a href="http://www.traillink.com/trail/little-econ-greenway.aspx" target="_blank">Little Econ Greenway</a> yesterday. The high was 52F. I wore a couple of sweaters, and this is how Mochi was decked out:
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady007/mo2_zps2a045000.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo mo2_zps2a045000.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady007/mo2_zps2a045000.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady007/mo1_zps1330f8e0.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo mo1_zps1330f8e0.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady007/mo1_zps1330f8e0.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
Honestly, Mochi probably would have been just fine without the coat (having a built-in one and all), but here in Florida, I rarely get the chance to bust out my own winter wear, let alone the dog's. That's not to say that I'm feeling overly nostalgic for cold weather. I mean, I was excited when the polar vortex made it cold enough to actually wear my lovely little dark green riding hood coat a few times... but I am already ready for this Florida "winter" to be over and done with.</span></center>
<center style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady008/greenrrhood_zps1b2906e6.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo greenrrhood_zps1b2906e6.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady008/greenrrhood_zps1b2906e6.jpg" /></a><br />It really is a rich dark green and I am really not a funky shade of orange; the lighting in my bathroom is terrible. Also, I need to clean my mirror.</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll be graduating with my MA in a few months, and as such have started looking for jobs. Given that I am looking for teaching positions, this isn't really the best time of year for job postings as most fall-starts aren't going to be listed for a few more months yet. Or at least that's what I tell myself. Last fall I submitted my application for a really good 1-2 year position overseas. There are a large number of positions available, so even though it's competitive, chances are good. Still, as I selected the former Soviet Union as the region to which I would like to be sent, I just keep thinking how cold it will be. So I've started applying for jobs in the southeastern US. (I figure I'll go with whichever good job offer contacts me first and let fate deal with the <a href="http://internationalcatladyofmystery.blogspot.com/2013/09/mixed-feelings.html" target="_blank">should-I-stay-or-should-I-go problem</a>). There aren't many full-time positions in the ESL field if you're looking to stay out of the public school system, and I really am hoping that there will be more openings posted in a couple of months. Still, in the past couple of weeks I've applied for four jobs (three in Florida, one in Georgia), all of which would be good jobs (although two would be most excellent). I've found myself browsing real estate in the areas where these jobs are located. Real estate! Looking for jobs stateside? Browsing real estate ads? Longing for warmth? I seem to have gotten old overnight. Not that a job in the US would stop me from vacationing in places like, say, <a href="http://www.youngpioneertours.com/dprk-tours/" target="_blank">North Korea</a>...</span></center>
Annie Nimityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722342397108168476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340516159771735791.post-56389489081753811622014-01-13T16:43:00.000-05:002014-01-19T12:30:28.088-05:00An explanation of feral cats and TNR<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve been meaning to write this post for a long time now,
but I’ve been pretty busy this past year. This topic came up sometime in the
spring semester of last year (I think; it’s been a while). I was talking with a
friend of mine – an intelligent, well-educated guy – and he wanted to know how
I could support trap-neuter-release (TNR) programs while at the same time
becoming violently angry towards people who abandoned their animals. After
realizing that I needed to provide him (and as I said, he’s an intelligent and
educated fellow, if not well-versed in feline terminology) with an explanation
of what a feral cat really is and how a *good* TNR program should work, it
occurred to me that I should write a post on this topic. However, I’ve been
busy, and am only just now getting around to writing it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So… <b>what is a feral
cat?</b> A feral cat is a cat that was born in the wild (or on
the streets), and grew up without any human contact. A feral cat that has
reached adulthood knows how to fend for itself, especially when it comes to
finding food. <b>A feral cat is NOT a stray
or abandoned housecat.</b> While many cat owners have noticed that their feline
companions are skilled hunters, the vast majority of domestic housecats that
have spent their lives in human care would stand little chance of surviving on
their own in the wild. If cats are not socialized around humans as kittens, there
is little chance that they will ever become socialized to the point that they
are adoptable. As such, when feral cats are picked up by animal control in
places that lack a TNR program, the feral cats are typically euthanized as soon
as allowed by law. If feral kittens are acquired at a young enough age
(generally six months or less), they can be tamed; however, this can take
months – and a lot of work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady005/charlie_zps80086e2c.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo charlie_zps80086e2c.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady005/charlie_zps80086e2c.jpg" /></a></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is Charlie.</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Charlie was a feral kitten. She was approximately four
months old when I caught her. She bit the crap out of me. I’m still amazed that
I was able to hang onto her long enough to get her into my apartment. She was
terrified, and hid under my bed for two months. It was several more months
before I could pet her. She’s now nearly four years old, fat, spoiled, and
content – but it’s very rare that she lets anyone other than me pet her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady005/sava_zps84d1508a.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo sava_zps84d1508a.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady005/sava_zps84d1508a.jpg" /></a><br />This is Sava.</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sava was also a feral kitten that my mom and I acquired in
late 2008. She was probably four or five months old when we got her, and she
was completely terrified of humans. While she will now let us pet her
(especially when we’re putting out food), she has never been, and no doubt
never will be, a super-friendly snuggler.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady005/buddy_zps547a398b.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo buddy_zps547a398b.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady005/buddy_zps547a398b.jpg" /></a><br />This is Buddy.</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Buddy was a full grown adult male when I trapped him in
2009. He was completely feral, terrified, and furious. I kept him in my
bathroom for about six months, in an attempt to get him accustomed to me. After
six months of getting hissed and snarled at every time I needed to use the bathroom,
I gave up and relocated him out to my mom’s land. He will now (after five
years!) come to within a few feet of me, and as of mid-January 2014 he began allowing my mom to pet him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Trap-neuter-release programs are designed to return healthy,
vaccinated, neutered feral cats to the environment in which they are accustomed
to living. A good TNR program would never trap, neuter, and release a friendly
housecat, as such an animal would lack the skills to survive. A good TNR
program tests the cats that they have taken for communicable diseases such as
feline leukemia and feline AIDS. Cats with these diseases are euthanized in
order to prevent the spread of these diseases among the feral cat population. Additionally,
feral cats with severe injuries are euthanized. However, a good TNR program
keeps and socializes feral kittens that are young enough to be socialized and
then put up for adoption. A good TNR program not only spays/neuters and tests
for diseases, but also vaccinates the cats against rabies and feline leukemia,
and doses them with a dewormer. In this way, the cats that are released back
into the wild are healthy, vaccinated against future illness, and unable to
reproduce. Keep in mind that these are cats that are accustomed to living in
the wild, without contact with humans. These are wild animals, skilled at
living in the wild, and terrified of humans. If caught by a good TNR program,
they will be released as healthy, vaccinated, and sterile creatures that will
be able to live out the remainder of their lives in the manner to which they
are accustomed. Lastly, prior to release, a good TNR program will notch the cat’s
ear. This ear-notch signifies that the cat has been neutered and vaccinated as
part of a TNR program. Some good TNR programs also operate ‘cat colonies’ –
areas in which the cats can be released in safety, fed through feeding
stations, and monitored at a distance for health issues. (While this is an
ideal situation for many ferals, such colonies are often expensive to manage,
and very few exist in the grand scheme of things.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady005/earnotch_zps2696fb92.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo earnotch_zps2696fb92.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady005/earnotch_zps2696fb92.jpg" /></a></span></center>
<center>
</center>
<center>
</center>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Notice I prefaced many of my sentences with the phrase “a
good TNR program.” A lot of people who don’t know anything about cats – like the
guy I mentioned in my opening paragraph – simply assume that TNR is a program
for any homeless cat. <b>Just because a cat
is homeless (and even scared to approach an unknown human) does <u>not</u> mean
that it is feral</b>. Trapping, neutering, and dumping a friendly housecat is
an inhumane act. (Charlie may have once been a feral kitten, but I’ve seen her
lazy fat ass try to catch lizards – and fail miserably. She couldn’t make it in
the wild; she’d be sitting around waiting for the food bowl to appear.) A good
TNR program will examine every animal prior to release in order to determine if
it is a scared, lost housecat or a true feral. Programs that simply perform the
basic trap-neuter-release functions without testing for diseases or vaccinating
the animals are rare, and are usually run by well-meaning individuals who don’t
know any better. However, the best and most humane way for a TNR operation to
work is for the animals to be healthy and vaccinated prior to release.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you notice that there are <b><u>feral</u></b> cats in your neighborhood and they don’t have notched
ears, there are several things that you can do. If you call your local animal
control, find out what they do with captured feral cats. As I mentioned
previously, many animal control facilities simply euthanize feral cats. If your
local animal control euthanizes ferals, see if there is a TNR program in your
area. If there isn’t, you can perform the TNR function yourself: trap the cat
using a <a href="http://www.havahart.com/store/live-animal-traps/1099" target="_blank">humane trap</a>. Take the cat to the vet. If the cat tests negative for
FeLV and FIV, have the cat spayed/neutered, vaccinated against rabies and FeLV,
de-wormed, and have his ear notched. Release the cat in the area where you
found him. You may wish to leave a dish of catfood out for the kitty to make
his/her life easier. If you see feral cats in your neighborhood that have notched
ears, in all likelihood the cats are fine. Keep an eye out in case the cat is
ever injured, and you may wish to leave a dish of catfood out :-)</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Annie Nimityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722342397108168476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340516159771735791.post-61852226426767686492014-01-11T13:19:00.000-05:002014-01-11T13:19:18.191-05:00Doggie Deliveries<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After the catastrophe with <a href="http://internationalcatladyofmystery.blogspot.com/2014/01/what-shitty-day.html" target="_blank">little Loki breaking his leg last Friday</a>, I didn't think he would be going to his new home that weekend. I knew he would need a lot of follow-up care, but as I didn't know the people who had been planning to adopt him, I didn't know if they would be willing to provide all the necessary follow-up care. In fact, after <a href="http://internationalcatladyofmystery.blogspot.com/2013/12/southeast-georgia-animal-hell-animal.html" target="_blank">my experiences in Georgia during December</a>, I was fairly convinced that they wouldn't even want him.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My dad drove over to Orlando from Tampa last Saturday to collect Molly. Initially, she was terrified of him. As in she totally freaked out and pissed herself, then ran and hid, shaking, under the bed. She'd never shown any signs of being in the least frightened of me, my mother, or of Lois (the president of <a href="http://brantleyanimalrescuecoalition.weebly.com/" target="_blank">BARC</a> who had administered their first vaccines), so this was quite a surprise. I suspect that she was mistreated by a man sometime before we found them. Luckily, she got over her initial fright very quickly.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady003/dd1_zpsdf6b0ec4.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo dd1_zpsdf6b0ec4.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady003/dd1_zpsdf6b0ec4.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady003/dadpup2_zps6d4b4cbb.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo dadpup2_zps6d4b4cbb.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady003/dadpup2_zps6d4b4cbb.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady003/dd2_zpsb9a55975.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo dd2_zpsb9a55975.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady003/dd2_zpsb9a55975.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That evening, I heard from the woman who had agreed to adopt Loki - she definitely still wanted him, despite his injury and the follow up care that he would need. Additionally, it turned out that her other dog only had three legs, so even if he never fully regained all use of his leg, he would fit right in. This was such a relief, and such an unexpected surprise. It's always reassuring to discover that there are folks out there who are willing to care as much for animals as I am. On Sunday, I drove Loki over to Clearwater, where I met his new family - human, canine, and feline. I miss the little guy, but he will have a blast over there, and I know they will take excellent care of him.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady003/dd3_zps9806d6ed.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo dd3_zps9806d6ed.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady003/dd3_zps9806d6ed.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady003/dd4_zpscadb5578.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo dd4_zpscadb5578.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady003/dd4_zpscadb5578.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since I was in the area, I stopped by my dad's to see how Molly was getting along. She was definitely racing around the house like she owned the place, snuggling with her new humans, and trying really hard to get the cats to play with her (they weren't so into it).
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady003/dd5_zps59a21bf1.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo dd5_zps59a21bf1.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady003/dd5_zps59a21bf1.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady004/dd7_zpsbf42d4ed.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo dd7_zpsbf42d4ed.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady004/dd7_zpsbf42d4ed.jpg" /></a><br />Molly and my brother</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/internationalcatlady003/dd6_zps4fe4aff4.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo dd6_zps4fe4aff4.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/internationalcatlady003/dd6_zps4fe4aff4.jpg" /></a><br />Here Molly's playing with Harley, a cat my dad adopted from me when I lived in GA in 2009.</span></center>
Annie Nimityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722342397108168476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340516159771735791.post-13344443293045558252014-01-03T21:13:00.000-05:002014-01-03T21:13:05.439-05:00What a shitty day.<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Charlie got all discombobulated by the return to Orlando combined with the fact that I'd brought two puppies with me (who were supposed to be delivered to their new homes in the Tampa area on Sunday). She somehow wedged herself in behind the dishwasher and then couldn't figure out how to get out. I have baby gates to keep the dogs from going where they're not supposed to, and had set one up to keep them from bothering me while I lay on the floor attempting to coax the kitty out from behind the dishwasher. Loki, of course, has been climbing baby gates like a pro since the day I brought him home. My mom had even joked that if he wasn't careful, he was going to break a leg. In his hurry to try and get to me (and I feel guilty because he was trying to get to me and I was yelling at him not to climb the gate) he fell... and somehow managed to fracture the hell out of one of his back legs. He spent all day at the vet, had surgery, had a pin installed, and is now in a crate whining pathetically. (I ended up having to unscrew the dishwasher from the counter and haul it out from under the counter in order to free the cat. She is fine.)
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/leglok4_zps6cf5e5bb.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo leglok4_zps6cf5e5bb.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/leglok4_zps6cf5e5bb.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/leglok3_zps846e7501.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo leglok3_zps846e7501.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/leglok3_zps846e7501.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I didn't want to man-handle his leg, but you can kind of see the sutures.</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/leglok1_zpsb09a6085.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo leglok1_zpsb09a6085.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/leglok1_zpsb09a6085.jpg" /></span></a></center>
Annie Nimityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09711448646226959206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340516159771735791.post-67521004434002208652013-12-31T19:16:00.001-05:002013-12-31T19:16:26.698-05:00Southeast Georgia: Animal Hell… Animal Hope?<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Someone in Florida asked me something the other day along
the lines of ‘Is the situation with animals in your part of Georgia really as
bad as it seems from your facebook posts?’ Sadly, yes. Yes, it is. In fact,
it’s probably worse. Animal Control services in this area are limited or
non-existent (depending on the county), shelters and rescues are overwhelmed,
and one has to drive an hour or more to access low-cost spay/neuter clinics. But
the real problem, in my opinion, is the culture. My mom was speaking to some
sheriff’s deputies the other day about this and they said ‘We’ve got a real dog
problem around here.’ Her response was ‘No. We’ve got a people problem around
here.’ And it’s true.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In early December my mom emailed me about a disabled dog
that had appeared in her yard (its back legs were paralyzed, although it could
drag itself about with its front legs). She called local Animal Control and was
told that they had already been called out because of this dog and had spoken
to its owner. They said they would come out later that day and talk to the
owner again. They told my mom where the dog lived and <i>she</i> took it home. The ‘owner’ told my mom that the dog had been
abandoned with her by someone who was now refusing to take responsibility for
it. The dog appeared in my mom’s yard the following week and she again returned
it to its ‘owner.’ On December 19<sup>th</sup>, I found the dog sitting in the
middle of the road about half a block from where I knew it lived, and I carried
it back to its ‘home.’ The poor thing was sweet as can be, but had absolutely
no use of its hind legs, and had raw spots on the back legs from where they
dragged the ground. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I went back with my camera… the ‘owner’ came out shouting at
me about how I needed to get the hell off her property right then because I was
trespassing (I was outside her fence on the public right-of-way). My response
was that she needed to do something about the dog because keeping it like that
was inhumane. She told me the same story she had told my mom about the dog
being abandoned with her, and said that she had no money for vet care, or a
wheelchair for the dog, or even to have it euthanized. I offered to take it and
have it euthanized, saying that I would pay for it. She hemmed and hawed and
said she didn’t want to do that because it was such a sweet dog. I offered to
share its picture on facebook with my animal rescue connections, and she
agreed. <br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/para_zps046fecc5.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo para_zps046fecc5.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/para_zps046fecc5.jpg" /></a></center>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I shared the dog’s pictures on facebook with the following
caption: <i><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">This dog was abandoned at the home of one of my mom's
neighbors, and her owner refuses to take responsibility for it. My mom's
neighbor is broke and unemployed and while she is feeding this dog, she can't
afford any vet care. The dog is elderly (in her teens) and has lost all use of
her back legs and has no muscles in her back end, so it is atrophied as a
result. She drags herself around, and has rubbed her back feet raw doing so.
Mom's neighbor does not want her euthanized (I offered to pay if she did).
Local Animal Control is aware of this and have been out several times. Mom's
neighbor doesn't want it to be taken by local animal control because she knows
it will be euthanized. This dog is incredibly sweet, and really needs a loving
home where she can live out her final days with quality care. Unfortunately,
neither my mom nor I are able to take her. CAN SOMEONE HELP???? At the very
least, please share this album. Thank you.</span></i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Notice how I didn’t mention anything about how the dog was
always out in the street or in neighbors’ yards, or about the woman’s
confrontational attitude. I didn’t even mention her name. Well, this being a
small town, one of my friends is one of her facebook friends, so she saw the
post. And totally flipped her lid. Here I was trying to help her, and her
response was to post on my friend’s thread about what a liar I was and how I
had never offered to help her and how she did really want to have the dog
euthanized, but didn’t have the money. (In my opinion, if you have the money to
chain smoke your way through a 30 minute conversation, you have the money to
pay for euthanasia.) She then sent me two incredibly nasty facebook messages
calling me a liar and a bitch, accusing me of slander, and threatening to have
me arrested if I trespassed on her property (*cough* public right-of-way *cough*) again, and sent an equally nasty
facebook message to my mom. The messages did, however, say that she would have
the dog euthanized the next day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We saw it on December 26th, nearly a full week later,
sitting in a different neighbor’s yard. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s not an animal
problem; it’s a people problem.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On December 23rd, as I was driving from my house to my
mom’s, I saw a sad, skinny puppy sitting in the middle of the road in the rain.
I pulled up next to it, and got out. It shrank away from me in terror. I coaxed
him over to me and picked him up, and he clung to me. I went to three houses in
the neighborhood. One house said they thought the puppy lived at a place down
the road. I went to said house to be told no, it wasn’t theirs, but they’d seen
it around the past couple of days. I went to the place across from them; no, it
wasn’t theirs. They’d called Animal Control, but no one had come out. I took
him home. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/loki_zps06f74529.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo loki_zps06f74529.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/loki_zps06f74529.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Loki at his first trip to the vet.</span></center>
<center>
<br /></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/loki2_zpsae79e289.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo loki2_zpsae79e289.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/loki2_zpsae79e289.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Loki in my room</span></center>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I took him to the vet, got him his shots, had him de-wormed,
got him some antibiotics for the infected cut on his rump, and posted pictures of
him on facebook. Through the modern miracle of social networking, I was able to
arrange for him to be adopted by my uncle’s ex-wife, a woman I had not had any
contact with since I was an infant. <b>Sometimes
people can be the solution, if only they are willing to try.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Christmas morning as my mom and I were driving back from
feeding the horses (meaning that we were out in the country), I spotted a
Budwiser box on its side, with puppies huddled in a pile in the weeds in front
of it. We stopped and went back. Yep, they’d been dumped. Five skinny little
puppies, about six weeks old, dumped on the side of the road in a Budwiswer box
on Christmas morning.<b> This isn’t a dog
problem; this is a people problem. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/allpups2_zps31b6f8e8.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo allpups2_zps31b6f8e8.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/allpups2_zps31b6f8e8.jpg" /></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The five puppies when we first got them home.</span></center>
<center>
<br /></center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve mentioned before that my mom is 69 years old, lives
alone, works full time (as a teacher, so she does NOT have a lot of money), and
already has a ton of animals (two horses, eight dogs, and about 25 cats – all
rescues, all fixed, all vetted). The addition of one puppy to the mix was
stressful but doable. Five was not really feasible at all, but we couldn’t just
leave them there. I posted a quick picture on facebook with a short, panicked
rant about our situation. By that evening a local rescue (<a href="http://brantleyanimalrescuecoalition.weebly.com/">BARC</a>)
had contacted me with an offer of assistance. They offered to pay for vet care
and to try and find foster homes for the puppies. Within three days, the
puppies had gotten their first shots and had been wormed (and boy did they need
that wormer, wow), and four of them had been placed in foster homes. And puppy
number five? My dad had seen her picture and decided to adopt her. (If you're interested in adopting one, <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brantley-Animal-Rescue-Coalition-BARC/122216971193512">please contact BARC</a></b>.)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/allpups_zps744323a6.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo allpups_zps744323a6.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/allpups_zps744323a6.jpg" /></a></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The puppies after 3 days in our care</span></center>
<center>
<br /></center>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/molly2_zps57dcfb09.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo molly2_zps57dcfb09.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/molly2_zps57dcfb09.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The puppy my dad is adopting</span></center>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>People can be the solution. </b>My mom and I could’ve just
driven past those puppies. Between the worms, the lack of food, and the cold,
wet weather, and their proximity to the road, they would probably be dead by now. But we didn’t drive by. Instead,
they’re healthy, cared for, and on their way to having loving, permanent homes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>People can be the
solution</b>, but right now those of us who are part of the solution are
hopelessly outnumbered. Just take a look at some of the animals found by local
area rescues in the same time period during which I was dealing with six
puppies and a paralyzed dog:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/other2_zpsc36bdf9f.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo other2_zpsc36bdf9f.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/other2_zpsc36bdf9f.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">This one was abandoned at a loca apartment complex. Apparently its
jaw had broken and had never been set, so it ‘healed’ like this. (</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=572073739541164&set=a.124631564285386.30835.122216971193512" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">From here</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">.)</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></center>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/other1_zps12ca5a79.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo other1_zps12ca5a79.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/other1_zps12ca5a79.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">This is one of <b>three</b> Great Danes surrendered by a backyard
breeder who decided she didn’t want them anymore. They had apparently never
been to a vet before. (</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=572076602874211&set=a.124631564285386.30835.122216971193512" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">From here</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">.)</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></center>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/other3_zpsb037a039.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo other3_zpsb037a039.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/other3_zpsb037a039.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">This one was rescued from a local Animal Control facility. (</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=570509303030941&set=a.124631564285386.30835.122216971193512" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">From here</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">.)</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></center>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/other5_zps1d0bd4db.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo other5_zps1d0bd4db.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/other5_zps1d0bd4db.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Another starving stray found on the side of the road. (</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10202155561164237&set=a.1120442664994.19202.1644896042" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">From here</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">.)</span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></center>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/other4_zps217e2089.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo other4_zps217e2089.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/other4_zps217e2089.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">This poor injured cat had been dumped in this condition in a
convenience store parking lot. It had to be euthanized, but at least it is no
longer suffering. (</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=391513517651890&set=a.120637574739487.21562.100003797347594" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">From here</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">.)</span></center>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And that’s just a sample of what went on down here in just <b>ONE WEEK</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are some wonderful people (such as the ones working
with the animals posted above) who are working their tails off trying to help
as many animals down here as they can… but they can only do so much against the
tide of indifference and cruelty that animals down here face. <b>If you are not part of the solution, you
are part of the problem.</b> If you drive past the starving or injured animal
you see on the side of the road and do nothing, you are part of the problem. If
you do not get your animal spayed or neutered (for ANY reason), you are part of
the problem. If you abandon an animal (for ANY reason), you are a part of the
problem. If you have an injured animal and refuse to pay for vet care while
spending money on cigarettes, you are part of the problem. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How can you become
part of the solution?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Don’t just drive by
abandoned/injured animals.</b> If you can take them in – even temporarily – do
so. With modern social networking technologies, you may very well be able to
find homes for them among friends, family, and acquaintances, or you may find
an animal rescue willing to take them. Another option is to set up an
appointment to bring them to a local animal control facility. If the animal is
severely injured, $35 will end its suffering. That’s how much it costs to
euthanize an animal at my vet. I hate to see an animal die, but it’s even worse
leaving it to die a slow and painful death on its own. If you cannot pick up
the animal (and I do understand that it is not always possible, although keep
in mind there is a difference between ‘impossible’ and ‘inconvenient’), call
local animal control. (Keep in mind that in many areas – such as southeast GA –
animal control facilities, shelters, and rescues are limited in size and
funding and tend to be overloaded. Rely on them as a last resort.) If there is
no animal control in your area (or even if there is), use your phone, take
a picture of the animal, and share its information on facebook. Provide local and
nationwide rescue organizations with the animal’s location and picture; spread
the word amongst your family and friends that there's an animal in need of help.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Support local animal
shelters, rescues, and humane societies.</b> A while back I wrote a really long
post about how to donate and support local shelters wisely, <b><a href="http://internationalcatladyofmystery.blogspot.com/2011/12/so-you-wanna-help-animals.html">click here to read it</a></b>. (Don’t just give money blindly; do your research and make sure you’re
supporting an organization that will make good use of your money. You can also
support local shelters, rescues, and humane societies by volunteering your
time, either at their facilities, as a foster, as a fund-raiser, as a
webmaster, as a photographer, and so on.) <b>Do
not</b> donate to the Humane Society of the United States; donate locally to
ensure that your money goes to the animals that need it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR
PETS.</b> I cannot stress this enough. If you can’t afford the surgery at your
local vet clinic, do a google search for low cost spay/neuter services in your
area. Even if the closest service is an hour or so away (as it is here), it is
much cheaper to make the drive than to deal with the expense of puppies or
kittens later on. In some areas there may also be local services that provide
transport for the animals to low/cost clinics for those folks who can’t take
the day off work to make the drive. Even if you’re keeping your animal inside
at all times and it is not around animals of the opposite sex, you should still
get it fixed. I love cats and dogs…. but cats in heat are loud, obnoxious, and
pee on everything. Dogs in heat bleed. Intact male dogs and cats spray
EVERYTHING. Get your pet fixed, and you won’t have to deal with these problems!
Not to mention that if something happens and your ‘indoor only’ pet gets out… Well, you can figure out what happens! I’ve heard a lot of people say, ‘Well, he can’t get pregnant, so I’m not going
to waste the money.’ True, he can’t get pregnant, but how do you think all the
female cats and dogs get knocked up? If you’re not getting your male dog or cat fixed
because he can’t get pregnant, you’re part of the problem.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/lannisterspay_zpsb74da4fa.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo lannisterspay_zpsb74da4fa.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/lannisterspay_zpsb74da4fa.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A spay/neuter message for Game of Thrones fans :-)</span></center>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And for the love of god,<b>
do not abandon your animals. </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are in Southeast Georgia, I highly recommend the <b><a href="http://brantleyanimalrescuecoalition.weebly.com/">Brantley Animal Rescue Coalition (BARC)</a></b>
as a wonderful organization to support, whether via donation or through
fostering or other services. If you need to get a pet spayed or neutered, <b><a href="http://www.hsscg.org/programs/clinic.html">The Humane Society of South Coastal Georgia</a></b> in Brunswick, GA and <b><a href="http://www.fcnmhp.org/pets-strays/spay-neuter-programs/">No More Homeless Pets</a></b> in Jacksonville, FL offer low-cost spay/neuter/vaccine services, and the <b><a href="http://rccah.org/">River City Animal Hospital</a></b> of Jacksonville, FL provides a
mobile spay/neuter/vaccine clinic which serves northeast Florida and southeast
Georgia. If you are in or near Waycross, <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/lilly.simeoni">this lovely lady</a></b> can help to arrange transport for your animals to the nearest low-cost spay/neuter
clinics.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And to leave this post on a high note, here’s an absolutely
hilarious picture of Mochi playing with the puppy that will soon be living in
Clearwater, FL with my uncle’s ex-wife: </span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/mochiloki_zps8f916f13.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo mochiloki_zps8f916f13.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/mochiloki_zps8f916f13.jpg" /></a></center>
Annie Nimityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09711448646226959206noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340516159771735791.post-88279803312908110632013-12-10T20:42:00.001-05:002013-12-10T20:42:20.089-05:003/4 Done!<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My third semester in the MA TESOL program has just come to a
close. I have just one more semester and I will have my MA and be done with
school for a while. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This semester I taught my first university level classes:
mainly juniors and seniors; mainly education majors; all native or fluent
English speakers. I had worried that while I loved teaching EFL/ESL, I wouldn’t
enjoy teaching future teachers about second language acquisition and how to
teach ESOL students. I needn’t have worried; I loved it. I had a really great
time with my classes, and I hope I have students next semester who are as fun
to teach as these guys were. I should also have a much lighter workload next
semester, as I won’t be making PowerPoints from scratch for every single
lesson; I’ll just be tweaking the ones I made this semester.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My experiences teaching this semester have changed my
outlook on the future a bit. I used to think, ‘Why bother getting a PhD? I don’t
want to be a university professor.’ Except that now I kind of do. And I didn’t
go the thesis track. It seems that everybody says, ‘Oh, if you want a PhD, you absolutely
must write a thesis for your MA’ and maybe that’s true. Maybe it’s not. The
thing is, I don’t want to get my PhD in TESOL. If I were to shoot for a PhD, it
would be in Sociolinguistics – and it would be at a different school. I didn’t
want to write a thesis for the MA because I came to this program wanting to
learn more about how to become a better ESOL teacher, not to conduct research. Oddly
enough, this semester I took a sociolinguistics course, and ended up getting
really into my research on language policy in Kyrgyzstan – and I’m hoping to
get my paper published. Here’s hoping that if I do apply for any PhD programs
and I get dinged for not having written a thesis, a published article will
suffice. You know, assuming it gets published. I guess we’ll see what the
future brings. Were I to apply to a PhD program, it wouldn’t be for a year or
so anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m heading up to GA for the next three weeks. I’m actually
going to be pretty busy designing a curriculum for a baseball-themed EFL
program for a major league baseball team’s training center in the Caribbean.
Which should be interesting, given my general lack of knowledge of baseball. I’m
also taking a fairly large dog up to GA with me, in addition to Mochi and
Charlie, as I’ll be pet-sitting her over the break. That’s going to make for an
interesting car ride there and back, let me tell you. Sigh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lastly, vimeo seems to be letting me keep my
Kyrgyzstan-is-Middle-Earth video online, so check it out:</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br /></div>
<center>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="294" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/81514625" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe></center>
Annie Nimityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722342397108168476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340516159771735791.post-28441111673250501242013-12-09T17:37:00.003-05:002013-12-09T17:37:37.305-05:00All of the K-stan adventures are online!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In case you haven't been following my posts from my summer adventures in Kyrgyzstan, they are now ALL online, and you can check them out <b><a href="http://catladyinkyrgyzstan.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">by clicking here</a></b>. Or, if you don't wish to wade through all of my posts from this summer, at the very least check out <b><a href="http://catladyinkyrgyzstan.blogspot.com/2013/11/rural-kyrgyzstans-water-woes.html" target="_blank">Rural Kyrgyzstan's Water Woes</a></b> and <b><a href="http://catladyinkyrgyzstan.blogspot.com/2013/12/religion-in-kyrgyzstan.html" target="_blank">Religion in Kyrgyzstan</a></b>, as they provide a look into some aspects of life in Kyrgyzstan that are very different from the lives of most of you who read this blog. And, in honor of the next installment of The Hobbit (which will be out in just a few days!!!), I've thrown together a video showcasing how Kyrgyzstan really is, in fact, Middle Earth, no matter what New Zealand says. YouTube won't let me host it, as apparently it's a copyright infringement, so <b><a href="http://www.janekeeler.com/mmkstan.wmv" target="_blank">click here</a></b> to download it directly. Enjoy!</span></div>
Annie Nimityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722342397108168476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340516159771735791.post-82249024572397728322013-12-04T23:33:00.001-05:002013-12-04T23:33:37.796-05:00Six surprising things I learned/realized while living abroad.<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After reading <a href="http://thoughtcatalog.com/michael-koh/2013/11/16-people-on-things-they-couldnt-believe-about-america-until-they-moved-here/" target="_blank"><b>these really interesting things that non-Americans couldn’t believe about the US until they actually came here and experienced life in the US for themselves</b></a>, I felt inspired to write about some
of the surprising things that I learned/realized while living overseas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The US does not have
the best healthcare in the world. Nor does it have the worst</b>. With the
debate about healthcare that’s been in the news over the past several years, I’ve
heard tons of people say things like ‘the US has the best healthcare in the
world’ (often followed by ‘and we don’t want Obamacare to ruin it’). I’ve heard
tons of people going on about how countries with nationalized healthcare plans have
awful healthcare, while what we have is The Best in the World. It’s not. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I haven’t been to every country in the world, and a lot of
the places I’ve been to do have worse healthcare systems than the US – often far
worse. But not all of them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">South Korea’s national healthcare plan is wonderful.
Everyone is on it. If you’re living in South Korea and working legally, you
will have access to health insurance. If you don’t have health insurance, the
costs are actually still quite affordable. Access to same-day healthcare (for
things both minor and major) is easily available without having to go to an ER,
and the technology and medical treatments available are state of the art. Koreans
simply do not understand why healthcare costs so much in the US, even with
health insurance. The cost of healthcare here for uninsured folks in the US is
simply inexplicable to them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the other hand, if you’ve ever spent time in a developing
country, you’ll know that we here in the US are very lucky that at the very
least we can go to a clean and competent ER if we fall ill, and the hospital
will be obligated to stabilize you at the very least (if you lack insurance).
In many countries, this option is unavailable, as the money for modern
facilities and trained medical professionals is lacking. We don’t have the best
in the world, but we are far from the bottom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Reliable, fast,
frequent, and cheap public transportation is a wonderful thing</b>. We have a
terrible public transportation infrastructure in the US. Unless you live in one
of a handful of big cities in the US, you are not going to have access to
decent public transport. Many large cities (such as Orlando, where I currently
reside) do have a semi-decent bus system, but buses come roughly once an hour,
are incredibly slow, and you may very well have to walk a long way to reach the
nearest stop. This makes life really difficult for people without cars. If you
don’t live in a large city, you must have a car, because your only other option
is a taxi or bumming a ride off a friend. I never really considered this a
problem until I went overseas – specifically to South Korea. I have traveled
all over the Korean peninsula by means of bus and train. It’s cheap, it’s fast,
it’s easy, and you can do it even if you speak very little Korean. I wish I
could hop a train for the cost of a tank of gas and get to my mom’s in a
fraction of the time it would take me to drive there, but that’s not an option
here. Once, when I was in college, I looked into taking Greyhound home (from TN
to FL) for Christmas. It would have taken 25 hours, and it would have cost more
than a plane ticket. That’s absurd! Meanwhile, I can get from one end of South
Korea to the other in just a few hours (by train) for under $50, and I can do
it for far less if I go by bus (although then travel time can be affected by
traffic).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>American toilets are
wonderful</b>. Our toilets enable us to sit down. They have bowls filled with
water. I’d never really thought about this before my first trip to Russia, but
when you poop into that water, the water covers the smell. In Russia (and in
many parts of the former Soviet Union), many of the sit-down toilets in people’s
homes, in dorms, and in businesses have a ledge inside the bowl. You poop, and
your shit sits on this ledge until you flush, at which point a stream of water
washes your poop off the ledge and down the drain. There is no nice covering of
water over your poop, which makes the whole experience much stinkier.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, sit-down toilets are not a world-wide thing. They’re
not even a Russia-wide thing. I encountered my first squatter in Moscow at
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All-Russia_Exhibition_Centre" target="_blank">VDNKh</a>. I walked into the only open stall and saw a hole in the floor. Not a
ceramic squatter of the kind common in many countries, but a hole in the floor in the center
of the stall. I thought that the toilet in that stall was missing (and this may
well have been the case), so I retreated and waited for another stall to open.
Imagine my surprise when the next woman to enter the bathroom went into that
stall and used the hole! Then the next stall opened, and it, too, had only a
hole. I have since used squatters ranging from holes in the floor to fancy,
gleaming porcelain basins, to holes in a concrete slab over a large sewage pit,
to wooden squatters over hand-dug pits. I’m really good at squatting now,
but trust me, I much prefer to be able to sit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Voice mail is not a
universal phenomenon</b>. Here in the US, when someone calls your phone it will
ring 4-6 times, and then the caller will be shunted off to your voice mail
where they can leave a message. In Kyrgyzstan, and South Korea (and, from what
I’ve heard, in many other places as well), voice mail does not exist. If
someone calls you on your cell, it will ring and ring and ring until they give
up and hang up. Not only is there no way to leave a voice message, but there is
no limit to the number of rings – there is only a limit to the caller’s
patience. And to yours, if you’re trying to avoid answering a call from a
certain persistent individual. In both of these countries, it also seems
perfectly acceptable to let the phone ring and ring and ring until the person
answers it. When I worked for the computer company in Seoul, this was so
unbelievably annoying. Someone would be away from their desk, but would have left
their phone behind. Someone else would call and it would ring for five minutes. Or
more. It’s not like the phones didn’t have caller ID (they did), or like they
didn’t accept texts (they did). The caller could have texted a message or
simply assumed that the person they were calling would see the missed call and
call them back…. But no. Letting the phone ring incessantly seemed to be the
thing to do. It drove me nuts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>All Asian kids are
not super-studious and well-behaved</b>. The myth that all Asian students are studious and well behaved has been around all of my
life, and it’s just not true – at least not in Korea at any rate. Now, granted,
Korean children and teens spend far more time in school (both in public school
and in private ‘extracurricular’ schools) than their American counterparts;
however, for the most part this is due to their parents’ desires, not to
theirs. If it were up to them, they’d be at home playing computer games, not
shuffling from private school to private school. And well-behaved? Hah. Kids
will be kids, and if you put a group of them together, they are going to act
like kids. I’ve certainly taught well-behaved Korean children and teens. I’ve
also taught some who were total hell-raisers, and many that just wanted to
gossip with their friends.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>A lot of people in
other countries think that there is no poverty in the US</b>. I don’t mean that
they think there is less poverty here than in their home country; I’ve met many
people who truly believe that there is NO poverty in the US at all. Some people
believe me when I explain to them that yes, poverty exists in the US, but some
don’t. Below are two examples of conversations I’ve had about this – although I’ve
certainly had more than two.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back in 2000 when I was studying abroad in Russia, I met a
young man whose father was, shall we say, connected to the Russian mafia. This
kid (and he was 20 or so) wore designer clothes, had a cell phone (back when no
one but Russia’s elite had cells), lived in a huge and recently remodeled
apartment in the center of St. Petersburg, and drove a Mercedes. He told me one
night that his goal in life was to become an American citizen because all
Americans were wealthy. I pointed out that he was already wealthy, and that
most Americans – myself included – were unable to afford his kind of lifestyle.
He continued to state his belief that all Americans were rich, so I explained
about how I was only able to go to college (and to Russia) because I had
received a full scholarship, and that I lived with my mom, who was working
part-time and making very little money. He became furious and began shouting at
me that I was lying. He claimed that I was just saying that because I didn’t
want foreigners coming to the US and becoming rich.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One day this summer, while I was in Kyrgyzstan, my host
mother offhandedly said, “Well, there aren’t any poor people in America.” She
was really, genuinely surprised when I said that actually yes, there are. She said,
“But I never see poor people in any American TV shows or movies!” She was
really amazed when I explained to her that we do have a poverty problem, that
there are many people who are homeless or struggling to make ends meet. While
she was far more accepting of this than the Russian guy I met back in 2000, I
did hear her tell several of her friends in an incredulous voice, “Did you know
that [Annie] says there are actually poor people in America?”</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Annie Nimityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722342397108168476noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340516159771735791.post-56669974986310245172013-12-03T22:13:00.002-05:002013-12-03T22:13:35.903-05:00Cat litter I DON'T recommend<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/terriblecatlitter_zpsb7cf683e.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo terriblecatlitter_zpsb7cf683e.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/terriblecatlitter_zpsb7cf683e.jpg" /></a></center>
<center>
<br /></center>
<center style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This stuff is TERRIBLE. I normally buy WalMart's Special Kitty clumping cat litter, as it's the cheapest clumping litter out there. And it actually works pretty well. The day I ran out of my last box of Special Kitty clumping litter, WalMart was out of it as well. This was the next cheapest available, and it's Arm & Hammer, folks you'd think would know what they're doing as far as odor control goes. Plus the whole damn box is covered with statements about how superfantastic it is at removing odor from the litter box. I call bullshit. This stuff does NOTHING to remove or reduce odor, plus it is scented. HEAVILY scented. With something that smells rather strongly like that granulated stuff they used to pour on kids' vomit back when I was in elementary school. I have the litter box in my bedroom, meaning that my bedroom now reeks. Charlie goes into the litter box and comes out smelling like this stuff. I'd rather she came out smelling like cat shit, because it would be an improvement. Plus, it does not do a damn thing to cover up the smell of cat pee. It just smells like cat pee mixed with this god awful excuse for a "fragrance." At least it does clump. I've been trying to save money, so I figure I should use the box up before buying something else, but I'm not sure how much more of this I can take. Buy at your own peril!</span></center>
Annie Nimityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722342397108168476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-340516159771735791.post-15492456912477485082013-12-02T00:53:00.000-05:002013-12-02T00:53:13.083-05:00Of sunsets, kittens, euthanasia, and head colds<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I went up to GA for the Thanksgiving holiday break. In some
ways it was not what you’d call a happy holiday, although I’ve certainly had
worse. Two of our elderly cats – Tuffy and Grey – had to be euthanized. Both of
them had chronic illnesses that had plagued them for years (and for which they
had been treated for years), but they had finally reached <i>that point</i>. Tuffy was 13, and we’d had her since she was a kitten.
Grey showed up, fully grown, on my doorstep in the fall of 2009 and had been part of our lives ever since. We have a
lot of animals, my mom and I, and as a result, we experience animal deaths more
frequently than people who only have one or two pets. I’d like to say that it
gets better with experience, but it never does. It’s been five days since we
buried Grey and Tuffy, and I’m crying typing about it. They will be missed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/greytuff_zpsb11943b2.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo greytuff_zpsb11943b2.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/greytuff_zpsb11943b2.jpg" /></a><br />Grey and Tuffy</span></center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But there’s never a shortage of homeless pets. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/sunshine_zps6d8e1810.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo sunshine_zps6d8e1810.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/sunshine_zps6d8e1810.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is Sunshine. My aunt (who lives in an assisted living
facility not far from my mom) found her in the woods by her home, and brought
her to my mom. Our home is not the best place for her, as we do have several
cats with feline leukemia, but when the only other option is tossing her out on
the street (don’t even get me started on <a href="http://theinhumanesocietyamemoir.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">the local animal control situation…</a>) I
guess it’s the best chance she’s got. She’s been vaccinated against feline
leukemia already, although she’s also developed a head cold, which we’re
keeping an eye on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For Thanksgiving proper we drove down to F’s house at Dekle
Beach. The weather was beautiful: chilly (for Florida), but with bright
sunshine and crystal clear skies. The sunset was pretty spectacular. I promptly
developed a rather nasty head cold and spent the time feeling rather wretched. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<center>
<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/internationalcatlady/media/sunset_zps7d8ca07f.jpg.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt=" photo sunset_zps7d8ca07f.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z383/internationalcatlady/sunset_zps7d8ca07f.jpg" /></span></a></center>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m back in Orlando now for the tail-end of the semester. I
have one presentation left to give and I’ll be done. I don’t even have any
finals. (I know; it confuses me, too. Don’t get me wrong, I like not having to
take finals, but not having finals just seems wrong somehow.) And speaking of
finals, I can’t leave Orlando for a few more weeks because <i>my</i> students most definitely do have finals. I don’t control their
official exam schedule, and the school has decreed that one of my sections will
take their final on the very last day of finals… and I can’t leave until they’re
done. I’m hoping that the extra free time I’ll have before going back up to GA
will enable me to get a head start on my Christmas vacation project: designing
the ESL curriculum for a major league baseball team’s training program in a
Caribbean country. I should probably point out that I know sweet fuck all about
baseball, but hey – I did order both Baseball for Dummies and the Idiot’s Guide
to Baseball. I have to have this done by the beginning of January, so it’s
definitely going to be my project for the break – unless I can get a good chunk
of it knocked out beforehand. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I only have one semester left before I AM YOUR MASTER. Er,
before I have my MA in TESOL. I’m still <a href="http://internationalcatladyofmystery.blogspot.com/2013/09/mixed-feelings.html" target="_blank">feeling fairly ambivalent about whether I stay in the US or go back overseas</a>. I’ve applied for a pretty prestigious and
rather competitive position which would definitely involve going back overseas
(most likely to somewhere in the former Soviet Union), and if I am offered said
position, I will most definitely accept. (There’s more than one ‘position,’
BTW, and chances are good – especially as they have a hard time filling their
positions in the ‘stans.) Unfortunately, even though I submitted my application
last month, I won’t hear from them until sometime ‘between early April and late
June.’ Great. Meaning that if I don’t get it, I’ll be in a bit of a bind. June
is a bit late in the year to be applying for teaching positions. However, I
really do not want to be in a position where I am telling others that I cannot
accept their job offer as I am waiting to hear from someone better, so I’ve
simply decided to hold off on the job search until I find out one way or the
other. However, I do think I will be confining said job search to the
southeastern US – maybe even to FL – if ‘the position’ falls through. I guess
we shall see.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Annie Nimityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03722342397108168476noreply@blogger.com0