I miss dreaming

I have always been a dreamer. I always dream of things I want to achieve in my lifetime but lately, I have not done a lot of dreaming. And I miss it.

It always starts with looking at pictures or hearing stories about this and that. Listening to myself helps too. What do I want to do? How do I myself with years from now?

I have always wanted to travel and here I am, thousands of miles away from my home country. I still want to visit Hawaii, China, Japan, Europe, Canada, Panama, and many more!

I have always liked studying and I wanted to go to the premiere university of the Philippines after high school. Gotcha, I graduated in 2005! Now that I am in California, I want to take further studies in UCLA or CSU or CSULA. I want continuous world-class education!

I have always wanted to marry a nice, decent, conservative, tall, and handsome guy, and I have him now. Alex is one Godsend. Even if he grew up here in the US, he is more conservative than me. He is a strong foundation of our family. We're a great team.=) And everyday, we try our best to make our relationship stronger. I cannot ask for more.

I have always wanted to have a nice house and simple car. Nothing fancy. I am a simple woman. Those are still work in progress.

I want to have a baby for Alex. I cannot imagine myself yet carrying one or breastfeeding him/her. I am not even sure if I will be a good mom. Alex will be a good dad, for sure. Because of the love that we share, I think it's not a bad idea to have a 'souvenir' of the strong bond that we share. As a matter of fact, I am excited to see how our future children would look like. Tall with black hair? Short with black hair? Hairless? Brown skin? dark brown skin? Curly or straight hair? We plan on having two - Kai and Cinzia. While I am concerned on how our children would look like, Alex is more concerned on how are they going to behave. Sigh* So serious..

Let me continue.. I dream of working at a tall and classy corporate building wearing corporate attire with pumps, light makeup, and my laptop. That is the perfect picture for my dream career. I will be well-educated (with a PhD wishfully) with a stable job at a stable and prestigious company.

Dreaming...It feels soo good. It's nice to dream because it makes you focus on what you want to achieve in your life. Dreams all start in the mind, don't they?

hey!

It's been a long time huh. Well, been going around LA for job interviews. I finally got a job in downtown. It's with an online business company. I am one of the secretaries/clerks who work closely with the owner. I like the job because it is busy and there is no idle time. There are just so many things to do.

Good news!I already passed the California Subject Exam for Teachers (CSET) and I can already teach anywhere in the state. I am actually hoping for a full-time teaching job this coming September but if I cannot, it is still okay. It is still a win-win situation for me. I already have a job. I went to a teaching job interview last Wednesday and I had a 45-minute teaching demo. Well, the experience was really good. Let us wait and see and pray.

So working in the US is not easy. I need to leave the house at 6:30am so I can make it to work at 8am. Every night, I arrive around 7am at home. By that time, I am already tired. But it's still fun to cook and press my housewife mode button whenever I get home. Alex does not arrive until around 7:30pm so I usually make sure food is ready before he arrives.

What else can I say? Well, I need a car soon. I will save up for that.

work permit and SSN aftermath

Ok, so I got my work permit in April and my social security number 2 weeks ago. Meaning, I can finally look for a job that I want! No. My work permit just simply means I need to work on my desired career and not just any other job. Since I got my work permit, I've always had at least one interview every week. Praise God for that! With the recession and rising unemployment rate in California, my pace is not bad. I give God all the glory for that.

So what is my job now? Well, I am working on becoming a certified teacher. I need to take exams and education units to reach that goal. While I am doing that, people who know me very well know that I cannot just sit down and wait. I need to do SOMETHING. I need to WORK!! So I applied and applied, resulting to interviews scheduled week after week after week.

Week 1 - I was in Oakland with my husband for a job teaching interview. The Oakland Teaching Fellows invited me for a 6-hr interview. After two weeks, they told me I am on the waiting list because the Oakland School District made some budget cuts, but they encouraged me to continue keeping in touch with them because once a slot is opened, they will offer me a teaching position.

Week 2 - I was interviewed for a Receptionist/Marketing Assistant position for a skin care clinic in Glendale. A Filipino aesthetician owned the clinic. They hired me right on the spot. It's part-time and I get to write press releases, assist in marketing, invite more clients to come and avail of our services, etc.

Week 3 - I was interviewed by a staffing company for a Receptionist position at a medical office. The doctor really wants a Filipino receptionist. The interviewer really liked me and he already oriented me how the job should be, the pay, and the employer but...I changed my mind. After all the orientation, he told me I will be working on a Saturday and it is required. I politely told him I am not able to do it for religious reasons. We called it a day. Until now, the position has not been filled up yet.

Week 3 - I went to a building near my husband's workplace. A Marketing firm called me the day before for a Receptionist position but the guy said, my personality fits more for a Marketing position. Two days later, he called me and said I got the job and I will do marketing FULL-TIME. Waaah. I do not think I still want a marketing job. Enough is enough.

Week 4 - I had an interview yesterday for a Teacher Assistant position at a school in North Hills. It's high-performing, especially in Math and Science. Out of almost 20 Teacher Assistant job applications I did last week, only this school replied. This is how hard it is to find a job right now. Anyway, the interview went well. The Principal and the School Coordinator were basically asking me about my teaching experience in Palau. They said I am qualified. They will let me know next week what are the next steps to do. The school district has requirements I need to comply. School starts in September and so I still have time to do all the tests and they still have time to do background checking.

Week 5 - Interview on Monday next week for a Hotel Clerk position. Instructional Aide Test with Burbank Unified School District on Friday.

There you go. I really do not know where will I be in the next days/weeks. Let God lead me. I enjoy doing interviews and jobhunting. How I wish there's a job that entails jobhunting and be paid for doing it forever. I would love to have that job. I love jobhunting so much, but I just hope and pray I will not get stuck doing this for a long time, unpaid and unemployed. Of course, I want to have a stable job with benefits and retirement plan.

Let us wait and see. All I can do is do my best and let God do the rest.

Ok, here are updates.

Got sick. Whew. I thought it was swine flu but thank God, it's not. I am better now except for the cough.

I have been busy studying for the CSET on May17. I hope and pray I will make it.

The trip to the north was awesome!!

I got my work permit, finally. The jobhunting is on! Well, not until after I finish the test on May17 and I hear from Oakland.

Goals/Prayers: to find a stable job and to normalize my life with Alex.

hello world!

After almost two years, I had guacamole again today. A friend made one for my lunch. It was really good. It was my first time today to actually like guacamole. Having a Hispanic husband did not work for me before, but homemade guacamole is actually good, I realized. The one I had for lunch today was better than the ones in restaurants. I have always liked avocados and so Diane and I just mashed one avocado, add a little tabasco and salsa, put a little rice vinegar, sprinkle some onions and salt and pepper, and squeeze a lime into it. That's it. My guacamole was perfect. I plan to do it at home so Alex can enjoy it too. With my guacamole was quesadilla with cheddar cheese inside. Hmmm.. It was just perfect!

Anyway, I have been busy lately. I have two, no, three major preparations to do. I will have a 6hr teaching interview on the 26th and I have an interview with the USCIS for my permanent resident status on the 30th.I will do the former in Oakland and the latter in LA. These are places in opposite directions. My mind lately was full of bus and train schedules, hotel bookings, studying, mailing registration materials to Evaluation Systems and my transcript to AERC, following up my registration/application, collecting proofs of union including pics, tax documents, and other papers that are asked for by the immigration. It was fun! I like being busy anyway. Every moment of it was worth it. I like planning and preparing for something good to happen!

And there's this CSET on May 17. Hopefully, the Evaluation Systems would approve my application for alternative testing arrangement. I really cannot take it on a Saturday.

What else? Hmmm.. A close friend and I reconnected after a slight misunderstanding a year ago. We talked for almost 30mins on the phone and it was just like the old days. She just opened an online business called Pinoy Takeout (www.pinoytakeout.com) and this is for OFWS who want to send food and/or flowers to their loved ones in Pinas. So, to all OFWS, check the website out. I personally think the business is a brilliant idea.

I have been toying on the idea of having a 2nd wedding in the Philippines when Alex and I visit Pinas. It will still be a simple one but for sure, my parents and immediate family will be there. All my friends will be invited, and it will be on a beach setting!! Originally, that was what Alex and I wanted but because of money and time constraints, we were not able to do so. I am excited to do it! Hope it will be soon!=)

Speaking of weddings, Alex and I served as emcees of the wedding reception of our friends Eden and Stan on April 5. It was cool that we were able to do it together. My husband was soo good. He made the audience laugh. He just knew what to do when he's in front of people, because he loves to be so. It's so funny that at the end of the celebration, some people asked us, "You two are good together. Are you together?" Alex said, "Yeah, shes my boss." Hahahaha

I will tell stories more next time. I will surely take pics in Oakland! Pray for me guys. I need this teaching job.=)


Eden and Stan's wedding in Riverside

just random thoughts

Man, it's already April 2! "Time flies so fast" is an understatement. I have been in California for 10 months now and I still feel like I just arrived and I am still new to the place and I just got married. Wow.

My life has been pretty messy here, though. I am still not satisfied with where Alex and I stand right now but so far, we've been blessed. We have surpassed the trials, he has an OK job, we have a church that loves us, we have things we get busy with, we have many things to look forward to. Just when I was so depressed one day, we received a letter from USCIS about our scheduled interview on April30, and two months of waiting time is blessing enough compared with 6months to 2 years for others! God is still very good to us. In my 10-month stay here, He has taught me patience because I do not have that. My friends, family, and husband know that. I wanted to work so badly though I should not. I wanted to adjust with American life right away though I have only been here for a short time and I do not even go out that much. So many things I want to do but I cannot. I am still a baby in this country. It takes time to grow up. Patience, Rica. It pays to be patient.I have been praying hard to be one and so far, God has been helping me. So happy..It has results I did not imagine to see.

April 30 would be a turning point for me. After that, the challenge of getting a job begins. The journey of getting to the real world starts. I am anxious. I do not know what will happen, what career path will I be in, who are the people I will be with, where will I be..or, will I even get a job?? In California alone, the unemployment rate is 10%. That is high. Even degree holders lost their jobs due to recession. Even government employees arent secured anymore. It's a scary reality. So many uncertainties lie ahead. To whom will I hold on to? My husband is here, very supportive, very encouraging, loving, and he's been a very good guide to me, but he cannot help me in the fulfillment of my dreams. He can encourage me all he wants but it's still me and our God who can make everything possible. I need to use my knees and have the faith that everything will get in place in His own time. I have been in this state before, when you're on a dead end and you do not know what's next to happen. Worse, you're blindfolded. At that point in 2007, God and I were holding hands on that dead end and He opened a door for me in Palau. All the while I thought I'd only stay in my home country but God did something out of the blue, a very good opportunity for me to explore the world and appreciate Him more. I feel like I am on a dead end right now, holding hands with God and waiting where He would lead me. Just like what He did to me before, I am sure He will do a beautiful surprise to me again, a life that is in tune with His will. It's about time, Lord. I cannot wait until that interview ends. I cannot wait until you'll show me where to go and what to do!!! I cannot wait! Ooops, I mean, I will wait.=)

2009 will be a challenge. Get it on!

You are Charlie Brown:
You are tender, you fall in love quickly but you are also very serious about all relationships. . You are a family person. You call your Mom every Sund ay. You have many friends and may occasionally forget a few Birthdays. Don't let your passion confuse you with reality.

This is so true!!

***

My worst week was last week. It's my worst week ever since I arrived in the USA. I was just put in a spot that I became uncomfortable with and I was in misery. Something came up that got in the way of my family. My daily routine was ruined and that results to me freaking out.

I hope this week will be a better week. Please, Lord..