Sunday, February 12, 2012

Home on the Range

It's surprisingly cold today; since getting back from England, it's been really nice (up to 75 degrees F and sunny some days!) but today it snowed. It was like being in a snow globe.


Life in Texas is a bit different than England. I re-learned how to drive, now make my own tea, and try to pay in dollars and cents again! There are more of my own clothes and books to chose from and all kinds of Tex-Mex food. Things are spacier here and I can run two miles without leaving my neighborhood. I still go to the library (I'm actually tutoring after school there now) and still drink tons of tea. I am still surrounded by a warm church family and singing in our newly-revived choir. Things are good here, comfortable.


But I miss all my England friends! I don't have my music/theater/adventure buddy any more, my favorite marshmallow-eating ballerina, or fellow twi-hards. And no one will watch Firefly with me! I get a bit lonely, especially with all my friends away at university and gone a million different directions. So everyone needs to Facebook me and email me!


Lincoln Baptist graciously invited me back to serve as an intern for another six months but I had to decline. After coming home, I spent a goodly amount of time in prayer and consideration, seeking counsel from my parents, mentors, friends, and other adults in my life as well as from God. I had several confirmations that graduate school is my next step. While I very much wanted to go back to England, to Lincoln, and to all my friends, returning as an unpaid intern just wasn't where I needed to go. I hope I can come back soon and I will come back before later, but right now I am living at home and preparing for graduate school .


I plan on going to school and getting my masters' degree in Creative Writing. I'm also actively working on finishing my novel and getting it published. So that's exciting. Hopefully when I am done with my MA, I can start teaching English, either at a private high school or at the collegiate level. And then I may go for my Ph.D... or who knows really? But my current path is set towards teaching English at a university. Oo, maybe I can teach a fairytale class!


Currently, I work as a writing tutor at a local community college. It's a great job-- I love helping people learn to write better!-- and my co-workers are MAs who also teach classes! So really smart people who are fun to talk to. I've taken several substitute teaching jobs (kindergarteners are sooo cute!) and enjoyed that quite a bit! So I'm just chillin here, waiting on the Lord, and doing the best with what I've got.


Thank you so much for supporting me while I was abroad; it meant so much to have friends and family thinking about me, especially when I had homesick times or unsure times. No matter which side of the pond you are on, you supported me in so many ways and I am so grateful. So thank you!


Right now, I don't have any England-related things to pray for for me! Pray the church has a great winter, that the ministries go smoothly, and that they get the help they need as the church grows!


For me, please pray that God continues to provide.


And please let me know--email, text, message, call, whatever!-- any way that I can pray for you!
Thanks again to all my wonderful friends!


Internationally Yours,
Cait


PS I will keep posting to keep all my international friends updated! Feel free to comment and let me know if you have a blog too!