The Sea, Me and the Interview

"Remember this, girl,
you are half sea.
No one ever asks
the ocean to quiet her storm,
so why do you keep
apologizing for yours?" 

I thought about this quote a lot last week when I saw it because I had received an unexpected email, an invitation to interview to work in one of the most beautiful coastal cities* in already beautiful California.

It was requesting that I consider teaching Spanish at a high school whose "vision 
is
 to 
prepare 
students 
for
 life 
in
 the
 21st
 Century
 by
 meeting
 individual
 needs
 through
 equal
 access
 to
 an
 integrated
 curriculum,  
where all
 students
 are
 encouraged
 to
 become
 life‐long
 learners
 committed
 to
 the
 pursuit
 of
 knowledge, and finally where all
 students
 are
 taught
 to
 appreciate
 and
 understand
 the
 richness
 of
 multicultural
 diversity
 and
 global
 awareness. My heart leaped for joy. My kind of learning environment! My kind of school!

And at the ocean, Monterey, no less! Just the thrill that ran through me like an electric current told me that this must be it! The opportunity to establish ties again with my homeland, to have my own classroom again and be valued professionally. 

Monterey, so well-known for its marine conservation, it’s nature acquarium, whales! the language institute that has educated kings and ambassadors and where I dreamed of attending most of my college day (when you’re young and you really think you can interpret for the UN!), and the sheer dazzle of coastline and its flora and fauna.*http://www.miis.edu/

No vemos nuestro reflejo en el agua en movimiento, sino en el agua quieta. - Los maestros Zen

No te largues a la mitad, no te quedes sólo a la mitad de tus posibilidades. Aquí eres una invitada de Dios. ¿De verdad vas a largarte así como así? - Richard el Texano, Comer en Italia, Rezar en India, Amar en Indonesia.

¿Qué tal si te dedicas a meditar aquí mismo, ahora mismo, en el sitio donde estás en este momento? Comer en Italia, Rezar en India, Amar en Indonesia.

Y me planteé si podría servirme de algo (a mí y a los que me sufren porque ma quieren) aprender a estarme quieta y aguantar un poco sin lanzarme a la farragosa carretera de la circunstancia.

If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Ecclesiastes 4:10