New Jersss

Hello! So for a new update on life in our world, Prathap has landed a wonderful job at

Princeton University, so we have relocated to Princeton, New Jersey!

NJ is amazing! At least the part we are in, and miles around us... it's just beautiful! I think NJ gets a bad rap because of Newark, but there is so

much more to it than industrialized madness. It's so green and full of life. There are a ton of squirrels out our win

dows that run around all day. I can always hear the song of the cicadas and the fireflies! Oh the fireflies! Don't get me started! They are so beautiful and I can't believe I lived in a desert for so many years where there weren't any fireflies. Somehow they are just magical to me, I don't know...

I have also managed to get an amazing job at a charter high school in Trenton, which I'm thrilled about. I will start in nearly a week and a half, and after that I will be VERY busy, so I've tried to get as much travelling in as the budget will allow.

My brother drove across the country with me and my packed car, and that was an awesome adventure in and of itself. When he was still here we went to Philly, and then came home for a night, and went to NYC the next day. Since then I've been to NYC again, and we've also checked out many of the towns around us like Somerset, Ewing, New Brunswick, Edison, and probably more I can't remember. Our friend Ashlee is coming down from NYC tomorrow and we're going to take a trip to Cape May on the shore, which I'm really excited about. I can't believe I have a beach and ocean this close!!!

I am excited for many more chances to explore uncharted territory, and have new experiences with my love! Till then.

Tamil Blog!

Well, it's been ages indeed since I've posted, and rather than bore you with all the wedding photos and all that jazz - it's on facebook ;) I have decided to update you about my new blog with Yoshi called Tamil Kutti (which is kind of slang for Tamil Girls). We are working on learning the languages of our loves! Prathap is usually patient with helping me with Tamil, but on the blog we can get answers from people who aren't sick of answering our millions of questions... stop by and check it out HERE if you haven't yet!

Job Search 2009

i finally have a job that i am thrilled about, but this road was long & hard...

i graduated with my master of education in special education, and was finally ready to delve into the world of applying for a job. i applied to almost every district in the salt lake valley because i was panicking about making sure i got a job somewhere...

i started interviewing in May, and i was offered the first 6 jobs i interviewed for. a funny thing happened at this point: i was simultaneously encouraged, and discouraged. on one hand i was encouraged that i had many things employers were looking for, but i was also getting really sick of interviewing & just wanted to have something set in stone.

unfortunately, in a moment of weakness & desperation, i accepted a job that i didn't feel good about, but it was with a district i thought i wanted to be in. i tried to look @ the positive and not worry about all the things that made my stomach feel uneasy. yeah, that little voice inside your head - ummm, it's good to LISTEN to it!!! duh liz.

so thankfully, last monday, i got a call from the assistant principal at the 1st school i interviewed @ and she wanted to offer me ANOTHER job! keep in mind that i had spoken with her a few times over the summer, and lamented that she had only had a 1/2 time position to offer me, but i was really impressed with her & her school, and her school was actually the bar that i compared other schools to (they never quite measured up btw).

my immediate gut reaction to this offer was TAKE IT!!! and this time i listened. i called my former district & got out of my contract 2 hours before the deadline - it would have cost me $1000 after! and i made the switch.

i am soooo grateful that i have had this opportunity! i was foolhardy & impulsive and it almost cost me my first year of teaching. the thing is, they teach you a lot in school, but leave it up to you to navigate the system of interviewing, and working with districts and choosing a school. but after this experience i definitely feel like i've learned a lot about the process.

my advice to future teachers: don't accept a job unless you really love it! there will be others out there you just might have to be patient.