Money Talks

So I've been constantly applying for jobs since being here, and since nobody ever responds to emails in Italy, the search has been somewhat disheartening. However, I know that something will come up, and in the meantime, I have started advertising for private lessons. When you learn how to teach English, you go into it with the knowledge that you will never get rich doing it. This is a vocation for those who love interacting with people, and who have a desire to subsidize a life of minimalism. Basically, we just need to cover the rent and maybe some food. English teachers are typically paid very poorly, so most go into private lessons as a way of earning some extra cash. Now, I just had my first private lesson this morning, and I can say that aside from the potential for gratification by watching one person improve before your eyes, another positive to this endeavor is the instant, off-the-books gratification of cash. I have heard horror stories of people who work for companies and schools having to literally beg to be paid, and I'm sure at some point I too will encounter such joys, but in the meantime I am jumping up and down with joy over having received my first payment for anything in Europe (I have yet to be paid for my part-time work with the kids). It seems so silly, to get excited about a little thing like this, but it gives me some modicum of hope that maybe, just maybe, I will be able to support myself here. Or at least cover my rent.