I returned to the United States on July fifteenth. It has thus far been interesting. No longer having a home, or transportation, or income of my own, I was worried. Fortunately for me, I have two very good friends who have been allowing me to stay with them as I struggle to regain my feet, so to speak. They each have what amounts to a “mother-in-law suite” in their homes, and it affords me privacy as I search for employment, and a more permanent place to live. One friend even had a spare car to lend me so that I do not waste all my money on renting.

I hit the ground running, and have been online searching for employment as a teacher, or at least as some sort of educational support person in a school of some kind. I am hampered by the fact that I have not yet completed my M.Ed., but once I have an income, I should be able to complete my studies online. Another friend of mine has been lobbying for me to return to America for years, and to move up to New England, where there are apparently plenty of jobs for good pay to be had in Vermont. Another friend urges me to search in the Delaware Valley, or in New York City and North Jersey. Yet another friend has sent me a posting for a government job in Colorado. So really, no longer having a home in America does seem to widen my horizons regarding where in the United States I am willing to go for remunerative employment. If anyone who reads this blog has any leads or ideas, I am open to suggestions.

Apart from the daily hunt for employment, I have been able to get to my ophthalmologist for an exam. Alas, not having domestic insurance, I have had to pay out of pocket for the exam, new glasses, and new contact lenses. And, I also learned that part of my poor vision is due to cataracts, and unusually large “floaters” (organic debris floating around inside the eyeball which can obscure vision). This is concerning, because I do not have the resources for corrective surgery at this time. The doctor did say, however, that as far as cataracts are concerned, the outcome is not affected by the timeliness of treatment. So there’s that. I am trying to sign up with Medigap, or Medicare, or whatever it is in this country so that I can have my eyes taken care of.

I also need to have my storage locker dejunked as soon as I can. I have found services that will do just that, but of course, there is the expense. Still- since I do not care to continue spending over USD$350.00 per month on storage, it’s about time to lighten the load a bit. I may also suspend the account for my backup phone (I had purchased an emergency phone and extra line in case my main phone became lost or destroyed, or simply stopped working, as had once hapened to me whilst I lived in China).

I also have a few people to visit still, and a couple of graves to tend.

All in all, this is a particularly trying time, and I hope I survive it without becoming a burden to my friends and family. I continue to write, including the fan-fiction project I have mentioned in previous posts. And I daily go online to search for work, as I noted above. Usually following leads from Glassdoor, Indeed, or LinkedIn. I just wish I could shake the crippling self-doubt long enough to figure out what I would be good at in this country. Maybe I should try getting to Romania sooner rather than later.

As much as I enjoy seeing old friends again, and visiting old familiar places here at home, I miss my life in Beijing. I miss my kids; I had so wanted to see my second year students graduate. I still have a couple of agents searching for work in China on my behalf; I wouldn’t mind returning if possible.

The adventure continues.