Three Months of Change (Craziness)

I have been really bad at updating my blog, but will try to do better in the near future.  Here are some highlights from the last three months.  

• I have been living in Muncie, IN since October. I have really enjoyed catching up with friends from Muncie. During my time in Muncie I was able to complete two practicums and graduate with my Masters in Special Education. I thoroughly enjoyed both classrooms for different reasons. Both teachers taught me so much, as did the children in each class. I was surprised to be drawn more to the children with severe disabilities. Maybe it is because I see fewer people wanting to teach these children. 
• As many of you probably know, Interlink Resources has decided to close their doors in Kazakhstan.  As a result, I am in the States for an extended period of time.  I will be visiting Kazakhstan for a few weeks in January, which I am really looking forward to. I can't wait to see my friends there.  Interlink has offered to continue my salary until the end of August, since that is when I will be able to find a full-time job as a teacher.  I am so thankful for Interlink and the opportunity to have lived in Kazakhstan. I don't necessarily sense that my time in Kazakhstan is completely finished, but for now I expect to be in the States for a while. 
• On a whim, back in November, I started to pursue the possibility of purchasing a house in Muncie. I had heard rumor that it was cheaper to buy a house than to rent in Muncie and decided to look into it. A friend from Taylor University is a real estate agent, so I asked her if she thought it was doable with my salary, etc. Long story short, I will be closing on a house on January 6th.  It is a beautiful old house (early 1900's), that needs cosmetic updates. I was able to qualify for a grant from the government to help with my downpayment and closing costs. Having lived on the East coast for so long, I was shocked at the low purchase price of the house. I am looking forward to having a place to call home, no matter where life takes me down the road. As I work on the house, I will upload before/after pictures for you to enjoy. 
• I have had the joy of spending Christmas with my family. My niece is almost three years old, so she was able to really enjoy Christmas for the first time. It has been fun to play games, do puzzles, and just spend time with my family. 

On January 4th I will be heading back to Indiana, where I will be for about 10 days. I will close on the house on the 6th (as long as everything goes as planned) and will have a few days to get settled before heading to Kazakhstan for about three weeks (leaving on January 15th). I will probably spend some of my time searching flea markets for furniture and starting to get settled. I will also need to buy a car during the ten days I am in Muncie and figure out transportation during the time before I purchase a car. So far everything has come together really smoothly, so I am anticipating the same to take place for purchasing a car. I will also work on gathering the things I need to apply for a teaching license. It will be busy, but fun, as things continue to move forward. Upon my return from Kazakhstan, I plan to substitute teach in Muncie in order to gain more experience in the schools and get a feel for the schools. My desire is to get a job in a severe disabilities special education classroom in Muncie in the fall. Eventually, I would like to take what I learn in the classroom back to Kazakhstan in some way. Stay tuned to see how things come together in the next few months.