Work

I work at the reception of a hostel.
When people make reservations I input them into our online system.
When guests come I accept their payment. (cash OR credit card)
When the phone rings I answer it.
When people ask me questions I answer them. (the same ones every day)
When the drinks in the refrigerator run low I put more in.
When it gets dark I turn on the lights. (I have jump because I'm too short to reach the switches)
When there are leaks I call the plumber. (I know him very well by now)
When there are bats in the bathroom I ask the waiter to remove them. (No way am I touching them!)

I wrote that at the level of a 10-year-old because my job responsibilities are mostly things that a 10-year-old with minimal training could do.  My current job requires very little logical reasoning or critical thinking.  Sure, there are moments, like when our online booking systems don't communicate and we get overbooked, when I need to use my brain to figure out solutions.  But overall, I could easily be replaced by a robot or a child.  That's not to say that I don't like my job, though.  I have plenty of free time while I'm working to chat with guests, blog, drink mate with my coworkers, and play cards.  It's fine for now, but it's not a career. 

So what would my dream career be? you might ask. 
Well the dreamy answer is a linguistic cartographer. 
What on earth is that? you might ask. 
That would be someone who analyzes regional linguistic patterns and maps them. 
WHAT??? you might ask.
For example, on a map of the US you might put an red dot in places where people say "soda," and a blue dot in places where people say "pop," and places where they overlap would end up purple.  Then you would analyze the map to identify historical, geographical, or social explanations.
Ooohhhh..... you might say.

So what would my REAL dream career be? you might ask.
AN ELEMENTARY ESL TEACHER in Wake County.  I will, definitely, without a doubt, be back in the US in time to start working next school year in August.  I love working with kids, and getting tons of hugs, and hearing random stories about their lives.  I love feeling like I'm actually making a difference, teaching important life and academic skills, and being a good role model.  Every time I see the cute little kids here in their adorable little uniforms I can't wait to be a teacher again!!!!!!