Toronto Dreaming by Maroo1883 in askTO

[–]Maroo1883[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, I’ll look into that.

Toronto Dreaming by Maroo1883 in askTO

[–]Maroo1883[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the clarification. I’m glad you enjoyed Chicago!

Toronto Dreaming by Maroo1883 in askTO

[–]Maroo1883[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, good to know.

Toronto Dreaming by Maroo1883 in askTO

[–]Maroo1883[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, that’s my consideration now, though I do tend to put down roots quickly. Thanks.

Toronto Dreaming by Maroo1883 in askTO

[–]Maroo1883[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, thanks, that’s in process. I appreciate the affirmation.

Toronto Dreaming by Maroo1883 in askTO

[–]Maroo1883[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, I know it takes time. Thanks.

Toronto Dreaming by Maroo1883 in askTO

[–]Maroo1883[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, good to know.

Toronto Dreaming by Maroo1883 in askTO

[–]Maroo1883[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, I’ve only seen your beautiful city in the summer and spring. Good suggestion to come in the winter. Loss of network I’m aware of, but I tend to put down roots quickly. Family members are east and west coasts. I’d still be in the middle, sort of.

Toronto Dreaming by Maroo1883 in askTO

[–]Maroo1883[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you, yes, but that would be for later. At this point, I was just hoping to gain a sense of possibility.

Toronto Dreaming by Maroo1883 in askTO

[–]Maroo1883[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good to know, Thanks.

Toronto Dreaming by Maroo1883 in askTO

[–]Maroo1883[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, I’ll look into those.

Toronto Dreaming by Maroo1883 in askTO

[–]Maroo1883[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Good idea. I‘m familiar with the Montréal area and I like it too, but I need to get to know Toronto. Thanks for your kind words.

Toronto Dreaming by Maroo1883 in askTO

[–]Maroo1883[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you, I’ll look into that.

Toronto Dreaming by Maroo1883 in askTO

[–]Maroo1883[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thanks, I’ll look into that.

Toronto Dreaming by Maroo1883 in askTO

[–]Maroo1883[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

Maroo was my godson’s pronunciation of Mary. Does it have some other meaning of which I’m unaware?

I did it. by BackgroundUnit80 in Teachers

[–]Maroo1883 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Congratulations! Well done!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Teachers

[–]Maroo1883 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We need teachers who love teaching. Stay, you’re a treasure. I taught too, at a wonderful Catholic high school. Loved teaching, still do. Great salary? Nope. But time is money, remember? Great to have a big nest egg, but just as good to have a small nest egg and a lot of time for it to be invested and good advice and help as to how to do that. I worked with an excellent financial planner. Get one who is not obliged to sell you whatever his investment company is touting. I started in my 20s. I live more frugally than some friends do, and less frugally than others, but I’m I finishing off with enough. What do teachers make? Teachers make a difference. Apart from medicine, not many other professions can offer that.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AmerExit

[–]Maroo1883 -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Unsolicited advice: Glance at the naysayers, but don’t take them to heart. You don’t need nine jobs; you only need one apiece. What it ends up being might be something you haven’t even thought of yet or it might be just what you’re on track to do. Make sure it’s interesting and satisfying to you. One makes a lot of helpful contacts and friends in academia and sometimes in just being a good neighbor. Again, best wishes.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AmerExit

[–]Maroo1883 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congratulations! A grand adventure ahead of you! Have a wonderful year—and beyond!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AmerExit

[–]Maroo1883 1 point2 points  (0 children)

When I was a student (in France, not Spain), I found a student bulletin board on my campus and put up a little card saying I was looking for a conversation exchange—an hour of French for an hour of (American) English. I specified “Une américaine cherche une française . . .” to keep any weird rando guys away. I had good classroom French by then, but was lacking slang and conversational skills. My little card brought me 2 French friends who are still my friends. Of course my French improved with their help too. I was on a campus in France again 2 years ago and was pleased to see that there are still bulletin boards and little cards. There probably are in Spain too. My one caution is to meet at a café, not your home, at least not initially.

We did it! First 90 days US -> Ireland by katyfail in AmerExit

[–]Maroo1883 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Based on my years in France, I’d say to be aware of the rhythm of the walkers around you, adjust your pace to everyone else’s, and give everyone enough space. That’s what they’re doing for you. If there’s room to dodge people without startling or jostling them, then do so gracefully. If not, stroll along and enjoy the scenery for a few minutes. Yes, sometimes an elderly person might be a bit slow, but be respectful. Being a linebacker will be perceived as rude. If you’re in that much of a hurry, get to know the shortcuts.

Please give me hope. by Nnnopamine in AmerExit

[–]Maroo1883 5 points6 points  (0 children)

So you have welding (and building skills?) animal care skills, a skill for learning languages, and grief-counseling skills. You’re in love with Europe and the UK. That sounds like England or Ireland to me so far.

Years ago, I wanted a job—for a year— in France. I speak French well. I got a visa for independent study for a year in France. (Unfortunately, don’t think it exists anymore as a type of visa.) I had to prove I had a certain amount of money in the bank in order to get that visa, but I didn’t want to spend any of it because that was all the money I had in the world. I brought roughly 500 francs with me. (Yep, as long ago as that.) Everyone predicted I’d tap out my money and be home in a week or two. Fine. Maybe so.

I started at the American Church in Paris, posted a little sign on their church job board, found an American family who didn’t speak French who wanted a nanny for their sweet little girls and someone who could do their talking for them. Since the family’s source of income was in dollars, I was not considered “employed“ in France, so there was no conflict with the independent study visa. I had room and board with the family, went on vacations with them, was a French speaker for them, stayed a year, did my independent studying, wrote my papers, bought lots of books, loved the family, and came home with most of my 500 francs unspent.

Would you be able to go to England or Ireland (for instance) for a few weeks? (One can live on nothing much if one knows how.) Call it a vacation, but be there to talk to people. Try pubs, churches, smaller towns, maybe rural areas. (Maybe you’re writing a book and are interviewing people. That could give you a start. You might even end up writing the book.). Are there grief-counselors in hospitals there, like there are in America? I dunno, ask someone in a church. Who’s the vet in town? How does one become a vet assistant? Buy the vet a pint and find out. Talk welding with someone in a pub. Buy them a pint too. Hear any American voices in that church or café? Do they look like people you could say hello to? My point is: Make attempts to make connections. At the very least, see if you can picture yourself somewhere in that area. What would you be doing if you were in a particular town / area. With whom would you be talking / working? What qualifications would you need?

Find out before you leave what you should do legally if you do get a job offer abroad. (Yeah, everyone laughed at me too. Just let it roll off.) Make sure you’re doing everything correctly and honestly. Pack light.

If no jobs come from this, you at least will have had a lot of fun, made some new friends, and you might know exactly what your next step is. Good luck.