Bi-Monthly Catch-Up: February 2023
Ha, is this what we’ve come to? Remember when you wished I’d JUST SHUT UP ALREADY? Ha ha…DREAMS DO COME TRUE.
When I last caught y’all up, I was just about to leave to spend Christmas week with Katie in Florida. I ended getting caught up in Southwest’s holiday flight hell, not nearly bad as others, but delays had me sitting in uncomfortable airport and airplane seating far too long. We ended up eating our wonderful Christmas Eve dinner she’d worked so hard on after midnight (I was supposed to be there like 4pm). Then a week of sitting/sleeping on her (sorry Katie, I love you dearly, but your furniture is the worst) uncomfortable furniture, combined with too many air travel hours, broke me. And I returned to NY…and the chiropractor…a cripple.
I’ve been going to this guy for at least 10 years and he is MAGIC. I have some discs out of whack and have had some very bad bouts of sciatica over the years…and he always fixes me when I break. Do I have a little crush on my chiropractor? Oh yes. But so does EVERYONE. He’s just that guy. The office is always crowded and bustling and he’s like the mayor, being friendly and charming to everyone. I’m pretty sure every woman (and probably men too) are just a little in love with him, ha ha.
He referred me to an orthopedic surgeon (I’m going to rename this blog “Old Person Complaining About Old Person Things”) because I’ve been suffering from hip pain for about 10 years, but it has been getting progressively worse and recently I’ve hit the “I’d rather not do that fun thing I really want to do because it’s just going to be so hard to walk” stage. Both my father and sister had hip replacements for painful hips so I figured my time had come.
Surprisingly, the x-rays came out pretty clean. The ortho said, “I’d take those hips at 62!” Ha ha. So, structurally, I’m sound (the horse person of my youth is coming out). I do have some bursitis in both hips and a touch of arthritis. I got cortisone shots in both hips (OH THE RELIEF) and am seeing a physical therapist at the same place as my chiropractor.
PT = OUCH. Ha. There’s the hands-on table time where he “manipulates” my hips…then presses way too hard on parts of my body that should not be pressed hard on…and then I have hip/core strengthening exercises that I do on my own at home. The day after session one, my quads were SCREAMING. Wow. I REALLY haven’t moved much in the past two years. I have a more active lifestyle ahead of me so I really need to pull things together.
Moving away from physical pain to emotional, I started teaching the ESL class in January. THAT’S been a roller coaster! The week leading up to the first class I got so worked up in a state of high anxiety I thought I was just going to….I don’t know. Not make it. My biggest fear was not the TEACHING. Or being in a room full of strangers. It was…not knowing exactly how to handle the first class as far as…my group is “low beginner,” which means little to no English. The textbook is great, there’s a teacher version that explains each step…but still…I was envisioning me in a classroom and people coming in, sitting down, and staring at me. I would speak – HELLO or WELCOME or whatever – and they would just continue staring at me, wide-eyed, not understanding a word I said. How would we even get to Step One in the book? Ha ha. The book didn’t exactly cover THAT.
I was a sweaty, dripping, out of breath mess the first class…but I made it through. The class is small, just 4 people, and they’re all lovely…only one really has NO english, but sadly, I think she has dropped out. I feel sorry about her. I know the feeling of being in a group and realizing that everyone else is ahead of you and feeling like you’ll never be able to catch up…so you just give up. I have done that many times myself (I’m looking at YOU, professional video-editing class and jr high track team). If I had an extra minute ANYWHERE, I would offer to work with her one-on-one if they’d allow that, but…right now, I’m just barely keeping up with the things I HAVE to do.
Several things have come up with different students…I shouldn’t share in a public forum…but suffice it to say the past few classes have had their WHOA, WAIT, WHAT?!? moments. Oh the ESL Drama 🙂 Sorry to say “there’s a story, but I can’t tell you,” but….
This past week was Class 4 (of 12) and we’re moving along nicely. I have some Valentine’s Day things planned for this week.
So my weeks right now are just work, Korean assignments, preparing for class, teaching the class, PT and/or chiro appointments, listing and packing things for ebay, and weekly trips to the donation center with a car filled with stuff I’m not keeping. A friend came to help me last week and she noticed (or was at least kind enough to pretend she noticed) the place looked a little emptier. My camera only gets picked up to take more ebay photos. I’ve been reading the same book for about 6 weeks. I haven’t done laundry since 2022 ha ha.
I look forward to a time that’s not filled 100% with Getting Ready for the Future. I look forward to having ONE JOB.
I’ll see Katie again briefly when she comes up in two weeks for a friend’s wedding (we’re both going). I always love any time I get to spend with her.
And that’s pretty much it for me right now.
Cheryl
Hi Bettye,
So good to read your latest post you sure have been busy and so great that you are an ESL teacher.I am retired from teaching after 40 years and it was a real challenge every day without the additional language barrier. All the best for 2023.
bettyewp
Thanks, Cheryl! Yeah, it is definitely an interesting experience! What did you teach?
jodie
So good to hear you’re alive and well (well, basically well).
I, for one, gave you a standing ovation for doing PT. I believe in it wholeheartedly and think too many of the surgeries out there could be replaced by PT. I realize everyone wants the quick fix, but there are SO many drawbacks to surgery that I shouldn’t say in a public forum like this. But trust me…do everything you can before surgery.
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
bettyewp
Thanks, Jodie 🙂
Marian
Happy to read that you are on track as you work towards your goals.
At the age of 23 with no training, I found myself teaching an adult English class in Israel. No Internet, no peers, just make the best of it. That was terrifying. I really applaud how dedicated you are to overcoming your fears and have become a teacher. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?
I may have signed up for a style blog a few years ago but I’m really enjoying your journey. That’s the thing about writing. People who have never met you care a lot about what happens to you.
And yes, someday your blog will need a new name.
bettyewp
I found you! Like many others before you, you were in trash 🙁
Oh, wow! What an experience that must have been! How were you in Israel at 23?
I can’t even imagine not having the internet as a tool – even if it’s just for searching out worksheets. The book has been very helpful, though it’s geared toward (towards? I can never remember which) larger groups so many of the activities don’t really apply and I have to wing it to make the class come class to 3 hours each week.
“I may have signed up for a style blog a few years ago but I’m really enjoying your journey. That’s the thing about writing. People who have never met you care a lot about what happens to you.” Oh my gosh, Marian, that really means a lot to me. AND I appreciate your comments, always nice to see familiar faces. With me posting so irregularly these days I figured people would just naturally drift away…thanks for sticking around!
“And yes, someday your blog will need a new name.” Ha, yes. I toyed with the idea of “My Seoul-O Life,” ha ha, but really…this adventure will not end in Seoul…or even Korea. The first part – studying language in Seoul – is just that…The First Part. The student visa lasts up to two months and I’m already thinking about what (and where) comes next. Maybe I should just make it my name. It’s a pretty good name 🙂 And then it could have a subheader like “Plus Size Senior Traveling World on Budget” but cuter/more clever. It’s always been hard for me to pinpoint a niche. I never REALLY considered myself a “plus size blogger.” I was a blogger who happened to be plus sized. Plus a bunch of other things, ha ha. Story of my life: Plus A Bunch of Other Things.
Thanks for stopping by, Marian!
Cheryl
I taught students in a number of settings, from infants to primary which for us in Australia is kindergarten to year 6. Some days were diamonds and some days were stones.
Sally in St Paul
Bettye, your ESL class story made me think of my gig as a substitute teacher in grades 6-12 fresh out of college. Not for the faint of heart! Glad you were able to work through the anxiety of it all.
Tammy
Hey, Bettye, I hope all is well with you. Miss your posts!
bettyewp
All is well, just ridiculously busy. Trying to start squeezing in a couple posts again, here and there. I’ve missed it, just something had to give a bit for a while.