May - Aug 2006- Been back in NYC

So....
I've been back in NYC since the first week of May. First day to be exact. In May i'd went dancing at the Latin Quarters (famous NYC club) and gotten my Salsa on a bit, along with Bachata y Merengue (!!).
It took a while to get used to answering in English, funny enough.
I hit my one year loc-anniversary on May 7th. A definite acheivement for me. They really do become a part of you and i can NOW understand what all the fuss is about. Although my family hates them, the outside world loves them, so i tend to hang around outsiders to get that love i would want from home, on that subject that is.

I spent most of my time looking for work, going on interviews, etc. the twin sister of my best friend Jah got married, and soon after she had a baby girl in June.

June came in, and with it came my birthday on the 25th. CANCER Season!!!!! Close encounters with my Ex brought distant memories to fruition.

July brought Independence days and the return of my old rhyme partner to the C.U.L.T. Team, QCN/Q. Silver. I added Shaun CRÓNARI to the beginning of my pen-name, signifying all the change i'd recently been through, the cronic studying, cronic dreaming, cronic solitude, and the all around secret agent in me (think: Cronnery, Sean) LOL - new album coming soon!


I also began a temp position as an office mgr/Site asst., slated to end the last day of August.

At that point i began to run into many opportunities where my spanish was needed. I decided to teach ESL on the side again, volunteering. Met a wonderful 22 yr old woman named Barbara who'd just gotten back from Frnace, doing the same thing i did, but with French. She is my co-teacher for a "basic 2" class.

August... On the 14th of August i had to return to the DR for an interview. I flew out that Sunday night, with help of Kay, a Trini friend since highschool, who worked at the airlines nowadays.
I landed around 3:30am in Santiago, and by cab, reached Sosua around 5am. I crashed for a few hours at a former neighbors apt, then off to my interview at 10am.

I arrived at the school. Parents were in the outdoor lobby with their children, glimmers of hope on their face for a better education then they were being offered in the public system. An hour later I was sitting in fron of Gloria, the Director, and John, the Prez.

In our last sit down, I address all my concerns to Gloria, and was under the impression things would go smooth this time.
So they let me know, in no uncertain terms, i was the pick for the new teaching position. They told me they need me. Told me they could use someone with a passion for language... and then told me... in order to be finally accepted, i would have to cut off my LOCS.
What!
Was i hearing correctly. Did i not ask about this in April????

Gloria assured me that she had no problems with it, but the Prez wants to follow the old Dominican Standards (read: Anti-Haitain). I was on fire. Mad that is.
Here i was in the DR, spent so much to get there, only to hear THAT! You could have told me that on the phone!!!!!!
Well, not being one to waste a day or be pessimistic, i decided to look at some apartments. I found one on my old street in a house i'd barely seen before, and i liked that about it! It costed fully HALF of my old rent, with just a tad less space. No balcony, but a LARGE backyard, and no pool in fornty, but a PC with Internet included. Needless to say i was ecstatic, you can't find deals like this in this part of town, and certainly not advertised. Knowing people down here got me the connection. It pays to network people!

So I've since decided to try to go for 2 or 3 more months, without the new job, and create my own classes, sort of like last time. Just more! I need the time to perfect my spanish more.

Flew back to NYC that night. Yup! One day trip. Got back home. My parents had left a week earlier for their fisrt trip to Europe (France, Italy, Croatia, Greece, etc.) so i had to wait a week before i could ask advice or tell them my plans, buti finally got to, and they gave their blessings (as if they could tell me no HA :P- sorry Dad!).

Since then, the 20th of August has passed and my last days at this job are here. If they do not request me to stay for longer, I'm surely out in September for the DR!!!!! Right after my ESL classes finish out.

Hey maybe i should do this every year?!!!!!!!!!!...... :)

Only time will tell..................

TRIFLEmc
aka
Shaun CRÓNARI