Yachta Mache - 11

We were applying for jobs by this stage of the year. Our work would finish on July 15^th, and we would be ready to go to a new job by the beginning of August. I only applied for one – and it was a teaching job in Evanston, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.

Joel was one of the intern dentists that I rather fancied, but he had a girlfriend, and he was far too short for me anyway. But I liked him. He was from Chicago. I'm not saying that was why I applied there – but hope springs eternal, and there was no way I could have a chance of enticing him if I wasn't in the same city.

I was flown to Chicago by Evanston Hospital School of Nursing for an interview – there and back the same day. It was a pleasant place to work in a nice neighborhood, and a good salary – and I wouldn't have to do anything except teach student nurses about diets. And it was a 9 to 5 job, Monday to Friday. I suspected the student nurses wouldn't be interested, and they weren't, but that didn't matter. It was a job I could do, and do well.

While I was there I called Joel's mom. He didn't ask me to, I fact I think he thought the whole idea was weird to say the least, but I found her number in the phone book and called her. She was very pleased I did, but it didn't help one bit in my hopes for Joel liking me more.

I had always said that I would never teach. My mother was a teacher. My sister was a teacher. But it seemed to me something that I had no interest in or talent for. But during the semester before I graduated from college, I had gone back home to live, having only a few credits that I needed, which could be done either by correspondence or at the local junior college. The reason was that my mother had had a stroke, and needed to be cared for. So from January to May I cooked and cleaned at home, and took Mom to her medical and hair do appointments.

One of the courses I signed up for was Public Speaking. I went there expecting to hate it – but feeling that I could benefit from some lessons. But I ended up loving it, and what's more being told that I had a real talent for teaching.

During our training we had to hold classes for groups of employees. I did one showing how to deal with a small fire – and had the whole bunch of men completely engaged in what might have been a rather boring topic. I did others on aspects of nutrition, and again, I had very positive results. I found that I enjoyed the creative aspects of teaching – and to be honest, found most of the dietitians work boring. So a job which required a dietitian to teach seemed the ideal combination. I think I was the only applicant and I heard within a day or so that I got the job when would start on the 15^th of August.

I had another week off, so flew home, standby again. I had already secured my job as Nutrition Teacher at Evanston. But not being happy with my choice, Dad had arranged an
interview for me with some bigwigs at the clinic where he worked - whom he had convinced that they should offer me a job there. I was very surprised that he'd done this, but as the interview was arranged, I went to it.

They were late – over an hour late - so leaving a message that I would be back later, I went off shopping for an hour or so. Dad was mortified. When I got back, they saw me, but I made it very clear that I already had a job, and had no interest whatsoever in working in Bismarck. They said, "That isn't what your father said." So I had to try to break it to him gently that despite the clinic being prepared to hire me, I didn't want to live and work in Bismarck.