I got a new job! After-school teacher, at Chinese Christian Herald Crusades (what a mouthful), just minutes from my house.
I walked in, talked myself up, signed some papers and got employed.
I mean I was definitely interviewed quite extensively with loads of questions, some about my lifestyle choices. "Why on earth would you go to Cambodia? How come you don't drive?" - to which I replied with, "I love the poor and I don't want to pollute the earth." Well, a bit more elaborate than that but you get the idea. The interesting thing about giving those answers to those type of questions to the good Christian folk is that they really can't argue with me or criticize me. They might not understand or initially feel comfortable but they're hearing the subtext they want to and I'm fine feeding it to them. I've learned how to give church-approved answers that have so much religious immunity that even if they don't really get it, they can't judge me.
Maybe it's a corruption of morals but if buttering up my words to include more Christian-speak gets me a job... Sometimes I hate the connotation behind the words I use but I have to give people time to know me rather than spouting out all my political and theological views. So I tell them what they want to hear even if my answers mean something entirely different to me. A lot of Christians have asked me "Why Cambodia?" and then I feel baffled that any part of God's kingdom shouldn't be taken seriously. Sometimes I wish people could step outside of themselves to hear how they sound.
Okay, I went off on a bit of a diatribe... I'm sure there will be plenty more to come as I start working.
Today when I visited some of the classrooms where I will be working in, two boys were in time out for drawing obscene pictures. Great. But no, I won't be taking any of those drawings home. Another boy (who was probably 6) kept calling these high school volunteers lesbians. Then I asked if he was a lesbian.
(Okay, he didn't actually use the l-word, and neither did I. But he did call them girlfriends which only prompted me to ask if he had any. Then he said he was his own boyfriend.)
The job is part-time, which is what I want. It's less than a mile from my house. Awesome. I get to help kids with their homework after school and then teach them new things about the Bible... and stuff. The people seem nice and have strong connections to some of the members of my church. I guess I'm just a little weary working for a religious organization.
I hope to have funny stories to tell because I'm sure I will rant plenty about how spoiled and ridiculously corrupt children are these days.
And now, with all that said, I'm going to hang out in Agrestic.
05 September 2008
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1 comment:
I wish he had really said lesbian, and you had asked him if he was one.
I don't think you should feel bad about communicating with hardcore conservative Christians in their own language. The point of language is communication; words are fluid. you communicated that you are a good person, despite the fact that you don't drive & went to Cambodia. That ain't nothin to feel bad about.
Are you still at APU? What's the story miss?
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