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Heard from the Mission School!

April 30th, 2011 at 02:07 am

My tutoring student today for the 10th time in two weeks told me he had to work with his father, so I just dropped him off. (Very frustrating because he is getting behind in his English classwork - very behind.)

But today it turned out to be a very good thing - for me at least. Shortly after dropping him off, I received a phone call from the person in charge of the mission school in New Mexico I'd applied for a while back. Any Catholics here, could you please tell me what the abbreviation Sr. stands for? Maybe Mother Superior?? (its a woman).

Anyway, the Sr. and I talked for a good ten or fifteen minutes. She is sending me some more application materials and reference forms to hand out - then the next step would be they'd fly me out there for 3 days so I can get a feel of the place, and they can get a feel for me.

So ... I'm a step closer to having my first real school librarian job!!!

She told me if I get it, I'd be living in a mobile home and would be provided with a bed, a washer and dryer, and a table. There is no internet access, but ATT does work there - so at home I could use my 3g on the iPhone and anything I'd need a full fledged computer for, do at school. Or, I could look into doing the tethering thing ...

She was emphasizing to me how little there is to do in the town where they are, etc. I think I surprised her when I told her that I'd done some research on the area, and had seen that there was a town 30 miles away with a separate library just for children, etc. In other words, I let her know that I understood what I was applying for! Big Grin

If I do go out there for the "look and see" trip, it would most likely be in mid-June.

I guess this goes to show, never give up!

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ETA - Is anyone else not getting notices of replies to blogs?

17 Responses to “Heard from the Mission School!”

  1. momcents Says:
    1304126627


    As a practicing Catholic, Sr. stands for Sister. If you need help with any other abbreviations after her name, I can help you figure out what religious affiliation she is with.

  2. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    1304126850

    Ah, thanks. That makes much more sense than Mother Superior. Big Grin I don't know of any other initials with her name. Her first name is Natalie. I was under the assumption that when someone becomes a nun, they take on a saint's name??? Is there a Saint Natalie? Or am I under the wrong impression?

  3. momcents Says:
    1304128517


    Yes, there is a St. Natalie. Sometimes novitiates or seminarians chose the name of a Patron Saint, but I've found that most people who persue religious lives come from devout families and are already named after Saints. The letters after the name determine what Order they are with: Franciscans, Benedictines, Jesuits, etc.

    Sounds like a promising preliminary interview. We as Catholics usually have saints associated with particular causes, occupations, etc. I'm going to see if there is a Patron Saint associated with librarians. Maybe St. Jerome who translated the Bible? I'll see.

  4. momcents Says:
    1304128609

    This is what I've found:

    On various lists, you can find Catherine of Alexandria, Jerome, or
    Lawrence listed as the patron saint of librarians. These are at best
    semi-official designations and various saints are found over time to have
    diverse interests. The one I hadn't heard of is reported by the Mars Hill
    Graduate School in suburban Seattle, who tell the story of St. Wiborada,
    of whom is told a charming tale -- and the charm of the tales is surely
    the point of these things:

    St. Wiborada lived as a recluse near the Monastery of Sankt Gallen
    in the 10th century AD. Sankt Gallen was in the Kingdom of
    Swabia, part of present-day Switzerland. During the 10th century
    the monastery of Sankt Gallen had one of the most extensive
    library collections in Europe. In 925 AD Wiborada had a vision
    that the Hungarians would invade Sankt Gallen and that she would
    be martyred. Wiborada warned the monks, who thereupon hid the
    books, the wine, and themselves in caves in nearby hills. In May,
    926, the Hungarians arrived to find Wiborada alone in the
    monastery. They axed her to death while she prayed at the altar.

    In Switzerland St. Wiborada is considered the patron saint of
    libraries. She is represented holding a book (signifying the
    library she saved) and an ax (signifying her martyrdom).

  5. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    1304129077

    Very cool. Thanks. If I get this job, I will have to learn a good deal bit more about the Catholic faith/saints. I won't be asked to do any religious teaching (obviously, since I'm not Catholic!), but I don't want to sound incompetent if the kids are asking me about Saint so and so, etc. Smile
    I'll probably need to also contact my Aunt. She taught in a Catholic school for several years as a Seventh-day Adventist. (which is what I am too)

  6. anon-y-mouse Says:
    1304129126

    Just be careful living by yourself in a mobile home. I live in Albuquerque but a friend of mine was living in a more remote area and her house was being broken into on a weekly basis.

  7. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    1304129500

    Thanks! From what the Sr. said, it sounds like it is a group of mobile homes where all the faculty live, along with a few other community members. So I'd hope that I'd be somewhat safe.

    I lived in Albq. when I was in elementary - from October of 3rd grade (just in time for the Hot Air Baloon Festival!) through graduating 8th grade. We lived right down the hill from a hospital. I think it was on the far North side. At the time, there were maybe ten or fifteen houses in our whole neighborhood (REALLY spread out.) I had two good friends around my age (both of whom found me on Facebook!) that I'd go bike riding with all over everywhere. I went back about six years ago, and I barely managed to find the house! Every inch of space that a house could be built on was covered. The traffic was horrible. I felt bad for the kids in those houses not getting the chance to do what I did with my friends way back in the mid-to-late 80's.

  8. Joan.of.the.Arch Says:
    1304130363

    It's selfish of me to say that I hope you get this job because it seems like your blog would become very interesting. But I hope you get this job. Smile

  9. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    1304130914

    Heh! Smile Selfish or not, I hope so too!

  10. crazyliblady Says:
    1304131889

    You might contact the Chamber of Commerce in the area or Visitor Information to get some information on things to do (shopping, entertainment), and also cost of living. Also, you probably want to know if you are responsible for the utilities, trash, etc. for the home you are living in. It makes a big difference. The American Library Directory might also list information about the library, like the collection, budget, resources, number, names, and titles of staff.

  11. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    1304132239

    Thanks! Those are good ideas.

    I have free housing and utilities (gas/electricity/water/trash,etc). I'm not sure about a landline phone .. but if my cell works, then it doesn't matter. She did say that if I want cable, that that would be up to me. Smile So ... no utilities cost. Oh, and the trailer is part of the remuneration. They also include two free meals a day (I'm assuming at the school cafeteria)- not sure how much I'll be able to eat of them, but it may help with food costs a bit. Smile

  12. MonkeyMama Says:
    1304133513

    I think it sounds very interesting!

  13. MonkeyMama Says:
    1304133856

    P.S. I was going to ask if they provide food too. I had a feeling. (The nuns always feed us well. Big Grin I audited some Catholic organizations and dh's aunt is a Catholic nun as well. Always extremely hospitable).

    Sounds like a great opportunity.

  14. SicilyYoder Says:
    1304134327

    Is it an SDA school? I always wanted to go to Southern, but it was too expensive.

  15. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    1304135010

    Thanks Monkey Mama. Smile I'm really quite interested to find out what kind of food they offer. I'm hoping that if I have my main dish (vegetarian) then I can supplement it with veggies, etc. provided by the school.

    Sicily,

    No, there is an Adventist mission school on the reservation (closer to Albuquerque I think). This particular school however is Catholic.

    Oh .. I went to Southern for two years. Smile I loved it. Of course it was affordable for me mainly due to my dad being a minister. That gave me 70% off tuition.

  16. Looking Forward Says:
    1304141567

    Awesome news! Fingers crossed. Big Grin

  17. debtfreeme Says:
    1304202121

    It sounds promising!

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