My job

I'm going to Mexico with a job already lined up, which I feel really lucky to have. I'll be teaching English at the Universidad de la Sierra Sur (UNSIS), in Miahuatlán, Oaxaca. It's a full-time job, with a good salary and benefits (paid holidays and vacation, health insurance, savings plan). It involves approximately 16 hours a week of actual teaching time, with the rest for class prep, professional development, special projects, etc.

I'm really excited about this job for many reasons. For a number of years I've had multiple jobs (and varied responsibilities within each different job!), so I'm looking forward to having a single job. Teaching (ESOL and Spanish) has been the most rewarding job I've had over the years, and I'm happy that I'll finally be able to do that on a full-time basis, and take a real break from accounting.

I was also relieved to learn that the majority of the students are able to study at the University due to government-issued scholarships, and don't come from a strong academic background. Even though this means a slightly more challenging job for me as a teacher, I know it will be rewarding to work with students that are taking advantage of a chance to broaden their perspectives and possibilities through higher education. Mexico has such a huge gulf between the educated upper classes and the struggling rest of the population, it's a relief to know that I won't be teaching privileged kids. After these years working with amazing immigrants from Central and South America, it feels like a natural continuation to be working from "the other side," investing in education at the source.

UNSIS is a small University, with less than 350 students. It's part of a state-wide network of universities in Oaxaca, and offers degrees in Nursing, Municipal Administration, Public Administration, Information Systems and Business Science.

Here's a link to the University's website:

http://www.unsis.edu.mx/

The website is mostly in Spanish, but it has some pictures of the campus, and at least one informational link in English.

Maps and such

The reason for starting this blog is that I'm moving to Mexico. (as in the country, not to be confused with the U.S. state of New Mexico, where I will not be moving, despite my Grandma's suggestion) : )

Here's a map of Mexico, highlighting the state of Oaxaca, which is where I'm moving. Part of my master plan is to visit Guatemala, and maybe Belize, which you can see aren't that far from where I'll be...

The town I'll be living in is called Miahuatlán de Porfirio Díaz, which I will henceforth refer to as just Miahuatlán. Simpler that way. It's located in southern Oaxaca, a short trip from the capital city of Oaxaca and a few hours from the beautiful coastal towns of Puerto Escondido, Puerto Angel and Huatulco. This map of Oaxaca state shows Miahuatlán's location at the foothills of the Sierra del Sur.