OK. I am back to the drawing board. Perhaps I need to ask around some more about the opportunities available. In the meantime, think positive thoughts.

Reading your posts, I'd never have known that you weren't a "native English speaker." If your writing is any indication, I don't think you'd have a problem getting a job teaching English. I wish you the best in getting back to Kenya, long-term. Someone there will recognize your value!

Nyamera, you write beautifully and much better than many who are native English speakers/writers and who concentrate on only one language.

This is about 15 minutes long but worth watching if you need cheering up. It WILL make you smile!

I'm sure you can teach English if you can teach Spanish. Go for it.

Happy New Year!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbk980jV7Ao

Thanks, Safarimama! It’s a lovely little film and it reminds me that I should have told As You Like It how wonderful they were when I got an “After your safari” email.
Happy New Year!

Nyamera, if you want to pursue the English teaching, there are a couple of things you can do to increase your qualifications. First of all, I will say that your written English is certainly good enough -- I've taken 'official' courses in how to do ESL teaching, and there were definitely students whose English was not as good as yours. I assume you don't have a strong accent?

The 'gold standard' is the CELTA or the Trinity course. I took the CELTA. It's a great course, and is offered in many locations around the world, but rather expensive (a couple of thousand dollars).

Prior to that, sort of as a trial balloon, I took an online class, to see if I would even like it, or have any skill in it. I tried a course through www.i-to-i.com/tefl/
The basic course is surprisingly good (but you don't get teaching practice). FYI, the grammer course add-on isn't as good -- it doesn't really teach you, it just tests you.

Thanks, ann-nyc. I took the “free taster” with good results, but I cheated on the personality test. ;) Speaking is my problem in English and most other languages.

Happy New Year and thank you for completing this! If we are optimists we will say that now it is only about 5 months until you return to Kenya. How is your manicure holding up?

Karibu!

Happy New Year, Leely! I only need a quick look at my nails to se that I have to return to Kenya ASAP.

Maybe not ASAP, but I hope you'll get back within the next 6 to 8 months.