Assessing what interests me

What are some things I've enjoyed doing recently?  Well, I love working with kids. I spent three weeks helping a new mom take care of her twin infants and a two year old, while their military dad was working.

I was a nanny in the past, for a few years between missions. I loved that job! But who wants a nanny of 56? I'd be more like a grandma, and most people want a nanny that can run around and be active with the kids. I still know how to play, but I'm not real good at running any more.

I spent a few weeks helping a friend by taking care of her mom, who has Alzheimer's. I enjoyed that too, although I found it somewhat limiting, since the woman needed someone to pretty much spend every waking hour with her.

Another thing I like doing is designing curriculum for the deaf children in Hispanic developing countries . There is very little in Spanish that is appropriate for them. Most school books presume a vocabulary of thousands of words, and they come to school with only a handful. I have a strong desire to write a full Spanish program for them, but the financing of that eludes me. I would have to write it after hours of whatever job I end up with, and that may mean it never gets done, or takes years to complete.

Teaching language is something I am good at. I'm trilingual (English, Spanish, Sign Language) so I have three languages to draw on. My work has involved a lot of language teaching, mostly teaching a first language, and some second language teaching. I know how to teach a language directly without going through another language.

Translating. Because I have been a professional interpreter, I get things like how to stay out of a conversation, and just translate. I understand confidentiality. I'm good at real-time translating, as long as I'm' within my vocabulary limitations. For example, I probably would not be able to translate engineering terms.

Computers.  Or should I say Macs? I can use PC's, and have often been able to troubleshoot minor problems or figure out how to do something special on a PC, for a friend who is less computer savvy. But when it comes to Macs, I can do or learn how to do anything. I'm the friend people call when they need to know how to do something on their Mac. (Or iPad or iPod)

Presenting workshops is one thing I am generally good at, given that I know the material well. I like my workshops to be fun, interesting, and profitable to the attendees.

Travel doesn't bother me. Okay, I hate the airport security part as much as the next person; you have to be an octopus if you are traveling alone. Taking off/putting on shoes, pulling out passport and tickets repeatedly, getting a laptop in/out of the bag, carrying a jacket and pulling a wheeled carry-on all at the same time can be daunting. But once that is over, the rest is pretty pleasant. I enjoy a job that involves travel. I also enjoy staying home.

Multicultural work is interesting. I get that there are cultural differences. I have integrated bits and pieces of other cultures into my own life, and been enriched by them. I know better than to think that American culture is superior to all other cultures. At the same time, it is my culture, and I enjoy it.