Perrin and I are sitting in our parents’ living room questioning our delicate situation.  We are surrounded by mattresses and dressers, which makes this stay seem more permanent than we are comfortable with.  We leave for Italy this week but at the moment we appear to have voluntarily moved back home.  As we question what burst of insanity provoked us to leave our friends, apartments and jobs in New York we thought we’d make a list of those things that we won’t miss:

1. Tourists wearing “I <3 New York t-shirts”.  Our friends wearing I <3 NY shirts” and pretending to be tourists at the Times Square Olive Garden is awesome though.

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This weekend we took a few buses and trolleys out of Quito to the Mitad del Mundo park in Mitad del Mundo, Ecuador.  I had read previously that this was probably the country’s biggest tourist trap but I decided to rally the troops and visit the place anyway, you see  I have this thing about lists and checking stuff off whenever I travel.  You pay 2 dollars and gain access to the park where there is this big monument that prominently stands in the middle letting you know that yes, you are at 0 degrees Latitude. We had read that thanks to the magic of GPS we now know that the actual monument is about 250 meters away from the actual Equator, but who cares right?  The park complex also has a stage where you can here local muscians play folklorica music dressed in their local costumes.  There are a ton of gift shops, cafes and even a church that is sitting on the actual Equatorial line that divides the place in two right down the center aisle.  The weather wasn’t the best that day but it didn’t stop us from making the most of the place.

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(Version française plus bas)

I have had a job. For a week. I found an ESL teacher position at a small school for teenagers and adults 25 minutes away from our nest, walking. And I hadn’t written about it until now because I have been questioning whether I should keep it … or quit.

Grading papers for the first time in my life!

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New to Jet Set Zero TV? Welcome. We’ve been expecting you.

As a new fan you’re sure to notice an abundance of awesomely international content on the site, from places like Saigon, Ecuador and Italy. So because it’s Friday night, and because it’s my first night sans work, and because maybe I’m a little detail-oriented, I feel inspired to stay home put together a little JS0 cheat sheet for current happenings.  Or you could just skip my Cliffs Notes and go straight to Wikipedia.

Saigon Cast (Season 5): They WERE in Saigon, Vietnam for 90 days. Their episodes are airing NOW.  One each Friday. Laurene is the only Season 5 gal who continued on to Season 6.   Very cool, Laurene.

Quito Cast (Season 6): They ARE in Quito, Ecuador, still getting settled and landing jobs. They include Laurene, Freddie, Jenna and Ryan. (thumbnail photos on right). They are not broadcasting full-length episodes yet, but they blog daily and create delicious video shorts of all-things Ecuador.

Italy Cast (Season 7): We ARE GOING TO Italy. We leave next week. We include me (Courtney), sisters Perrin and Sarah, and Lynne, from Scotland (thumbnail photos on right). We are not broadcasting full-length episodes yet either, but we’re getting our daily blog, photo and Flip on too.

SAIGON (SEASON 5):

Saigon: Unofficial Cast Photo (missing Laurene)

QUITO (SEASON 6):

Quito: Official Cast Photo

ITALY (SEASON 7):

Prior seasons include Istanbul, Seoul, Tokyo and Saigon (Yes, there were two JS0 seasons in Saigon).

Any more questions?  Emails welcome!

OK, unlike the Bailey Sisters, my job at the mo is in fact not so different from the type of work I hope to find in Italy.  I am a native English teacher in Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands.

I came here two years to improve my Spanish and loved it so much I stayed an extra year! It’s a busy time in the Canary Islands as they are preparing for Canaries Day, their celebration day where they dress in traditional dress. Today we had a BIG lunch to celebrate:  Papas arrugadas con mojo (wrinkled potatoes with a spicy sauce very typical from here), cheese with a nice jam, garbanzo beans and even some lemon sorbet spiked with Cava (spanish fizzy wine).

Going with the flow and living Canarian culture!

I spend most of my day in a classroom, teaching conversation English classes to fifteen groups of 12-20 year-olds.  They are full of energy and boyfriend/girlfriend drama.  It’s a shame I am only just managing to remember all their names and it’s time to go!   I work in a school that may resemble something from Prison Break but inside it is in fact a very warm environment and one of the most technologically advanced schools on the island. Every class has an electronic white boar and Internet, which I still find challenging, but who knows, maybe Jet Set Zero will turn me into an Internet genius.

My school

I love working in the English Department because it’s all women who share my love for innocent gossiping and drinking coffee.  My favourite day is Tuesday when I have tea time with fellow teacher Kathryn, a great friend of mine here on the island.  She is from the south of England and we spend our breaks getting nostalgic and drinking tea with milk like the true Brits we are.  She also deserves a special mention as she filmed the lucky audition clips for Jet Set Zero.

Tea time with Kathryn

Only yesterday I realised how much I am going to miss not only Gran Canaria but also my students and workmates! I got to school yesterday to see that my students had organised me parties, made me cards, gave me a beautiful rose, a teddy bear, a powerpoint presentation and one boy even drew a Manga picture of me (think Japanese Anime). It is so touching to see the impact I have made in their lives, and how generous my cleavage is as a Magna girl!

Being a teacher is one of the most rewarding jobs ever.

Manga Me

The gifts from my students

This week brings us a step closer to the close of the girl’s time in Saigon as well on some of their biggest adventures yet.  Check out their travels outside the city and a tropical Christmas that you have to see to believe.

Episode 5

"Helping the elderly.  Making new friends.  Going to the beach.  Getting sand in your pants.  What do these things have in common?  You can do them all in Vietnam when you break out of your shell and begin to really explore your home-away-from-home.  Join Laurene, Kris, Jen, and Serene as they crest the hill into the second half of their time as the cast of Jet Set Zero: Saigon."

Friday = Jet Set Zero.  We should just make if official.  Wednesday, Thursday, Jet Set Zero, Saturday.

Man I’m good.  They should really pay me for coming up with this stuff.

NEW EPISODE HERE

(Version française plus bas)

In between Saigon and Quito I took a 10-day break in Chicago to visit a dear friend of mine. She lives on the south side of Chicago close to Little Village, a latino neighborhood where there is a lot of violence- especially gang violence. I had never lived in such an area before and learnt many things about the daily challenges the youth faces there.

My friend was helping the youth organizing “Little Village Youth Forum: Crossing Boundaries Against Violence,” a yearly event that has become a tradition two years ago. More than 600 people from various south side neighborhoods attended. It was a really awesome event, and casting a new light on America.

Hope you enjoy the video…

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A few words about the job I am leaving, for those who like before-and-after scenarios. I work at an ad agency in a building shared with Marvel Comics. Numerous full-size superhero replicas haunt our floor, including a giant Spiderman on wheels. Spiderman is frequently relocated. Sometimes I hyperventilate when he comes wheeling unexpectedly around the corner at me while I’m trying to walk to the bathroom without pissing my pants.

I have too much fun with these things...even though they scare the crap outta me. If only Ed Norton were inside this Hulk outfit...

I share an office with the most kickass media planner on the block, Tria (pictured in antlers below). It’s her birthday today, Happy Birthday Tria!  In general, as far as coworkers go, mine are normal enough. One of bosses Kevin and I take turns buying cookies for each other so he’s swell in my book. Once he taped a $5 above my door to see if Tria and I would notice since we’re both vertically challenged. I found it but had to get someone else to reach it down for me…this was one of the more exciting incidences during my time in the office.

Tria and I (almost) won the office decorating contest this Christmas. Rigging this up was probably the most manual labor I've done at a job. We are such dorks but hey it beats Excel.

A highlight of my day is lunch, which is generally spent in 1 of 3 ways. The first 2 involve pilfering subsidized or free food like a real self-supporting New Yorker.

What I do on lunch hour

30% of the time: Meet with friends in Bryant Park or at someone’s p-i-m-p (read: bargain basement priced) office cafeteria…how else would I know that Scadden serves delicious fried chicken? Didn’t expect that.

10%: Slip off to a long lunch with coworkers and sales reps, if it is Friday or another happy day. Eat steak. Creep back into office. Attempt to disguise the Cheshire Cat grin stretched across my face.

60%: Sit at desk eating microwavable food and composing something in Microsoft Office, compulsively pressing Control-S for assurance while fervently making calls, pulling reports and doing some 7^th grade math. These lunchtime funfests end with an “Ahh” when the final deliverable is delivered and the final conference is called. At this point it is time to run out for late afternoon cookie and Diet Coke. Mmm, a day full of vitamins and minerals.

Planning Disney’s digital media does, as you might expect, involve exploring numerous children’s websites. My most alarming finding is tween and teen virtual worlds: check out Gaia and Zwinky. When you set your avatars up on these sites they’re all wearing such skanky underwear.  Cover up, minors, for chrissake!

Anyway. I might miss my job, particularly the responsibility and the satisfaction I get when my media projects succeed. I have been enjoying work and NYC more with each year and feel like I’m improving as a planner and a NYer – but I am itching to roam. It barely feels like a choice any more because I will be dissatisfied and fidgety if I don’t. So, sayonara deliverables, Excel and Spiderman! Tomorrow is my last day.

Shenanigans with Sister Bailey at a media event...I sneak her in a lot but she contributes to the party atmosphere so I don't feel guilty

Check out this week’s How I Travel feature on one of my favorite travel sites, Bootsnall.  I love their description of Jet Set Zero:  ”Think Real World but with travel & culture filling in for all the fake drama.”   Sweet!

After a long hard month of looking for work in Ecuador I finally landed a gig teaching English.  Up to this point I had sent out countless emails to schools and recruiters, had interviews but had yet to get any type of solid job offer.  Everyone would say, “Oh this looks wonderful, your CV and experience are exactly what we are looking for, we will give you a call!” and my phone never rang.  On Tuesday, I had an interview set up with the school that a friend of mine was working at and the interview was lukewarm at best.  The woman I met with who was also the director was dealing with a horrible case of sun poisoning and was a little reluctant about hiring me because I wouldn’t be around all year which is understandable.  I left the school feeling a little irritated since it had seemed like a done deal from speaking to her on the phone and via email and walked the 30 minutes back to my apartment when there I saw it, about 5 blocks from my house, an English school.  I decided since I was dressed for an interview and had all my documents in order that  I would march into that school and demand a job.  I walked into the building, asked for the school director and saw him in about 5 minutes time. He looked over my stuff, seemed pleased and told me he would call me the next day. Lo and behold, he called me that same evening at dinner and the next afternoon I was teaching at a university which was coincidentally one of my goals for the year. Lesson learned: if you shake enough trees something is bound to fall out .