The Run Around

Ok, I need to vent because otherwise, I will just break down and cry. (I am a little overly emotional because of getting very limited sleep over the past 6 weeks and even less last night)

Day One (Thursday)
One of the things that drives me crazy the most is getting "the run around" I got a desperate call from a teacher Thursday begging me to cover for a class of hers for the next 8 weeks, starting Monday and she was going into surgery on Friday. After having approximately 30 minutes at 9:00pm on Thursday night to talk it over with JC and run through all the possible scenarios in my mind, I agreed to do it until I have to go back to Saint Martin's in August.

Friday (no one is in the office because of budget cutbacks so I can't do anything)

Day Two (Sunday)
The teacher I'm subbing for called and said she would have another teacher call to give me more info. Another teacher called but couldn't tell me much because her mother was very ill and she wasn't even sure she would make it for the first day of class. She did tell me who to check in with at the school on Monday morning.

Day Three (Monday)

I went in early to check in with that secretary but when I asked her about the supposed books, curriculum, syllabi, etc. she seemed to have no idea what I was talking about. She said to check with another teacher. When I asked how to contact her, she said she didn't know. She informed me I only had two students (I had planned class for 10-15) She sent me on my way to my class across campus with the comment "I hope the door is unlocked because there is no key for you" Well, guess what? It wasn't. Lovely.

Day Four (Tuesday)

I was able to fortunately run into one of the other "seasoned" teachers before class today. She showed me the offices (that I don't have a key to) where I could get instructor's copies of books (of which there were none for the class I'm teaching). Then, she said I had to talk to the level 3 instructor about what I should teach in level 2 so I don't teach the same things she will. When asked where is this instructor, that's right- she's not here because her mother passed away last night. So, my options are: 1) continue teaching blindly and hope I don't overstep into level 3 curriculum or 2) call up this poor woman and ask her for a run down of the curriculum when I'm pretty sure she probably has other things on her mind...

Class itself was ok except for the fact that the students apparently thought doing an activity outside of class for 15 minutes meant come back in a half hour when class is over...

In the meantime, I am trying to save $400 a month by enrolling Danali in a state health program for health insurance. Well, I got a letter in the mail yesterday, on June 28th that they needed her SS# by June 26th, so I spent the afternoon calling them to see if I could get an extension and they said I could have 10 days. In the meantime, I called the Social Security Office to see how I could get her a SS# and tried 5 times to get through to an actual person before giving up. I then attempted to call the hospital, where I got transferred to the family and birth center and then to the "birth certificate lady" who informed me that there was a little box on the birth certificate application that I had to check if I wanted a social security card in any reasonable amount of time and fashion. Since I apparently in my new mother haze of filling out forms missed this small and incredibly important detail, I am doomed to the "alternative" way of aquiring a social security number.

I called the state agency she gave me the number to and they said to just take in the birth certificate and fill out the application and they would give her a number. Oh, that was just too easy. Juan Carlos and I took screaming baby to the other side of town in westside Olympia, took a number, waited for almost an hour, trying to console crying baby the entire time, and then I went to talk to the woman while JC walked Danali outside...only to find out that they need a birth certificate, a parent's ID, AND an official letter from a clinic or hospital indicating the child is a patient there and other personal information. And after that, they have to verify her birth through the state, which could take another week- would verifying her birth through the state by itself not be enough? Fighting off tears, I trudged out and JC suggested we go to the doctor's office now to try to get the letter- hope was restored. If they could give us the letter today, then I could go back today and still mail the form off in time to see if Danali is eligible for the insurance program. But alas, I had to fill out a form to be eligible to get a letter, which they reserve the right to take 3 weeks to produce for us.

I guess this is the point at which I just throw up my hands in desperation and ask God to take over because my best efforts just aren't cutting it.

I feel like a moron that I am only even going through all of this because of some stupid little box that I KNOW I would have checked if I had only seen it!! I feel like an awful mother for missing this detail and not thinking about it until now and I really just want a "do over" Just let me go back and make that check mark please? Oh well- I guess this is yours now, God because I don't feel like I can deal with it anymore.

Getting the "run around" is so frustrating- I know many of you have probably had similar experiences and can empathize- se la vi- I'll be more detail oriented next time around and I'll definitely be sure to let all expecting mothers giving birth at St. Peter's know how to avoid this ridiculously time-consuming and frustrating way of getting that stinking little number!