Things are starting to look up again. This week I had an interview for a teaching post with a local language school, which I passed astonishingly easily. I have a couple of classes starting next week, admittedly covering for another teacher, but at least it's a start. I must admit my brain cells were beginning to atrophy in the data input job I had. The people I worked with were all pretty smart and had a good sense of humour, but staring at a screen all day long is not something I wanted to do for a living.

The interview itself was easy. I had to take a bus for about an hour to get there, and knew I should have been thinking about teaching on the way, but was instead trying to remember the words to a poem (The things I miss...) I'd written the previous week for K. When it came to the interview, I was so relaxed, it was just like having a chat. I'm sure it's not an interview technique I've heard of before, but it seemed to work. I still need some kind of work to do in the rest of my time though, as the school pays a long way in arrears.

K has sent me some more beautiful letters and it cheers me up to know I'm in her thoughts as much as she is in mine. She congratulated me for getting this job, which really made me happy. I was happy before, but having her confirm it made me doubly so. After my last day at the office we all went for a few beers, and they said K must be pretty special because I mention her a lot. I can't help it - she's a part of my life. I miss her more and more - I'm going to try my damnedest to be with her soon.

We both try as hard as we can to contact each other and miss each other in every way possible. I managed to get a budget rate telephone account to ring Mexico last week, and even if the line is terrible it's much better to speak without the constant fear of being cut off. The only problem now is that my spoken Spanish needs major improvement. It's strange, when I think in Spanish it all sounds so good, but when I speak it all comes out wrong. I'll keep practising, even if I do sound strange talking to myself and a cassette recorder.

The prospect of having some free time next week has made me think quite hard. I haven't stopped being active in all the time I've been back, since I've been doing everything I can to be back with her. A week away from work will mean I have to do something so that I don't think of the thousands of miles between us. K sent me a kiss to keep me smiling when I'm sad - perhaps I'll have need of it.