I am originally from Indonesia. After marrying my Spanish husband, I moved to Spain and was excitedly eager to start my life in a completely different culture and environment. I was an English teacher back in Indonesia, so I tried to find a teaching job in Spain as well.

It wasn’t easy. I sent tons of CVs to countless English academies in Spain yet I got no answer from most of them. Though I have all qualifications and skills needed to be an English teacher, my non-native English speaker status made it almost impossible for me to be a teacher in Spain.

When it comes to my goals and dreams, I can be extremely stubborn. I knew I might only have a few possibilities to teach, but I didn’t care. I kept sending my CVs and believed that one day, one of them would see my qualifications and experiences instead of my status. When I got no responses or got rejected, I thanked God. I thanked God for showing me which job wasn’t meant for me. I believe that if I don’t get something I desire, it means that it isn’t the best for me because I know God only gives us the best.

In summer 2012, the local government in the city where I lived offered jobs for immigrants. It wasn’t a good job, a street sweeper. I accepted the job just because. I was a street sweeper for two days before I got a call from the summer camp coordinator who offered me a teaching job in his summer camp.

Without further thinking, I accepted the job. Teaching was absolutely better than sweeping. The good thing was, the camp was coordinated by Spanish Ministry of Defense. It quicky boosted my CV and I got my first official teaching job in an English academy a month after I finished the camp.

I wanted to have a better career. I knew that if I kept working in English academies, I would be forever a teacher, without having the opportunities to reach a higher position. That’s why I wanted to work in an international school. It wasn’t easy, of course. It was even a lot more difficult than getting a teaching job in an English academy. But again, it didn’t stop me.

This year I had to return to Indonesia for 3 months. When I was there, I was interiewed by the director of an international school. I felt like it was the job for me. Yet again, after the interview, I got no further notifications.

I was jobless when I got back to Spain. Again, I sent CVs to English academies and was interviewed by some of them. There was one English academy I liked, but unfortunately I wasn’t selected for the job.

I was sad, of course, but I managed to send the Director my gratitude for having interviewed me. I didn’t let myself down. I kept saying, “I know like I know, like I know, like I know, that my dream job is waiting for me. It’s there.”

I set a goal: by the first of September, I will already be having a job. I sent a job offering letter to myself from the international school that interviewed me before and believed wholeheartedly that it would happen. I packed my stuff, as if I would be moving to my new house soon. I woke up early and set my outfit for the day, as if I had already got the job. I was grateful for everything, really enjoyed my unemployment period and tried to maintain my happy feeling.

This morning I went to that school because I was invited for another interview. To my surprise, it wasn’t an interview at all. The director offered me the job on the spot! I couldn’t believe myself, but I was so happy and blessed.

You know, when you are rejected from something good, God is actually leading you to something better. Just keep believing in yourself, in God, knowing that what you desire is already yours, that it’s just a matter of that perfect timing. Just dream, believe and achieve.