Ok so life has flipped in the last week. I was offered a teaching job in my subject (world history 10th grade) on Monday so I quit my other job on the spot, despite the offer to move to North Carolina. This week has flown by and I can not explain how amazing this choice has made my life. In just a week I have become so happy. On top of all of that I met another athiest today, which in the south is like finding a unicorn. At my school they do insain things like prayer walks before school and pray 3 times in an hour long meeting. Today we had a lunch meeting and as I said they prayed 3 times. Once at the start, once before we ate and again to close the meeting. I get it I'm in a southern school and it doesn't so much bother me but of course I just sit through it. So while they were praying I was looking around for others who like me weren't joining in. There was a small handful, one of which was the teacher in the class next to mine. After the meeting we walked back to our classrooms together, talking about this and that, I didn't expect her to bring it up but when we got back to our classrooms away from the others the question just popped out. "Are you an athiest?" I was kind of shocked and being new I know not to risk my job by spreading that kind of information so I said "well that's a question" she said "I am and ____ is a Buddhist" she looked down the hall to make sure no one was listening in. We had a short conversation about how dangerous it is for ppl to find out but now we know we have each other's backs. I can't explain how happy all of this had made me. Finding even one other athiest near me...just wow.