Culture Shock

In exactly three months and one week, I have to be in Charlotte for Orientation. A week later, I have to drive to Cleveland, Mississippi for my five week summer institute. For those who don't know, Cleveland, MS is a town consisting of approximately 4,000 homes and 13,000 residents waaaaay up in the northwest corner of the state, by the Arkansas and Tennessee boarders. The closest big city is Memphis, which is over three hours away. This is where I'm spending the vast majority of my summer.
Now, being from northern New Jersey and growing up about 10 minutes outside of New York City, I'm clearly in for some kind of culture shock. I'll make no secret of the fact that I'm extremely hesitant to spend my summer in the backwoods, out in the sticks of rural Mississippi. A Northerner and New Jersey native (with all the attitude and outlook that being from the tri-state area brings) heading down to Southern, small town America. Talk about a fish out of water.
Naturally, my roommate is taking great pleasure in this inevitability. She finds the whole thing hysterical and can't wait for me to be metaphorically bitch slapped by rural living. It probably has to do with her growing up in the middle of nowhere and knowing exactly what I'm in for. Well, she just forwarded me this link that she found on www.teachfor.us. It's a website for TFA members to set up and keep blogs. Really cool idea, although I enjoy blogspot more. Here is the link I received. Let me just say, it does not help to ease my trepidations at all.
God help me.....

http://rachelplate.teachfor.us/category/institute/

Guided Insanity

It's midterms week here at Catholic. You would think after four years and seven semesters we would be used to this. Like every other year, though, the panic has set in. And the snowpocalypse didn't help things. The assignments that would have been spreed over last week, this and next week have been jammed into the next two. That means this week I have three papers due (Mon, Tues and Thurs) and next week I've got three midterms (Mon, Tues and Thurs) and a take home being handed out on Wednesday thats due the week we get back. Really, who assigns work to be due when we get back from spring break?!?! Add the stress of the Praxis coming up in three weeks, and I'm sitting at my desk, silently freaking out.
Let's not forget the outside factors that we're all freaking out about. Graduation. The fast approaching end to college. As ready as I am for it to be over, I've become closer with some friends this past year and I wish we had another year to all be together. Never mind that my mom called me the other day to tell me she's booked my graduation party for Saturday of Memorial Day. She thought I'd want to know so I can invite my friends. Wait, let them get out their planners THREE MONTHS EARLY!
Everything's going to be fine though. I've got my John Mayer collection on repeat, I've got a soda and very little need for sleep. Besides... two weeks from now I'll be in New Orleans, sitting at Pat O'briens on Bourbon Street, sipping a hurricane. That's what I have to keep reminding myself.
Next year I'm going to remember this when I'm teaching. I'll make sure to try and find out what my student's schedules are like when assigning projects. And no homework over vacation, either. For them, or me.

Praxis II: English Content Knowledge and Pedagogy

I registered to take the Praxis exam two days ago. It is the national teacher certification test and I have to pass the content knowledge and pedagogy (teaching styles) portions in order to be certified to teach in North Carolina. The test is being offered on March 13th, which is the Saturday that our spring break ends. So, instead of going to Mexico for eight days, we are going to New Orleans for five days. Saturday the 6th to Thursday the 11th. It's going to be a good time because we have a hotel one block down from Bourbon Street and two blocks from Jackson Square. There will be copious amounts of time spent in Pat O'Brien's drinking Hurricanes.
I have to go home to New Jersey to take the test. It was being offered in DC, but by the time I registered all the spots were filled. Instead of driving 45 minutes to some random place in Maryland (when I have to be there at 7:30) I'm just going to go home at take it 5 minute's away at my high school's brother school. Prep tends to offer all standardized tests. I took the SAT there twice.
Washington, DC was sucker punched with two blizzards in four days this week. We had off from class for six days and the city is still at a pretty solid stand still. Stores have only just started to reopen and the Metro has begun to resume above ground service, which means CUA students are no longer trapped on campus. Over the past six days, I probably should have started studying for the test but I didn't get too much done. For some reason, I don't think its that big of a deal because I think I'll pass the test the first time. As long as that happens, it doesn't matter if I get all the questions right or one more than is necessary to pass. But I think I'll do better than passing by one question.
In other news, I LOVE THE OLYMPICS!!!!!! They're amazingly patriotic and, as usual, the US is going to dominate. I will be saving every extra dime I make over the next two years during Teach for America and will be attending London 2012. I desperately need to go to the Olympics.