For such an important month, I know I've been severely lacking in the posting area. Although, I must say, I've done a better job than some people (cough Liz cough). But, for all the insanity that has come with the second half of July, it seems like its all starting to sink in and make sense. Its like I'm starting to be able to see myself living here. As opposed to some idealistic figment of my overactive imagination.
Right now, I'm sitting on my bed in my apartment, having just gotten back from hanging out with one of my friends at her new place. I spent the last 2.5 days unpacking, assembling furniture and getting situated in my new apartment. I've still got a long ways to go in terms of turning this place from an open apartment into something that resembles and inhabitable home. We need living room furniture (a couch, coffee table, tv stand, tv and some things for the walls), my mom is buying me a kitchen table when she comes to visit in two weeks and I need to get a bookcase and a few pictures to hang up. Hopefully, by mid-September, we'll be settled in and ready to go. At least, that my plan.
It's kind of frustrating, because I really just want the whole place to be set up and ready to go but I know it cant all be done in a day. I'm well aware off the phrase "Rome wasn't built in a day". I guess I just wish I had the money to get it all done now instead of having to wait a month to get it all situated. Plus, I found out yesterday that people in the Baltimore Corps are being paid $100/day during Round Zero (the training we complete in our region before school starts). Thats insane! It's like, a $1000. With that much money, my roommate and I could definitely finish off our apartment and have everything ready to go. I don't understand why we're not getting paid for Round Zero. There are fewer Charlotte members than there are in Baltimore. So if they're getting paid, why aren't we/ Although, maybe we are and we just don't know it yet. that would be so fantastic!!
Hey, I can dream. Can't I?
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
Lil Hunt
This is how my SD (school director) signs the emails that he sends to us:
"Cheers-
Lil' Hunt
School Director
Clarksdale High School
Clarksdale, MS
United States of America
North America
Northern Hemisphere
Earth
The Solar System
Second Spiral Arm to the Left
Milky Way Galaxy
The Local Group
The Universe
?"
He is an enigma.
"Cheers-
Lil' Hunt
School Director
Clarksdale High School
Clarksdale, MS
United States of America
North America
Northern Hemisphere
Earth
The Solar System
Second Spiral Arm to the Left
Milky Way Galaxy
The Local Group
The Universe
?"
He is an enigma.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Boyle, MS
It's down to the last week here in Cleveland and, I must say, it is almost bittersweet. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to be going home for a week and to be returning to civilization, but there are certain things about the Delta that I've come to enjoy. Like the people I've met at Institute who aren't in my region. Like the fact that I can go out to The Pickled Okra (yes, you read right. the Pickled Okra) and leave my bag on a table while I hang out/dance/drink and no one will touch it. Like the fact that everywhere we go, local people stop to talk to us about Teach for America and thank us for being here...the sense of community that these people have. Its very refreshing. Still, even considering all these things, I find myself counting the days until I can drive away and head back to North Carolina.
This past week was pretty good, all things considered. The kids took a while to get back into the swing of things after the long weekend. I never would have thought that a three day weekend could have such an effect on their ability to concentrate on Tuesday. It all came to a head on Wednesday when a kid got jumped in the morning and their was a huge fight in the lobby of the school. Two of our guy teachers got sucker punched trying to break it up and pull the kids apart. Apparently it had something to do with a gang related feud from over the weekend. It's kind of starling to think of some of our kids being in gangs. They're mostly 15 and 16 years old! So we've had to change our procedures for the morning, lunch and dismissal as a result. Its crazy to have to change everything this late in the game but it's completely necessary.
On Friday I went, for lack of a better term, on a pub crawl through Cleveland, MS. Mollie and I started at El Cabana where we met Liz and had frozen Margaritas that were comparable to Lauriol Plaza (in DC). We then went to the Warehouse, where my school team was having a happy hour. A ton of TFA people flooded the bar and we all had a good time. But they had last call at 10:00 (really pushing the late night here in the Delta) so everyone moved over to Backdraft. They were slightly more equipped to deal with so many people, and they stayed open until (gasp!) 11:30! We were all pretty tired at that point anyway. That whole up at 4:30 thing tends to do that to you.
Yesterday I went to Graceland with Mollie and then met Liz at Harrah's in Tunica. MS to go to the Paula Deen restaurant. Graceland was..... an experience. I'm not sure what I expected going in, but I think I forgot that the guy died in 1977 and, therefore, his house would be decorated like something from the 70s. Because that's what it is. Never mind the crazy, insane level of devotion that some people feel towards him. There is an eternal flame at his grave. I'm sorry, when did they move John F. Kennedy to Graceland? I missed that memo.
Today I went with Liz to Boyle. MS to take a picture in front of the sign. Not gonna lie, it was pretty freakin sweet. This afternoon my school team had a bbq at a local park by DSU. All I know is I went from saying "no, I don't want to play kickball. I'm just going to watch." to lying flat on my back, with a scraped leg and grass stained shorts, clutching the kickball in my hand thinking "how the hell did I get here?" It was like I was back in high school again for a hot second and everyone on my team thought it was pretty damn amazing that I caught every single ball that was kicked in my general direction, despite how close I was or how high it was kicked. Thats what four years as a starting, varsity goalkeeper will get you. And my parents spent a lot of money making sure I had cat-like reflexes and velcro hands. Needless to say, we won the game.
This past week was pretty good, all things considered. The kids took a while to get back into the swing of things after the long weekend. I never would have thought that a three day weekend could have such an effect on their ability to concentrate on Tuesday. It all came to a head on Wednesday when a kid got jumped in the morning and their was a huge fight in the lobby of the school. Two of our guy teachers got sucker punched trying to break it up and pull the kids apart. Apparently it had something to do with a gang related feud from over the weekend. It's kind of starling to think of some of our kids being in gangs. They're mostly 15 and 16 years old! So we've had to change our procedures for the morning, lunch and dismissal as a result. Its crazy to have to change everything this late in the game but it's completely necessary.
On Friday I went, for lack of a better term, on a pub crawl through Cleveland, MS. Mollie and I started at El Cabana where we met Liz and had frozen Margaritas that were comparable to Lauriol Plaza (in DC). We then went to the Warehouse, where my school team was having a happy hour. A ton of TFA people flooded the bar and we all had a good time. But they had last call at 10:00 (really pushing the late night here in the Delta) so everyone moved over to Backdraft. They were slightly more equipped to deal with so many people, and they stayed open until (gasp!) 11:30! We were all pretty tired at that point anyway. That whole up at 4:30 thing tends to do that to you.
Yesterday I went to Graceland with Mollie and then met Liz at Harrah's in Tunica. MS to go to the Paula Deen restaurant. Graceland was..... an experience. I'm not sure what I expected going in, but I think I forgot that the guy died in 1977 and, therefore, his house would be decorated like something from the 70s. Because that's what it is. Never mind the crazy, insane level of devotion that some people feel towards him. There is an eternal flame at his grave. I'm sorry, when did they move John F. Kennedy to Graceland? I missed that memo.
Tunica was really cool. The casinos are out over water because you can't gamble on land. I always think those are hysterical to see. Liz and I love our casinos and the Paula Deen buffet was amaaaaazing. Seriously, the cornbread casserole and Hoe Cakes were the greatest thing I'd ever eaten. We gambled for a hot second and then made our way back to Cleveland to go out for Mollie's birthday, which is today.
So now I'm settling in to do work for tomorrow's lesson and planning out the end of my week. Only 5 more days with the kids and then its back to Charlotte and on to New Jersey. God, I miss the glory and wonder that is the Garden State.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Slippery Downhill Slope
When I started Institute, I told myself I wasn't going to let it change me. I knew TFA was trying to test every fiber of our beings and break us down so that they could mold us into the type of people they wanted us to be. I was prepared for that. I'm mentally tough. I could take it. I would leave the Delta the exact same person I was when I got there, with 5 more weeks worth of memories and knowledge. I was wrong.
As I sit at my desk on the verge of week 4, reading over blog posts of mine from finals week, senior week and Induction, I'm realizing that I'm not the same person I was when I got here last month. I'm very different. And I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that. That one line from that famous motivational saying keeps popping into my head... "if something tries to change you, let it". I suppose I should embrace the idea that this experience is going to change me. In the back of my mind I always knew it would.
Then I stop and think about the conversation I had with Liz at dinner tonight. We were recounting our July 4th weekends to each other (I went to New Orleans, she went to Memphis) and she was explaining to me that people got up at 8 a.m. this morning to start doing work, even though we don't have anything to hand in until Thursday. And then she was telling me about an SLA corps member who felt the need to go into her classroom on Saturdays during her first year, just so she could make sure everything was perfect. I don't want to be that person. That person has no life outside of work. So the two of us made a pact that we would 1. definitely go on our cross country road trip next summer, 2. call each other if we ever felt the need to go into school on a Saturday and 3. remember that it is possible to have a life outside of TFA and refuse to let it become our only existence. TFA is what I do and, for now at least, it is a part of who I am but that does not mean that I will let it become the only thing in my life. I'm going to stay in touch with my friends from school, do things that do not revolve around closing the achievement gap and not let every other joke I make be in reference to TFA.
Last night, after the fireworks ended, I was sitting on the steps of a gazebo on the edge of the Mississippi River in the French quarter, with a frozen daiquiri in my hand and a brass band playing a mash up of Kanye West and the Backstreet Boys. As I sat there, I started thinking of last year's 4th of July and how I spent it in DC with Liz, Erin and Nick. At that point, on that weekend, I was as content with my life as I ever could have hoped to be. If someone had come up to me last year, while I saw sitting on the Mall with Erin and Nick waiting for the fireworks, and asked me, "Kaitlyn Boyle, where will you be one year from now on the 4th of July?" I would have looked them in the eye and, without a moment's hesitation, said "I'll be right here. On the Mall with my friends, waiting for the fireworks." Never, in a hundred years, would I have said that I'd be in New Orleans with a daiquiri and a brass band. Not that it's a bad thing. It just nowhere close to where I thought I'd be.
I also realized something else last night. At some point, I will move back to the District. I'm learning more and more that it is the city I belong in... it's my second home. I may not get back there right away, and definitely have things I want to do before I arrive, but before I turn 30 I will have moved back there. Maybe it's my time in the Delta thats talking, and maybe I'll move to Charlotte in 2 weeks and love it more than I can describe, but DC is a part of me. This spring, I would drive to Tangy Sweet, or to the bank or to Costco and I'd catch glimpses of the Capitol and Dupont and I'd realize that, for all the trouble and aggravation it causes me, that city is my happy place. I say all the time that my happy place involves 2 palm trees, a beach, a pina colada and an ocean breeze. That is my happy place, in my fantasies. Bu DC is my real life happy place. Hot summers, bad traffic, poor snow removal and annoying text messages included. I'll take it all.
I guess this post has kind of turned into a bit of a stream-of-consciousness reflection on the past couple of weeks and how I've been feeling about them. It's probably time I start focusing this blog more on TFA related items but, to me, it has become so intertwined with my life that it isn't possible to distinguish the institution (the organization, not the training) from myself. And, in the end, I think thats exactly how Teach for America wants it to be.
As I sit at my desk on the verge of week 4, reading over blog posts of mine from finals week, senior week and Induction, I'm realizing that I'm not the same person I was when I got here last month. I'm very different. And I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that. That one line from that famous motivational saying keeps popping into my head... "if something tries to change you, let it". I suppose I should embrace the idea that this experience is going to change me. In the back of my mind I always knew it would.
Then I stop and think about the conversation I had with Liz at dinner tonight. We were recounting our July 4th weekends to each other (I went to New Orleans, she went to Memphis) and she was explaining to me that people got up at 8 a.m. this morning to start doing work, even though we don't have anything to hand in until Thursday. And then she was telling me about an SLA corps member who felt the need to go into her classroom on Saturdays during her first year, just so she could make sure everything was perfect. I don't want to be that person. That person has no life outside of work. So the two of us made a pact that we would 1. definitely go on our cross country road trip next summer, 2. call each other if we ever felt the need to go into school on a Saturday and 3. remember that it is possible to have a life outside of TFA and refuse to let it become our only existence. TFA is what I do and, for now at least, it is a part of who I am but that does not mean that I will let it become the only thing in my life. I'm going to stay in touch with my friends from school, do things that do not revolve around closing the achievement gap and not let every other joke I make be in reference to TFA.
Last night, after the fireworks ended, I was sitting on the steps of a gazebo on the edge of the Mississippi River in the French quarter, with a frozen daiquiri in my hand and a brass band playing a mash up of Kanye West and the Backstreet Boys. As I sat there, I started thinking of last year's 4th of July and how I spent it in DC with Liz, Erin and Nick. At that point, on that weekend, I was as content with my life as I ever could have hoped to be. If someone had come up to me last year, while I saw sitting on the Mall with Erin and Nick waiting for the fireworks, and asked me, "Kaitlyn Boyle, where will you be one year from now on the 4th of July?" I would have looked them in the eye and, without a moment's hesitation, said "I'll be right here. On the Mall with my friends, waiting for the fireworks." Never, in a hundred years, would I have said that I'd be in New Orleans with a daiquiri and a brass band. Not that it's a bad thing. It just nowhere close to where I thought I'd be.
I also realized something else last night. At some point, I will move back to the District. I'm learning more and more that it is the city I belong in... it's my second home. I may not get back there right away, and definitely have things I want to do before I arrive, but before I turn 30 I will have moved back there. Maybe it's my time in the Delta thats talking, and maybe I'll move to Charlotte in 2 weeks and love it more than I can describe, but DC is a part of me. This spring, I would drive to Tangy Sweet, or to the bank or to Costco and I'd catch glimpses of the Capitol and Dupont and I'd realize that, for all the trouble and aggravation it causes me, that city is my happy place. I say all the time that my happy place involves 2 palm trees, a beach, a pina colada and an ocean breeze. That is my happy place, in my fantasies. Bu DC is my real life happy place. Hot summers, bad traffic, poor snow removal and annoying text messages included. I'll take it all.
I guess this post has kind of turned into a bit of a stream-of-consciousness reflection on the past couple of weeks and how I've been feeling about them. It's probably time I start focusing this blog more on TFA related items but, to me, it has become so intertwined with my life that it isn't possible to distinguish the institution (the organization, not the training) from myself. And, in the end, I think thats exactly how Teach for America wants it to be.
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