Delta Bound

Ever since I accepted my position with Teach for America, people have given me sad, pitying looks whenever I mentioned going to the Mississippi Delta for the summer. While I had my own reservations about going to a very rural area when I've never spent much time outside of the city, I was sure I'd be fine. Sure, its hot in the Delta. But I can handle heat. Ok, its humid there. But I went to school in DC, a city that was literally built on top of a swamp. Yes, it is very rural. But hey, there are 14,000 people in Cleveland and they need to live somewhere, right? 

So, I mentally prepared myself for a summer similar to DC in weather and somewhat like a movie in terms of the town dynamics. I had this vision in my head, fueled by 22 years of watching films like Sweet Home Alabama, that Cleveland would be some sort of picturesque archetype of small town America. It would have one main street that would have a couple of restaurants, a bar or two and a local general store. Off of the main street, there would be 10 or 12 blocks of houses and a small school. The people would all know each other and wave as they drove past. The town would be small, but I would find it quaint and charming and by the end of my five weeks, I'd have fallen in love with the area. I could not have been more wrong.

The word rural does not accurately describe the town of Cleveland. The word that should be used is isolated. There's nothing here. I mean nothing. Correction, there is a Walmart. Liz and I went this afternoon to get a few things and she was having some kind of panic attack about the next five weeks and being in the middle of nowhere. She grew up on a farm, in the middle of nowhere and she thinks this is bad. And it is more ungodly hot than I could have ever imagined. DC doesn't hold a candle to this place. Between the work, the strict eating schedule and the heat/constant sweating, we're all going to lose 15 lbs. I don't know how people live here with this heat all year.

All these things aside, I'm trying to stay optimistic about the next five weeks. I've very hesitant about the work load, especially after seeing the enormous manual that they handed us at check in today. B.B. King is going to be here next week and we have the opportunity to see him for only $20. Thats definitely something I would never have the chance to do anywhere else. Plus, its only five weeks. I'm going to take it one day at a time, learn as much as I can and I'm sure it will go by much faster than I ever imagined it would. Hopefully I won't have some kind of nervous breakdown before then, because right now I feel like it is a distinct possibility. 

The Fighting Okra

Let me first begin with a post I received on my facebook wall from my roommate about an hour ago. It reads:

 Kaitlyn Boyle, I am very sorry that I gave you such a hard time about being a Fighting Okra. Looks like I will be one too.

Now, this would be the same roommate from small town PA, who has spent the greater part of this last semester harassing me about having to spend the summer at Delta State University in Cleavland, MS. But, as of yesterday, she'll be spending the summer there too. So there! HAH!

She was accepted into Teach for America's South Louisiana Corps to teach high school science. When she told me this, I first asked if she's going to buy a riverboat. She said no. I then asked her if she was going to visit Captain Ted, our really awesome swamp tour guide from spring break. She said yes. So, in my book, its all good. 

It'll definitely be great to be at institute together because we'll be able to hang out a bit on the weekends (aka, I'm stealing yo car!!). Plus, we'll each make friends in our own corps that we can introduce the other too so I could see both of us getting to know people that we may not have otherwise gotten to meet because we're in different regions. Definitely a good thing. 

In other news, I have to apply to UNC-Charlotte by the end of next week. I also have to take the GRE by the end of May. And I've got tone more information to go through for Teach for America. And no time to go through it. With 10 days and 6 major papers left (plus 4 finals), its going to be pretty insane from now until... I'm not sure when. Maybe things will slow down by Christmas. If I'm lucky. 

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/