Teaching and Trekking

My home in Sanibel Island, Florida. I will miss this!

As I slowly count down the days until my trip to South Africa, I approach many bitter-sweet rises and falls in my life. The first being my student teaching internship. I have been teaching full time in an ESE   K-2 nd grade Intensive Academics classroom since August, and now I only have 2 ½ weeks left. I have grown so attached to my students and cooperating teacher that I cannot believe it is almost time to part. I still have so much more teaching to do, and so many ideas for the students; activities, books, games, experiments… I have seen my students develop so much from the first day and I have gotten a glimpse of their true potential. The students I will never forget… My student who came to class not knowing how to hold a crayon and not knowing if she was right handed or left handed, would cry every morning as she was dropped off to school for the first few weeks. She learned how to trace lines and shapes, and finally has begun tracing letters and writing letters on her own… “L...

There’s nothing like arriving home and seeing my parents after months of fending for myself, moving into a new apartment, long work days, tough classes, and everything else that comes with being an adult. The last time I was here was for Christmas break, when we were trapped in a few feet of snow. As much as I LOVED running around town with my friend in the snow storm (yes, by foot), nothing compares to the Jersey Shore in the summer. First stop, the boardwalk. My mother and I love to walk. We walked around town the first night so that she could show me all that has changed. We passed my old school, St. Joseph’s Regional Catholic School which closed in 2001, when we were all forced to take the bus off shore to a newly built, bigger school. After a half a year at the new school I quickly came back to the island to attend the local public school, which, surprisingly is still holding up. Well, St. Joseph’s, after it has been closed, has been used for CCD classes, and Sunday masses in t...

I came to college in Florida from a small town in New Jersey called Sea Isle City. This town has always been a part of me as not many people have had the experience of living here all year round since it is mostly a vacation town. I am taking a week and a half off my summer job to visit my home town and my family as I have done every year I’ve been in college. The beginning of my journey home: a 2 ½ plane ride. On the plane I was able to finish a novel I had been reading the previous week called “School of Essential Ingredients” by Erica Bauermeister. My mother is in a book club with her closest friends and she mailed it to me months ago with a letter stating that I must read it. This novel is about 8 students coming from very different lives to one cooking class searching for more than just a few new recipes to bring home. The chef that teaches the Monday night cooking classes is a single woman named Lillian and she seems to know exactly what every student needs through what she bri...

Last weekend was FGCU's inaugural Frosh Mosh retreat. I spent time spring semester with a 8 Multicultural Ambassadors planning this retreat for freshman to make the most of their college experience at FGCU. I was able to take part in the planning of the schedule, creation of presentations, low ropes activities, selection of student participants, and finally the implementation over the weekend. Mission: The mission of the Office of Multicultural Student Services (MSS) is to create an environment at Florida Gulf Coast University that embraces individual differences, sustains inclusion, and cultivates a campus atmosphere that is free from biases. In the spirit of inclusive educational excellence, MSS promotes a supportive and friendly environment that is welcoming and attractive to all persons regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, gender/gender identity, religious conviction, sexual orientation, or disability status. The goals of Frosh Mosh were to cre...

I looked at my application status on UCT's website today and I have been accepted! Now I am waiting on my acceptance letter in the mail so I can apply for my study Visa right away. Everything is right on track. It feels like my travels are right around the corner. :-) On a side note, I celebrated Independence Day this past weekend in Washington DC and ran into two girls in the ladies room at  restaurant from Japan on the 6 month Rotary Scholarship in high school. What are the chances? They're time in the U.S. is almost up but they were happy to see that I am preparing to travel soon on the same scholarship. It is so exciting to see how much of an impact the Rotary has everywhere I go. Windows to the underground cafe outside of the National Gallery of Art in D.C. Entrance of the D.C. Botanical Gardens Civil War Memorial in the National Gallery of Art The Capitol Building on the 4th of July!!!!

Last weekend was my training at the Rotary Scholars Seminar held at University of Tampa! We started the weekend by introducing ourselves to local Rotarians and other scholars both current and former. The other scholars at this seminar were going to Singapore, Australia, England, Spain, Scotland, Ghana, Ireland, and surprisingly there was another scholar planning on attending the University of Cape Town in South Africa at the same time as me! We were given a packet with tips for while we are traveling, and also heard plenty of stories from former scholars of funny situations, overwhelming cultural differences, etc. We were able to practice speaking in front of our peers and watched what our speeches to Rotaries abroad should look like. I was lucky that there were two former scholars at the seminar who studied in South Africa so I was given specific pointers of where to go, where not to go, what to do, and what not to do so that I will stay safe and make the most of my exp...