First week of teaching...

So let me preface this with i hope there will be pictures to come...

So this week I had my first teaching week! I got to teach a group of ten 11 year olds! It was quite the task! I was nervous going into the week and then to kick it off I had this dream about the children getting to camp early and that one of my students was allergic to rain and I had no way to shelter her! Also, (in the dream) my boss yelled at me for being unprepared! yikes! Needless to say I was less than excited to go to our first meeting monday morning and I was even more scared about the children arriving. Turns out they were over an hour late and we were really rushed to get everything done before dinner monday night!

My team had a rough time getting through their team contract and other pre-dinner chores but they managed to make an awesome LNT (Leave no trace) skit about minimizing camp fires. So I was pretty excited for our week to start because I felt like I was going to have a pretty good group. We hot quite a few speed bumps though. my group of students didn't work so well as a team and actually fought quite a bit!

After day 2- Go with the flow (water systems!) where we built watersheds in the sand and played with macro invertebrates I could tell that I was going to have to work on them working as a team. They fought all day, and hit and pushed each other. The funny thing is- I though that it would be the boys who fought all the time- and it was all the girls! So while I thought the kids had fun, besides all the complaining about being tired and hiking too far, I knew we had to revisit respect.

Day 3 we had an incident before breakfast! I had one girl push another and start crying. To discipline the whole group for their actions we wrote in our journals about how to respect each other and then wrote one nice thing about everyone in the group. We were all going to read the nice things people said about us ( because that will help us work as a team right?!) wrong. One student ended up writing some mean things and we ended up leaving campus at 10:45am instead of 9 am because we had three more students crying. The rest of the day went relatively well, behavior wise, but we totaled 6 students crying on wednesday. Although we did learn some really cool things about ecosystems and played some really awesome games.

Day 4 was inquiry day- where the students make up their own project and we go through the scientific method to solve it all day and make a poster. Once again we had some trouble getting together as a team and deciding one hypothesis or one project or one method. So I think to myself.... "lets do a team builder and see if that helps them work as a team!" so after 30 minutes on MOSSes Lan-skies we had made it a third of our destination and the team failed. One girl fell off and cried also. So back to the drawing board where we had two hypotheses that contradicted each other. After a hike where everyone complained and a day that was rougher than the last two due to a lack of teamwork and an epic battle of two 6th grade girls, we missed 30 minutes of free time but FINALLY worked as a team... sorta. The only redeeming factor of the day were the notes that some of the students wrote me.

You will never believe that while I was ripping my hair out and trying to break up all the fighting these kids 1.)had fun 2.) thought I was fun 3.) enjoyed being here 4.) learned something about science. This was most defiantly not the best first week, but I suppose it can only get better from here and I know that I learned a lot from having this group... and maybe through all the yelling, crying and what-not-ing this little buggers actually grew on me.

- well.... til next time. peace and love from Idaho.

Westward Bound.... to Idaho I go!

Well Hello....

So i graduated college with a plan to move to small town Idaho and participate in the McCall Outdoor Science School through Americorps. So now here I am, living in a state park and learning how to be a field instructor and how to teach 5th and 6th graders information that is new or refreshed for me!

I suppose I should start with the journey out here and the removal from my past life before I get into the details of my newly formed existence. So here it is, Leaving Boston was one of the scariest and exciting moments of my life. I may have cried harder than I ever have before, and I still have moments when I wish I had never left.... but I love it

here and I think that McCall may be one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in my life, and I feel so so lucky to be here. That being said, The road trip here was most likely the best experiences of my life.

My sister and I started in Boston and made a 5 day 3500 mile trip through a good chunk of the country. We got to stop and say hi to friends in Waterloo Michigan and Chicago, which was an awesome way to start the trip out! After that we headed north to Wisconsin to raft the Wolf river out of Shot Gun Eddy rental shop.... this was the craziest experience of my life, we were given directions down the river with an inflatable raft and four 4x6 pictures, all while getting distracted my five week old kittens. Anyway, from there we headed to Utah by way of minnesota, south dakota ( and yes we stopped at Wall Drug, sadly), and Wyoming! Oh yeah, we took a pit stop at Mount R

ushmore also! After utah it was Idaho here we come!

So I got dropped off in McCall and was surprised at just how beautiful it is, we are amidst the Rocky Mountains and right on this beautiful lake that we have 24 hour access to and I can't describe how lucky I feel to live here. Most of us got here early to get out wilderness first aid training and we all hit it off right from the start. Now we are three weeks into training and I feel as though I have known some of these people for years.

Five days of our training was hiking through the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness area. I have never been backpacking before But I will defiantly be going again! It was challenging and amazing. I have never felt so accomplished and lucky in my life. 30 miles in two and a half days! Now we are getting all our materials on how to teach these children and getting our first assignments and I feel like I am starting to get more comfortable, but I am still really nervous to get started. I know that even if I am not 100% ready when that bus full of students show up, that I have an awesome team to work with and the support I need to get through it and improve for the next week.

I am excited for this learning oppertunity and to see where this

path in life takes me!

4 years, 8 semesters, 39 classes, and 125 credits later... this is what I have learned....

1.) The esplanade is one of the most beautiful places in the city. An ambassador showed it to me my sophomore year, and I showed it to a freshman ambassador this year. Every thing goes full circle and the beauty of it makes me have hope for the world.
2.) Walks around the city with various good friends have made most of my favorite memories
3.) When you are walking through the rain there is no reason not to run through a fountain.
4.) You are never too old to go apple picking... just don't drop the apples in the middle of a busy intersection after spending all day getting them
5.) The commuter rail brings you to some lovely places... take advantage of it.
6.) Pandora is best way to listen to music.
7.) You can do anything that you set your mind too....but you can only do so much and do it well... Choose what makes you the happiest and do it better than anyone thought you ever could.
8.) If you try hard enough… you can almost always find free food or someone who wants to use their meal plan on you ;) Thanks for everyone who has supported me on cafe food when I needed or wanted it... I love and owe you all...
9.) Alcohol is over rated.
10.) Buying movie passes at the hub and waiting ten days to see a movie says $$... Totally worth it.
11.) Their is beauty in everything and everyone... it's up to you to find it.
12.) Nothing compares to the smell of the ocean...
13.) Zipcar is worth having when you turn 21.
14.) You never know unless you try.
15.) Get involved with community service.
16.) Stay strong in your beliefs and never let anyone compromise your comfort.
17.) Look at the stars.
18.) Get a pair of rain boots with a fur or wool lining… they just became snow boots.
19.) Don’t waste your time or money on umbrellas

20.) College night at fire and ice is amazing.
21.) Running through the commons barefoot in the rain is incredible fun... though probably not overly recommended.
22.) Believe in yourself.
23.) Never be scared to try something new or meet new people... they may be your best friend or your soul mate... and it may lead to the most amazing adventure.
24.) If you are going to go on Spring break... go someplace warm, with a large group of people you love, and rent a condo.... its cheaper than a hotel and you can buy food to make at home... far superior to having to live in a hotel. Breathe the culture and explore everything about where you go. I went to Puerto Rico. Best week of my life. I hiked to the top of the rain forest and have never felt more alive.
25.) Don't lose contact with the people who make you who you are. They are your soul mates... and they can heal you when you feel broken.
26.) Have a pen pal. Or take the time to hand write a note to someone you love.
27.) Take advantage of every opportunity.
28.) Hug your friends.

29.) Explore. And Discover.

30.) Try Thai food. And Sushi. And Indian food. And anything else you have never tried.

31.) Lay in the Sun…. but wear sunscreen.

32.) Go to class. Take copious notes. Professors are far more likely to 1. Help you when you need it if you have gone to class. 2. Test on what they lectured.

33.) Find the beauty in the everyday

34.) Retailmenot.com if you like to shop online…

35.) Steep and cheap.com … if you like the outdoors.

36.) Write down your memories.

37.) Write a note to the month. Set expectations for it to live up to.

38.) Take road trips.

39.) Be yourself.

40.) Get a tattoo… if you want one.

41.) Go salsa dancing.

42.) Dance… everywhere and anytime you can.

43.) VOTE

44.) Visit your friends in their hometowns.

45.) Leave the City on occasion.

46.) Make a resume early, and always update it.

47.) Enjoy the simple things.

48.) Don’t judge others.

49.) Get involved. Thank you to all the friends I have made though PC, PAO, TA, SU101TA, RCC, OL, and whatever else I have dipped my hand into… (PC-program council, PAO- Performing Arts Office, TA-Trustee Ambassador, SU-101 Teachers assistant, RCC-Residence community council, Ol- Orientation Leaders…)

50.) Everyone leaves home to go to college… or leaves a comfort zone. Don’t be shy, we were all freshman once, and we all knew no-one… say hello to a stranger in your class or in the cafeteria.

51.) Read your horoscope. Then blissfully ignore it.

52.) Look at the weather before you leave your apartment or dorm.

53.) Run. It’s the one thing you can do that will allow you to think about nothing but breathing.

54.) Do yoga. It will center your soul.

55.) Do not eat High Fructose Corn Syrup. And watch King Corn.

56.) Play devil’s advocate.

57.) Eat at the Law school cafe.

58.) Don’t let anyone tell you that you are not good or smart enough, because you are.

59.) When you turn 21… go to the Landing and get a fishbowl… or Guppy bowl. Haha

60.) Study Abroad… it’s the one thing I regret not doing over the past 4 years.

61.) Don’t go home for the first two months of school…. It’s the weekends that you are bored and looking for something and someone to do it with that you make your best friends.

62.) Do ASB-Alternative Spring Break… you will get unbelievably close to people that you have never met before.

63.) Live you dreams and test your borders.

64.) Call your parents.

65.) Appreciate the beauty of where you came from and the person it made you.

66.) Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you really need it.

67.) I changed my major four times… and did a lot of paperwork to do it…

68.) Find the grassy areas in the city

69.) Don’t be afraid to tell your friends, significant others, parents, siblings, or anyone… that you love them.

70.) Visit the seals in front of the aquarium… especially at night…

71.) Remember that what is right and what is true or perhaps best isn’t always the same.

72.) Buy your books online.

73.) Shop at Trader Joes or use peapod.

74.) Make everyday fun. (Your team…)

75.) At the end of your four years in college… no matter where you end up… look back and read your high school year book… the notes people wrote you, what you wrote about yourself and realize how much you have changed, grown, and stayed the same.

76.) Rule #76… No excuses play like a champion.

All that being said… I have had the most amazing four years I could have ever asked for. I feel truly blessed by the lessons I have learned, the people I have met, the memories I have made and the confidence I have gained. I thank everyone who has taken the time to point out my mistakes or appreciate my accomplishment. I thank my parents, friends and family for believing in me and helping me accomplish all that I have. If I could go back tomorrow and be moving into 10 Tremont again I would be in a heartbeat. I remember my first day I moved in and went out with the family, upon returning I told my mom to just get in the car and take me home. Looking back that makes me laugh because if I had really done that, I would have missed the best four years of my life. Now I am sitting here, 16 days away from graduation wondering where the time has gone. I want to say a special thank you to the Undergraduate Admissions office that allowed a shy girl from CT to break out of her shell and become a tour guide. I can’t imagine not giving another tour. Thanks to all of you that have given me the chance to be your tour guide, and allowing me to share what I consider my home, with you. As I move away from Boston and Suffolk, I am leaving a part of my heart here and bringing Suffolk with me forever. It’s been a beautiful four years.

last week...

well, this week has been four years in the making! My last week of finals! As of right now it is one final actually, tomorrow. As of tomorrow afternoon I will be practically done with my college career... and nothing could be more heartbreaking. I am preparing a particularly heartbreaking blog to post on my last day in the office... so stay posted for my final send off from Suffolk!
As for now I would like to reflect on how lovely the past couple of weeks have been...
The sun finally came out to play! thank goodness! This is the third day that has been over 80 this week and I could not be happier! I spent a whole hour and a half reading in the sun on Friday and managed to get a horrid burn on my back... the downside to reading in the sun... and I had a razor back shirt on so that night at the Spring Ball quite a few people found humor in my patterned skin tone. While my back being burnt managed to make me slightly uncomfortable for the following couple of days it did not stop me from enjoying the sun even more! beside having to work Saturday afternoon, I spent the whole weekend outside!!!!!!! Truly, if I were to have a theme song it would most likely be "She's only happy in the Sun" By Ben Harper... due to the truth of that statement. I also got to spend a plethora of time with some of my ambassador friends... which made the weekend even lovelier. Nothing beats salads in the sun followed by Chocolate strawberry frozen yogurt or Boston Beer Works Nachos. yummy.
So, I have to say that the majorities of the past few weeks have been filled with late night walks in the warm spring air and good friends. Whitney, Allison, TJ and I have found ourselves wondering the streets and walking the Esplanade more nights than not due to the new spring air and the refreshing qualities of grass and good company. These night have been so lovely that they keep a smile on my face and make it harder to think about leaving. Honestly, these are truly beautiful people. Anyway... We are going to live it up tonight in Zipcar fashion... We are getting a Cooper Mini Convertible to cruise around in at midnight... the cars are half price then so why not!? haha
Also, we just had my last Spring ball! I went to eight winter and spring formals... each one was truly amazing! We even managed to gather all the ambassadors who went to take this lovely picture! It was a lovely evening filled with good friends, food, dancing and fun! I can't complain...

I am really going to miss this place...

so close!

it's that time of year again... finals! well, kinda. I know its only April 8th(ps. I totally realized that my previous blog was not actually April 1st. opps. /happy April fools day!) but all my final projects are coming up quick! I have big preventions to do, papers to write and tests to study for and it's all going on at once, making it slightly overwhelming. I will admit, its 100% my own fault. At this point, I have know about the majority of them for quite some time now, but have had a minor case of senior-itus making it near impossible to have the motivation to do them, and I work best under pressure! Anyway, there is some serious stress going on and I can't wait to be free... and go to relaxation day next week and get a massage!
On the other side of the situation I am getting really sentimental as my time at Suffolk comes to a bitter sweet close. It really does not seem like that was four years, wow. anyway, I am keeping a promise to myself to save all this mushy stuff for the last blog... so that's all you get for now!

This morning I got to do something new and exciting! I went to a college fair with some of the Admissions counselors. This is a pretty common practice for them, but it was a truly unique experience for me, and some of the other ambassadors who had the opportunity to participate for the first time. I know it sounds really corny, but I really enjoy talking to perspective students, which is probably why I love giving tours so much. I think it is really interesting to be able to connect and gain a new perspective on the admission process. I really enjoy sharing my experiences with all of you, and offering a current student perspective. I know that when I went on campus tours that talking to current students made the biggest impression and helped more than any brochure ever could, so it means a lot to me to be that person for students.
anyway, I think that's really it for now... so until next week.... Happy easter weekend!

Happy April!

Hello there....
I can't believe it's April 1st! wow... I have so little time left at Suffolk! I have been getting really sentimental lately when it comes to how short a period of time I have left here... looking back over four years and remembering all the good times! But I will save my sob stories for my last blog... so be on the lookout!
This past Sunday was showcase, which was quite fun with the rain, haha, not really. I was really excited to talk to some families, and students (much like yourselves) but the rain put such a damper on the day, I am hoping to a sunny Sunday this week so that we can have some more fun!
I also started my new job this week! I am now working the shoe department at City Sports in downtown crossing! It is a lot of fun so far, but having to run down the stairs for different sizes can get a little exhausting. Everyone I have worked so far has been super nice and I am looking forward to getting more comfortable with the technical details of shoes and the staff!
I also got to go out and do my service learning for Environmental policy and politic this weekend. We went into Dorchester Friday and Saturday am to look for sings of lead on houses in the neighborhood. I had a lot of fun although the weather gave me a cold! So i am a little sick but starting out April with a smile anyway.
Gotta run, sorry there isn't more exciting material for my blog this week! Hope all is well.

ASB... best week of my life

Hello all.... I know it has been two weeks, but I actually was in Mississippi last week with no Internet access or I would have blogged every day about how amazing my trip was. Last week I was given the opportunity (by the S.O.U.L.S (Suffolk's Organization for uplifting life's though service) office at no price to me. Amazing ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY) to go on Alternative Spring Break 2009... So I packed my bags and headed down to Starkville Mississippi to help build a house for Habitat for Humanity. The series of events that we went through as a group brought me so close to the 19 other people on my trip that I could not imagine my life without this experience. (hint: this is my way of suggesting that you take advantage of this opportunity when you get to Suffolk... Or really any school that you go to because it was that amazing.)

So we got there late, lost someones luggage, and entered the wrong address into the GPS so we got unbelievably lost the first day on our two and a half hour drive from the airport, but my car was rocking out so much to the amazing tunes that I didn't really mind the drive. I had to be one of the van drivers because I was the only student on the trip over 21, and I was pretty nervous but managed to go the whole week with only one scary driving moment, which was on the way back to the airport. Anyway, we finally got to the church an hour late and I was kinda embarrassed because I felt like it was rude to walk in so late... but they were so welcoming and excited to see us that you would have thought that we were right on time. Southern hospitality is such an amazing thing. Sometimes I feel like we try to be so rushed and busy to feel as though we are doing something worthy that we forget how the simple things in life, like a genuine smile or welcoming hug, make bigger differences than most things we try to pre-occupy ourselves with.
After our dinner we moved to a cabin at a boy scout camp which was slightly under our expectations, but it was so nice to be in nature that I didn't really mind being there. By Wednesday we happen to find a cockroach and a dead mouse ( which were most likely products of our own stupidity... ie. leaving the door open when there was food in the cabin) and Thursday we had to move to a church basement, and Friday night we long hauled back to Jackson and camped out on the airport floor. It was a big mess trying to figure out where we were going to stay and what we were doing, and it was even harder having to stay up til 330 in the am, driving, after a long day on site, our last dinner with the other groups and then the two games of Bowling that we played at the Starkville lanes, but all these twisted events brought us all closer together.
On site we had quite the experiences also, between the other two groups, one a Catholic group from Mississippi State and the other a group from Plymouth State, and the Habitat volunteers from Startkville. We became really close to our three leaders on site, John, Pat and Dave, who do this everyday and are all amazing people. We even got Pat to create a Facebook account so that we could keep in touch with him! We had our fare share of crazy incidents on site too, like this guy Ty, who had several interesting life stories to tell us about, even if we were rather uninterested, and there was a time that a ten foot 2x4 nearly fell on my head, while I was helmet less, with two nails sticking out of it ( luckily I am speedy and alert so i Jumped out the way! haha). They really appreciate everything they have down there, Ty even told me he felt bad for me because I lived in an apartment in downtown Boston, and he had tons of land and a beautiful triple wide trailer, while my initial reaction was that he may be crazy, I realized that he had an appreciation for a life that I could never understand, and he is probably right to feel bad for me, not the other way around. We also got to experience all the different Churches from the neighborhoods coming out to feed us lunch on site. There was even one older woman who came down everyday with a fresh batch of sugar cookies for us! These moments were some of my favorites on the trip because they make you realize what you have, and to be thankful, also they teach you how much can happen when people come together to build a dream. We were in the poorest part of this town and there was no shortage of people willing to help, even if it was just a batch of cookies.
Then of course there are the moments that I spent with the 19 amazing individuals that took the journey to Starkville with me. Each and everyone of them are amazing people who touched my heart and changed my life. I was in a pretty rough time in life the week before we left and they all helped me laugh so hard that I forgot what was going on in life. The times in the cabin playing catch phrase or apples to apples, or doing our roses and thorns of the day were what was absolutely amazing... even waking up to Kelsey's "wouldn't it be nice" beach boys alarm every morning are all going to be memories I keep with me forever, not to mention our obscene number of trips to Sonic, and our minor food fighting incident at the first sonic visit. One of my favorite memories was our trip to Wal-Mart as a group where we nearly got kicked out for taking a picture. Apparently It is illegal to take photos in Wal-Mart and you must get corporate permission before doing so, so next time you hit a wal-mart, make sure your camera's are away! We got to do all sorts of fun experiences like go to a Mississippi State baseball game and ring the fan's cow bells! Even the fans at the game, that had no idea who we were let us ring their cow bells and told us all about Mississippi. We even got on the jumbo tron- (I got on Twice! Once was for the chicken dance! and we should have won except for this small boy won instead. whatever!). I really enjoyed every experience I got to have with these people and exploring the area.
Ok, so I most likely have written so much that you are board but I wanted to write down all my experiences and maybe inspire you to go to college (really anyone... but hopefully Suffolk!) and to get involved. Maybe you are into community service, maybe not, but getting involved helps you connect to people that share your interest and offer you true friendship. I know that these 19 people will be people that will always hold a special place in my heart and I hope to stay connected with all of them.