Beads, Feathers, and Plenty of Wine...

P-p-p-p-pennsylvania!

YES! I am on Fall Break! A much needed break has arrived and I am now in State College. After a one-nighter in Dallas with my folks and younger brother, who is 12 years old and almost two feet taller than I am, I sit in Central PA updating my blog. The time difference is messing with me, though. It's 11:36 back in Phx, so I'm awake as can be. No worries, I have a jumbo crosswords puzzle book waiting for me as we speak.

I've seen so many wonderful faces so far; it's marvelous! As cheesy as this may sound, seeing family and friend after a hard 4 months of not knowing what the hell I'm doing and where the hell I'm going, being here kinda reminds me who I am. Odd, I know. Especially since I'm so used to moving. But, I remember this feeling from the previous times I moved, so I think going back to Phoenix will be much easier this time around.

Once I arrived Saturday afternoon, the love of my life, Kate, came and visited me. We headed downtown to grab a cup of delicious coffee at Webster's (memories!) and headed down to another one of my favorite spots, Chronic Town. Anytime Webster's was too packed or it didn't feel cozy enough to work there, the hookah lounge was my immediate next choice. There, I saw the lovelies Jess and Emma and smoked a hookah with Omki, Ben, Carlo, and Kate. It was just perfect. Next, Kate dropped me off at Elody's so that we could start getting ready for her roarin' twenties birthday party. She managed to rent these gorgeous flapper dresses made out of the most flattering material ever and decorated with fringes that were to die for. Seriously, they were spectacular. We decked ourselves out in feathers, beads, and oddly applied make-up (I never perfectioned that art) and headed downstais for what would soon become another night to remember. Boy, did I get trashed way too quickly. Since I'm not drinking as much in Phoenix, my tolerance has definitely gone down. Luckily, Kate was there to rescue me... again! Ahhhh, it was so much fun. Dancing, eating, chatting with old and new friends - I felt an immediate rejuvenation. Does that make sense?

These past few days I've been relaxing and going around downtown doing some mad shopping. I purchased these very cute yellow shoes and stopped by Tattoo Marks to see what I'm getting pierced next. It's been so peaceful. Even though I've tried to keep the work to a minimum for the first half of this week, I've still managed to get some grading and planning done. I really do miss the kiddos.

I am sooooo excited for Lemounsoul and Roustabout! tonight and tomorrow. DaveZak is coming back to DJ! Ahhhh, I miss that kid so much. I brought him back a sweet pair of shades. I saw them walking around this mad vintage shop back in Phx and immediately though of DZ. I am just exploding with dance moves. It's a scary sight. But I need to get a lot out, and the dance floor is just the place to do it. Yea? For sure. AND, Kate is being awesome again and throwing me a shindig on Friday night! I can't complain. Life is good.

I am happy to be here and very excited to see my peeps again. I hope that you readers out there are doing well and find yourselves happy in whatever you're doing. I'm going to try and get some sleep. Stay tuned for more updates!

Besos.

Encanto

Happy.

Significant Gains

Hello!!!

How are all you beautiful peeps doing? I hope all is well in whatever place you may be right now. SO much stuff has happened in this last month. That first day, when all my kiddos came in that door sweaty and stinky from running around in the playground after breakfast, my life forever changed. Seriously. I know it sounds super corny, but it seriously changed.

I am now a teacher. I teach two 1st grade classes, with about twenty students in each. What's more, not only do I teach them content, but I do it through language immersion, so that by the time they are in 4th and 5th grade, they are well on their way to becoming bilingual and biliterate in English and Spanish. The program is really great, but extremely challenging. It builds off of what the students already knows, and implements language use in order to add to their knowledge. Over this past month, I've really started to understand very clearly the difference between Bilingual education and Dual Language immersion. The first kind, thought to be a compensatory program, is actually illegal now in the state of Arizona. The latter, on the other hand, is considered a bit controversial, yet promises many good things to those kids. I'm loving every minute of it. It's probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life, but I wouldn't want to be doing anything else right now.

I live in Phoenix, a city that keeps getting crazier and crazier by the minute. The particular area I live in used to be known for its controversial nightlife in the 70s. Not exactly the nicest part of town, but people say it has cleaned up since then. We were going to live in Tempe, but the commute and prices of the apartments there posed too many inconveniences. Instead, we settled for a cute little apartment that is by a few homeless shelters. It used to be that we'd see lots of homeless people walking around at very odd times of the day. Now, because it's getting cooler, they seem to be retreating. I would thought it would be the other way around, right? But that's Phoenix for you. There are pockets of coolness everywhere. Loads of art galleries, vintage shops, record stores, parks, and restaurants to choose from. You can find the poshest of the posh, the hippest of the hip, and plenty more. And I mean loads of those. Everyone here has tattoos. And, as you all know, next to beards, tattoos drive me crazy. Ohhhh.

ASU classes are frustrating. Working and being a full-time grad students sucks. May this finally be a lesson to me to not bite off more than I can chew. The classes themselves are great and helpful, but I'm in a class with a bunch of other teachers that moan and groan... kinda like I am right now. AND, none of the vending machines in the student lounge work. Bah!

I had vistors! Many, many beautiful visitors! First came my beautiful Kate Gillen. She came out and took care of me and helped set up my classroom. I couldn't have done it without her. I mean literally. My room was a disgusting mess, and she took time out of her vacation to make it look spiffy and cozy for my students. We did some shopping, eating, lounging, and much, much talking. Kate Gillen, marry me.
Next, my dad. Now, if you have already met my dad, you have a pretty good idea of how this visit went down. He came on a Friday and we went and had dinner and did some grocery shopping. The man stole my brother's iPod nano and doesn't go anywhere without it. Even if he's with a client or hanging out with friends/family, he doesn't put the damn thing away. He proceeded to tell me how he found this Russian website where he gets to download songs for only 9cents each. He was oh-so-proud of himself. He also told me that he loved reggaeton, Alicia Keys, and User. And to top it all off, he has no shame in singing it like he 'just don't care' in front of everyone. We were at a teacher store and I was looking at some posters, when all of a sudden I hear this really low voice singing " I don't thing you're ready for this jelly, I don't thing you're ready for this jelly..." Yep, the man likes to get down and dirty. On Saturday we went to a casino and he kicked some bootay at poker. Won me an entire's month worth of rent, even. Finally, Sunday we went and ate out and I took him to the airport. I cried for a really long time after that. The days that Kate and my dad left reminded me how much I missed being around people that already knew me and that I cared for so much.
After that, Sethers from Webster's came and hung out for a couple days. He made Jacquelyn (the amazing roomie) and I some delicious dinner and kept me company.
The gorgeous Elody and Eric came after that. It was glorious seeing them! At that poing I was really having a hard time - not much sleeping or eating going on, and a lot of crying. I'm talking two or three times a day. But Elody and Eric made it all better. We lounged around and watched a lot of Weeds and ate vegan, no-bake cookies. My idea of an amazing time, indeed.
Then, Nick came! And that was probably the one to finish off such a wonderful line of visitors. It was around the time when I started to regain lots of strength and confidence in what I was doing out here. Plus, Nick cleaned and cooked for me.

All in all, it has been a fun ride. The best part is that it's just starting. I have to teach these kids how to read and write, as well as how to be civil with one another. I have to do that using a language they don't know ( I forgot to mention that a lot of my kids are hispanic, but know now Spanish - whole purpose of the DL program. Crazy, but so exciting!) and make sure that I differentiate and scaffold enough so that everyone, or at least mostly everyone stays on board. Sometime I get so scared that I become paralized. I literally will stay where I am and just freak out to the point where I veg out for a bit. And then I get back to it. It's all I can do right now.

I miss all of you a whole bunch. I hope that you are all safe and enjoying whatever it is you're doing. I'll update again sometime next month. Until then, lots of lovin'.

Peace.

Update coming this weekend.... promise.

Geeeez. I have failed with keeping up with this thing. But, after a long swarm of visitors and a job that surprises me more and more everyday, I have plenty to write about. Stay tuned, update this weekend.

I'm alive!

Hi!

I am alive and I do plan on writing in this thing again. I think I'll just update once a month, so keep checking in!

I still have to get some work done before tomorrow, but fear not - my post will come soon enough. I have lots and lots to tell you all.

Also, I'm ever-s0-excited because my beautiful friend Kate is coming to visit this weekend. See? More reason to wait for an update because I"m sure that she and I will be up to no good and I'll have loads more stories to tell you.

I hope you all are doing well. Listen to metal music - it's good for you.

Love.

One more thing

I have had this song stuck in my head for about AN ENTIRE WEEK! I finally gave in and watched the video on YouTube.

Enjoy. I sure as heck did.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=VHBwDYyyGxs

Oh, Institute...

Hello, beautiful people!

So much for keeping up with the blog, right? Things have been so crazy! In both good and bad ways. Let's start from the top...

The first week was pleasant. Waking up early, workshops, dinners, but nothing compared to the beauty that is institute. Once that week was over, we moved from the Sheraton Hotel to the ASU dorms since. The registration process itself was overwhelming. We had to go through about twelve tables that had tons of packets and information for us. Once that was over, we moved into our rooms and tried to make it as comfy and cozy as possible since it would be our home for the next five weeks. That first day was just as many of the previous corps members described it - unforgettable. My heart melted and the nerves kicked in to the max the minute I saw my students. Feelings of happiness, excitement, fear, and whoknowswhatelse completely flooded my brain. I took my students over to the classroom and began this whole adventure known as 'teaching.' It was, for lack of a better term, crazy. You think you've prepared and you have lesson plans in front of you, but you really have no clue what you're doing. So many things to keep track of - Am I differentiating my lesson? Am I keeping expectations high for my students? Am I checking for understanding? How about guided and independent practices? I felt like everything I did was so unorganized and nonsensical. But you know what? You get the hang of it. I mean, lesson planning sucks at first. BIG TIME. I was awful at it! I knew what I wanted to say and how I wanted to teach the materials, but transferring all of that from my brain into the brains of twenty-five second graders seemed almost impossible. Thank goodness for CMAs and your collaborative members. I tell ya, I would have been so lost without their help and support. To be honest, I did not think I was going to make it. But here I am! Alive and well, enjoying every single minute of it and getting better as the days go by. I absolutely love teaching and I don't see myself doing anything else right now. At the end of the day, those kids are what help me get through it. I have some of the most amazing students ever... so smart and willing to learn. Everyday is a new adventure, sometimes good and sometimes a bit harder to deal with. Despite the challenges, this is definitely where I want to be right now.

On that note, I do want to say to all of you peeps that read this THAT I MISS YOU LIKE PEANUT BUTTER MISSES ITS JELLY! Talking to you all has helped me a lot, as well. Thank you.

I'm off to plan lessons for next week. More updates coming soon. And not a month apart; I promise.

Love and peace to all.

Phoenix

Hello, lovely people!

I arrived safe and sound Saturday afternoon...barely. Even though we left State College for Pittsburgh with enough time, it turns out that the highway had been closed. We were sent on this detour that had an insane number of lights and too many reckless drivers that kept cutting us off and making the wait worse. I literally made it to the airport 20 minutes before my flight was supposed to leave; I could even hear my name called on the speakers as I was running to the terminal. But I made it.

I got to sit next to two fantastic old people - a lady that was going to visit her son in Flagstaff and vacation in her timeshare in Sedona (we'll call her Poppy), and a man that was visiting his half Indonesian niece in California (we'll call him Lou). Poppy first started talking to me when I sat down and asked me if I was a natural redhead. After reassuring her that I was, in fact, a natural redhead a number of times, we then started talking about what I was going to do in Phoenix. I explained to her that I had been assigned to a school district that had a very distinct Dual Language program. As soon as she heard that, she immediately went on to say how much she was against it. In a nice way, though. She explained to me how she expected that everyone that came to this country had to learn English, and why she didn't understand why we needed to have directions and automated phone services in Spanish, as well. I chuckled to myself and decided to engage in this friendly debate. I tried to explain to her how, as much as she wanted to keep the U S of A a monolingual country, it just wasn't going to happen. Immigrants keep coming in, and they should definitely do everything they can to learn Engligh. But that's just it. Can they do that? Do they have the necessary resources? I tried not to talk too much about what should happen, but focused more on the reality of the situation. In fact, I tried to leave the economy and politics out of it, too. Weird, I know. Still, I tried to focus on the sociolinguistic and cultural aspect. Families keep coming in with children in search of a better life. The kids are at an age where language immersion is ideal, so they tend to learn English a lot easier. The parents, on the other hand, can't. I'd like to think that it's not because they're reluctant or unwilling. At least not all of them (there are always exceptions, right?). Instead, it's just a lot harder for them to take classes or enroll in school to do so. They came here to work and support their families. Almost every family I've talked to wants to learn. They definitely don't enjoy not being able to go to the groceries store and not knowing how to ask questions or communicate with the cashiers. And I'm positive that they also regret the fact that communication between landlords, employers, and teachers is a lot more difficult, or even nonexistent. But they take it one step at a time. I tried to reassure Poppy that they're not here to take over and steal her dear country. The number of factors and subgroups at play when it comes to this topic are so many, it's just too hard for people to determine a right and wrong in this situation. But does there even need to be a right and wrong? Is it really a big deal that we have directions in English and Spanish? People say that if we start doing that with Spanish, then we have to do it with every language. But has every group of immigrants gotten so big that they all call for that? I'm not even sure. After having talked to Poppy about all of this, she reassured me that she got it. Thinking it was just an excuse on her part to shut me up, I got ready to listen to some mad jazz tunes, but she wanted to keep talking. This time about hooking me up with her son. She said he needed someone to set him straight... ?! Ugh.

Soooo, yea. After an eventful flight, my transition team leader picked me up at the airport and dropped me off at the hotel. I hung out for a bit and met up with my lovely roommate, Jacquelyn, who is a really fantastic feminist, vegetarian, science-loving, Pittsburgh native. We went ahead and signed our lease on Tuesday. Can you believe it?! Gaby signing a lease? Yup. I have a sweet apartment with lots of space for potlucks, Spanish movie nights, and sleepovers.

The past few days have been really crazy. We wake up anywhere around 5 or 6am and head out to workshops, lectures, and interviews until the early afternoon. Then, more lectures and workshops, followed by mandatory dinners that vary in location. To close off the night, a group of us hang out in the hotel pool/jacuzzi and a drink or two before heading to bed. It will be like this until Sunday, and then we move to the ASU dorms until July 19th to begin institute training. This consists of more workshops, student-teaching, lesson-planning, and clinics where we learn a bunch of stuff on classroom management and other fun things about teaching. Very packed schedules, but also really exciting. I start teaching summer school in two weeks!

Tuesday afternoon I interviewed with a principal and found out I will be teaching first grade. It's a dual language immersion program in which I teach a group of kids in Spanish (general ed) for a week, and then switch kids with a teacher that has been doing the same, except in English. So on and so forth for the entire school year. So, basically, the kids receive the entire curriculum alternating between Spanish and English. Now, is that not amazing?!?!?! I seriously believe that this is where I need to be. But I do miss you all like crazy.

Believe me, the last thing I want to do on this thing is get mushy, but I have to get it out once and for all - I miss my friends and family and think about all of you often. I really love it here, and there isn't anything I'd rather be doing. Yet, it doesn't make being away from you all any easier. Just know that we will always keep in touch and that you'll always have a place to stay when you come out to good ol' Arizona. For two years, at least.

Well, I'm going to shower and get ready for the evening events. I leave you all with lots of loving and good vibes. You know, kinda like Ronnie Burrage vibes. Yeaaaaa....

Peace.

Goodbye, Coolio II!

My dear car, Collio II, is getting picked up in less than two hours so that it can be shipped to Phoenix. It's the first time I've ever had my car shipped anywhere, and I'm a bit nervous. Pretty much all the reviews and ratings that I read on car shipping companies were 50/50. Some people were very pleased with the service, while others vowed never to do it again. When it came time for me to pick a company and book the trip, I went with the one that had the better feedback, but that was also reasonable in price. I've had a couple of friends that reassure me that the car will indeed get there safely, but I'm still getting a bit nervous. In fact, I'm getting nervous about the whole trip. I had been feeling quite calm for the past month, not trying to freak out about packing, finding a new place, and saying bye to my family and friends here in State College. Not anymore, though. Just last week I started to feel a hint of nervousness, and things I thought I had completely taken care of actually got a bit more complicated. And, even though I tried to fool myself into not getting sad about parting with people, I'm definitely starting to get a bit teary-eyed.

But all of this got me thinking about the moving process. I've met lots of people that, like me, have constantly been moving around and living in different places. I've also met people that are completely opposite and have lived in the same house they were born in for their entire lives. Both cases have their ups and downs, but can we say that one experience is better than the other? At first, I'm tempted to just say that each experience is the best when it comes to the individual's taste, and if they're happy, then that's what works for them. But after thinking about it for a bit, it's obvious that the whole experience of moving around has many things that the sedentary life will never be able to offer. Although getting somewhere new can be tough at first, I'm going to be bold and say that it's completely worth it. I mean, yea, it's hard saying goodbye to the people you love and care about. Yes, it's hard adjusting to a new community. But, once some time has gone by, you begin to establish yourself and the process of challenging yourself to be out in a foreign place and push your boundaries becomes really exciting. In fact, it becomes addicting. For me, the move from Venezuela to Texas was the one. When I moved before that, I didn't really care for the experience. I just went where my parents went, and didn't really mind any of it. But the last one was the toughest, and I was so miserable the first year I was in Texas. After that, however, it all started to come into place. It really came down to a simple decision - stay bitter and angry at my parents for moving, or take this time to explore and experiment? I did the latter - a lot of it. You get used to the new place, you make new friends, and you always find out new things about yourself and those around you all the time. There's something about starting fresh, challenging yourself to see how quickly you can adjust and evolve, but still maintain your core, that is so rewarding and refreshing - it makes you want to do it all over again. And I guess this is why I found myself wanting to get out of here as soon as possible. I see myself doing this for quite a long time. Am I addicted to moving/traveling? And is there even a cure?

On a different note, this past Wednesday was probably one of the best nights I've ever had in my life. Not only did we all dance our asses off to some groovy tunes at Roustabout, but we continued the party over at DZ's place 'till the wee hours of the morning. Amazing.

I'm off to bed. Much lovin' for all of you!

Oh, dear!

All I want to do is dance! Seriously, I've been saying this for the past week, but it's really all I want to do. It's as if I've never danced in my life and I now I'm all wiggly and unable to keep it inside. Is this some kind of disorder? Restless dance syndrome to the max? I don't know, but whatever it is, it's driving me nuts.

Also, if any of you go to Viet Thai, I recommend getting the coconut water - It's delish!

New hair, new house, new job...

Hello!

I got a new haircut! I went to Designer's Den yesterday morning and told them I wanted it all off! I was concerned that I didn't have enough to donate, but once it was all combed out (ouch!) and in a pony tail, I had a whopping 10 inches! It was really exciting. And now my hair is super short. I also made some phone calls to the apartment complex I want to live in when I get to Phoenix and they are holding a unit for me and Jacquelyn. It's a cozy 2 bedroom/2 bathroom with a patio, washer/dryer in unit, and some other stuff... I can't wait to move in. I've never had my own place, so I'm definitely looking forward to decorating and cooking in my own space.

So, last night was a blast. A bunch of my friends and I gathered at tall Michael's place and hung out for a bit before heading to the Darkhorse tavern. DJ Joe Diamond and Candace played a bunch of sweet reggae and soul tunes for the entire night. It was lovely! And I got my groove on, as well as my drink on. Totally didn't mean to get as tipsy as I did, but it was still a good time and I was very coherent the entire night. Except for the part where I randomly texted a whole bunch of people. Nothing offensive, but it was late, so I later worried that I had woken them up. All in all, good times. Then we headed over to the Pita Pit and Michael's place to hang out and chat for a bit. I fell asleep, and around 3:30 got up and made my way home. I'm really going to miss these nights; they make up a big part of what made my time here at Penn State special and memorable.

When I woke up today, Nick and I decided to be lazy for two hours and watched a bunch of episodes of Shear Genius. Oh, yes. Nick watches a whole bunch of those Bravo shows and loves every minute of it. After that, I called Kate an Maciej up and made some lunch plans for Green Bowl. I later met up with my man, David Francis Zak, and smoked a hookah and chatted it up. And now I'm here, documenting every minute of my day. Lame. I won't do this anymore. I'll probably start filling this thing up with more interesting posts once TFA starts. That's why I even created this blog in the first place.

Okidoke. Tonight is taco night! I'm going to go walk my dog. Everyone should come to Roustabout! tonight at Bar Bleu - lots of dancing going, fo sho. And that's always a good time.

Let's give it a try

Hello, friends!

Tonight I am starting my very first blog. Well, unless you count Xanga. I once had one of those back in high school, but got rid of it after a month because I never really kept up with it. This time, however, I'm really going to try and write on a regular basis. I'll make it easily accessible to all my family and friends and do my best to post regularly on all that goes on during my time in Phoenix while working for Teach for America. I would love for you all to leave me comments and let me know if you have a blog, too! After all, the more ways of keeping in touch, the merrier.

Now, off to go watch an episode of Flight of the Conchords (amazing show!) with Kate.


Much love and peace for all.