September 25, 2011

Let's Review...

...the past three weeks, because they have been such a blur!

I know in my last post I had commented about how I was hoping to update more regularly once school started, because I thought I was going to have more time, etc. For all of you laughing right now, you win! The last three weeks have been amazing, and have thrown me right into the school atmosphere of working with students, but man am I exhausted when 3:30/4 o'clock hits, and I begin my walk home.

Week 1: This week was basically focused around Orientation for the new students at Bishop Loughlin, and me too! My theater degree definitely came in handy when telling the students about where to go in school, and saying it with confidence. Its not to say that I lied to the students, but more, if I was unsure, it sounded better if I said it with confidence, and then told them who to ask next if I was wrong! :). Also during this week, I was introduced to my family, inside my particular house. I have been mentioning this House System for the past few weeks, and can explain it a little more now too: our school is set-up like Hogwarts from Harry Potter. We have 8 separate houses that represent 8 important people in the history of the high school or Lasallian world. My particular house is Cordero, named after San Miguel Cordero, the saint whom the San Miguel schools are named after! I have a group of 24 students who I meet with every Wednesday morning for a half-hour, doing different activities that revolve around of theme for the year - building a community of leaders! At the end of the weekend, it was Sept. 11, it was a very different (in a way) feeling being in NYC for the 10th Anniversary. As part of the community, we watched the beautifully done name reading and dedication of the memorial, and then went about our day. To think I am living so close to where the attacks happened truly put it into perspective, and made me do a little extra reflecting that day.



Week 2: FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL!! As any student is on their first day of classes, I got the same feeling. I awoke with plenty of time to shower, pick out the shirt and tie I would look spiffy in, and then headed downstairs for morning prayer, breakfast with the roomies, and packing of lunches, before having to be out the door by 6:20-25 am. The students and faculty were so warm and inviting that I couldn't help but love going into work every day, and doing the ministry that I do! As if the first week wasn't exhausting enough, I spent the weekend on retreat with a group of 15 student leaders from our Campus Ministry/Lasallian Youth Group, planning out the different events they wanted to do for the year! Though definitely exhausting, it was a great opportunity to get to know my students, and they get to know me. I felt much more confident going into school the next week, knowing many more students names, and saying "hi" to them in the hallway.

Week 3: As was the anticipation for the first day/week of school, it quickly wore off, and I slipped into waking up with just enough time to shower and get dressed before rushing downstairs in time for prayer, rushing the lunch, and grabbing breakfast for the walk to the train! Its amazing how much can change in just a week! This morning-rush aside, it was yet another successful week at school, building and developing relationships with the students! No matter how tired I may be from the train ride, or not enough sleep the night before, I find energy from the group of students who are waiting outside my office every morning. To already have a group of students who are "regulars" is awesome! Lunch time is definitely my favorite time of the day (and its not just because I get to eat my awesome lunch), but, like myself in high school, the students come into our office, and eat and gossip all period long! Its amazing how much you can learn about the latest happenings of BLMHS during the short lunch period with a group of Juniors of Seniors.

One particular story that stuck out to me this week, happened after school, when a group of students were working on their homework in our office, and the motivation and energy was flowing, I didn't want to kill it, though I was ready to go home! For these students to not have to bring home homework is the best thing ever! One girl asked me if I liked math, telling her it depended on the subject, and she informed me it was geometry; my response was, "To be honest, I hate it, but I would love to sit down with you, and we can try to work on it together!" Her face lit up, like no one had ever said something like that to her before. So, we began to work on the homework, and it was more basic algebra than geometry, and that I was good at. The first few problems I was speaking out most of the steps, and she would just write them down, but she slowly became comfortable with the procedure and wanted to work them out on her own. Following the examples I had written, she began to understand, and I could see her face begin to lighten up! After completing the assignment, and getting all of the answers right (from what I could tell), she informed me she had a quiz the next day, and with that I made her do a few more problems to make sure she really understood it. Getting those equations right as well, she proceeded to give me a huge hug, and tell me she thinks she might actually pass her first math test or quiz since being in high school. I encouraged her she would get more than just the 65% she was expecting, and land among the 90-100% range. To see the excitement in her face was indescribable! I wait in anticipation to see the grade she got on her quiz!!

Also, as a more humorous section, I would like to provide you with some experiences I have had in these first few weeks:

  1. I was talking with my Cordero family about how I am training for a run, and I think running is the most pointless physical activity ever. A student then proceeds to tell me that he really enjoys running, and from the other side of the room, I hear one of my students say loudly, "Maybe you can bring the sumo wrestler out with you, and teach him your tricks!" Being that I crack jokes myself about me running, I couldn't help but think this student was inside my brain, making the joke for me. 
  2. If anyone has had best luck on their first day of school, it can't beat the luck I had: I grab an apple for the walk to the train, but find when eating, there is a bug crawling through my apple. My roommates asked if there was a hole on the outside of the apple, and I proceeded to tell them, "Yes, but I just ate it."And then, I continued to eat my apple, but on the walk to the train, I dropped my apple on the sidewalk before really being able to finish it. And then, once at the train station, I swiped my card, not listening for the noise to say it cleared, rather running right into the turn style, causing pain to areas that need not be mentioned. And then, the train arrives, but it has no air conditioning, thus feeling like a sauna. And then, I transfer trains at my stop, and the next train doesn't have air conditioning. AND THEN, on my way home from work, I stepped in the biggest piece of gum, my foot slipped out its shoe. With my luck that day, I should've entered the lottery. :/. 
  3. Falling asleep on the train after work is never a fun experience. During my second week of school, I feel asleep 4 out of 5 days home. I knew that I fell asleep because every time I woke up, there was always new group of people sitting around me, from the time when I first got on the train. Needless to say, there are probably pictures of me floating around the internet, sleeping on train, sprawled out, catching flies with my mouth open. Ha. 
Update on the Monster Dash Fundraising: I am almost at my goal of $1,000, but I don't want to stop there! Thanks so much to all those who have sponsored me thus far, and thanks to all those still hoping to donate! Your generosity is greatly appreciated!

Look how official I am in the Main Office of BLMHS!! :)
Live Jesus In Our Hearts. Forever. 


September 6, 2011

"Hurricane Irene" + Labor Day Weekend...

...equals my last week of freedom before work starts!

As I mentioned in the last post, Hurricane Irene was making her way towards the Tri-State area, thus leaving us here in the NYC Metro area to a panic. The city went crazy about trying to get everything prepared to weather the storm, and survive. Here at Bedford Park, we took necessary precautions towards getting all of the important food items in the house; milk, bread, eggs, and beer! The last three seem to be no problem, but it seemed with the first one, milk, every time someone would leave the house, they would return with a gallon of milk. Let's take a quick math break: 7 gallons of milk + 1 predicted hurricane + 1 possibility of power outage = 1 big problem. As a community, we made it our responsibility to drink as much of that milk before the storm hit, so as to not have spoiled milk, in case of a power outage. Luckily, Irene didn't stay long in our neighborhood, if at all. We had a light sprinkling of rain one night, waking up to a small bit of wind the following morning. Being that the hurricane was amped up to be so much stronger, I would say it was somewhat of a letdown! :/.

With that excitement aside, I had to figure out what I was going to do with my last week of freedom before all the fun of work began up, and my sense of a social life dwindled away. On Monday morning, Kenny, Stephanie and I set out for the Ground Zero area again, as well as making a stop to visit Battery Park. While walking around Battery Park, Kenny and Stephanie suggested we take the Staten Island Ferry, and seeing that none of us had actually used this fun mode of transportation, we made our way towards the loading station. The large boat is used primarily by tourists, but its true purpose is to transport residents from Manhattan to Staten Island, and vice versa. Along our beautifully short boat ride, we were able to pass a very well-known monument...

...LADY LIBERTY! Seeing this gorgeous babe will be receiving cosmetic surgery next month, I wanted to be sure to see her before that all happened. Hoping the surgery goes well for her, I am hoping in my coming years of service to go inside the statue, and climb to the top! :).

Irony?! This is where I was standing when I was traveling across the water onto Staten Island!
After taking the ferry back to Manhattan, we began a day of historical sight-seeing (my mother was very proud!) It began at Fraunces Tavern, the sight where George Washington said goodbye to his troops. After walking around the museum, and seeing it was close to lunch time, the three of us decided to stop by the bar, and enjoy a brewski with George Washington, as well as share in a small "mini" meal (all the names of the dishes for lunch began with the word MINI). After lunch, Kenny and I parted ways with Stephanie, and continued to explore the lower part of Manhattan, seeing parts of Wall Street Stock Exchange, JP Morgan Chase's original house, Trinity Church, as well as making a stop again at St. Paul's Chapel, across the street from Ground Zero. 

After revisiting some of the already seen sites, the "find historical buildings as you go" walking tour brought us into China Town, leading us to Five Points (the location/neighborhood from Gangs of New York), completing out our day at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum! The museum allowed for Kenny and I to go back in time, and understand what it was like for families to live the way did during the times of immigration, and segregation of the mid-1800's in New York City! After having such an awesome tour guide, we decided to become members so as to be able to enjoy the other awesome stories and visits provided through the museum! 

Being that this day of sight-seeing was very exhausting, I took the next 2 days to relax before having to head into work, and finally be able to begin my year of service! My first official day of work was Sept. 1! The day began quite nice, making it into the neighborhood early, allowing for the chance to find a local coffee shop, with awesome bagels! :). Being the first day, as with an educational field-ish, it was a basic overview of the school year, and what to expect from my job. I was also able to meet some of the students who were considered leaders of the school through Campus Ministry and Student Council! Though it was only a short, 5 hour day, I came home exhausted, wondering what a full-length school day might be like! 

Seeing that school was closed the next day for holiday weekend, the community and I traveled to the A-Frame house, about an hour north-ish of Albany, to meet up with the other LV's who are serving along the East Coast (minus the Rhode Island girls who were not able to attend). It was a weekend of relaxation, kayaking, swimming, and different yard games! Kenny, being the awesome outdoorsy man that he is, convinced me to go out on the Hudson River with him and try kayaking. I had sat in a kayak before and maybe completed 2 swift motions with the paddles, before feeling that I was not able to do it. This time was different, and Kenny was convinced that I was able to make it upstream to go and see the beautiful waterfalls! The first minute seemed to look promising, until my kayak began to fight back, and not want to cooperate (notice how I put the blame on the inanimate object versus myself, knowing that I am far more competent than it). In the end, my kayak was not working with me, specifically not wanting to turn left, thus resulting in naming him Zoolander! Ha. 

Besides Zoolander and I not being able to agree, the weekend was very enjoyable, and provided for a nice ending celebration before the commotion of the school year kicks in! 

Today, Tuesday, felt to me as my first official day going to work, and serving the Loughlin community!


Being on the other side of the education table, it felt kind of surreal to be a part of the important, motivational teacher meetings, providing encouragement for the coming school year, and with our students! To think I was tired on Thursday, after a short 5 hour day, seemed to be an understatement, after coming closer to a typical work day! The feeling was sheer exhaustion when I left work, and to add onto it, the rain outside made me feeling like Eeyore walking to my Subway station (which in the rain, seemed forever and a day away!)

Looking back on the last week and a half, it has been enjoyable and rewarding, and has provided a sense of reflection going into the new school year! I will forever cherish the awesome sights I was able to see, and the memories I was able to share with my housemates! I know that as the year goes on, the draining nature of the job will ware off, and my social life will come back into existence. For now though, it is beginning it hibernation early! 

Lastly, I wanted to remind everyone about the LV Races; LV's Running Scared Monster Dash 2011! Just 52 days before I embark on 13.1 mile journey, I never dreamt of doing! Don't forget the incentive of a personalized, autographed photo with every donation received. More incentives/prizes to come!

Wanting to send a special thanks to all of my family and friends who have been praying for me, as well, as creating a strong support system! Without you, I would not be enjoying myself as much as I am so early in this year of service! I love you all! :).

One last last thing before signing out: for all of you Lewis folk who remember Bartholomew Josiah from last year, I believe this comic, found in the New York Daily Post last week, sums up our relationship for the 20 days we were together...


Sorry this turned into such a long post, I promise to make the coming month's ones shorter! 

Live Jesus In Our Hearts. Forever.