One week done, five more to go!

Teach For America induction week is over, and boy was it a good one! We heard from so many different speakers all week who were so inspiring. And we also heard from so many people who were very real. So all in all, I'm scared, but very inspired to get going.


Institute begins tomorrow, and I find out today where I'll be teaching summer school (which starts July 7). So before the heavy work begins, I took some time yesterday to hang out in the city with Anjali and her cousin, who were in town from D.C. We spent our day on one of those bright red hop-on-hop-off downtown tour buses, which we rode from Times Square to Battery Park. We got off to take the Staten Island Ferry around the Statue of Liberty, but we never got back on because of the torrential DOWNPOUR we encountered. One packed, sweaty, wet and smelly subway ride and one sketchy gyro dinner later, we wound up at a comedy club that Jerry Seinfeld sponsors (or something like that). Here are some photographic highlights:

Times Square on the big red touristy bus. Our tour guide was quite the comedian. He asked the tourists who was from the South, and asked us if we knew what southern hospitality was. When everyone shouted "yeah!" he told us: "Well, you're not getting any of that here. In New York, hospitality is not getting hit in the face by a stranger." He also told us after we put on the white provided rain ponchos that we looked like members of the KKK. Strange sense of humor, that one.

Along our walk toward the Staten Island Ferry we found the Department of Homeland Security!

The view of Manhattan from the Staten Island Ferry. I wish it would have been sunnier out, but I still think it's beautiful.

The Statue of Liberty from the ferry.

What's next: Like I said before, Institute starts tomorrow, which means that the cakewalk is over. Luckily, since Friday is the fourth of July, we get off around 1 p.m., so that will be a fun little break. Other than that, I'll be in classes all week learning classroom management techniques, how to write lesson plans, and everything else that comes with the classroom.

Battles

It's the end of my second official day in New York, and I can say now that I'm facing a lot of battles in my future. The real work hasn't even started yet (the last two days have just been full of workshops, registration and what we like to call "Drink For America" activities), but I've already begun the fight against my own insecurities about leading a classroom, my concerns about finding a place to live and, especially, the ridiculous humidity that has made me look less like myself and more like a creature from the "Critters" movies.


But the humidity is just the beginning.

I had dinner tonight in the East Village with a Teach For America alumna (of the 2005 Bronx corps) who reiterated how many times in her two years she wanted to quit. Her school was a nightmare; her principal was even worse. Everyone has told us in the past two days that it's not even a question: we ARE going to fail. Every single one of us. I just hope I can learn from my mistakes like we are supposed to be able to do. I'll find out soon enough. Institute starts on Monday, and I start teaching summer school July 7.

On the brighter side of things, I am loving New York (despite the damp, damp heat). We are staying in residence halls at St. John's University in Queens, and it takes about an hour and a half to get into Manhattan by an intricate system of buses and trains. I went into the city for a happy hour last night (as part of Drink For America week, of course) and then again tonight, like I said, for dinner with a former corps member. It's incredible, and I don't think I could be happier with my decision to move to NYC. I've met a handful of incredibly smart, talented and nice people in the past two days, and I'm really looking forward to working with them for the next two years.

At the end of the day (the second day, anyway), my overall impression, so far, of Teach For America, the people and the city, is that I know I have so much work ahead of me. But when I think about the success stories I've heard, and I realize the difference I can make, I don't think there is anything worth fighting for more than this.

Back in town

So I'm back in Phoenix (for several weeks now), and while I'm missing Roma, I'm pretty excited for everything that's coming up.

Even though I won't be traveling to exotic locations and sampling strange foods in the years to come, I feel like I'm still traveling through life. (Every day is a journey, right?) So, if you're interested, you can keep up with this blog, hopefully, for the next couple of years to see what I'm up to as I move to New York City and start teaching elementary school. I'll post all the best stories of the crazy things my students do. (But hopefully they won't be transfixed on their hands and use their sock elastic as dental floss.)

So here it goes:

Since I've been back I've traveled to Oklahoma and New York, seen a lot of movies (in English!) and eaten a lot of hummus dip.

Here are some photographic highlights of the last few weeks:

A lovely State Press mini-reunion.

New York City from the reservoir at Central Park. I went to the city for a job interview, which I failed, and some teacher certification tests, which I owned. I also marched in a pride parade. So at least it wasn't a worthless trip.

The gigantic praying hands at ORU in Tulsa, OK. I went to Tulsa to hang out with Kristi on her graduation party weekend. It was quite the experience.

The Taco Bueno was the best part!!

Except for the giant golden oil driller. If you squint, you can see me down by his left foot.

What's next for me? I'll be spending the next two and a half weeks saying goodbye to Phoenix in the best way I know how: Four Peaks peach ale and hummus dip.

Il fine

Questo e' il fine dei miei viaggi in Italia. Sono triste, but un po' eccitata a ritornari a casa mia. Anch'io sono felice a laurearmi and trasferirmi. Ci sono molte cose buone che devo fare, ma molte sono cose buone. Arrivo a Phoenix sabato alle 5:10. I prossimo due giorni daro' il mio ultimo esame della universita', compero' molti cannoli e vedro' tutti i miei amici qui a Roma. E, tristemente, diro' addio a l'ottima citta nel mondo.

Grazie a tutti per leggere questo blog. Ci vediamo fra poco!

It's been a beautiful (and almost stressful) week in Rome ... with papers due and finals in sight. Luckily, I still made some time to enjoy the incredible weather we've been having. Here are some highlights:

A post-nap photo in the Villa Borghese. After this nap I walked (for almost three hours) to the Villa Ada, which was beautiful, but crowded (and exhausting).

The Piazza Del Popolo, the largest piazza in Rome.

Last Wednesday Annalis and I went row-boating on the lake in the park. Che romantico! Here's when I rowed us into a wall and we got stuck in a plant. Believe or not, but I was the better rower.

On Sunday Stephanie and I went to the beach at San Marinella, about a 20-minute train ride north from Rome. It was our last attempt to avoid studying for our final (which was today ... one class done!)

Mostri, Sole e Ninja Turtles

It's been a fun (and random) week here in the land of the pasta. Strange, too, with actually having to do schoolwork.

Anyway, instead of writing the papers that are due very soon, here's what I've been up to:



Last Monday I took a nice, long nap in the Circo Massimo, what used to be a large arena area for chariot races. Now it's a soft, cozy park. It is, also, I suspect, the best place in the world to play bocce ball.


This may look like any ordinary fountain in Rome. But here's the story that makes it so cool: Apparently, many many moons ago a young man suffering an extreme case of writer's block stepped out of his Roman apartment and took a stroll through the Jewish ghetto. He stopped for a rest in the Piazza Matteo, where this here fountain sits, and was suddenly inspired by the four small turtles that perch at the of the fountain. What a great idea, he thought, to create a story about four turtles. And better yet - name them after the four great Italian Renaissance artists: Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Rafael and Donatello. Voila! The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were born.


On one magical evening last week I was walking home from Via Del Corso (where I bought some very rad neon green jelly sandals) and after randomly walking down a side street for a nice detour, I ran into the Associated Press Italy bureau. I'm going to go back during the day sometime this week and ask for a job. :o)


I spent nearly my whole weekend in Trastevere, my absolute favorite part of Rome. Trastevere is home to the Porta Portese, which is one of the largest outdoor flea markets in Europe. It is also home to the best gelato and cannoli shops I've ever frequented. Oh, and it's beautiful.

On Friday I went on a class trip to Bagnaia, home of the Villa Lante. The Villa is famous for its giardini (gardens), which have served as inspiration to several Italian literary Gods, including Boccaccio. I spent my time in the garden enjoying the beauty ... and climbing on things that I was probably not supposed to touch.

Pretty!

I giardini.

I am Queen of the Fountain!!!

Meet my roommate, Stephanie.

A part of the villa. The only thing missing from this photo is the chain link I jumped to get in there, which may (or may not) signify that that particular table was out of bounds.

This is why Stephanie and I are friends. Did I mention she lives in New York? Fun!

Resting among the garden bushes.

The cutest gatto ever! (Besides Juno and Hex, of course)

After Bagnaia, we took a bus to Bomarzo, where there is il Parco dei Mostri (the Monster Park). The park was apparently at one time part of a forest, and someone (I think it was Leonardo Da Vinci?) was strolling through the woods and he found all these crazy statues buried beneath the brush. Now it's a national park.

Don't eat me!

The best part about the park? The playground! My bum still hurts from this teeter totter. We noticed on the way out that the age limit for the playground is 12 ... I wonder if it counts if you ACT like you're 12 ...

Buon Tempo = No Posts

Ciao amici! Sorry it's been so long since I've last posted anything on this blog, but Rome has been experiencing the most beautiful weather the last couple weeks, so I've been out enjoying it.

Here are a few photos to keep you updated on what I've been up to:

I've been spending a lot of time in Rome's various parks and cemeteries (sounds morbid, I know, but they're beautiful) and reading a lot, both for school and pleasure. I'm about half-way through with Harry Potter e il Prigionerio di Azkaban, by the way. It's getting much easier to read. I don't even have to look up many words anymore. Whoo hoo.

Here's the Cemeterio Accattolico, one of my favorite places in Rome. It's about an hour trip from where I live by foot/bus/metro, in a neighborhood just outside the old Roman city walls, but it's worth it, I think. It's quiet and not at all touristy, as the center of town has exploded into tourist season in the last month.


It's not only a good place to sit on a bench and read or write, but it's also good for making friends (of the feline variety, anyway).



I also spent some time walking around the Prati area, which includes the Vatican. I've been meandering in that area because I heard you can still buy indulgences from the Catholic church and I thought I'd pick up a few. However, everyone I ask looks at me like I'm crazy, so maybe it's not true ...



But wherever I've wandered the last few weeks, this is all I've seen:


I took this picture after I woke up from a pleasant nap in the Villa Borghese, one of Rome's ginormous parks, and the place where I've basically spent morning, noon and night the last couple of weekends.