So I've been on a bit of a hiatus. I went home for the holidays, and well... let's be honest, I figured that most of you that follow this blog probably saw me at some point, so I wan't as inclined to update it. So, I apologize to those of you that were distressed about my absence from cyber-world, but I'm back now...
It was great to be back for the holidays. I loved being able to catch up with people that I hadn't seen in a while. A special thanks to the Dublin Pub for gathering a ton of Beaverton kids together that I hadn't talked to in ages. As Rose and I were discussing on our lovely walk home from the bar one night, everyone seemed older, and a lot more mature (in a good way). It was so interesting to hear about what my old friends were up to. Since most of my class just graduated college, everyone had gone a different direction with their life and it was really cool to hear about it. And, I don't know if just me (and Rose) that felt this way, but it also seemed like all the drama and awkwardness that usually accompanies these sorts of events had gone away, and people seemed at ease talking to everyone else. It was surprisingly refreshing.
Aside from seeing lots of high school (and college) friends, I had a great time hanging out with the family, sleeping in a big, comfortable bed, having a closet full of clothes to wear, cooking in a beautiful kitchen, driving around, and generally being able to communicate and have things function properly. Having said that, I'm sure you'll be able to see why it was a bit challenging coming back...
Ok, so it hasn't been that terrible, but there was one day last week when I felt completely and utterly defeated. Can you take a wild guess at which day that was? If you're a Duck fan, you should know the answer to this... Tuesday the 11th (Hope you remembered to account for the time difference). So it all started at about 4:00am when I woke up to watch the Ducks play in the National Championship (My plan had been to wait until after school to watch it, but I couldn't sleep knowing that the game was going on). Anyway, I missed the whole first quarter and started watching when the Ducks had the lead. So mostly what I saw was the Ducks continually getting shut down on offense except for that glimmer of hope at the end... which was quickly crushed when Auburn scored a field goal to win it. Big bummer. So, that was how my day started. It continued like this...
- I checked my email before leaving for school and got a response back from a Lewis and Clark advisor about their MAT (Masters in Teaching) program. She told me that they no longer had an ESOL/Bilingual option, and that to do the Math concentration, I would need a Bachelor's in Math. Unfortunately, I don't have anywhere close to a Bachelor's, so going to L&C for grad school is probably out of the question (at least for the time being).
- On my way to school, the screen on my phone completely froze. I tried everything to get it to work, but it was completely stuck and unusable.
- Then, to top it off, the water heater in our house broke, which meant that we had no heat and no hot water (aka no showers).
Anyway, things have looked up since that day... I got over the loss, my phone randomly started working the next day, and I started showering at the gym (It was actually pretty good motivation to go work out). Luckily, the weather has been uncommonly warm that past week, so the heat wasn't too much of a concern. Although, it was still annoying not to have hot water for showers and dishes. (We finally got it fixed today).
The first week back at school was fine. I gave my kids some Reese's Peanut Butter Cups to try, and most of them liked it (although there were at least 1 or 2 kids in every class that were repulsed by them... Peanut butter is quite a foreign concept over here). Anyway, I'm not sure if I brought back enough for all of my students (I teach the older kids this week), so I might have to give them out as prizes if I run low. But there was no way I could justify lugging any more than 5 lbs worth of candy in my suitcase...
This weekend went really well. First of all, it was sunny and warm the entire time, which was a huge mood-booster. My friend Jessica (or as we call her, J-Chan) threw a party for all of us that had birthdays over the break, and it was a really fun time. People brought lots of wine and desserts and we got to catch up with everyone that we hadn't seen since before the break. After (quite) a few bottles of wine, and the addition of some huge speakers, we ended up having a big dance party in her living room. We even did the Macarena. Now there's something I haven't done for a while.
We spent the next day enjoying the sunshine. A few of us got coffee at a park next to the Guggenheim, and then walked along the river to the Casco Viejo, where we met up with some more people and got some delicious pizza. What an absolutely lovely day.
Oh, and before I sign off, I should tell you the BEST part about being back. Starting on January 1st, they outlawed smoking indoors!! Which means that when I go out to a bar or cafe, my clothes don't smell like smoke like they usually do. It was rather controversial, but I am completely supportive of it, and very happy that it's being enforced. So here's to a smoke-free new year!
Cheers,
Ally
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