Departure Day

It's been a while. I've had a bit of a dry spell, I guess. Everything worth writing about has been to important for a public blog, so it's been somewhere else.

You know. Girls and their diaries.

Anyway - it's time to revive the blog....at least for now. Because I'm going to Mexico. Between traveling alone, as a vegan with celiac disease and a compromised immune system...If I can't come up with something interesting to write, then I should never write again.

Today, right now, I travel. Currently, I'm sitting the freezing Atlanta airport and trying to keep myself entertained. And warm.

I've been up since 0430 hours, and in the last 8 hours I've stood in the longest security line of my life, I've been groped (apparently wearing a sparkly shirt through those body scanners just makes you look like you're sprinkled in shrapnel or something), I've cleaned out a currency exchange office of their entire stock of pesos (luckily, I was the first customer of the day...at 6AM), made an airplane friend, and walked the entire length of the Atlanta airport.

I even had time to squeeze an episode of Grey's Anatomy in. Parting is such sweet sorrow....

By the way, the first flight (MSP - ATL) was so cold, it refrigerated my water. I'm pretty sure between the cold airplane and airport, I'm going to get hypothermia. I'll die before I ever even get to Oaxaca.

Oh, I should talk about that. Why am I going to Oaxaca? Well, there are a few reasons.

1.) The insatiable appetite for travel. I was born into the world. Not into a city, a town, a state. The world. This is my home, and I want to make sure I know my neighbors, brothers, sisters, friends.

2.) Spanish. I've been working on and trying to learn Spanish for a while. I'm a fairly functional reader/writer/listener...but I'm basically mute as far as speaking is concerned. I have never had to step outside my comfort zone. I have never had the Spanish-immersion experience. I'll be at an immersion school in Oaxaca - for 3 weeks - and living with a local family. If that doesn't force me to (as I tell my students) "use my words" then nothing will.

3.) El Dia de Los Muertos. I remember learning about it in school when I was 13. But textbooks and google searches and a 40 minute class period can only take you so far. I've wanted to experience this for myself for quite some time. Nothing makes you feel more like a grown up (and a totally awesome person) than actually crossing some things of your childhood "dreams" list.

There are other reasons, too. But you've got the ones you need :D

I've got another airport to sit in this afternoon. 4.5 hours in Mexico City. Hopefully I pass through customs without issue. Maybe I'll make a few more new friends. Then a quick flight to Oaxaca, a cab ride to my host family and....October.

Octubre.
Prepare for lift-off.

Music Monday!

Writing: From the Vault

The Lackawanna Valley (name of the painting)

Industry, sitting on the face of nature.

You ravage her, rape her, deface her.

Industry, you blow your steam on nature.

And when you do, you hurt her. You poison her air.

A child, watching you chug-chug-chug along

Smiles on the dawning of a new era.

Industry, you look so glorious

But behind your mask, you are just a corporate patron

You ravage and rape and deface her for money.

A hit man, a gangster, a terrorist doing only as your told.

Summer in Jest.

Well, summer is here!

Wait, didn't it just snow a foot of snow like, say, 4 days ago? And, hey, what happened to spring?!

Hmmm - well - as I told my students, we get to have spring between 5:30 - 8:30 am, and then we have summer. That is good enough, right?

I think the best part of skipping spring and going straight to summer is the 50+ jump in Fahrenheit degrees. One day it's 20, the next days it's 77. I mean, without any time to adjust (and let our blood thaw) it feels very tropical and incredibly hot.

We went for a 3 mile hike yesterday, and we all about drowned in heat and sweat. It was only 70 degrees. It's almost unfathomable to think we could actually get so warm wearing so little, when all winter we spend our days piling on more layers only ever to still feel cold....

Even the trees are in shock. Nothing is budding, and people are still walking around with jackets in hand - just so sure that winter is hiding behind a corner, waiting to smack them in the face one or two more times before real summer comes.

Looking at the forecast right now, I can tell you this little secret: there is snow coming on Thursday.
The joke is always on us. 

Updating the List of Champions

So, I set some New Year's goals, ya know? And - in an effort to keep myself accountable - I feel like it's best to keep everyone updated on my progress. So, here it is. The list of champions update:

Goal number one was to...1. Read (at least) 36 novels this year. *Some of you reading this are probably freaking out. This is an average of 3 books a month. 
So far, 3 months in, I've read the entire Harry Potter series (7 books), My Name is Not Easy, The Clay Marble and I'm half way through Brave New World. Over spring break, I plan on reading Life of Pi, An Invisible Thread and 2 other not yet decided novels. 

2. Travel outside of the country once this year. This goal is to appease my insatiable appetite for travel and my secret desire to be a runaway. 
I'm going to Hawaii for spring break, but that's still technically US soil. I'll count this as "outside of the country" because it require international flight preparation and travel time, but I would still very much like to put these feet in a place where, perhaps they only speak Spanish. And stay there a few weeks to perfect my own Spanish speaking.

3. Try 2 new things that I'd otherwise be afraid to try *like parasailing, hiking a volcano, speaking my mind at a staff meeting, travelling alone or speaking Spanish to a native speaker.

Well, I will be travelling alone on my way to Hawaii. Planes really freak me out, so this could work. But I'm hoping to do something more meaningfully frightening.

4. Find ways to be more social. So far, I'm failing at this goal.

I have been doing an okay job with this. I've been trying to make more time to keep up with friends who are in other parts of the world, and I've also gone out and done a few things with one of my coworkers and his friends (I mean, I even went to a Super Bowl Party)...

5. Write in my journal at least once a month. I stole this goal from a friend. It is pretty good.

I failed at this for February. But, that doesn't mean I can't keep trying!

6. Live in the moment. I get easily overwhelmed by my anxieties over every.little.thing. I think keeping my nose stuck in a book at every moment of the day instead will help to keep me distracted. 

I'm not exactly sure of how to gauge this...but I think I'm doing it? Haha. I've really been trying hard to shed my "I'm worried about what other's think of me" skin. I am trying really hard to just accept me, because if I accept myself - then others will be more inclined to accept those parts of myself as well. So, I've been reading more books, watching more futbol, and going to more performances! 7. Create something beautiful. A piece of art, music, etc.

This definitely hasn't happened yet. I'm not exactly good at things like this. :)

8. Help someone or something in a meaningful way (human, animal or environmental).

I have a student who I bought a coat for just before Christmas. This week, at the book fair, I gave him my "free book for a teacher" credit, and let him pick out some things instead. He picked a book, a poster and a checkered, rubber bracelet. He was so happy, and it was such an easy thing to do. 

9. Tell people what I really think about them instead of just saying it behind their backs. If it's important enough for me to say it, I might as well say it to your face.

I have to encounter this this week as I approach a coworker about an uncomfortable occurrence. Wish me luck.10. Become less afraid of doorknobs and telephones. You may laugh - but I have serious issues with both. 

Nope. I'm definitely failing at this. But it's not too late!

When You Give a Mouse a Cookie...

My students are 12 - 13 years old. They're on the threshold - you know, still watching iCarly, playing make believe and sleeping with cartoon themed sheets and pillow cases - but toeing the line. They're starting to wear make up and curling their hair, experiencing life at such a heightened state that everything is something that could possibly end their very existence.

It's cute.

I like that they are on the threshold. They aren't afraid to be good at school. It's not too cool to be smart, yet. They don't ignore you if they see you on the street, and they openly admit their need for help, love and affirmation.

And, like 70% of the time, they have such innocent senses of humor.

Recently, I expressed my undying love for Thor to the class. This week, I received several valentines from Thor...notes were taped to my computer that expressed my love for Thor, my smart board was tagged with Thor's name and hearts...

It makes me happy to know that this really trivial piece of information brings them so much joy.

I better come up with another one, fast. Next week, poor Thor will be old news.

----

Things I heard this week that made me happy:

- Ms. Hansen, can I schedule lunch with you next week? I really need to talk through some things, and you're the only adult in the building I trust.

- Thanks for making my first year at a new school so easy. I was really nervous, and your support and encouragement has been really helpful.

- It'd be really cool if you came on this summer trip with the organization I volunteer with. I wouldn't even get tired of having my teacher on my summer break because you're pretty cool.

- Can I hang out in your room? I'm having a really hard day. 

It's Just a Fantasy

So, we all have our little celebrity crushes. I mean, come on, we've all been faced with the question of "If such-and-such celebrity knocked on your door, would you run away with them?" And, generally, the answer is no.

And, I think, actually, that we're telling the truth when we say no.

But - here's the part we're not telling...

If this version - this character - of Brendon Urie appeared at my door and asked me to run away with him....? Yes. I'd go.

And it doesn't really matter because that's a fictional part of him so I can say yes without feeling guilty....(it's from this music video).

And if Chris Hemsworth came to my door? I'd slam it. I'd say, "Sure you're really cute but I'm just not interested, thanks." I would, however, be swept away by Thor. And ONLY this version of Thor. No other Thor will suffice.