School's out for the summer...almost!

I have one more contract day until I am done with being a PACE teacher. It's a little bit crazy to look back over the last two years and see how much I've grown and changed because of and sometimes in spite of the program. I am not the same girl that packed two suitcases two years ago and set off across the country to give back to her community. These last two years have been the hardest and lonliest of my life, but also the most rewarding and strengthening.

Stepping away from my family and friends has given me the opportunity to define myself, instead of letting their lives and experiences of me be who I am. For this reason it gets harder and harder to define "home", as I am caught between the community I have built for myself out here and the communities that were built for me back on the East Coast. The people here know the professional Emily, the one who struggles with caring too much about people who don't care for her. The people at home know the Emily who was quiet and reserved, and very conservative in her faith and viewpoints. I don't think I'm entirely either of these people any more.

I am packing up my bedroom and with it my memories of PACE. Steve's superman picture reminds me of the many times he bailed me out of interesting situations and our heart to heart conversations in the car. The photos of me and Kristin smiling at a party are a tribute to the girl who taught me it was okay to have fun and let loose every now and then. The stickers and school supplies from the other Kristin remind me of the teaching friends I learned so much from. That was one amazing year.

There is little in my room that speaks to this year. No photos, cards or knick-knacks to remind me of the people who have shared this second PACE experience with me. Maybe this is a good thing. It will make it easier to let go of the past and move forward into a brighter year next year. It will be hard to continue to work with the people who have made this year so difficult, so it is perhaps better to have few reminders of them.

My books are the friends that span both homes. both communities, both experiences. I will take these with me into my new life next year, a life outside of PACE.

Summertime, and the living is easy

So, most of you who are still reading this know that I have planned to stay out here for another year. With the job market the way it is, it seems like a more financially responsible decision than moving back east and seeing what scraps of a teaching job I can get. And I've survived the last two years pretty well, so I think that I should be good for at least one more. It is a little overwhelming to think of living out here on my own, though.
That being said, there are a lot of exciting possibilities that can happen if I stay out here. A third year of experience and a chance to brush up on my Spanish will make me more marketable if I decide to leave.
So here are some personal goals I have for this new year out west, feel free to hold me accountable:

1. Pass my Spanish Praxis.
2. Go to British Columbia.
3. Get certified in OR, WA and NJ.
4. Learn to drive manual.
5. Make two new Yakima friends.
6. Visit Crystal in Boston and Allison in Michigan.
7. See Ruthann more than twice a year.
8. Get a piece of writing published.
9. Run in more races (preferably short ones).
10. Be a better prepared teacher.

I'll revisit this list and let you know how it goes...also, stay posted for adventures in Yakima over the next two weeks.

Warm Weather

So last week I was sitting on the couch talking to David my roommate as I read through old blog entries from my first days out west, and I realized that I have lost a lot of my sense of humor and story telling ability in the course of the last two years. I am going to attempt to remedy that in this post as I share some of the funnier experiences I've had out here in Yakima in the last two weeks.

I went to my students' track meet last week, at a surprise request from one of my students. It didn't catch me off guard because I was asked, but because of who it was that asked me. A is one of my more reluctant Literature students. He comes from a strong math/science background and doesn't really see the need for humanities. But anyway, he asked me to go, so go I did, and spent the majority of the time leaning against a chain link fence freezing my brains out and learning cheers from the seventh graders. (These consisted of a repetition of "go for the gold", "push it", and "you gotta want it.") While I was standing there, minding my own business, I was shocked to feel a tiny hand hold mine and begin tugging. "Mom!" came a voice to my left, and I think that poor little girl got the shock of her life when it was my face she saw. She ran away screaming. Needless to say, the seventh graders thought this was hysterical.

In other very impressive news, last week I went out to the farm where Willie works and learned how to weld. I actually welded a piece of farm equipment. I know the story would have a little more oomph if I could remember the official name of whatever it was I welded, but suffice to say it was a lot of fun. Naturally I was terrified of the actually welder...it heats things up to 5000 degrees. I had to wear one of those cool masks and coveralls. And I apparently did a good enough job that Willie didn't have to go back and fix it.

This Friday Crystal comes out to visit! I am sososososo excited!

The week from Gehenna

So I had a rough week last week, with multiple parents in my room telling me how they could do my job better, more efficiently, more fairly, and with less effort. I have a great idea for a reality TV series where they each get a week in my classroom, filmed, with opportunities for the kids to give "confessional" moments as well as the parents. Then at the end they could show me how it should be done.

All venting aside, I had a wonderful weekend. Some old friends were in town for the Spring Barrel tasting at all the local wineries, and on Friday night I had dinner with my uncle and aunt, who were in town for a singing competition. (My aunt is a music teacher and her students were performing at Central Washington University in Ellensburg.) They took me to a fancy restaurant and we caught up on the many years since they've seen my family.

On Saturday I went to a wedding with Willie. He was a part of the wedding party, so there were a few awkward moments here and there as I didn't really know anyone. But he had made all the beer for the event and that was a huge achievement/success for him. It seemed more realistic that he might start his own microbrewery some day. And the reception was great fun. I sat with his sisters, who I know fairly well, and there was a great live band that played really fun stuff. There's something slightly magical about wearing a beautiful dress and dancing the night away with a boy that you really like.

I'm in full half-marathon training mode at this point and need sponsors desperately...if you or anyone you know can sponsor me, please try. I am running for my nieces as part of the NF team.
http://www.active.com/donate/nfseattle2010/EAppert3

Back at long last

Many of you have asked why I stopped writing this blog, and my answer is simply that I don't really know. Maybe it was because I didn't think anyone was reading it, or maybe because I didn't think I had anything to say. Maybe I just ran out of the motivation to write. Whatever the reason, I am back, and I am excited to be back to describing the many adventures of life in the wild west.

This week was my first week back after spring break, which is an interesting and stressful time to be in a seventh grade classroom. Next week we will be running some standardized tests in the mornings and teaching "Family Life/ Sex Ed" in the afternoons, so it should be an interesting and adventurous week. I am also trying to put together a professional portfolio, which is due this Friday, so that should be interesting. It's a lot more work than I thought it would be.

I had an opportunity to go to the Washington coast two weekends ago, and while it became an epic journey due to some car trouble, it was a wonderful time to be away from a stressful living situation and just relaxing. I was there with a bunch of friends, and it was a very entertaining weekend from start to finish. We drove over White Pass, and about halfway through the drive there is a stunningly beautiful vista of Mt. Rainier. If I can figure out how to be tech savvy, I'll post some pictures. The coast was wet and grey and windy, but a gorgeous place to be. There were no schedules or plans, and it was refreshing to say the least.

I have been doing a bit more writing recently, and also just found out that one of my reflections will be published in a magazine this November. I haven't had anything published in a while, and I was thrilled to be back on the market again. It has given me some much needed motivation.

This isn't the most interesting post, but I'm rusty...will attempt something more creative later.

Feeling Thankful

This has been a challenging week both at school and at home, and despite all of that, I am feeling very thankful for my life and all of the wonderful people and things in it. Every Wednesday I meet up with a friend to play trivia and laugh and joke with the people who frequent Bert's pub in Yakima. I know it seems like a silly thing to be thankful for, but those people and experiences bring great joy to my life every Wednesday. This week we were only one out of placing, which is pretty decent for a team of only two players.

The spiritual exercises are going really well. Today was decision day as to whether or not I would continue with the year long retreat. I felt like more was drawing toward that decision than away from it, so I decided to go ahead with the next seven months. It's one of the biggest commitments I've made thus far in my life, but I am pretty peaceful about it. I also got my first choice for spiritual directors, which also seemed to be a confirmation of the choice. My prayer life is keeping me more centered than I've felt since I moved out here, and since I'm about to be facing some major life decisions, that seems like a good thing.

Our community is moving again, which is a blessing too. Our current house is a health hazard due to lack of sufficient heat and a persistent mold problem, so we are hoping to move by the first of the month. While our housing situation has been less than ideal, it had brought the four of us together in a way that I wouldn't have believed possible two months ago. Ironically, it is David, who I had the most trouble with this summer, who has become my closest friend in the community.

Things are going well, perhaps because I am taking the time to notice how good I really have it.

Getting acquainted with my house

So I've spent the last two days at home sick. In the world of teaching, people really don't take sick days. Sure they're there for us to "use" but I know colleagues who haven't used a sick day in 15 years. Normally we just drug up and hope we can be pleasant enough to our students to last out whatever is getting us down. When you're not there, you can't really be certain that your students are actually learning anything, and with the class that I have this year, I can't be sure that they aren't burning down the school, beating each other up or single-handedly wreaking some sort of havoc. But with a 102 degree fever and wretched cough, my options were pretty limited. So I've spent the last two days doing a lot of sleeping, watching movies on my computer and catching up on paperwork. I suppose I am making myself sound more productive than I really am...about 70 percent of the time was spent sleeping.

But there have been many bright moments in my enforced homestay. For the first time in a long time I feel like I am caught up on sleep. Also, my students sent a really cute get well soon card home with my roommate David. I've been able to catch up with siblings via G-chat as my voice hasn't really been up to phone conversations. I got to talk to my good friend Chris who is in Africa doing a year of service.

And just before my flu experience I was able to go run another race with the NF endurance team, and this time coerced three friends to join me. So we ran 5 miles of the Portland marathon, with me pulling the slowest time due to the fact that I was beginning to come down with whatever this thing I have is. But it was wonderful to go to the team pasta dinner and make some new friends, and just get generally inspired. And my friend Patrick came in fourth in the whole race...out of thousands! It was really amazing.

I'm heading back to school tomorrow, which I am really excited about.