The Adventure Continues...

I've become a much quieter person these past few years. I have been battling anxiety and depression, so that definitely plays a role in the change. I sometimes have panic attacks in crowded places. My therapist thinks I have PTSD from some experiences in the Peace Corps. I'm not sure I agree, but I do agree that two years in the jungle did change me. How could it not? Aside from leaving a mark on my heart, Pohnpei changed forever the way I relate to others and to myself. I'm embarrassed when I think back to the beginning of my service, my first few months on-island. The uneasiness I felt around people so different from me. The fear I felt, unsure who I could trust. The aversion to unfamiliar food, culture, language, and way of life. I remember laying awake at night in my room in my training family's home in the capital, wondering if I made a huge mistake, too ashamed to admit I was so uncomfortable in my new surroundings. Ultimately I settled in, let myself be more ...

I’ve had time to reflect during the break from school. To process my first semester doing what I was meant to do. What I’m passionate about. Teaching. This first chapter in my career was a whirlwind that began in a kindergarten classroom with nine languages and ended with eighty-three fifth graders dabbing and flipping bottles. The change was heartbreaking and emotional, and I couldn’t be more grateful. I learned a lot from this experience, and I’m better for it. It gave me the opportunity to turn lemons into lemonade, and to prove to myself that I am capable of so much more than I give myself credit for. My classroom and students are my world. I love each and every one of of those children, even when they’re challenging. Especially when they’re challenging. Not every day is easy, in fact most days aren't, but I can feel myself growing and developing as an educator and I like what is happening inside those classroom walls. Over the break, I got to thinking about my ident...