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New plane new gameJust as I finished unpacking from Chile, I began packing for Aruba. My friends keep calling me a 'world traveler'.. something that absolutely shocks me considering I'm the worlds worst flyer. For some peculiar reason, the one who hates flying & the act of traveling the most seems to be doing the most of it lately. Its funny how things work, huh? Regardless, I'm excited to spend some time in the sun with my parents. As soon as I get back from Aruba (Jamaica, ooooh I wanna take ya), I'll be quickly transitioning into adult life. I'm excited to begin my job in a local summer school program, but I can't help but fear that I'll be saying goodbye to my childhood for good. Trading out the short shorts for business apparel, and the all-day plans with friends are slowly becoming strictly dinner dates (which is totally okay with me because it includes food) is slowly becoming a reality for this girl. I'm beginning to accept it though, I can't be a little kid forever. (I am however, going to see the Rolling Stones this summer so I'll probably be a little kid again for that night (: ). Whats next whats nextNext begins the planning of grad school... which I'm probably going to be in for awhile.
The more that I'm surrounding myself with the politics involved in education, the more it interests me. Right now, the tentative plan has drastically changed from Columbia University, which was the original plan for quite some time. As much as I would love to head to the city for awhile, I'm thinking that I want to involve myself in the SUNY system as much as possible. I'm planning on trying to land an internship of some kind in the SUNY Headquarters in Albany, NY. If by some miracle I can make this happen, I'll be attending SUNY Albany where I'll more than likely be entering the Curriculum Development and Instructional Technology masters program, followed by the Educational Administration and Policy studies doctoral program. AKA, I'm never entirely growing up because I'm going to be in school for the rest of my life. I'm so sad that this may (or may not be) my last post, so I hope that all that have been reading will stay in touch! Don't be strangers :) Love positively absolutely no doubt about it always, Chelsea ♡
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Beginning thoughtsFirst off, let me start by saying how weird it feels to be writing this post while laying in my bed at home. (It's also pouring out right now- something that I haven't seen in the past month.... rain is weird.) The homecoming week from Chile was exhausting- but full of happiness, sadness, hugs and well, food. I never expected to wake up every morning this week completely clueless as to what day it was, and why I wasn't rushing out of bed to meet Emma downstairs to strut off to Spanish school. I also never expected for Chile to become a lifestyle for me, rather than a vacation. It became oddly familiar waking up everyday knowing that I probably wasn't going to see my bed again until late that night. All the while, it was an amazing feeling knowing that each day was packed to the brim (Dr. Patti wouldn't have it any other way, xox), and that I went to bed each night completely exhausted.. better yet, I don't think I've ever had an easier time falling asleep at night than I did while in Chile. Regardless, now that I'm back to reality, its time to reflect on the experiences that I had while I was there, and try not to complain too much about being home (although I did miss home, a lot). Trying not to bore the world with a photo-less postThree cheers for trying something new! I decided to not include any photos in this post. Why? Because I feel like the majority of my trip was through pictures. Is that a bad thing? Of course not. Does it showcase my entire trip? Of course not. I guess what I'm trying to do is to use this post as more of a journal entry, rather than an album. Some say "a picture is worth a thousand words"... So, I'm going to try to create this post in exactly 1,000 words, to show that a thousand words is worth it too. The past three weeks in Chile went kinda like this: Week 1: Spanish school / site seeing / food / ANDES MOUNTAINS Week 2: Spanish school / site seeing / food / HORSEBACK RIDING Week 2: Teaching English / food / pen pal interactions / SAFARI / farewell dinner It was a perfect blend of language learning (whether it be English for my students, or Spanish for me), historical monuments, presidential offices, and museums (history that I would have never known about if it weren't for this trip), food food food food food food food (its a miracle that I didn't gain 6,000 pounds while I was there) experiences that I will never forget for the rest of my life (hiking the Andes, riding my own American Pharaoh, petting a lion) and creating meaningful relationships with friends that I will keep for a lifetime (miss you all, xo) Bettering myself as an educator and a personI knew that coming into this experience I was going to face challenges. I'm thankful for these challenges because they have made me a better person, and a better educator. I hope more than anything that I can bring the experiences that I have taken with me into my classroom someday and show my students, whether they are struggling, nervous or unsure, that you must find comfort in being uncomfortable I wouldn't have been able to complete this trip if I didn't accept that being uncomfortable is okay. Walking down the street every day not knowing what anyone was saying, was difficult. Especially being a person that thrives off of others and can join in almost any conversation, I had a particularly difficult time coping with this. This put me in the shoes of an English Language Learner in ways that have forever changed not only my respect for language learners, but my mindset towards educating them. Patience is key in any type of learning, but I can't thank the individuals that I encountered enough for their patience with me, and their willingness to help me with whatever I needed (A special shout out to the barista at Starbucks who looks like Edward Cullen, you're the real MVP). Moving forwardBeing home is particularly nice because everyone speaks a language that I understand fully. I can go wherever I want, whenever I want, without worrying about whether or not I'm going to have to communicate with someone, or how I'm going to say what I need / want. Being home is a comfort, and although I missed my parents (+ Chuck/friends/McDoubles), I already miss being way out of my comfort zone, way out in Chile. Lemme tell ya, growing up is exhausting. In this past week, I (somehow) managed to get a full time job teaching summer school (woohoo!), attempted to clean my room about 700 times, ate out more than my checking account appreciates, and hugged my dog every 5-6 seconds. I listened closer to what others had to say, and smiled to myself as I appreciated understanding. I went to my moms 2nd grade classroom and felt an overwhelming sense of happiness, knowing that I could communicate with them and not have to listen carefully to every single phrase that came out of their little mouths. I laughed with those 2nd graders, as I thought of my kiddos from Chile and how I miss their enthusiasm towards the English language. Is is she at 1,000 yet?Almost, amigos. I wish that I had another 1,000 words left so that I could dissect every little bit of my favorite parts of the trip (probably more like 21,000). But I do not. I also have a very messy room to clean and about 60 emails to respond to. I'm missing my Buffalo/NYC girls more than anything in the entire
world, and the two lovely professors that made this entire trip possible. I can't wait to see the next group of teacher candidates experience all of the wonderful things that I had the opportunity to experience while on this adventure. I wouldn't trade it for anything in this entire world, and thats a lot. 1000. Hola amigos! These past few days have been absolutely crazy, with plans on top of plans, places to go, people to see (& things to eat, of course). I am rapidly falling in love with this country and this city, and am beginning to truly appreciate the small things at home that I have taken for granted for so many years (I miss you PBJ). I can officially say that I have taken down the beast that is the Andes Mountains. Many moments of that day were engulfed by feelings of absolute disbelief that: 1) I'm in the Andes Mountains 2) The postcards don't do this scenery justice And 3) Where can I sign up to climb Everest? Again, the picture doesn't do it justice.
Imagine being completely surrounded by this view, from every single angle. It was a day I will never ever forget. I can't count my blessings enough to have the opportunity to be in the spot I am in. Although this past week has been a complete whirlwind of Spanish, Spanish, Spanish, being able to see this view in real life rather than on a post card has mad every experience completely and entirely worth it. ECELA (our Spanish school) is fantastic, and although I often find myself frustrated with the fact that I can't speak English and I often have no idea what in the world my teacher is saying, I am supported and encouraged every step of the way, and for that I truly could not be more thankful. So my chicos, take every day as a challenge. Encourage others the way that you would want to be encouraged. Support others the way that you would want to be supported. Finally, find something out of every day to be thankful for. With love, absolutely always, Chelsea |
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