I've been thinking about writing for a while but haven't done it for a few reasons. I'm still trying to get past the graduation hurdle. It's hard - harder than I thought, especially since I am living next door to campus. And now I'm living with three fellow graduates. Boys, too! We're all really good friends, and they used to live across the street from us so it's not a huge change. We were always at one another's houses anyway. Today I just finished moving into one of the two bedrooms and besides all my clothes everything is settled. It feels good.
So we're seven weeks into the Americorps VISTA adventure. It's been a wild ride already. Last week was the end of our five week summer camp, a beefed up version of the summer school program the school district offers. We had 99 kids register, and 85 or so of them showed up at least one day. That right there is a victory. I was in charge of the afternoon activities and the Friday field trips (except for the last one, thank god) and because of that I can add playdough maker, bubble master, and field trip extraordinaire to my list of marketable skills.
One of my good friends L. is the other VISTA volunteer, and we spend every day together. It's been a saving grace to have her as a friend and colleague. We are getting to the point now where one of us will say what the other is thinking. That happened three times today alone. We need some away time from each other! I really appreciate her smarts and wit. It's been a blast. Exhausting, yes, and frustrating at times. There are many moving parts often and with various people being in charge of smaller parts, sometimes balls get dropped and guess who picks them up. Sometimes I feel like I work so much harder than a lot of other people and that's something I need to work on, because I still have trouble convincing myself that it's okay to relax. Weekends are so weird because I have the subconscious urge to get off my ass and write a paper or do research or practice trumpet. But then I remind myself that it's okay to chill out for a while.
So two of my best friends are coming to visit me tomorrow! Kel and Steph and I have been friends since junior high. They're driving back from Florida and will make a stop in my lovely town before they make it home. I am so fricking excited to see them. It's been... months. Soon Steph is going to be moving to Florida and I am so grateful for the chance to see her one more time. The next time I'm going to be home it'll be for like 8 hours and then we're driving to Canada, so there's not a chance of seeing the crew then.
Hmm... I think it's time for a drinky drink. Rum rum here I come
