I am so ashamed with myself...I have not blogged in 27 days...I have SO much to talk about..SO much...I've been so tired lately by the time I get home from afterschool and morning placements (around 6pm)...then I eat, hang out with my community, and try to get outside for a walk or something...I guess blogging took the back burner, and I'm sad about it. I guess the best way to do this is to break my thoughts up into sections. So here goes, in the most condensed version possible...If you want more details on anything I'm doing, talk to me :)

Guadalupe Early Childcare Center-
I love the babies. I'm with them Tuesday and Thursday mornings, for a few hours. Feeding them, holding them, loving them, reading to them, and playing with them is, to some, a stupid way to spend my time, but to me it's something I feel very passionate about. I enjoy my time with them, yes even when there's endless crying and dirty diapers. They bring me so much joy, which is something my spirit has needed since coming down here.

Pace-
Love being there with the girls. Tutoring MWF from 8am-ish-to 1:30pm. It's great getting to know the girls more, help them get their work done, and just be with them for a significant portion of their day. Aside from tutoring, I also take part in other things with them such as the Heels and Reels competition. This was on a Saturday morning in Naples, and they did a fishing competetion against another school. We got to spend the morning/afternoon on a boat, and go fishing, which was such a fun experience. A couple volunteered their boat and their time with us that morning (as many others volunteered their boats as well for the rest of the girls). They were so nice and good to us, and another woman who was boating with us told me I had a beautiful smile and a beautiful heart. Which made my day, naturally. Another cool thing I get to do with them is once a month, take part in this Breakfast and Books program. The girls read a book (that I read as well), and then we go to a bookstore, have some coffee and pastries, discuss the book and I am able to kind of fill the role as "mentor" for a girl who I am paired up with. The book(s) we read for the first session which was this past Friday was "Stargirl" and "Love Star Girl". It was interesting. But I love LOVE love what I do here.

After-School Program-
I LOVE teaching. I love my first graders. Yes it can get crazy, and stressful at times, but these kids bring me so much joy. Their hugs, "I love you"s, drawings/coloring pictures, always make my day. Plus a few of my kids have been helping me learn Spanish during their recess. ;) Such sweet children. They are the best! It's interesting because when I came down here originally (for a week in 2006), that's when I decided I wanted to teach. I did that for 2.5 years in college, then switched majors...Now that I am back here and filling the role as teacher, I am realizing how much I love it, and I might be called back to teaching. We shall see. I'm trying to be attentive to where God's calling me and what He wants for me.

CIW-
So...as stated before, I don't work at the Coalition, but I support it by going to the protests/actions/whatever they may have on the weekends. And just wanted to throw in here that, after  6 years, they finally got Chipotle to sign on to the Fair Food Agreement. Which is AMAZING. And I am SO proud to say that I got to be part of an action involved in the Chipotle campaign. :) Oh, and I got to take part in another action a few weekends ago against Publix. Hollerrr.

My Community-
Things are going well! We carved pumpkins together for our last community night reflection on Thursday! It was so much fun, such a good time. This past weekend, we had our HM Director, Sr. Katie come visit , along with Alejandro and Tania (the HM volunteers in Miami). It was a very chill, relaxing weekend, including dinner at the Seminole Casino, Japanese food on Saturday (yes, I ate with chopsticks the whole time), some wine, reflection, good conversation, a trip to the ocean, and today we played volleyball, I took a bike ride, I read outside in the backyard on the hammock, we got Mexican food...it was lovely. Good day. :)

I am sure I am leaving out SO much since it's been SUCH a long time...but I promise to be better at updating this more frequently. It really is something I enjoy. I've been getting letters, cards, and notes in the mail (grandpa, little brothers, family friends etc.) And I'm feeling so loved and thought of. Thank you for that. :)

Publix Protest

Chipotle Action

Heels and Reels with Pace

I caught the first fish.

First time at Lake Trafford (5 min drive from my house)

The little pond literally about a 3 minute bike ride from my house.

*Some of my kids*

Carved my very own pumpkin :)

All of em.

The roommates *please excuse the incorrect date from the camera on the photos*

My favorite part of the pumpkin-carving process. :)

"Miss, you should work here..you can be our teacher."

One of the girls I've been tutoring at Pace said this to me, and let me tell you...it totally made my day.

I gotta backtrack a second and say, that when I went to Pace and they asked what subjects I wanted to help tutor in, I said English and Reading were my stronger points, and Science and Math...not so much.

The majority of my tutoring so far has been in Math...kidding, right? Nope. Too serious.

The thing is, though I gave them my preference, I told them I would help with whatever was needed. They don't currently have a math teacher there. In other words, the girls have to teach themselves, and have unforunately been scoring pretty low on their online submissions they have to do.

I've been trying my best to help them, though I feel bad when some of their material stumps even me, at age 22. Let alone, they being anywhere from 4-10 years younger than me, having to understand it on their own...

This girl's words meant more to me than a compliment. It was affirmation that, even in my short amount of time here, I've already began to make an impact on people, and I am truly helping them.

I love it. I love encouraging them. I love telling them if I can do it, they can too. I tell them that we are co-learners, learning the material together. Yes, I have an answer key. But, no I will not just give them the answers. We will solve it together, and when they solve a problem, and their eyes light up knowing that THEY did it...that in and of itself is SO rewarding. High-fives abounding.


And as far as After-School with the little kiddos'...my GOSH! This one child, Angel, has been making me so SO incredibly proud. He is a handful, this child. He has ADHD, and as a result doesn't really focus or listen all to well. He doesn't read or write very well...at all. And I just recently discovered I need to be pulling him aside and working individually with him on his reading and writing. He gets to distracted otherwise.

When we started reading last week, he looked at the simplest Kindergarten book and said it was too hard...I walked through it with him, word by word, sounding out letters to words....and he would read it, and I'd repeat it back. This week...I was helping some other kids at a station, and he came up to me with a book in hand, reading it outloud and pointing to the words as he went along........SERIOUSLY?! HOW STINKIN' COOL!

And to add to it, when I had him journal last week, he wrote no words. Zero. None. Zip.  Then within two days of working with him, he had two sentences written. This child, I tell you! He is going to make my heart explode with joy, I kid you not.

I want you all to meet my students. I do. I so do. I think I will start doing about me profiles of them on here, so you can meet them one by one. Yea. Good idea, Amanda. I will get on that, tomorrow.

I just wanted to explain how awesome things are going so far. Tomorrow I am at the Child Care Center with the babies. So so very excited. Oh, and a sidenote on that...When I went last week, I talked with one of the other ladies who work in the baby room that I volunteer in. She asked if I was planning on having babies anytime soon...I said someday,not soon though..she then informed me not to wait to long, that 25 would be a good age probably...

Haha,  guess I got three years!

:)

PS-I REALLY hope you could detect my excitement in writing this...I am honestly SO EXCITED about it!!! Gahhh!

Good night! God loves you. You are doing a great job at living life and being you :) XO