Snapshots of September

Hello all, 

I think I'm behind in my blog updates. I don't know what my official timetable was, but I feel about a week behind. Oh well. If there's one thing I've learned in life, it's not to lose sleep over self-imposed deadlines. 

But regardless, I've finally set aside some time to update you on what my life has looked like these last few weeks. 

This post will be a sort of collage of memories, people, and situations that have been noteworthy since I last wrote. It’s a description of life over time, so there may be mood swings. I apologize for that, but if there’s a second thing I’ve learned in life, it’s that life is messy and rarely consistent. J

I hope that by jotting down some of these tangible items/memories from my past month, I’ll give you a good picture of some of the blessings and struggles of dorm life.

1.     Finding the perfect present

Every now and then they have town-wide festivals in Germany. They set up booths with things like crafts, food, beer, ceramics, etc. They’re really fun (and often really expensive, sadly. Otherwise I would buy SO MANY THINGS!) At one of these festivals, I found the perfect Christmas present. No, I’m not going to tell you which festival, or who it’s for. But I was really excited.

2.     A gray and white alley cat

There’s an alleyway that I walk most days on my way to or from the high school. I guess a lot of people probably live in the houses that line that pathway, but I mostly just notice the cats. There are at least 4 of them, and sometimes they come up the fences to be petted. My favorite is a gray and white kitten that purrs and loves to be played with.

3.     A sunflower

I don’t like writing about this one, because it would really be much easier to let you think that I have everything together and everything is great over here all the time. But alas, that’s not the case. Basically, I hit my wall last weekend. You know that wall where you realize you don’t know what you’re doing and you’re tired of not knowing what’s going on and you have too much to do and you’re physically and emotionally drained and the girls are frustrated with you and you have to be the bad guy and enforce policies and no matter how many times you search the office you just can’t find the stupid stapler?? Yeah. That wall. I didn’t feel good at this job, I didn’t feel liked, and I just felt really alone and incapable. (For last year’s North staff, it felt a lot like last October.) My co-RA was away that weekend, which was unfortunate because a) I had twice as much responsibility when she was gone and b) I missed her because she’s my friend. Well when she got back, she asked how my weekend was. I think my mouth said “Fine.” But my face must have said something different, because when I walked into my room later that day, there was a beautiful sunflower sitting on my table. I love sunflowers. And I needed that—to feel appreciated and thought-of and like I wasn’t a total failure. So thanks, Katie. It’s on its last legs, but that sunflower is totally still sitting in my room. And the stapler was in the office the whole time, if anyone is wondering. Craziness.

4.     The opportunity to be generous

I took some kids to the orthodontist last week. I pulled up to the front of the school (during the day, so they got to miss classes. You’re welcome, kids.) and 7 or 8 highschoolers piled into my dorm van and away we went to have braces tightened, checked, removed, etc. A very exciting time of sitting in the waiting room ensued. But after ortho appointments, it’s tradition to stop at McDonalds on our way back to school. Most of the kids bring money to buy something. But this time, a few girls hadn’t brought money and I got to buy them ice cream and a cheeseburger. It had been a while since I got to be generous. I always used to feel selfish when I said one of my love languages was gifts. But I love giving. It energizes me. Even if it’s just a burger off the dollar menu.

5.     Llamas

There’s a llama farm a couple kilometers from the dorm. That means    that most of my runs have llamas at the end of the trail. Awesome.

6.     A thank you from a tough student

I was on my way back from taking a group of students to an appointment in a nearby city and one of the kids was particularly feisty. He was full of stories about his past exploits, full of comments about teachers, and generally full of himself. I didn’t say much to him the whole trip—I just listened and laughed at a couple of his jokes. I only let him take one plastic happy meal flag from McDonalds, but I let him hang it out the window. When we got back to the school, he turned back to the van and said “Thank you for the ride!” I didn’t think much of this until one of the girls in the van raised her eyebrows and said “Wow. Most of the drivers are biting his head off by the end of the ride. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him thank an adult before.” So maybe I’m not an adult. But either way, that was a good moment.

7.     Gangstas

Every other Friday, our dorm has a spirit day at school. The girls all dress up in a theme and the staff brings hot lunch to the school and eats with them. Last time the theme was gangstas. This made me so happy. Here is a picture of our gloriousness. Look how awesome my girls are. I’m so proud.

8.     The day I didn’t have to put on real pants and stayed in my pajamas all day.

This one requires no explanation. I love my job.