calm and calamity

Today every seagull found a home on top of a lamp post on the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel. We were going slow enough for me to finally enjoy the scenery. The sea was calm, the rain had paused, the seagulls rested and traffic flowed nicely. It was a nice moment to cap off a nice day.
Most of my classes are good. Two of them range back and forth. One of them usually ends up with me feeling like a complete failure (That will change soon, though). I've been observed for the first time by the many people who must observe me. It was okay, haven't heard any feedback yet. Everyone seems to be very supportive of first-year teachers and pretty laid back in general. My co-teachers are amazing women. I've met some of the sour teachers in school and survived. Too bad for them. They don't know how good they got it here. Maybe I can appreciate this so much more because it is such a positive change. The atmosphere in this HS is so much different from the schools I know (and love). It's not as draining. There is hope. Most of these kids have goals, they know where they're going and they're doing what they need to get there. The district gives them a chance to succeed.
I miss my sister. I'm looking forward to a new digital camera, plane tickets to Michigan for the holidays and to Germany for spring break, and see Amanda's new city. I'm enjoying getting mail and writing back. We're enjoying being able to buy groceries again.
Speaking of food, Williamsburg has really good food. Last week we finally tried Sonic. It was delicious! And they have so many flavors to put into smoothies, slushies, sodas, etc. Oh my! But as for the independent food places here, they are even more amazing. We finally went to one of the pancake/waffle houses here (there have to be about a million! Or at least ten.), Mama Steve's, and it was so freaking good! We had really been craving something resembling an Old Standby from Crow's Nest and I think I found my substitute (it's even better). The pancakes were delicious as well. We're also enjoying Aromas and Retro's.
Soon David's laptop will be here. We will be able to fix his bike and look into getting me a lighter bike for the roads here. The weather is beautiful and cool. The rain comes in waves in small drops and small downpours that are beautiful to watch.
The most entertaining thing that has happened today involved a batch of notes. One showed up on the banister for the stairs. It said, basically, that the people in #1 saw a mouse and have heard noises. They asked if anyone else had seen or heard anything, because our landlord/realtor will not send someone out unless it is an infestation of the whole building. Someone else near them wrote another note and mentioned they heard noises. Someone else writes a note that we should get together an army of cats (I liked that one). And, finally, someone replied with what we were going to write: There was a dead mouse on the stairs. We figured the community cat found and killed it. I'm interested in seeing where this goes. Maybe the salamanders (or something close to that, they always move too fast for me to check them out), the toads, and the community cat can bond together and get the mice out?

and on to the next..

Okay. So. Let's recap.
My first day came with my first feeling of pure panic. I almost ran out of the room as students started filing in. I was really tempted to start screaming, "WAIT! I can't do this! We've all made a huge mistake!" I had no clue what to do. My first block was awkward and weird, by the third class I had, I had it down and got the hang of it. Now things are going okay. I've got a few problems to smooth out, but those mostly come from being new to everything: school, area, teaching, etc.
On Thursday night, David and I went to a dinner for the Public Policy grad students. It's an informal thing where each student hosts a week, others sign up to come, everyone brings something. It was really nice to get out.
This weekend we were met with a Boil Water Advisory. I guess that's better than getting hit with another hurricane/tropical storm/depression. By the way, Ernesto costed Virginia about $90 million in damages-- half of that in Richmond alone (they were floooooded, man. It was crazy to see on the news). Anyway. The Boil Water Advisory. James City County/Williamsburg were under this advisory because of a leak in a water main that may have contaminated water. On NPR in the morning, on the way to school, I heard WBG maybe wasn't affected by it because, apparently, WBG gets most of its water from Newport News. So, I don't worry about how I brushed my teeth, took a shower, put water in my nalgene and the cats' dish with water that may be contaminated. I get home and the news has changed: Everyone needs to be careful and boil water before they drink it or use it for cooking. My thirsty dumb ass doesn't even think, drinks some water and then realizes, "Ohhh, yeah... This is the water they're talking about. Oops." The advisory of course made David and I feel a thirst like no other because all of our juice was gone and we already drank all of the water left in the brita. Oops. It was hilarious, the psychological effects of the Boil Water Advisory. We ended up going to a gas station to get some pop/tea. Ahh.
Saturday we went to the outlet mall. I love that place. So cheap! David found some shirts and a pair of pants that are worthy of a grad student. I found a comfy pair of green Keds slip ons for $10 (now to be known as my Old Lady Yachting Shoes) as well as some hot stuff for teaching clothes. Like I said, I love that place.
Today started another week in school. Things went fine. I felt a little headache-y all day. I was really light-headed and kinda queasy my first block. I told them that if I passed out, not to laugh too hard. I got about two laughs for that one. The rest of the kids were like "You are really bad at telling jokes." Thanks, guys.

a quickie

First week is over with. My students are amazing, funny, kind and very respectful. Sure, I have a few that'll take a while. But definitely not as many as last year. Maybe next week that will all change. Who knows?
I survived. I'm tired. That's about it right now.

wish me luck! here i go!

lotsofwork.jpg
Originally uploaded by alipants.

This last weekend before school kicks in started off a day early, when Ernesto hit us. It was crazy! Lucky for us, we live in the perfect area to avoid the flooding that the rest of the Hampton Roads area got. I'm sure if it had been a stronger storm, or a hurricane, we would have seen a lot more. Our power flickered a few times before finally giving up, but was only out for a few hours. It was light enough to open the blinds and use that as light to get around the apartment.
Besides that, I've been trying to figure out what to do with this first unit. It's probably the hardest thing I've done so far because I've never done a unit on writing alone, especially this genre of writing. It's very specific as to what they have to learn and when, so I've been feeling the pressure! After this, the other units will probably seem a lot easier to plan.
Yesterday I was freaking out a little bit because I wasn't sure what to do, when to do it and so on. I don't really know how it's usually done and I'm not sure how we're expected to go through with this. Finally, I decided I had to take a breather or I was going to go over the edge. We went to Aromas, sat outside (it's now cool enough to do so), and I read some more of Everything But the Burden. This little time out gave me a nice recharge and reminded me that I can't do this wrong, as long as they're learning what they need to. Also, I shouldn't try to teach the way someone else has if it doesn't make sense to me; I need to make things work my way. Plus, my department head, AP and principal would let me know (in constructive ways, too) if I stray off-track and help me to figure out how to make it work. I'm glad I'm around people who realize that first (and even second and third) year teachers need a little more patience and advice. Otherwise, I would be majorly freaking out right now.
So, school starts tomorrow and I meet my students for the first time. I only have two big classes, which is nice. The rest are 19-22 students. I've been going back and forth between feeling confident that I can do this and survive and asking myself, "Why the HELL am I doing this to myself?! I can't be a teacher! I'm going to totally suck!". Then I remind myself: You cannot and will never be the worst teacher in history. I'm sure it'll all go well. I'm preparing myself for the ups and downs, but I'm pretty sure anything has to be better than my internship. It already is a lot more positive, helpful and supportive.

hello, ernesto.

And the rain came. And kept coming. Until everything was closed and roads were under two feet of water. Oh, what a day for a walk to the mailbox.

get that wavy feeling

workroom06.jpg
Originally uploaded by alipants.

This week has been exciting and boring, long and too short all at the same time. I now have my classroom on wheels set up, my books in my three seperate classrooms, discussions about space in those classrooms are finished, etc. etc. I finished typing up and making copies of all the stuff I wanted to hand out on the first day and those are all tucked away in their folders. I've been hearing pretty good things about the students and every English teacher has been very helpful. Some I've hit it off with right away, others will take more time because we're awkward/shy/distracted/have nothing in common just yet.
The drive hasn't been too bad. Until today. Well, yesterday, really. Due to the rain, people have left earlier than usual the past two days, probably thinking to themselves the same thing I was: It's raining out and may get a little crazy, better leave a little earlier! Driving across the bridge and into the tunnel yesterday evening was a wonderful event since rain was waiting on the other side, causing people to go slower. I snuck a few glances over at the ocean where there were these huge, dark clouds on the Hampton side of the tunnel, I could see some rain pouring down and the water was going ca-RAZY!
Today was even worse. Since it rained most of last night, Hampton was flooded in places and the schools were closed down. So, I left a little earlier just to make sure I got to school on time just in case some of the highway was flooded. It wasn't, but because of the rain, a LOT of people had left early so there was already about a 1/2 mile of back-up towards the bridge-tunnel than there would be at that time. Oh well. Coming back tonight was another story. There were back-ups everywhere, every single tunnel in the Hampton Roads area. The traffic reporter, when she got to the accident report after reporting every back-up (and the location where you hit the back-up), said, "Well, there are way too many accidents to list them. Just... be careful. It's so easy to hydroplane and some secondary roads are flooded." Going across the bridge and into the tunnel was... awesome? The waves were high, almost able to break over the bridge. The wind knocked my car around a little, once I could speed up to 55 again. The water was very dark and you could barely see the ships. It was kind of spooky and probably wouldn't have been as crazy-feeling if I had had someone else in the car with me.
That's the reason why I got most of my work done today. I'm not alone, either: most teachers seemed to be preparing just in case the roads were flooded and we were told not to come in.
But there is some light at the end of this tunnel: Yesterday, a letter came from Amanda, today, one came from Katy and Megan left me a message saying she sent me a letter back and it should be here soon. Megan gets to go see Wolf Parade in Kzoo. I hope she has a lot of fun. The letters were awesome, but I miss them all a LOT!
Also, we scrounged up enough for rent money, with about $20 left over. (David gets in Fin. Aid check this upcoming week and I get my first paycheck a week from tomorrow. That's great, but left us a little uncomfortable in the time period between moving and payment.)
Natalie flies to Germany today. I miss her & can't wait until April when I go see her. I will do it! I have to! I'm not sure if she got the message I sent her this morning, but I hope her flight went quickly and was somewhat entertaining.
This weekend will involve much planning and hopefully no flooding in Williamsburg (and I hope there is little to no flooding in Norfolk, too... but I only work there, so what do I care?! Haha, just kidding. I would hate to see all my pals there floating by on their couches...)

world class

Another hot and humid day. This week, I asked teachers from Virginia and surrounding states if fall ever happens here. They laughed and said, "Oh, sure. Sometime near end of October, November." But, then again, most of them acted as if Michigan was a frozen tundra year-round. I'm sure we'll get used to it. Plus, it'll be really nice to not have piles upon piles of snow for a good chunk of the year. I guess when it snows down here (well, if it flurries, rains and freezes a little, or accumulates the tiniest bit of snow), EVERYTHING closes down. David said someone in his program told him that it was because people can't drive down here, so they do it as a protection.
Driving down here is different: there are a lot more accidents, people are completely reckless and you see bad driving you wouldn't even see in the Detroit/Chicago area. I'm stunned they have to have so many traffic reports just to let you know where the accidents are. There are usually 2-3 at any given time. Holy crap! Oh, and when it rains, even if it's just a sprinkle, people freak out and slow down! Traffic about stops on the highway. I am totally stunned. David and I were having a good laugh imagining what driver's ed is like down here because it seems that no one knows how to drive! But, then again, we all make mistakes and everyone has their driving style.
So, the week is over. I finished up New Teacher Orientation and feel pretty confident (still a little nervous) aobut starting the school year. I got to see the curriculum for 10th graders and I love it. I love the school I'll be working in, the people I'll be working with, the English work room with its huge windows. Basically, it's perfect and, even though everyone else thinks I'm crazy for driving to Norfolk, I'm glad I chose NPS to work in. It does make the drive worth it and the drive isn't even that bad. This is one of the best districts in the country and is exactly what I was looking for. So, I'm happy.
On Thursday, there was a little event for David's program at a bar in New Town. New Town is this strange place. It's like a huge strip mall, but not. I have conflicted feelings about it. I love it because it's within walking distance of our apartment (two blocks. Downtown Williamsburg is close by bike, but walking would take 30-45 minutes and is kind of dangerous in parts) and they are using a smart technique to keep it feeling like a neighborhood/downtown area and keep land usage down. But, at the same time, it's got this ritzy, overpriced strip mall kind of feel. For example: the apartments there are totally overpriced (but really fancy and nice!). There is a Barnes and Noble being built (there are only two used book stores in town, the only independent bookstores I've found so far. Both are kind of far away) and an Old Navy right next to it. There is a movie theatre, places to eat, shop and whatnot. It is really nice because it feels like you're walking around a little city. They are seriously building a "New Town". So, I guess it's okay. If they would add in a little market so we could walk and get groceries, that would be perfect. So far, we have a Food Lion up Monticello (it's like Kroger or Harding's) and a Ukrop's the other way up Monticello (almost as big as Meijer, but only food... kind of like a big D&W). Both we'd have to get to by bike or car. Oh well.
Anyway, This event we went to. We had food, free pool, and I got to meet some of his professors, the head of his department and some of the other guys in his program (and their girlfriends/fiances). Everyone was super nice and we played two games of pool. I was totally nervous during the first one, but the second one I actually did pretty well.
Yesterday started my weekend. I got to sleep in! I slept until 10:30, got up, made some tea and sat on our porch and read before it got to hot to sit outside (plus, our porch is in the sun for the afternoon/evening). When David got home, we started our productive weekend: we set up our bank account, bought David's books (Over $500!! Holy crap!), cleaned the hampster cage, and vaccuumed a little. We also got to watch some of the Netflix movies we've had since before the move: Howl's Moving Castle, Hustle and Flow and Match Point. Match Point was the only one I wasn't too hot on. Today we cleaned the rest of the apartment, kind of starting a project: Don't live like we did on Davis Street. haha. We still have to put up decorations and pictures, but we still have time. We both have a lot of reading, preparing and whatnot to do for the next week (or for me: the next year).
And now, for the funniest/strangest moment of this week. I met Carly, a math teacher on my academy. We're pretty close in age and have a similar sense of humor. Basically, she's awesome. On Monday, during the meeting for the HS, we had to introduce ourselves. Basic stuff: our name, what we're teaching, where we're from and our worst job. After we were done and waiting for our lunch to arrive, she asked me: "So, you're from Kalamazoo, right? Do you own a moped?" I kind of laughed and asked her, "What do you know about Kalamazoo and mopeds?" She explained that she knew someone in the Mosquito Fleet. What a strange, small world.