Cows, dogs, snakes on the playground? Week 2 complete!

Week 2 complete!

Well, made it through my second week of teaching! And man, was it a heck of a week - and LONG.  However, I already feel as though I have made strides in my expectations of myself, of the students, of the school, of my community, of everything really.  It truly has been (and will continue to be for a while I'm sure) a time to reflect on the true reasons I am here.  Yes, I am here to teach 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students.  BUT, am I here to only focus on that?  I don't believe so!  haha.  I am here to live in community with others and even more so live in solidarity with those 4th, 5th, and 6th graders.

Each day of the week was definitely a new day that brought various challenges from a blown science lesson that was clearly geared more towards 6th grade than 4th grade to half of my class suddenly being summoned to help with handing out donated supplies today and missing most of the day?  haha.  Not to mention (if you didn't notice from the title) cows on the playground, snakes on the grounds right where I wanted to do an activity, and some more of those darn dogs hanging around bothering us as we tried to do a science experiment outdoors.  You truly have to have a back-up plan here in AZ!

Alright, I am sadly going to have cut this post short due to other things calling me.  An official request for us to get internet is in at this point, so hopefully that will happen by the end of next week.  That way I won't have to cut these posts as short anymore!

This weekend, there is a group of about 10 of us that are heading to see two national monuments in the area "El Morro" and "El Mapais."  Then, staying overnight in a town before heading to a festival near Grants, NM on Sunday.  I am excited to see and HIKE some more of the beautiful scenery here in AZ. That is one thing that never fails to uplift my spirits no matter how hard the day has been.  The sky is absolutely beautiful every night and the hills/rocks are breathtaking in the morning and evening sunlight!

Alright off to run some errands before heading back to the house.  I leave you with the theme for the last couple days' readings - STAY AWAKE - Recognize and enjoy God's presence among you in the here and now!  I need to do this!  Peace friends and family!

Painting the dining room - looks a million times better

Window Rock - 2 minutes from our house!

The Mission church right near the school!

Desert house of prayer 40th anniversary pot luck and Vespers service!

On to week 2

Well on to the second week of teaching - I haven't had time to write much this weekend obviously but it was a pretty darn good weekend.  Painted the dining room in our house yesterday and it looks amazing.  Then, planned for the week and I know what I am doing tomorrow - that's all that matters right?  one day at a time - definitely taking that seriously.

Alright off to pick up the rest of the house to go to a pot luck at the Desert House Sisters - followed by a Vespers service at 5 inside of a Hogan - Octagon shaped building representing part of Navajo spirituality.  (I will hopefully find out more later so I do not sound culturally insensitive.)

Peace and talk soon!

3 days down

Hello all!

This will be another short post but hopefully I will be able to share more about my first week teaching tomorrow.  Overall, it has been a pretty good week.  I am definitely taking it one day at a time right now and trying not to think too much about anything beyond that.

The students (for the most part) have been great.  It is definitely tough getting them back into the "school mode" in which their attention span is a little more than just 2-3 minutes....I have already noticed that it will be quite a difference every day going from teaching 6th graders to 5th and then 4th graders (and then back to 6th graders).  There is such a difference in the students in those three years - it will be a challenge but a fun one I think.

One of the highlights of the week has to be sharing my powerpoint of pictures to the different grade levels and seeing their reactions to how I looked in 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th grade...The sixth graders I'm sure enjoyed the opportunity to see that I was once in their seat.

Alright, I'm off to finish up a few things here and there in the classroom and then back to the house - the days are both quick and Long...they seem to be long usually the last hour or so of school and when I think about how much I have to do, but they speed up and when I lay down in bed at night I have been constantly thinking, "What the heck did I do all day today?"  One more day of school this week - then a diocesan Religion teacher's in-service on Friday.

I hope to update tomorrow - thanks for checking in!

PEace

Tomorrow!!!

Well, the first day of school is tomorrow!  I am currently at school right now finishing up as much as I possibly can - making things look good, coming up with fun icebreakers, trying not to get too nervous, etc.  Listening to NPR - Car talk helps a lot though!  haha, nothing like a little laugh to help ease the tensions.

Anyways, I had mentioned yesterday that the last couple days have simply been full of ups and downs as I prepare for school.  Boy, have they ever - but if I continue to focus on the ups, it helps a lot.  Yesterday, our hike to the ruins was great - pictures below.  And, then I made dinner for the roommates and treated them to brownies...mmm.  It has also been great discussing faith and spirituality throughout our days.  OH and then concluding our day with an episode of the show Mad Men - check it out! Good show.

Today, we went into Fort Defiance - a little town about 7 minutes from our house - to go Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament parish.  The service was excellent and included some unexpected, but very neat things - such as the reading of the Gospel in Navajo as well as English.  AND, the pianist who had been away for a few weeks as I understand returned, and was an amazingly fun and energetic piano player that livened up the mass greatly!  Afterward we were introduced to a few more of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament who work on the Reservation (a few at the school including the president) as well as a few Franciscan Brothers who live on the Rez too.

Then, there was a parish picnic outside that included good food and even a short talent show that ended up with a few of us dancing a short "two-step" to a Navajo woman singing.  Fun times!

Tonight, we have our first dinner/spirituality night with all 7 of us MVCs here in AZ.  We are hosting at our house - cooking burgers - yum!

I am slowly easing into the idea that I really do need to continue to take one day at a time.   I think I have always known this, but putting it into action is the hard part especially when it is your first year of teaching and all you want to do is be the best teacher EVER! haha.  Keep sending prayers and I will let you know soon enough how the first day or two goes at school.

Peace!
Enjoy the pictures!

The house from the front

When I walked into the classroom for the first time

After the first day of organization...

After a couple more days work

First dinner together

On the school grounds

Trailer park where most of the teachers live - about ten minutes from our house

Hike down into coyote canyon

The Ruins! Crazy right?

The whole gang - the four on the left are all teachers - then the house mates!

School is coming fast

It has been a crazy last few days getting ready for school to start on Monday.  Ups and downs as to how I am feeling - nervous, excited, overwhelmed, frustrated, fatigued, happy, etc.  All of the feelings have been felt in the past few days.  I am actually heading back to eat dinner now at the house.  I am hoping to be able to put up another post tomorrow afternoon sometime after I have figured most things out for Monday and feel a little better about it!  So look forward to that one!

We did go for our first hike this morning to some ruins and it was really neat - pictures to come soon.  Have a great day and prayers are always welcome!

PEace

What a start!

Hello!

This will unfortunately not be a very long post but I just finished up a full day's work at school with orientation and then trying to shape up my room!  Slowly but surely it is coming together - along with the curriculum itself...I am finding things out a little slower than I would like, but today was a day full of glad tidings.

Anyways, we got here safely on Sunday afternoon and then I moved in to my house with my other three roommates on Sunday night at 10:45 (their plane got in later).  The house is certainly coming together day by day!

I am going to have to cut this post short though because we do not have internet at the house yet and need to get home for dinner....one thing at a time is what I am focusing on

Along with the message from the homily we had at our faculty mass yesterday: "Trust in God and God will provide" (Simple message but definitely something you have to focus on here on the REZ!

I will hopefully post a longer one tomorrow with a picture of my classroom - depends on how much I have yet to get done.  Alright peace to all and please keep sending thoughts and prayers to all of us volunteers and those we are serving!  Thanks

Farewell Kentucky - On to AZ

Well, today was the last day of Orientation!  We had a wonderful closing ritual today full of smiles, laughs, and even some tears.  There is something to be said about a "smaller" volunteer corps - I feel like I have truly connected with each one of the other 32 volunteers this week and it is going to be hard to leave them all tomorrow morning.  The commissioning mass in Cincinnati followed the ritual at the Mercy Center - where a surprising amount of Sisters and Associates of the Sisters came to support us all.   Another wonderful example of the Mercy community I have already come to know quite well in only a week!

Anyways, the main purpose of this post was to put up a few pictures I have taken over the past couple days (They are for you Matt...)  Yesterday we had the opportunity to head into Cincinnati for the night which was a ton of fun (take a look below!) and then the others are a few from various orientation events and the mass today!

I'll be on a bus to the airport tomorrow morning at 4:45 am - our flight doesn't leave until 8:20 but they can only take so many trips to and from the airport....I really don't know much about the flights and who is picking us up in Albuquerque when we arrive, but I am traveling with the other two volunteers that are going to work at the same school as me (However, they are not my housemates - my housemates are taking different flights)

Continued prayers are always welcome - the last day or so has had its fair share of "nervous" moments, but they are normally followed up by moments of happiness!  Sooo, one moment at a time!  Talk to you soon from Arizona!

HOUSEMATES plus Jamie (Me, Stacy, Jamie, Mary Rose, NaShia)
And we are doing our AZ sign - I don't get it!

Bengals stadium

Almost got into the game...so close

Maureen and Shari

Retreat center

The guys!

All the MVCs after Commissioning Mass

The people I am living with for the next year... :)

Orientation in Kentucky!

Well Hello!

I arrived in Erlanger, KY on Sunday afternoon and time has flown by since.  The orientation has been taking place at a retreat center right in Erlanger - The property is extremely nice (great sitting room for card games like monopoly deal, great downstairs for catching up on the Olympics at night, beautiful roads through wooded areas for walks, and a nice pond that is just a little too weedy for a swim).

Now, I would love to tell you all about each and every part of the orientation thus far but I'm going to shorten it up to hopefully only a paragraph or two:  The first day or two however was devoted to getting a background on the Sisters of Mercy and their foundress Catherine McAuley.  Whom I have learned was an amazing woman as you might have guessed.  I will have to update you all on the history of it all a little more later however because I don't have my information in front of me right now!  So after that background information we moved on to the three main themes of MVC.

Each day of the orientation has been centered around one of the three central themes -Yesterday was Compassionate Service and we traveled into Cincinnati to visit Mercy Neighborhood Ministries (which provides multiple services to residents of the city - most importantly adults seeking education and opportunities for employment)  It was a day full of amazing talks in which several main messages stuck out to me that will no doubt help me continue to move forward in this year of service.  One such message that seems to ring very clear for me right now is to move towards an attitude of "Not asking why I am doing this year of service but rather coming to a realization that this is where I am meant to be right now whether I understand it or not"

Today was based on spirituality, and we had the opportunity to explore our own prayer type (similar to Meyers Briggs testing for prayer type - I'm apparently a Franciscan "Lover" prayer type)  Ill spare you the explanation for now - if you are more interested ask me more about it!  We also had the opportunity to discuss in our specific communities more about what our expectations are for spirituality nights.  This was great - It will truly be an experience sharing in prayer and spiritual growth with the three women I will be living with.

And yes, that is true - I will be living with three women in a four bedroom house: Stacy from Chicago area, Mary Rose from Ohio, and NaShia from D.C.  Each day, we seem to enjoy each other's company more and more (Hopefully this continues as we move to our actual house!)

Well, I could continue on and on, but I think I am going to go finish a game of Monopoly Deal with some other volunteers.  There are a total of 33 volunteers serving through Mercy Volunteer Corps this year in places all over the country - I believe there are communities in Arizona (of course), Baltimore, Philadelphia, Erie PA, Savannah GA, Sacramento CA, and New York.  I know them all by name already and have had a genuine conversation with each as well (That was a goal of mine)  They are all pretty cool people!  OH and I'm not the only guy - there are 4 of us! haha!  Alright, I am off for now - I will try to post once more before leaving for AZ on Sunday.  Thanks for reading! peace

Welcome to the journey!

Hello all!

This will be my new blog for the next year as I travel to Northeast Arizona with the Mercy Volunteer Corps.  I will be teaching at St. Michael Indian School on the Navajo Reservation.  EXCITING!

Tomorrow morning, my bro Ben and I leave for North Prairie, WI where we will make our first stop on the road trip to orientation near Cincinnati!  Please keep me (and Ben) in your prayers as we drive on.  Tell your friends about this blog!

PEace