Institute Week 2

WOW! So I have not been good about keeping up with this already- I promise, it's just because institute is so so busy. So, this week was definitely difficult. Lesson planning is so time consuming- I have SO MUCH more respect for my teachers (...well, the ones that didn't just run off a million worksheets every day.) But I like my kids a lot, so at least the actual teaching part of my training is great. On Thursday we were learning about how to identify compare and contrast in a text, so as a warm-up activity we compared-and-contrasted Texas and New Jersey in a venn diagram-- they LOVED it. They love hearing about New Jersey, and yes, they are too young to know about Jersey Shore :-)

This week I also started to get a little taste of Houston- last night I went to a Houston Dynamos soccer match with 3 other corps members and it was definitely a blast. (There were also 2 Jersey guys on the opposing team! Whodathunkit?!) Next week (like, one week from Thursday) I'm going to an Astros game- $20 MLB tickets?! MADNESS! I'm super excited.

In other news, I was finally able to pick a car with the help of my dad yesterday (Hyundai Elantra- wooo!) and it looks like I'm buying new- AHH! I'm waiting a little bit to actually make the purchase, but now that I made a choice it seems a lot more "real." Between buying my first car, graduating, moving away from NJ, and the Harry Potter era ending (July 15... omggg,) I think I might actually be an adult now. (Cue crying.)

Anyway, I'll be honest- I'm having a little bit of a rough time. I'm making a lot of "acquaintances" but actual friends are coming a little slower than in college- that being said, I definitely have two "real" friends that I'm so excited to get to know better over the next 2+ years. Also, institute is definitely comparable to the amount of work/sleep deprivation I had while I was freaking out about my course load + thesis this year. However, we only have 1 more week of "real" summer school before the kids take their test to advance to the next grade, and then I can teach whatever I want (HISTORY!!) which will make life a lot more enjoyable. And of course, I cannot WAIT for institute to be completely over so I can get to know my new city-- right now, all I know is that it's really, really hot and humid all day (and most of the night).

PS Sorry Mom and Dad, I reached out to a rugby team yesterday (for practice info and also for recommendations of sports bars that play rugby matches.) I need some type of team to keep me sane, but I'm not 100% committed to playing rugby again- I'm still keeping my eye out for other things to do :-P