From Chicago to Carolina
This was the former home to my Photo 365 Project from 2011, so check it out in the link above to see it!
It’s that wonderful time of year full of application reviewing and lots of interviewing. I am excited to start picking a staff for the fall, but it’s strange to think I’m already a quarter of the way done with my master’s degree. For my graduating RAs, they’re starting to realize they’re very close to the real world and getting that initial panic I had this time last year. It’s interesting to be on this side of the freak outs.
Classes: Three. More. Assignments. And one final exam, but we’ll ignore that for now.
Work: RA Selection. Yep. Oh, and I launched a Living Learning Village assessment last week that I am nerding out over. I’m getting some amazing data. Who knew that students were actually interested in a Critical and Creative Thinking village?
Professional Development: Still working on my summer program application. I got an A- on my professional development plan in my foundations class!
Food Adventures: I have 3 potlucks in the next week. I baked an orange nutella coffee cake for tomorrow, and am planning on a pumpkin cake and a chocolate something for the others.
Worried About: Oh, where to even begin. It’s been one of those weeks.
Excited About: Thanksgiving! Even if I’m not going home. And only 30 days until I’m back in the Windy City.
But really…it feels like yesterday when I was just getting to North Carolina and starting training. Now I have almost a semester under my belt! Which is one quarter of my time here. That thought is both scary and amazing. In just over a month I’ll be heading back to Chicago for 2 whole weeks. I have my fingers crossed for some snow and Portillo’s. (And deep dish pizza, and Metropolis, and Argo…)
Classes: Home stretch! My group for my Student Development Theory final project is awesome. We spent the whole day today shooting a music video as a part of our presentation. It’s going to be the most amazing and heart wrenching thing ever. I’ll post it once it is edited!
Work: Our mid-year banquet is on Friday! I need to come up with a short speech about my staff…I think it’s only fitting that I work in a joke about brownies. Also, RA Selection starts in two weeks. On top of RA evaluations. The paperwork is about to get crazy.
Professional Development: Working on an application for a summer program. I don’t want to say too much until I find out if I get in or not, but I am excited!
Food Adventures: This week was a week to experiment in baking. I did some homemade funfetti cupcakes, mini german pancakes, and multiple varieties of mug cakes. I am definitely making pumpkin chocolate chip cookies again soon too…they were addictive.
Worried About: Not too much this week! Yay!
Excited About: Banquet on Friday, trip to the Renaissance Festival with students on Saturday, and RA in-service and Hall Council pancake dinner on Sunday! It’s going to be a busy, busy weekend!
I am officially unwinding from my first day of Residence Director training! (read: sprawled on my couch after a long, hot shower munching on carrot sticks and ice cubes.)
It was a pretty typical first day, with lots of paper work and introductions, followed up by a game night with the RDs. (Who doesn’t bond over Spoons, Mafia, and some competition?) I am awful at learning names in a group setting, but I think I’m actually doing okay this time around…I’m going to say the HEA Facebook group helped out with that one.
I am loving the diversity of my coworkers - in all aspects. Our backgrounds, our personalities, and our goals are all different, but we’re sharing this great experience. We all know how much I love the idea of shared experiences creating relationships. And we all should know how happy I am to be around people again after a week of mostly being alone in my apartment. I’m looking forward to continuing to get to know the rest of my coworkers and cohort in the next few weeks!
Homesickness is very much a real thing, but it’s not too bad right now. I still find it really hard to fall asleep without the street noise, but the train that is literally right behind my building is kind of making up for no longer having the el around. The biggest problem I’m having is this craving for a Metropolis hazelnut latte and one of their giant cookies. And the lake. I miss running by the lake. (It’s too hot to run here…unless you like heat stroke.)
The rumbling thunder is my cue to head to bed. (Or stay up and watch the lightning and an episode of How I Met Your Mother.) Day 2 is packed full of conduct training, and I can’t wait!
