February Break!

So I've just returned to Buffalo after spending the week back in Michigan. It was a nice visit, and I ended up doing a lot more than I expected and seeing more as well, which was really nice.

First off, the bus ride from Buffalo to Detroit was pretty intense. There was a snowstorm from Buffalo to Toledo, and so the bus was going maybe 30 mph instead of the normal 65. Also, there was a couple (I am pretty sure they were Somalian) with a baby on the bus, and they didn't know any English. They were trying to get to Chicago, and when the bus made a stop in Ohio someplace, the man got out to ask whether they were in Chicago. The driver got upset and sternly said "This isn't Chicago, Get back on the bus!" I felt bad for the couple. They didn't know English and were going to a place they probably had never been to.

So I used my handy dandy space phone. I used google translator (how handy!) and wrote down what I knew of the trip and when I predicted they were to arrive in Chicago. Thankfully, the guy was able to read Arabic. I don't know how else I could have explained what was going on. It made me feel better that I knew they understood (at least somewhat) what to expect from their travels.

Anyways, I got to my parents house with no problems other than bus delays, I saw family all day the next day, and ate some really good Middle Eastern Cuisine. YUM! 

I saw my friend Kim (who I worked at the Battle Creek OEC with) the day after that. We met up in Ann Arbor, and it was a lot of fun! We went ice skating, then at lunch at Dimo's -- which is a really great diner and everyone going to Ann Arbor should check that place out. The owner of Dimo's is really personal with his customers, and SUPER funny. After eating lunch at Dimo's, Kim and I went sledding at a golf course area. Those hills were INTENSE, let me tell you. There were good sized hills there, and the hills were pretty icy and had packed snow, which made for a pretty crazy ride down. It was nice.

I also saw my friend Ana another day, and it was great to catch up with her. She is a great longtime friend of mine. We've known each other since 10th grade -- which is a long time! I'm glad I still keep in contact with her. Hopefully she'll be able to visit me here in Buffalo.

Other than that, I ran some errands while I was at home, and played some trivia with my dad. It was a nice relaxing time at home, and I hope that my next visit to Michigan is as good as that.

Now I'm off to get paperwork ready for the coming week, and to figure out what exactly I'll be doing. I have this feeling this week is going to be a bit CRAZY, so looking forward to that!

Say hello to 2015!

Okay. So I know the title to this blog doesn't quite fit in with the time I am writing this. It is already mid-February in 2015, so "hello" should have been said a month and a half ago.

My. Bad.

So the last time I wrote in this blog was the beginning of summer 2014. A LOT has happened from then until now. First off, I spent the summer doing Summer In the City, which was part of my AmeriCorps program. We took the kids that were part of our program to various places around Buffalo on field trips -- which included a bunch of things such as indoor rock climbing, sailing on Lake Erie, going to a local baseball game, going to a Bills Football game, seeing the Genessee County Historical Park, and going to Hidden Valley Animal Adventures Park. The kids loved all of those trips, and so did I. It was a ton of fun, and gave me a chance to see the kids outside of school instead of solely in the classroom. In August, I stayed at Cradle Beach Camp for pretty much the entire month, which was a lot of fun to be honest. I was the leader in the science programming there for 2 camp sessions, and then stayed on to do Kiwanis Camp for 5 days. It made me realize how much I miss the outdoors and how much I miss teaching. So I'm really glad I did it. I met a whole bunch of people there, since there are over 80 staff members/counselors. I don't know if they'll be doing it again in summer 2015, but it'll be great to see some of their faces again in the future.

After my term with AmeriCorps ended, I sort of went on the seasonal job binge. Not on purpose, but I was sort of having a quarter-life crisis. Yeah, yeah. I know. Quarter life crisis -- who has that? But I'm telling you, it's a real thing. I would describe it as a point in your (or someone's) life in which a realization that there is more wanted/needed from life than what is currently present, occurs. Basically, I was having thoughts that I didn't want to move from job to job anymore. I wanted something more permanent, and so wanted to find a place where I could call home for a couple years or so. It used to be somewhere in Wisconsin -- actually, I still like Wisconsin a lot. But I also liked Buffalo a lot. And after being home for a month or so, I am starting to like Michigan a little bit more. It's hard to choose just ONE place to live at for a few years. Plus I still want to travel around.

I just want a lot of things, as you can tell.

So I made the decision to do another year with AmeriCorps. In Buffalo. Again. And I'm really glad that I did. I feel better about what I am doing, and feel that I have a different mindset that is more positively driven. I feel good. Plus, I really missed my kids (not my literal kids) a lot.

So I am now in Buffalo, and I mentor 3rd graders. I'm happy. I just moved into an apartment with two other co-workers on the west side and they're great. We just moved in Superbowl Sunday. We don't really know too many people yet, as everyone in Buffalo pretty much hibernates all of winter. But I know that we'll meet some people real soon. Once things start to warm up, we definitely will.

Oh and I forgot to mention. This year, I made a commitment to not be on social media for a YEAR. Yup. That means no facebook, no instagram, and no social media whatsoever. Well, maybe not all social media. I don't know if this blog is considered social media, but I use it as a sort of journal. In other words, I am not going to count this site as social media. I am also really glad that I deactivated facebook. Who knew that there was so much more to life than facebook? haha I'm just kidding. But for real. I forgot what it's like to not have it. And I feel like there's been a lot of stress lifted from my shoulders, and a lot of negativity removed. It feels good.

I guess this is the year of feeling good. I like that.