Two Weeks Left!

I CAN'T BELIEVE THERE'S ONLY TWO WEEKS LEFT OF SUMMER!! AHHHHH!! It has flown by SO FAST!! I know that I arrived at camp around mid-late June, but it feels like that was a couple weeks ago.

It is now mid-August. The air is now starting to get a bit cooler, and the days are starting to get a bit shorter. I have been leading mostly science activities this summer, but last session (10 days) I was able to be in a cabin, and work with a specific group of kids. I was a counselor for a group of 11-14 year old boys, along with 4 other staff members. It was different being in a cabin -- and in a good way. I was able to get to know a smaller group of kids, and know what their interests were and to experience camp in the way that they were able to experience it. It is a lot of work being in a cabin, and sometimes can be frustrating, but over all, they were a great group of kids. This next session I will be leading science activities again, but I now understand what the counselors experience and how they experience it (well sort of -- every cabin is different, especially with different kids). Maybe one of these days I will end up in a cabin again.

Leading the science activities has been great so far. I have lead brand new activities involving gardening/plants, crime scene investigations, decomposition, and fish dissections. I've also been leading activities that I lead for a bit last year as well, involving such things as adaptations, the scientific method through experimenting, and slime making. I think for next year, I may redo some activities that I did this summer, but also create brand new activities so that the kids that did science this year would have something new to learn and do.

So summer is ending in two weeks, with technically two more groups of kids to arrive at camp. Early September is when the school year begins again, and sometime in September I want to be taking a trip somewhere. I have not used any of my vacation days, and I feel like it is a good idea to take a break to go somewhere. Later on in the year I would like to go to Nicaragua for a couple weeks, but I feel like that is too long of a wait. I think I may be interested in going to the Adirondacks on the eastern portion of New York State, and visit/hike some of the peaks there. Maybe I'll go visit Acadia National Park in Maine, as I've never been on the East Coast before (Miami does not count). I've also been wanting to take a trip to NYC, but I may opt out of doing that this year, and possibly do it next year. I think I'm more interested in going camping and hiking somewhere new. I'll ask around to some friends to see if anyone is interested as well, but pretty sure I want to take a trip to the Adirondacks. It'll be very cool to go in the fall, when the leaves will be changing colors, and it'll be nice to get out of the city. I've also heard great things about it too. So that is what I've been thinking about these past couple days.

So yes. Summer is almost over, and I am a bit sad that it happened so quickly. It's been great being here though, and I'm glad that I was able to do it. I'll be seeing my kids from school soon, and it'll  be nice to hear about what they've been doing this summer, and to get back into the groove of things. I'll give updates on what exactly I'll be planning on traveling to in September, and will post a few pictures then too!

Updates!

HELLO!

For some reason, I thought I hadn't written on here in a while, but it's only been 3 weeks. It's not THAT long, considering I've gone for several months without writing on here.

First of all, I want to let you know that I have now finished the science after school program at the schools that I worked at. It was overall a great program, and although we didn't get a chance for every school to finish a project, it was great to be able to work with a bunch of students at the different schools. As one of the last field trips we went on, SAIL Buffalo allowed the kids to sail on some sail boats, go on a pontoon boat, and work on some gardening. The kids seemed to enjoy it, moreso because it allowed them to go on the water. However, I'm sure they would've enjoyed it more if they were able to swim. But since we were on the waters that go into Lake Erie, the water was VERY cold, and so not a good idea to go in the water.

Other than that, the free Thursday concerts at Canalside have begun, with Matt and Kim being the first outdoor concert for the 2015 summer season. It was pretty cool to see them, although the crowd was extremely rowdy and were pushing people towards the stage in such a way that it was scary. I'm pretty sure it's not usually like that, but because Matt and Kim are so popular, and there were hundreds of people there, it just got out of hand.

FYI Matt -- Please don't tell people to take steps closer to the stage when they're already squeezed together and are unable to breathe. Just saying. It was real scary in the front.

This past weekend, I ran two 5k runs. The first was Color Me Rad, a colorful fun run at Darien Lake Amusement Park. I ran it with my two housemates and another friend. It was nice to get bombarded with color while running. Also, we were able to go on a bunch of amusement park rides afterwards, and it was AMAZING to go on roller coasters after a long time of not being in one. I forgot how boring it is though to stand in line waiting for rides. I think my favorite was the Ride of Steel (Superman) Rollercoaster ride, mainly because it was extremely fast! It was awesome!

The other 5k I ran was with Girls on the Run. It was a run to donate money to the Girls on the Run program in local schools. I saw a bunch of students that I've interacted with there, and it was nice to be able to run a timed 5k. I was trying to beat a personal time of 35 min, and I ended up beating it by 5 seconds, which was very nice!!

This week is a pretty busy week too, as I'm trying to finish up getting some science camp stuff done before I head home to Michigan for several days. I'm excited for summer camp though, and excited to teach some of the stuff I've been planning. Summer camp training is less than 2 weeks away, and summer camp officially starts in 3 weeks! AHHHHHH!

May Adventures

Oh. My. Goodness.

I feel like so much has happened, and that it's only been a week or two since my last blog post. But it's been waaaayyyy longer than that. WHEW! Time sure does fly by.

Anyways, State Testing ended with a bang. I am so glad that is done and over with. The stress felt by both teachers and students have decreased by SO much. Everyone (for the most part) is now in a better mood. It's GREAT!

Earlier this month, I volunteered for the event I Love My Park Day. I went to Niagara Falls State Park, and ended up helping at the Cave of the Winds site. There were so many gulls there! SO MANY! And a lot of them were sitting on eggs. It was really cool that they were everywhere, but it was also really important that as I walked near them, I covered my head to protect myself from droppings. Volunteering felt great, since we were able to repaint some railing that a lot of people from all over the world would see/use. Plus, I was able to see the falls up close. In the picture below, you can see that there's still ice. . . ICE! And that photo was taken in the beginning of May.

In May, I also went on a hiking trip with students to Hunter's Creek County Park in East Aurora. That was really cool as well, since I had never been there before. Neither had any of the kids. The hiking trip was lead by two Buffalo Riverkeeper Staff members, and they were very knowledgeable. Any questions that the kids had were answered by Chris and John. They even showed us and taught the kids various plants in the forest and how to identify them. Very cool! The kids all raved about that trip, and it definitely felt good that the trip was a success!

During this month, there was a Cherry Blossom Festival throughout Buffalo. The cherry blossoms were very pretty, as you can see in the photos below. There were a lot of people taking photos there, and there's also a lot of events during that week as well. It made a nice walk with a friend, and two dogs, that's for sure!

Besides having a lot of meetings and after-school activities for the past several weeks, I've also made it to a couple of concerts. I saw The Heritage, a country band from Buffalo that had an amazing personality with the crowd. They sang some crowd favorites, and it was wonderful. It was also nice that the lead singers alternated who sung the songs, and they also did a couple of solo acoustic performances, which was also really nice.

Last night, I hung out with some friends (and a couchsurfer from France named Justine, who was really cool!) at a concert at The Waiting Room. We saw the bands Wild Thing, Kopps, and Priory. They were all very good. My two favorites were Wild Thing and Kopps, as they had a very energetic and upbeat performance. I've attached a youtube video of one of my favorite songs, so I hope you enjoy it!

Until next time!

(Summer is fast approaching. ahhh!)

Little Ships - Wild Things

And I Now Present. . . SPRING/SUMMER!

Oh. My. Goodness.

I can't believe what I am seeing! The grass is green, not brown or yellow or a horrible puke color. The snow is (mostly) gone, leaving behind a lot of sediment and other stuff that hasn't been seen in MONTHS, I hear the birds chirping like there's going to be no tomorrow. AND WHAT?!?! I can go outside without a coat!?!? The end of Winter has now arrived, and it's SPRING/SUMMER!

WAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!! YIPEE!! It's so EXCITING!!!

For all you people who are not from this part of the states, let me tell you that spring/summer is a thing known to areas where winter just ends and summer seems to arrive literally days after. So instead of saying "spring" for those few days (well you can, I guess, but I don't see the point), you say spring/summer." At least, that's what I do. I don't know if anyone else does. But regardless of that, it is SPRING/SUMMER SEASON!

Anyways, this past week has been really rainy and wet, so it was super nice being able to go outside and enjoy the sunshine and warmth today. I was able to go on a nice walk with two friendly dogs (both belonging to some of my co-workers and friends) and some friends. It was a sort of celebration to the end of winter.

This past week, I also went jogging a few times, as I'm getting back into jogging again. I've signed up for two 5k races that will happen in the next couple months or so, and don't want to die on the run, which is why I've been going on these jogs. To prepare for the not-dying part. hahahaha

The not-so-fortunate part about spring/summer is that a lot of the state testing begins in schools. Literally, it is EXHAUSTING. It's several days of several hours of testing for the students, and how the students do on those tests determines (from my understanding of it) what level classrooms they end up in for the future. Which doesn't sound too terrible. However, there might be several kids who normally do well in class that just have a bad day during testing week. Since chances are they did poorly, those kids end up being in a lower leveled class the next school year, and will possibly stay in that lower leveled class for the remainder of their schooling. The opposite can also happen, although it is usually unlikely. If that student aces the tests and usually does poorly, the student may end up suffering in the long run because the next school year's work is far more advanced and faster paced than what the student is able to do. Of course, there may be a chance he/she ends up in a slower paced level classroom the next year, but the damage has been done and there may be no way to bring the student up to date on what he/she didn't understand beforehand. It's crazy stuff.

So that's what's been happening lately. Testing, the stressing out of teachers and students alike, and the final month or two of the school year. AHHHHH!

                                I took this photo of this train on some tracks in the East Buffalo area. Pretty cool view.

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.

The End of One Thing is the Beginning of the Next

So I can't believe it. It's a little less than three weeks before the end of the school year. Time has flown by so fast. These last several weeks have probably flown by the fastest. I have no idea where the month of May went. I feel like June may end up wherever May seems to have gone too. It's crazy.

I last wrote in this blog on February 17th. FEBRUARY. 17TH. Around that time, I was having winter break. Around that time (well around the heavy winter weather time), I ended up going to a pond hockey tournament, ice skating, cross-country skiing, comedy show, and went country line dancing at a local venue.

I also went to a few concerts. USS (Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker) was really great and amazing; the two band members were very personable on stage and played great songs (I would absolutely go to another show!). Twenty One Pilots was also really great, and would be another show I'd be interested in going to as well. The lights and the two band members were all over the place, jumping from one spot to the next, playing the drums on top of the crowd, being RIDICULOUS and AMAZING at the same time! I would go to both of these bands' concerts in a heartbeat.

I ran a 5K Race and did pretty decent. I have another two that I signed up for coming up in the next couple weeks. One is a corporate challenge for work, and another is a fun colorful race. I'm excited for both of those.

I've also volunteered at several places. It feels great to volunteer, especially when it's nice out and it involves the community. I'm not going to lie, there was a spring clean-up day for my community that I partook in that had rainy weather for most of the day (minus the last hour) which was unfortunate. But I talked to some people while we were picking up litter, and it wasn't so bad. It was awesome to plant a couple trees too.

I've learned a lot about Buffalo's history. Regarding the Buffalo River and how it ended up being shaped to better navigate ships that were in the harbor during the boom that occurred here. There are old silos here for all the grain that was once stored still standing today. They're relics of the past and it's AMAZING to see how many of them were used back in the day and how large they were. I also visited the Central Terminal, which is the old train station (currently used for historical tours) that once had 200 trains visiting it EACH DAY. The architecture of the building is amazing. To stand in the middle of the terminal and imagine what it must've been like -- having all those people there, and all the goods passing by -- I would've very much liked to see what it was like back in the 60s before it shut down. You could almost hear all the bustling people moving around while at the terminal. I went to the Lockport Locks at the Erie Canal and learned about how ships carrying goods were transported from a lower portion of the river to a higher portion -- and was able to experience it. I also went to the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site in Buffalo and was able to go back in time while getting a tour of the house and how Theodore Roosevelt came to become president. So much history. So much of what is read in books. It's just amazing to imagine something as it was back in history and see what it is today based on decisions that were made at the time.

So as you have read, I've done a lot these past several months. I've met some new people and have enjoyed spending time with those that I met earlier in the school year. And it being much warmer weather has been great as well. I'm definitely enjoying the sun that has been shining more frequently, and hopefully will enjoy the vegetables that I've planted in the garden that I've created. There are lots of things that I am looking forward to this summer. I'll let you know what I end up doing.