Despues de Guatemala...

You may be wondering where in the world I have disappeared to. It has been a few months since my last entry and I apologize for not keeping this updated, so let me fill you in. After my last entry I:
- Flew from Guatemala to Edmonton, Canada for the wedding of my best friend from high school, Bridget. I stayed a week before the wedding, meeting the groom's family, helping get things organized, and just laughing it up with Bridget and her amazing husband-to-be. I saw the Aurora Borealis, experienced Canadian country-bar nightlife and danced the night away at the reception with Danny (who I got to see again after only two weeks!). I then flew BACK to Guatemala to prepare for the last two weeks of class and finals.
- After school was completed I collected my things, said goodbye to my CIRMA classmates and adios to Guatemala. I spent the next three weeks reacclimating myself to American culture (I am still amazed by grocery stores), relearning to drive, and reconnecting with my family and Danny. For some reason my usually very social demeanor went into recluse mode and I saw only a few friends. I worked a little, but mostly tried to organize and prepare myself for the next adventure I was about to start: Teach for America.
- Three weeks after returning home I left for Teach for America training, a program that trains recent graduates to become teachers and places them in low-income, high-demand, inner-city schools in order to close our nation's achievement gap. (Take the time to click on that link to educate yourself about the gross inequities in our educational system.) I am currently in Atlanta, Georgia with 400 other corps members training. What does training entail? Think: teacher boot camp where 4 years of education major classes are shoved into 6 weeks of hands-on training while you are teaching in an Atlanta public school trying to get your students to pass a high stakes test that determines whether or not they move on to the next grade. I haven't slept much. But it is already more rewarding than most of the work I did in college. I feel like this is where I need to be, and the more I learn about what this will entail, the more I feel like this is the challenge and issue I am should be working on.
- The next step? After training, I will be moving home to Phoenix (YAY!) and teaching 5th grade in the Roosevelt School District. I can't wait meet my students and start pushing them forward. Which is fine that I can't wait, because I will only have one week home before I start teaching.
I hope all is well with everyone and I hope to be able to talk soon (but probably not until I am back home in Phoenix). Best Wishes! Until my next adventure update, Bonnie