A Dawning Reality
As I woke up from a hazy evening of 23rd birthday celebration, I prepped for my final meeting about my adventure in New Zealand. The reality of my journey is just now dawning. Driving to pick up my soon to be roommate and friend, Michelle, I had butterflies and jitters that were uncontrollable.
In just 17 days I will be done with my first placement here in Iowa. It has been a great placement full of tears, trials, joys, and jokes. I would not trade my experience for the world. I will sorely miss my 1st grade class and the staff at my school. Everyone was so wonderful and welcoming to me while I was there. Perhaps the only thing I wont miss is having to wear the school colors: black and gold. I have plenty of stories to share and exciting moments about my time and hope to one day share my experience with others!
In the dawning reality of New Zealand I have realized that this is the first move I am truly going to on my own. Although I have moved every 18 months, I never once had to deal with the change without my parents by my side. When I went to Iowa State, that wasn't truly new either seeing as I was born and raised a cyclone fan and had been up many times visiting my sister and brother-in-law. For the first time in my life I am going somewhere completely new, being around a very different society, and seeing an entirely different educational and social system. For the first time in my life, I am genuinely scared and nervous for what's to come! However, I am very excited because I wont be COMPLETELY alone. I am traveling with 3 others from Iowa State.
They are my new family while abroad: Alex Higgenbotham, Michelle Miossi, and Krystal McVicker are all wonderful and easy going people who seem to have a similar mentality and living style. They claim to be messy, but I'm curious to see if their idea of mess and mine are one and the same. Many will be surprised to know that I have been surprisingly organized and tidy so far this year. With the exception of my car, whose current contents include most of my belongings. Many joke that I look homeless with all the things I carry in it. However, that will change soon when I start packing and moving out of 318 Pearson (Gamma Phi Beta) for the last time. BUT enough of the fears and nerves.
The good stuff is why you are here, not to hear about my fears. Today I received my final placement information! I saw where I will be living, got to see where I will be teaching, and learned a whole lot about what I will be teaching!
I am actually teaching year 7 and 8. In my school year 7 and 8 are in the same classroom and learn all together. They don't switch classrooms and I will be teaching all subjects. The school I am in uses a lot of groups to help focus more on individual student need and help guide instruction.
Also note that when I say all subjects I MEAN ALL SUBJECTS. Today I found out I will even be teaching GYM! Yes take that in and laugh because I just about peed my pants. I thought my placement supervisor was pulling a mean joke. I think my inhaler will be taking a trip to school with me every day! Luckily for me, the unit I think we will be in is swimming. Good thing I have been swimming my whole life or I would be up a creek without a paddle. I am truly hoping that the unit will last the WHOLE time while I'm in New Zealand. With my luck however, I can almost guarantee that the next unit will be cross country running or something where I have to run. Lord help me! Please pray that I survive!
A classroom in New Zealand will look, sound, and be (or so I think) WAY different then an American classroom. It should be a learning process and I am excited to jump right in! My only fear is I'm going from 6 year olds to a classroom full of 12, 13, and 14 year olds about ready to attend high school. When we start teaching in New Zealand it will be the end of the year for them, unlike our schools where students are just finishing up the first half of the year.
I am very excited to move out to New Zealand and I cannot wait to share the whole journey with you! I'll be posting pictures, videos, and locations on here so you can keep up with me! Hopefully I will remember to keep up with this, but seeing as I can be forgetful and that our internet is sparse it may not be a daily event! I hope you enjoy reading... I am not the best writer and I tend to have terrible grammar but I'm trying!
I hope all is well! Best wishes!
As always,
Bee
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