A Few Quick Updates: Spring 2019

Well, howdy there, it’s been a while.

Since I posted my 2018 recap, a lot has happened. I traveled to Germany, France, and the Czech Republic over the Christmas holiday, a much needed two week break. It was the first time I’d taken more than a week off from VIPKid since I started working at VIPKid and oh lordy was it lovely. With VIPKid, it’s so easy to get into the mindset that I should always be working, because I can work anywhere as long as I have computer and internet. I’m so glad I chose to take time off…something I wish I would have done last month while on spring break. Unfortunately, the bug to keep working got me then. In Europe, I enjoyed spending a lot of time with my family, I got to see my German friend for an afternoon coffee break (she took a break from working on her master’s thesis, which was due days after we met, to see me), and I got to cross two new countries, France and the Czech Republic, off my list. I’m officially in love with Prague, which is on my list of places to return to to explore more.

Professionally, I got into grad school, which is exciting and a bit nerve racking. I’ll be starting a two year Master’s of Elementary Education program in August. I’ll keep my job as a teacher’s assistant for my first year of school, but I’ll have to quit in the second year to focus on completing classroom internships. At work, I’m continuing to learn more in the classroom in my role a teacher’s assistant. My patience has been tested on multiple occasions, though it’s all been worth it as I’ve developed some amazing relationships with some of the most behaviorally challenged students. VIPKid continues to go well, though I must keep reminding myself to take time off from that. I went back and forth about taking time off for Memorial Day next week, and decided that I needed the full day off to relax.

On a less fun note, my house got robbed at the beginning of April. It was a bit terrifying, because it happened during the day and I was the first one home to discover it. We were all so surprised that the robbery was pulled off in broad daylight, especially since my house is on a reasonably busy street. Unfortunately, my computer and Kindle were both stolen and I didn’t have renters insurance (though I do now!). Fortunately, both electronics were old  (my computer screen was cracked and had been causing me problems for a while, and my Kindle, a dumpster find from the days when a college friend used to go dumpster diving, was one of the first editions to ever be released). I wasn’t too thrilled to spend money on a new computer, but at least I now have one that isn’t cracked and that is in good condition overall. Luckily, my Mom recently got a new Kindle and she let me have her old one. The police came to take fingerprints, but we’re not betting too much on them–there is only one crime lab in DC that serves DC Police, The Secret Service, and various government agencies. The prints from our case are definitely not at the top of the list of prints to be processed, and there’s a good chance that when they are, they’ll find that the prints belong to myself or my housemates. We spend a lot more time at the house than the robbers did, after all.

After the robbery, I had a very challenging weekend feeling vulnerable and unsafe in my own home. Luckily, I did a lot of yoga and it didn’t take me long to get past it. I definitely learned a lesson in being safer about locking up. While the front door was locked, it was not dead bolted, which made it easier for the robbers to break in. We also got a metal security gate for our front door to make the entry way more secure.

On more of a positive note, I’ve been feeling more and more of a call to write creatively. I grew up writing stories and even wrote a (looking back on it now, terrible) book in seventh grade. For about a decade, my creative writing skills took the back burner, and in college I focused more on blogging. Recently, though, I’ve wanted to write creatively again, and it’s given me an exciting creative energy that I haven’t felt in a long time. I feel less of a call to blog and more of a call to work on something for (hopefully) eventual publication. I’m looking forward to diving head first into writing over my summer break, before I’m immersed in grad school for the next two years. While I don’t see myself done with blogging–I’ve enjoyed building up my community of fellow bloggers far too much to let it go–it definitely isn’t a priority anymore.

I got [another!] new roommate in February, which has been an adjustment for me, as always. I’ve had seven or eight roommates in the last year, which has been very exhausting for me overall–as an introvert, it takes me so long to adjust to new people that I live with. While adjusting to all these people has definitely been a growing experience for me that I’m embracing as best as I can, and while I still love my living arrangement over all, I will also be very grateful when I can move to a situation that doesn’t have people coming and going so often.

Overall, life is very good right now. Spring has been beautiful in DC. I went back to Minnesota in April over my school’s spring break, too. While it wasn’t as relaxing as I would have liked–I scheduled way too much for my introverted soul to handle–it was nice to see so many people while there. My school gets out in Mid-June, and I’m looking forward to a relaxing summer reading, writing, and spending time at the local pool. I’m excited to start grad school, and I’m excited to see what the next few months bring for me. I’m in a good place, and I’m embracing that as much as I can.

In December, I declared that 2019 would be an educational year for me, and I’ve learned a lot already. Here’s to more learning and more growth as this year continues.