ChrisCam

I am alive and mostly well! My feet hurt. It's exhausting to get up when it's still dark and spend the day wrangling children. I loved being a camp counselor and thought teaching would be a lot like that in some ways, but the whole tenor is different when I'm "Miss" instead of Christine. I'm not their buddies, nor is that my goal, so I find myself at loose ends sometimes when I don't feel like I'm enough of an adult and I'm dying to play four-square and hang out on the playground and get hugs, and they look at me like a REAL teacher and offer a somber handshake as I stick them on the bus. ("A handshake? Girl, we're working on hugs this week.") I mean, I know I sort of am a real teacher, but it doesn't make it any less scary!! Praises that I'm not handling a classroom on my own like I was thiiiiiis close to doing.

My roommates are funny and cool. I'm enjoying them, and thank GOD there are no H-bombs or peanut butter wars so far. No one's bitching about who takes out the garbage or does the dishes because we've all just been doing it for each other whenever. It makes a huge difference! Unfortunately, the plumbing isn't much better than Ireland, and both of our toilets have broken and attempted to flood.

Other than that the house is great, my head teacher is someone I think I'll really respect and enjoy, and the class is full of little characters. The faculty is mostly warm and really very wonderful; helpful and understanding.

So, yeah. I'm still here, I'm very tired, and I'm having a really good time. And...it's almost time for bed. ;-)