It all started on Friday with a Learning from Leaders session. It's basically where someone from the community comes and talks about their experience and how they got to be where they are today. This past Friday was a little different. We actually went to this ice cream shop that is only a few blocks from my house. It's a nonprofit organization called City Kidz that helps teach inner city kids financial literacy. The kids even get to create their own ice cream flavors and all of the profits go towards college scholarships. Super cool. Representatives from Wells Fargo were there too and they were really awesome. They seemed genuinely interested in City Year. One lady even said she was going to suggest it to her son! Then in the afternoon, we had a feedback session where everyone on your team pairs up and you each give each other positive and negative feedback. You have four minutes a pair until you have to switch. I hate confrontation and when I had to do this last year, I was so nervous, but this time it really wasn't that bad.
Saturday was hot, but we went to the zoo since we had Groupons that expired that day. I always get excited for the zoo, but then whenever I go, I always get a little sad about how small the areas the animals have to live in. Like at this one, the bear exhibit had one bear in this tiny little place. He was just pacing back and forth and looked so sad. A lot of the animals areas didn't have grass in them because they were in the shade. It was really sad. It was fun at times though because the animals are so cool. We saw this one animal that looked like a zebra because it's legs had black and white stripes, At the giraffe exhibit, you could pay $2 to feed the giraffes, so they were coming right up to the balcony we were standing on and eating out of people's hands. It was super cool. We didn't feed them because the line was so long, but they were really close. That night, Joe, Adrienne, and I went to a wine bar a few blocks away. We were definitely out of place, though. We stayed for like an hour and then left. We came home and sat on the porch for a while. It's finally gotten to the point where you don't die of mosquito bites, so it's enjoyable.
Sunday was even hotter and Adrienne and I, as well as some corps members, were volunteering at the Jaguars game. We had volunteered to be "data collectors" per say, so we had to get there early. We were recording how long it takes to get through the lines. So, we started at three and every fifteen minutes, we'd get in line. It only took a max of like 7 minutes to get through the lines, so we had a few minutes to stand in the shade and relax before going again. It was interesting, but SO hot. The people were really funny though. A couple behind me got in a fight and the girl stormed off with the guy chasing after her. There were also a ton of Bears fans and by the end, I was super tired of hearing the phrase "Da Bears" yelled by drunk guys. Regardless, it was kind of fun and we got free tickets and food vouchers, which was awesome. The game wasn't that great and we were still really hot, so we left not far into the fourth quarter. I heard they lost 41-3 or something like that. A bunch of our students were there, though, which made it fun. They got tickets for making the honor roll, so over 300 Jackson students were there. We ran into a few of them when we went to get food and they freaked out. Something about us having real clothes and a real life..... :)
Today at school, the students were extra talkative. The worst days are when there is never a quiet moment. It's like a constant noise in your ear. Plus, it was an A day, so I had an extra class and was tired. Adrienne and I, along with four of the corps members went to (hot) yoga tonight. It was really nice. I wasn't sure how much I would like it, but I'm definitely going back. I mean, it's not my favorite, but it feels really good. It also feels great to sweat out all of the toxins and stress. I have a hard time buying into the meditation aspect of it all. Like at the end where we all say "namaste," I just kind of mumbled and rolled my eyes. I really enjoyed the workout part, though, and am definitely going to be sore tomorrow.
Tomorrow I'm at the office, which is a good break from the children after today. I'm glad to have things to do after work and on the weekends. I hope this pace of life keeps up....
"Namaste"
(because it only seemed fitting)
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