I've been in Philadelphia now for three weeks, and it seems like I've been here for months. Yet I still haven't had a Cheese Steak, made it to a Phillies game or even taken a peak at the Liberty Bell. Overall, it's been great. Which is relieving, seeing as the second night I called a friend and demanded to know why I was here.
The days are long (5am-12:30am) with no breaks except the twenty minute bus rides to Thomas Edison High School and the hour we take for dinner. The dinners are getting me through. We (at least 10 of us) have a nightly ritual of doing a "whip around." Which is saying the best thing that happened and the worst. The stories are hilarious, and talking about your challenges with people who are going through the same thing, helps keep this whole experience in perspective.
For the summer, I'm teaching 9th grade World History for an hour a day. We were put in a group of 4 to team teach, and it's me and three guys. They're great. Each one of us is so different, yet we work well together--which I didn't think would be too unusual but our "whip around worst things" prove that false. I have 17 students on my roster and only 4-6 of them show up each day. Tuesday is the mid-term, and I'm hoping my class isn't suddenly packed.
The people I'm meeting here are incredible. It's amazing how close you can get when you're going through the same thing at the same time. They're keeping me sane. Tonight a few of us girls are cooking the rest of our friends a big Italian feast so we can all take the night off from lesson planning and complaining. Philadelphia natives are great too. They can always tell I'm not from around here, because I carry a little Rand-McNally map with me and they just smile and point me in the right direction.
I do have an address though. Me and two other girls (Kate and Sara) found an adorable house in South Philly. It's a row house from the late 1800s around the corner from the Italian Market where they have hundreds of little fresh produce and pasta stands, cute little coffee shops, corner pubs and charming cafes. There's a Whole Foods less than a mile away and old city is a twenty minute walk. We lucked out. I'll post pictures when I can.
I am well, and happy for the most part. It's hard work, but nothing more than I was expecting. I'm not loving it, but I feel okay with where I am. Everything is just crazy at the moment, but once I get settled in and start working hopefully I'll find more than a moment to myself to reflect on all this.
love.
always.
-s
