I've heard it said before that the world becomes a playground once one leaves the comfortable cookie cutter path set during childhood and school years. After graduating from Dickinson College in 2006 with a degree in American Studies and a special focus on Latino cultures and Spanish, there was a blank slate ahead of me and in theory I could fill it in whatever way I chose - what freedom! After an cross country road trip to California and back, I decided to ease my way into the complex web of adulthood and go to a land of milk and honey, let's say- a place where I didn't have to pay rent for a home with a large kitchen and three bedrooms; a place where all the basic necessities of a healthy lifestyle (a track, pool, and gym for exercise, three FREE fresh, healthy, and diverse meals, a post office open daily, an ATM, woods for exploring) could be found within a 7 minutes walk; a place without cellphones; a place where people smile when they say hello; a place where high achievement, intelligence, creativity, goofiness, and worldliness are pillar traits of its people; a place where friends and colleagues support one another; a place where tradition is valued and embraced by the community.

Ok ok, maybe the Emma Willard School wasn't this heavenly all the time but it was a pretty darn good place to start out. Don't be fooled by my official title of Spanish intern. This was no ordinary internship involving coffee and copy machines. I taught two classes - Spanish I and Spanish II to fresh[women] and sophomores. In the fall I was one of the assistant volleyball coaches. Two times a week I was a dorm affiliate on one of the halls, working from 5:30 - 12am watching over students during study hall in their rooms and checking up on the latest events, drama, and gossip in their lives before they went to bed. The internship lasted only a year, but I was hired to return as the head volleyball coach this past fall while the former head coach was on sabbatical.

The Emma Willard Jesters had an incredibly successful season in which we won many matches (making it to the 2nd match of playoffs was a first in 4 years!). More importantly though, we built a real team unit that was hard working, enthusiastic about the sport, and extremely supportive of each other.

While I am not continuing with the teaching and coaching professions at this point, I am grateful for how the experience enriched my life: I developed an incredible respect for teachers and coaches of all kinds, made lasting relationships with colleagues and some students, gained valuable professional skills, and soaked up the blessings of being supported by and integrated in such a strong academic and familial community.

Probably the most exciting update from my end is that I traveled to Asia for a month during the summer. A good friend of mine from college, Charissa, and I ventured into the unknown land of China to visit another close friend, Ally.

Ally studied Chinese in college and studied abroad in Beijing for one year. After graduation she returned to a smaller city called Panjin to teach English to adults at an oil company and then join a law firm for an internship. Our two week journey through mainland China, visiting sites like the Forbidden City, Tienanmen Square, the Great Wall (in Beijing) and the panda reserve (in Chengdu), and the Three Gorges and Dam Project (along the Yangtze River), not to mention ordering food in restaurants and navigating through cities, would not have been possible without Ally's superb fluency in Mandarin Chinese and her knowledge of the culture. Once Ally returned to work, Charissa and I were left to explore (and survive!) on our own in Hong Kong, China and Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and the Krabi/Koh Phi Phi, Thailand. See the photos HERE!



Since moving back home in mid-November, life moves at a pace that is much less structured than that of EWS and not as adventurous as world travel. However, I am enjoying the respite and the time to live in the moment and prepare for my future. While I wait for possible employment opportunities with a staffing agency for non-profits and calls to tutor Spanish in the area I busy myself helping around the house, playing ball with Basie, and writing and perfecting a graduate school essay for the School for International Training and essays for the Peace Corps, which would follow after one year at SIT. My addiction to intercultural social experiences has been partially fulfilled by partaking in the World Bank/IMF Choir, dancing tango at least once a week, and joining a Spanish discussion group.

Should you all be interested in keeping up with my day to day experiences, observations, and reflections, check out my blog.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!