Two Weeks

Two Weeks. Two weeks left out of this two year commitment to ACESJU are left.

Two weeks.

Two weeks left in the classroom. Two weeks left as a teacher, a mentor, a guide to my students.

Two weeks.

Two weeks left in community, living with 10 roommates, sharing one kitchen, always having people around.

Two weeks.

Two weeks seems so short and so long at the same exact time. 14 days will fly by, but the amount of work that needs to get done in those 14 days is astronomical. I need to wrap up loose ends, pack up both by room and my classroom, submit all final grades and paperwork, celebrate with ACE and graduate. That's a lot in two weeks.

There will be plenty of time for reflection later, but as scared as I am for the ending of these two weeks, I am incredibly excited for the future.

This summer, I'm taking my talents to N.C. for most of June to relax and reconnect. Chapel Hill/Triangle area friends, I'll be coming your way for sure!

Then comes July. After fourth of July I am embarking on what is sure to be an unforgettable trip to Spain with three of my current roommates to hike El Camino de Santiago, or the Way of St. James. We are hiking only a small part of the 500 mile pilgrimage, but I can't wait! Two days in Pamplona for the running of the bulls (unintentionally planned), 12ish days of walking, and then 4-5 days in Barcelona rounds up the month of July.

Then August. A week or two in Charlotte, then moving back to Philly into a location TBD, and start of the new job which I am simultaneously ecstatic and terrified for. Due to great timing, great connections, God's grace and some sheer luck, I landed a Research Assistant position at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, in the Psychology department. I'll be helping out on two projects, one focused on Bullying Interventions in Urban Schools and the other on Mental/Behavioral Health services in Urban schools. Finally, the 6 years of post-secondary education are all culminating together! I am so excited, though I am not 100% sure of what I'll be doing day by day, or how long I'll be there. But I think its a gateway to the career I would like to have one day.

So there it is. Even after telling myself I wouldn't, I am staying in Philadelphia for the time being. A new job, new adventures, and a new side of the city awaits.