This update is actually a duplicate of an email I sent to my MVY coworkers. Sorry if some of the information is repeated from last update.
According to my new driver's license, I am now officially a resident of the state of Florida. My program is making me become a resident so that I get in-state tuition, which means in turn that they only have to pay in-state tuition on my behalf. Guess that's the price you pay when you're getting a tuition waiver and a job...
I have been in Tallahassee for just over 3 weeks. I started my assistantship in FSU's Center for Leadership and Civic Education on August 8th. The "Center" just moved into a HUGE brand new building. It's great. I have my own little "pod". So much more than a cubicle, so much less than an office. My 20 student cohort comes from all corners of the US. Two of us from the state of Georgia (other girl graduated from Emory in 07). We're both huge fans of the Dawgs, so we've started plotting our secret alternative football roadtrip schedule. There are a few students from New England that are trying to get me to say "Mahtha's Vineyed" correctly. The transition from UGA to FSU was pretty seamless because I felt like I had a ton of friends within my first week. That's the beauty of a cohort. We saw comedian Greg Giraldo (of Comedy Central's 'Roast' series) last Friday and he was a riot. We've also rekindled the tradition of Sunday night potluck dinners.
At work last week we hosted the "Service Leadership Seminar" or SLS. The program provides an opportunity for incoming freshmen to learn about community service and leadership. The seminar includes community service projects, workshops, speakers, interaction with current campus leaders, teambuilding, cheers, ropes courses, the True Colors leadership inventory...etc. Basically the stuff my dreams are made of. And the theme this year is "pirates". Must be fate.
We also hosted the orientation for the CLCE Service Scholars. These students are selected based on merit to be part of a prestigious group of students committed to service learning. They have some pretty phenomenal stories and I have the pleasure of mentoring one of them.
Furthermore, we've been prepping for the Social Justice Living-Learning Community (SJLLC). According to the website:
The SJLLC is designed for students of all majors who desire to understand and practice social justice. Approximately 40 first-year students are members of this supportive, inclusive community. Sharing time and space with others who have similar passions and values will encourage these students to establish lasting relationships and provide them with the opportunity to work with others. Together they will live, learn, and explore social activism, social change, and the philosophical foundations of justice.
I spent last week finding service projects for these students and preparing for their weekend retreat in Americus, GA (home of Jimmy Carter). I would have gone on the retreat had I not already committed to working at the Vineyard over Labor Day. I'm also TA-ing their colloquium course.
Lastly, I needed another part-time job with flexible hours, so I applied to mentor FSU athletes. A few 2nd year students in my program have done it and really enjoyed the experience. I'm excited about it. In October I'm also getting certified to facilitate low and high ropes challenge courses. Just seemed like something I might eventually end up doing. I also hope to be competing in the NASPA case study in October. I'm staying busy.
Oh, and classes--I'm taking 9 hours (3 classes) and I've chosen Program Evaluation as my minor. So far I really like my classes and professors (granted, we've only met once), but I think it's going to be a great semester.
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Now I'm back on the Vineyard to work Labor Day weekend with a few coworkers from the summer. It's great to be back, but we had a beast of a time getting up here:
1) After my colloquium ended on Thursday night, I caught an 8:10 flight (barely) from Tallahassee to Charlotte. My first flight was delayed, so I had to break out into a dead sprint to make my connection in Charlotte. I feel like I sprint a lot in airports, but this one definitely takes the cake.
2) We flew into DC around 11:30 pm. Kari's brother Kevin (also a UGA grad and Colgan employee) picked us up and we stayed the night at his place.
3) We woke up at 4:30, took the DC metro to the airport, and caught a 6:30 shuttle to Boston.
4) This is where the trouble begins. We get to Boston's airport and go to check in with Cape Air, the other air carrier that flies into the Vineyard. Whoever booked our reservation forgot to book us as positive space, which means that we are guaranteed a seat on a flight, and unfortunately all of the flights were booked for the remainder of the day.
5) The three of us had to take a 2 hour bus ride to Hyannis, on the Cape, with the intention of taking a ferry to the island. The bus was oversold, so it was packed with people spilling out into the aisles. Terrific.
6) We get to the transit center in Hyannis, and walk to the airport. Fortunately there was a 4:30 flight to the Vineyard with availability, so basically it took us an additional 7 hours + alternate modes of transportation to make it up here.
We'll be working until Monday when it's back to the Tallahassee grind. Next update will include FSU football!
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