This is not a visual post. I'm afraid I must ask you to endure nothing but words.
I actually feel that in the number of photo posts I have done, I have not done verbal justice to the experiences I am having out here.
I would like to take this opportunity to share with you a brief (by the way, it took me 5 times to type the "f" at the end of brief because of my weird proximity to my keyboard at this table) synopsis of a week in the life of Sarah Lambson.
I do this for two reasons. 1 because I feel there may be some of you who don't actually know what a typical week is like for me. 2 because education season is ending and soon my weeks will be very different.
Here I go.
Monday:
8am-10:30 (or 11:00, or 11:30 or 12:00): Community meeting
This often lengthy event occurs every single Monday. Topics and events are as follows: -Community game (birdie on a perch, Sherman tanks, mail call, samurai, etc.)
-Check-ins (human barometer, what color are you today?, rose/thorn, one word on how you feel today, etc),
-Agenda items (items that are meant to be discussed pertaining to the community. Today it was overconsumption of alcohol. Fun times)
-Weekly reading (it can be a paper, a chapter from a book, a poem, etc. Today we discussed a paper that suggested we need to stop procreating because we are increasing our carbon footprint with every child we have. It was the most heated discussion we have ever had)
-Announcements (short little blurbs that can usually be said in one sentence that may or may not have an effect on the community. For example I am constantly reminding people to be kind to my DVD's and return them to their proper place)
-Leardership Team Check-ins (The teams we have joined check-in. For example, I am on the "Outside Bear Brook"Events planning team)
-Shout-Outs (Just what it sounds like)
After community meeting we either have lunch or start our weekly ream of the lodge (this of course depends on what time the meeting ends).
Once ream is over (a complete and thorough cleaning of the Bathrooms, Kitchen, Dining hall and living area, and the office) we are free to do what we want or need to do. This can be lesson planning or we could spend the afternoon "sharpening out ax"-If you know the story, that just means allowing ourselves to recharge.
I typically do a little of both. Today, I finished coloring posters to hang up around my school for Earth Day and Planting Day. I also got into a spat with my teaching team member. Yeah. Typical Monday.
6:00pm-Dinner
7:30-Call Mom and Dad
Tuesday
The day begins at 9:00 usually. It kind of depends. We usually say we want to start at 8:00 but that never seems to happen.
This is a planning day. Me and my teaching team (Jonathan the oldest member, and Nate the youngest member for those of you who forgot) don't teach until the end of the week so we spend the day planning our lessons. This can mean lots of research for all of us. Usually it just means we have to make an outline to send to our teachers and write up a reflection of the week before for the education coordinator Marlee. For the majority of the lessons we break up the work and go off on our own. We discovered early on that we do not work well sitting together and hashing things out (sadly, this is how I like to work. So this was a challenge for me at first).
This takes me to between 4pm and 5pm depending on when we started the work day and ehather or not I decided to take a full hour for lunch or not.
6:00 is dinner
7:30 is Writing circle when we have people dedicated enough to come and not flake out at the last minute. There are now usually 3-4 of us regulars and we just decide on the days that work best for us.
I try to get to bed early on these first weekdays because I know I am going to get much less sleep. For me this usually means I walk back to my cabin between 9 and 9:30. Then I read and fall asleep sometime 1/2 an hour later.
WEDNESDAY
Another planning day. This one is usually filled with research. I take to opportunity to go to the library often enough on Wednesdays. Of course Lost usually interrupts my research as does maybe a little skype conversation here or there with whoever is on. But I get a lot of work done. Really. I get back in time for dinner at 6:00.
Every other week, my teaching team gets to cook. So far we have made papas majadas, some kind of Greek pasta with feta, olives, lemon, etc (don't know what it was called), curry (yuck), tomato zucchini casserole, and a wonderful veggie frittata. I think that's it. We don't cook this week, but next week I am going to try to convince my teammates to make veggie Asian dumplings and won-tons. Or maybe just Won-ton soup. The dumplings would be quite a task because we would have to make the wraps instead of buying them. I would gladly do that ahead of time. Anyway, I don't know how it will fly but I like the idea.
Wednesdays, I shower right after dinner and then head immediately to bed. We have to be up early on Thursday's. In order for me to get the 8 hours of sleep I need to function on a good workday, I have to get to bed by no later than 10:00 and usually earlier. I guess that isn't that different that other days.
THURSDAY
I will spare you a detailed play-by-play of Thursdays. You can find a more in depth look at a Thursday by going to my post on February the 5th.
But here is the schedule
6:00am-wake up
6:40am-leave to drive to Manchester
7:20-arrive at Hillside Middle School
1:00-finish teaching for the day and head to Salvation Army
1:15-3:00-relax, or grade, or nap
3:00-tutoring. I get to tutor at least one kid. If not, I read the whole time. It's great.
5:00-Kids Cafe. Loud kids, worse than cafeteria quality food, not the best thing but a good growth experience whatever the case
7:00-exhausted drive home
8:50-get home and go right to bed.
FRIDAY
Same as Thursday except two out of every three Friday we finish teaching at 2:00 and go right home. Every third Friday we have Teen Night where we just chill at the Salvation army for 3 hours. Actually we chill there for 7.5 hours but only 3 of those is when teens are there. The rest of the time right after school is spent relaxing and napping. Without naps, teen night is death.
I get to bed as early as I can.
SATURDAY
I wake up whenever. I don't like wasting my weekend. So that means maybe 8:00 or 9:00 which for me is sleeping in. I make a yummy breakfast. Lately this has been two eggs over medium (Yes, let it be known that Sarah Lambson has converted from Over Hard or scrambeled eggs only to eggs with runny yolk.), a mix of veggies (tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, kale, onions) over toast (asiago cheese or tomato basil bread when I can get it) with feta sprinkled over the top. Best thing in the world.
I clean up, drive to Hooksett where I do laundry and read a book. Depending on time I might stop off at the puppy store. Then I usually spend the rest of the day at the library taking advantage of the free internet. They close at 5pm.
Saturday evening events depend on what I feel like. Sometimes people have a bonfire where there is drinking. I opt out of these. But sometimes people go to see a movie which I am almost always up for. Lately though, I have been going on the Parana bread run. That's when few of us travel to Concord to the Panara bread there. We wait for them to close, eating delicious panara food all the while. We are on the list for receiving donations. Once they close, we take what they give us and leave. Sometimes it's a lot. Sometimes it's only 1 box of several loaves of bread. I'm not going to complain. It's free!
SUNDAY
Church at 9:00am. I'm almost always late. Sometimes Abby goes with. If she does we go to the laundromat afterwards for her to do laundry. If not, I spend the afternoon until 5:30 at the library again. Then home and dinner of some kind. Whatever I can whip up. Maybe just cereal. And usually a movie or whatever other people are watching. Or maybe an early night.
See, that wasn't too bad was it?
Now allow to toss out a few more facts and details. THIS IS FOR JULI WHO HAS BEEN ASKING. But if anyone else wants to continue to read, feel free.
I am now officially an interpretive ranger. In all honesty, this is all I know about this.
-I will be spending my whole summer at one park in New Hampshire
-I will be doing interpretive ranges duties. This can be any number of things. This can mean going around trails and seeing if people need help. This can be taking visitor surveys. This can also be organizing activities for kids or educational seminars.
-I think I work in that park with one other ranger.
I am bursting with excitement for this. This is the thing for which I have been fighting for the past two months or so. The only sad thing is I wont have the chance to work with some of the people I was really looking forward to working with. Like Abby, Sarah, Lil, Z, etc. Do not misinterpret me. I am as happy as can be that I get to be an interpreter. Even better, I can become certified! That means that for a time (1 year or 2?) I am certified to be an interpreter and as far as I've it's a certification that is nationally recognized.
Over the next couple months, I also get Wilderness First Response certified and Leave No Trace certified. All for free!! So exciting.
The next week and 1/2 is going to be stressful. This weekend is Earth Day (something I think we are not that prepared for. Anyone want to mail me a sound system?). Then it's a full week of organizing the rest of our service learning project and then planting day next Friday. AHHHHH!!!!
I feel like it's finals week except with finals, the only person that your failure effected was you. If I fail any of the things in the next couple weeks it not only reflects poorly on me professionally, it also effects students and team members and the like.
Okay. Too many words.
More to come later. If I am lucky I will have time for one post a month. As it is, I would LOVE to go for once a week like I used to. Who knows.
Time moves on and I can't believe we are in the middle of APRIL!!
I am going to end with this thought. You remember the movie The Watcher in the Woods, right? Do you remember the sound the "watcher"made as it shot lightning (or laser bolts from it's eyes according to the alternate ending)? My plate made that sound this morning as my fork scraped across it.
