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"There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither." -Alan Cohen

 A few weeks ago, I wrote about the hero's journey and how I felt like I was in the abyss.  I am definitely still feeling like I am in the abyss.  The last couple of weeks have brought some deep challenges at school that will certainly impact what my service looks like.  I'm not trying to be cryptic, but as I've mentioned before, there are things that aren't appropriate to share here.  Suffice it to say that if I was doubting I was in the abyss before that doubt no longer exists.  But ever onward...

We had a group of volunteers come to the school to redo our library (more on that later, with photos).  Many of them were college students doing an alternate spring break experience--and chatting with them really drove home for me how much I miss my PLU students.  💓  In addition to working in the library, they also came to classes and did a fun STEM activity where the students worked in groups to try to build the tallest tower using only spaghetti and marshmallows.  It was a lot of fun and for me, it was also much more aligned with the kind of experiential teaching I do.  I loved watching the kids figure out how to work together to accomplish a task (they don't really do any group work regularly).  

We also had a literacy workshop with the Peace Corps which meant I got to live the life of luxury in a hotel again for 2 nights.  The workshop was good--we learned about things like how to motivate students to write and we got to share some of the work that we've been doing in our schools.  My presentation was "Using assessment to inform literacy instruction".  As you might be able to tell from the title, I figured out pretty quickly how to use my expertise in this new environment.  Honestly, most days I don't feel like I am doing a lot of good, but I am proud of how I've used assessment to inform my small group instruction to meet the needs of my students.  

We are now on Easter/Spring break for the next two weeks.  For the second week, I am going to meet up with other PCVs on St. Vincent.  I am really looking forward to taking a break and getting away.  I haven't really taken a vacation since I've been here.  I know some people say "you live on a tropical island, why do you need a vacation?"  I will simply say this--living on a tropical island is nothing like vacationing on a tropical island (I have done both).  It took me a long time to realize how essential rest is for self-care; in my non-PCV life, rest is a non-negotiable for me.  So I've been squirreling away bits of my stipend to make this trip happen.  Yes, I realize I'm going to another tropical island (lol) but the change of scenery and seeing folks I haven't seen since July will be good for my soul.  

And with that, I encourage you to do something good for your soul this week.  💗💗💗



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