"allow it to end with grace and an open mind for a new day" -Brendon Burchard

Full quote:

It's official--my close of service (COS) date is July 5, 2025, which means I have less than 6 months left! I know that a lot of volunteers talk about how hard it is to think about leaving and returning home. I am definitely not one of these volunteers. Don't misunderstand me--I am deeply thankful for this experience and I remain glad that I did this. I have learned so much about so many things, including myself. But simultaneously, I am feeling very, very ready to be done. There are a multitude of reasons, most of which are best left unsaid in this forum.

I remain deeply commited to being present and finishing my projects. There are still roadblocks beyond my control holding up a big part of the library project. While I really want to see these pieces come to fruition, I've also made peace with the fact that they might not get done before I leave. It's the reality of the situation and I've done everything I could possibily do to make things happen.

It's been a chaotic 1st week back to school, but it has been great to work with my students again. Some of them have made some significant strides this year--that progress and the relationships I've build with students across the school are what bring me joy. I hope you are finding your joy in the new year! 💓

PS apologies for the misleading photo appearing on FB with this post--that is a picture of my favorite tree in the whole world taken while I was in WI last month. It was that or just the link to the blog--I think this is better, lol.

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"Sometimes you gotta take a break from all the noise to appreciate the beauty of silence" -Robert Tew

We have made it (almost) to the end of term 1 at school. Students finished exams last week and after exams instruction stops. So for the last week and a half of the term, its a bit more of a free-for-all than usual at school as teachers are trying to do their grading and the kids are left mostly to their own devices. I was hoping to use this time to make some big leaps forward on my library projects, but there's been another bump in the road--and that's a whole story that I'm not going to get into right now. What I am going to get into is saying goodbye for a few weeks. I'll be back here sometime early in the new year. I'm going to be traveling to WI for most of break (as many leave days as I could spare). My plan is to relax, sleep with a blanket (!), run in the cold, cook, bake, eat, and drink. I need this trip to be a chill one, so I'm just hanging with family. To all my WI friends--I miss you and will visit you when I return to t...

“Let your curiosity be greater than your fear”. -Pema Chodron

I’ve made it to the last week of my service. Over the last few weeks, I’ve had people in different spaces asking me for my words of wisdom, one piece of advice, lessons learned, etc. In all honesty, I feel like I need time away from here to process and get to a point where I can better articulate any substantive insights. That said, this quote from Pema Chodron has been dancing around in my brain for some time. I am so grateful that I took this journey—even with all of its struggles and challenges. There were many times when I could have given in to fear—of the unknown, of a new place, of a new culture, of my ability to deal with what was in front of me—but I let curiosity guide me rather than the fear. I stand now on the other side filled with thanks, some relief, joy, and excitement. Let me share some of what’s been happening lately in this era of transition… In May, my entire cohort from across the Eastern Caribbean came back together for our...

One Wild and Precious Life

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