Jessica and I found an apartment, and even though rent in DC makes me want to cry, it's still exciting to be living in my first ever non dorm/non parental home residence. The place was definitely a bit of a fixer upper...which for the rent we are paying is a bit ludicrous. But after a few days of scrubbing, air freshening, and furniture building, it started to feel like home! After one IKEA trip from hell, we live in a semi-furnished basement apartment, in a great neighborhood. The proximity to metro and everything in the city probably makes up for the disgusting rent.
In addition to moving into a new home, I also started work this month, and I have been in training as a City Year DC Corps Member ever since! Our Basic Training Academy has been ongoing for 4 weeks now, and it has given me a chance to get to know a lot of my 164 co-workers. Since then, we have all been placed in teams to work in different DCPS schools. Along with 7 other Corps Members, I'll be serving at Ferebee-Hope Elementary School. I've been assigned to a 3rd grade class, and the first official day of school is tomorrow! I'm really excited to meet the students and work closely with my classroom teacher and CY team to make create a positive atmosphere in a DCPS school with a troubled history. I'm just starting to get used to the hours of a Corps Member, but setting my alarm for pre 6:00 AM still makes me a little sad. Hopefully I'll adjust and be a morning person...eventually.
I'll make an effort to blog a little bit more now that I'm actually in the school and finally settled into life here! Anyone who hears how obnoxiously often I talk about Arizona can tell you that I'm still homesick, and it's hard to be across the country from so many of my best friends. But whatever else this year brings, I at least know that it will continue to be exciting!!
