Selfie taken on August 11, 2014 Washington, D.C.
We had a lovely evening tour of the Monuments. Photos tell the story better than I could with words...... This post will be brought to you in a series of 6-Word Stories. Inspirational Colleagues; these are my people. Diplomacy: send less bombs, more teachers. Your lessons; my impending successes, failures. Initiative, adaptable, energetic - ready, set, go! International teachers, paid sabbaticals. Me? $0. Realization: Teaching is my life story. Professionalism, time, trust. Create own meaning. "You get to be an intellectual." Elevator speech - twenty stories too long. Capstone. Will change. Don't panic...yet. Finland! Expensive. Cold. Spring awakening. Stunning. US Education = decentralization = impossible to define. Educated. Trusted. Respected. Compensated. Finnish teachers. Who're the under-served in our schools? Paradigm shift: meeting needs/ serving needs. OMG! I'm going to Finland! Woo-hoo! Culture night. Pure joy. Lucky me. I love being a teacher. Truth. Cultural exchanges, conversations, being human together. Live everyday. Thank you, Seth. Embarking on this journey; change imminent. It's nearly the middle of October and I have some breathing room with a two-day Fall Break. The last multi-day break I had before the wonderful whirlwind of traveling to Colombia with the TGC program, traveling to Washington, D.C. for the Fulbright Orientation, and starting school was the second week of July. Yup, three months ago. To be honest, this 2-day break isn't going to do much in terms of recharging my batteries enough to do things like, you know, some serious house-cleaning that has been put off these months. I'm in maintenance mode, people. I have my eye on Thanksgiving Break like only a tired teacher can. I'm grateful, though, to have some time to dig into my Fulbright materials. I've been making lots of steps towards our departure in late January and I have notes and ideas that are rather here and there. I'm holding on to ideas and memories that are aching to get out, on paper, through photographs and stories and snippets. 2 months ago today, Sarah and I arrived in Washington, D.C.. I have profound gratitude that Sarah's going to Finland with me and that she was able to travel to DC so we could take care of our Finnish residence permit applications. Arriving on Sunday, we had the luxury of checking into the hotel and heading out for a delicious French dinner and some beautiful views of the Capitol. We were able to swiftly navigate through the paperwork at the Finnish Embassy on Monday morning leaving the next 1.5 days free of obligation and entirely for us. We two in DC -- so very sweet. There were museums! Meals! Bike riding down the Mall! Swimming in the roof-top pool! Taxi rides in the rain! Sleeping in on Tuesday morning and, alas, putting Sarah on a plane on Tuesday afternoon, home bound on her first-ever solo flight. The very next day, she started middle school - 6th grade, a new school, a big deal - and she was toasting this momentous occasion with independence. I was quite overcome with gratitude for being the mama of such a neat kid. Sarah's departure coincided with my colleague and friend's arrival. It was so good to see Seth Hoffman there in D.C., to have a connection to home through this connection to the world. This year, I'm teaching the amazing 6th graders who had Seth as a teacher for the past 2 years. While I'll be at 62.2417° N in Jyväskylä, Seth will be at 41.2889° S in Wellington, New Zealand. With Sarah's departure and Seth's arrival, I transitioned from precious time with my girl to precious time with colleagues -- and my experience at the Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching Orientation began. It's been two months since being awarded a Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching. It still feels rather surreal. I've been reading and thinking and dreaming about what it will be like living in Finland for 4 months. I've received my ticket to Washington, DC, for the Fulbright orientation in August.  On Friday I received news that I will be studying, researching and working with the University of Jyväskylä. Jyväskylä! The last few days have been filled with looking at pictures and reading about this university town in south-central Finland. It's so excited to know where we're going to be!
After receiving news that I had received a Fulbright grant, I experienced and received such profound support, love, and good wishes from friends and family. I felt such joy mixed with a sense of relief (waiting for news about a grant often has moments that mimic waiting for water to boil) and an intense reckoning with reality.....wow! I can't believe this really is happening? Whoa, now I have to actually go through with my project. Parka. I'm going to need a parka. Finland! I'm going to Finland! Who's going to teach my classes while I'm gone? I'm going to miss Brian like crazy. Is Sarah's new school going to let her take four months out of her 6th grade year and allow us to retain her enrollment? Wow - we're going to Finland! April 17, 2014
Dear Mrs. Jennifer Chavez-Miller: On behalf of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FSB), I am pleased to congratulate you on your selection for a Fulbright award to Finland. |
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This blog represents my point of view only and is not associated with the U.S. State Department or the Fulbright Program. Archives
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