A Week of Rejuvenation

I did not start this week off on a good foot. I woke up exhausted and miserable on Monday. I didn't get enough sleep and my laptop's screen wasn't working. I really did not want to go to work – I just wanted to get back into bed. But my laptop started working again and it was enough to energize me. All I needed was something small to get me going. I went to work and did some great power greeting. I was disheartened a bit to find out that "Christine," one of my seven students that I am working with to keep in school and on track, moved to Portsmouth. But hopefully she'll be in a much better environment for success. I have to accept that I had some time that I was able to work with her and hope that I made a difference.

My team rushed back from school so I could be on time for my senior corps interview. I really have a great group of people working with me. The interview went smoothly and I feel comfortable with it. The interview process, in general, is an odd thing. It is an attempt to figure out what a person would be like in a certain situation without really seeing them operate. Luckily, Bobby and Ted (my interviewers) are aware of who I am and how I work based on the past few months. Still, it was a draining experience and I ended the day with a massive headache. But I was looking forward to Tuesday – a day to sleep in and hang out with my team!

I woke up refreshed and in a much better frame of mind on Tuesday. I only slept in an hour and a half later than most days, but it was enough to refresh me. "I feel good enough to work for six months straight," I told Amber on our ride into work. It was a really pleasant start to the morning. Spring is coming and I think I really need it.

Since Seabrook wasn't in session on Tuesday, our team spent the day in the office. The first hour or so of work was odd; it was as if I had nothing to do. This definitely isn't the case. Plans for Saturday's Destination Imagination competition were still fluctuating. Global Youth Service Day is coming up, and this will demand a lot of work from each of us on the Seabrook team. GYSD is a day when all of the students in our school participate in a huge service project. We are going to be working in four different sites around the Seacoast. My role is to work with Diane to help engage the Student Leadership Club as team leaders for the various projects, prepare an opening program for the day and help excite the students. It's a daunting task but if I get an hour or two to really contemplate it, I'll be able to handle it and do something phenomenal. I am looking forward to it – as long as I get a chance to clear my head soon.

I think that after Saturday, my mind will be a lot less fatigued. Saturday is the regional competition for Destination Imagination, the program that I have been helping to lead since November. A week ago, I thought we wouldn't be able to compete at all. On Tuesday I found out that we can still participate in the Instant Challenge, a portion of the competition that requires students to exercise their improvisation skills. After discovering this, I contacted our two team members and started figuring out general logistics for Saturday. It is way too late in the game to be pulling this all together, but I wanted to do what I could to give "Jacques" and "Mike" a day of celebration and a sense of finality to the year.

Unfortunately, Jacques decided that he was not interested in attending the competition on Saturday. This meant that we wouldn't be able to compete and "Mike" would have to come on his own if he wanted to check out the event. I was really sad and disappointed about it, but all I can do is move on and hope that I can do better with other things. Chris and I agreed that Mike has grown a lot this year. Between his involvement in DI and his work on the nascent school paper with Amber and a seventh grade teacher, Mike has become more of a leader and more capable when dealing with difficult situations. Though it may look like a failure, DI has given us a victory.

At the end of the first half of the week, I realized that I have been a lot more negative and cynical lately. Any remarks about DI have been frustrations and unhappiness. I need to get over myself and realize that my cynicism can bring down the morale of those around me. Additionally, when I spend most of the day lamenting the situation, I take away the chance for others to talk about their day – the good and the bad. Being aware of this flaw is an essential first step, but I must seek to put myself in a better frame of mind, every single day.

And by Wednesday morning, I was there -- ready and excited to work. Throughout this week, I have been much more engaging with students, smiling and laughing to make them happier to be at school. If I can make their days brighter, then I'm doing a great job. In science, we've started working on the reproductive system. It could be approached in a very detached way, but the science teacher has been welcoming all questions from students. I'm glad that she respects her class. When a student asked about the transgender man who gave birth to a baby, the teacher's response was respectful to both the student and the man; she didn't ignore the question or describe the situation as weird. I'm happy that the students at Seabrook are exposed to such tolerance.

My great mood continued on Thursday. Since the kids at Seabrook were dismissed at noon, we had a semi-team day. We had planned on having a picnic but the weather was not conducive for that. Instead, we went to a Mexican restaurant and played soccer and Frisbee in the Timberland parking lot. When the ladies left to pick up dresses for Starry Starry Night, the rest of the team worked on our team board. Each team made a board that will hang in the lobby of the Timberland building; ours looks really rad. Thursday was exactly what I needed to get myself back into the swing of things.

Friday was a very big day! We had our first large all corps service day in a few months, and it was made more special by the fact that many of us got to serve alongside our Timberland mentors. We went to IMEC in Andover, Massachusetts, a non-profit organization that collects hospital supplies to supply third-world countries with modern equipment and setups. As with most service projects, the first half hour or so was stressful and I didn't really know what was going on. But as soon as I got into a rhythm, I was all set. The group that my mentor and I were with working with was responsible for setting up pallets with equipment for exam rooms. My mentor and I were in charge of moving the completed pallets to a storage area. My legs were pretty tired by the end of the day, but I'm proud to say that we completed 33 rooms.

Not only was the work we did worthwhile, but it was a great chance to connect with my mentor. When you do service with someone, you get to see another side of them. You see how they work, their reaction to stressful situations, and you're bonded by accomplishing something together. It was a great end to the week and I am excited for another week of service to come!

P.S. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to add them! It'll reassure me that people are getting something out of this.