French Progress!

It occurred to me that those of you who have not heard my French (but have heard all about it on this blog) may be wondering: Gee, Misha says she is learning French, but I'm not so sure. Remember when she tried to learn Spanish with Rosetta stone? Sadly, such concerns are legitimate! (I barely made it 3 days with Rosetta Stone Spanish, for all my enthusiasm then.) But, here I have provided video proof to dispel any concerns about Misha's mythological French studies. I promise you, they are not myth.

It's been awhile since I mustered the bravery to talk with native French speakers on Skype, but today I had a wonderful conversation with my friend Clara! We talked about all sorts of things, but mostly we ended up giggling a lot as we tried to navigate the language barriers. My awful pronunciation was the running joke throughout the conversation, but she could understand most of what I said and I could understand most of what she said. If nothing else, I could understand enough words to get the gist of what she was saying. Her little brother came in and helped us out, much to Clara's dismay but I found him quite amusing and even the slightest bit helpful!

To be truthful, my French studies sloughed off last semester which is perhaps why I did not enjoy past conversations with native speakers. I never understood their French because it was too fast and when I asked them to repeat it, they spoke at the same speed! I have not necessarily learned more vocabulary since my last conversation, but since the new year, I have renewed my studies with vigor, this time focusing on the pronunciation. Although I was enthusiastic in the very beginning of my French study, I also picked up many bad habits with my pronunciation so I am trying to go back and correct that. I've been studying with Anki, a spaced-repetition system which is a glorified (and super fancy) flash card system on the computer. I love it! And with the few weeks I've been working on it and all the vocab I learned before, I can tell my comprehension and speaking has really improved! Yay!!

2014 in Review

While last year was a year of freedom, I think this year was one of standing on the edge and laughing at the darkness below. As I predicted, 2014 led to many big, scary adventures that pushed me beyond the boundaries of comfort and to new heights of personal growth. I didn't believe it was possible, but 2014 was definitely bigger--a lot bigger--than 2013! I don't think I've ever felt more uncomfortable in my life!! But it was truly discomfort in the best way!

Wrapping up my college degree was definitely a big one and the roller coaster of emotions that accompanied it ranged from over the moon to "holy crap what do I do now?" I've learned a lot about staying active (physically and mentally) and lifelong learning. Summer brought a lull with it while Jake was in France and then the FIFA world cup which I watched nearly every day. As fall approached, I got a second job teaching writing at Veritas!! Lesson-planning takes up most of my time these days so I'm learning quite a bit about work-life balance(!) Finally, I've been pursuing my interest in international missions by networking, seeking mentors, and befriending refugees here in Tucson.

I am so glad I blogged my goals last January because looking back, I realized that I met almost all of them, even though I didn't have the list in front of me the whole year. I started my IRA and put away about $1,000 in it, graduated from college (!!!), began teaching in a real school, took an art class, joined a soccer team, and traveled quite a bit, including a solo trip to visit Jake in SD and a road trip just me and my bro. Whew! It's been a busy year!

My new goals include:

• Putting another $1,000 in my IRA
• Purchasing a passport
• Saving $$ for an international trip
• Keep practicing French
• Buy/Read more books
• Summer Job??

Predictions for next year? To be honest, I'm not really sure! I'm thinking (hoping?) it will be more mellow than the last couple years; I could use a rest! Actually, I get the sense that 2015 will be a year of preparation for whatever 2016 brings. I will likely renew my contract with Veritas for another school year of teaching experience under my belt before I pursue other teaching avenues abroad (in missions or otherwise). Financially, I'm saving up money for my international excursion(s). I don't see myself starting as many new activities or hobbies this year. I'll probably stick with soccer, practicing French, and reading when I can.

Published Article!

Check it out! Yours truly wrote an article for the CollegePlus blog!! ^-^ CP has been gracious enough to me to send a few writing projects my way over the course of my time with them and this is one of them! I am so grateful for all the writing practice! This one features 9 "bad" reasons for going to college and it was a fun one to write! I think the most challenging part though was balancing the cheerfulness of the CP brand with the sarcasm of the article's content. It went through several major revisions and finally, we are pleased with the balance.

Art Class Photo-Progression

One of my early sketches

 When I walked into the first art class at Tucson Parks and Rec, I wasn't sure what to expect. I wasn't expecting the teacher to tell me to "just draw" for three hours with the still-lifes she had set up. But that's what I did for the first two weeks. I think I expected her to give some sort of mini-lecture and then give us the opportunity to practice it. Instead, she wandered around the room, commenting on people's drawings or works in progress that they'd brought. When she got to my table, she said, "Oh you're a very good drawer..." and meandered away, leaving my alone for the rest of the class. 

Making the Call

Long ago, I remember watching a pack of kids congregated around the pay phone at the local park. They were whispering. “I double-dog dare you.” Some brave kid picked up the phone, punched the three numbers. When it started to ring, he slammed it back on the receiver and the pack scattered. Less than five minutes later, the small town’s police and fire departments showed up at the park and everyone present got a hefty lesson in the seriousness of calling 911.

This last weekend, I was house-sitting for my friend Nicole’s and I had quite a scare on Friday night! Around 8:30pm Jake texted me asking if I was up for a late-night venture on Mt. Lemmon with him and Dave. Exhausted though I was, I hadn’t anticipated spending any time with Jake so it was a pleasant surprise to receive his invitation. The three of us bought hot chocolate at a gas station illuminated by fluorescent light and drove up the mountain to gaze at the stars. As you climb higher and get above the lower atmosphere layers, more stars become visible. The sky was stunning! The boys dropped me off at Nicole’s house again around 11:15pm or so and after locking down the house, I wearily crawled into bed.

Bark! Bark! Bark!! “Hush….” I groaned, turning over in my sleep. The dogs’ barking grew louder and more intense and they would not stop. I checked the clock. It was 11:52pm. That’s when I heard the rattling on the garage door just below me. I froze and waited.  Maybe it was just imagined. The boys’ stories are just getting to my head. A pause in the barking. The door rattled again. At that point, I was out of bed, pacing the landing and thinking of what to do. After several moments of debating it, I decided it was better to be paranoid than dead; locked myself in the master bedroom; and trembling, called 911. A calm man’s voice answered the other line, “What’s your emergency.”

“I’m house-sitting and the dogs just started barking and then I heard banging on the garage door and I wasn’t sure what I should do.”  It all came out in a rush; I wasn’t sure which details were important and which weren’t.  He dispatched me to the police department where another man asked me more pointed questions.

“What’s your address?”

“Did you see anyone?”

“Are you alone in the house?”

“How big are the dogs?”

“Where is the bedroom situated?”

 “Are you armed with a knife or gun?”

Finally, he said he’d send an officer to patrol the area and asked if I wanted to talk to him. Thinking that I didn’t want to risk opening the door for anyone who was not a police officer, I said no. They dispatched their officer and I curled up and slept lightly the rest of the night.

When Nicole and her mom returned I explained the situation to them, hoping that maybe it was just an overreaction and the dogs occasionally barked at nothing in the night. Apparently, the only explanation for their incessant barking was that there actually was someone there. It came to light that they’ve had several garage robberies in the neighborhood recently as well, so I did the right thing in making the call. It was quite a frightening and sobering experience, but the good news is that nothing worse happened than a little scare. 

More Flooding

Like I wrote about a few weeks ago, we had some more serious flooding this week and I got caught in it! This picture shows the street just before the intersection that turns into my neighborhood. If you look closely and squint a little, you can see two cars stranded on the right side of the road up ahead. The water covers the sidewalk.

When I'd set out at 6:30 that morning to attend a breakfast hosted by TMN (Tucson Misions Network), I didn't think much of the nearly grey sky that had been just harmless puffy white clouds the evening before. Having checked the weather, I felt confident that I wouldn't need my sweater today, since the weather app forecasted 73 degrees. To say, I needed my sweater, would be an understatement.

It began lightly--at first. I shot a worried glance toward the grey as the missions meeting let out. It was already beginning to drizzle. I was not well-dressed for the rain and I had another stop to make. As I drove down Swan, the heavens opened up and poured out their anguish on the earth. I could not see out my windshield. Within minutes, signs of flooding emerged at the sides of the road. I gritted my teeth and gripped the steering wheel harder, "Just two more blocks and I'll be there." More water pooled on the side of the road and where it dipped, cars in front of me created 4-foot "rooster tails." The longer I stayed on the road, the more nervous I became. I slowed down. After what seemed like 30 minutes, I arrived at my destination: my ex-boyfriend's house.

I dashed for the doorstep, rapped on the frame, and before waiting for an answer, let myself in. I was there to collect a water bottle I'd left at the park over the weekend near where everyone plays frisbee. Usually when people leave things behind, someone from the group grabs the item for them and gets it back to the original owner. It just so happened that my ex grabbed my water bottle for me. He offered to bring it back next Friday, but I needed it before then and arranged to pick it up, since I would be in his area of town for the TMN meeting.

"Hello?" I called into the empty house. My voice sounded small and shaky. "Is anyone here?" His mom came down the hallway, "Oh! I didn't hear you!" I would've grabbed my water bottle and left, but the conditions were not fit for driving. My phone blared its Flood warning signal at me. Good until 11am. Great. Moments later, Christian and Logan sprung through the door, both soaked. On their way to class, the rain forced them to turn around and head back due to flooding. "We saw trashcans in the street because the water is above the sidewalk." So, despite the mild awkwardness of the situation, I stayed to wait the rain out. When we broke the silence, it was only to talk about the weather or school. Checking the clock often, I worried about making it to my class on time. (Unfortunately for me, I could not simply skip class, since I was the teacher.) They left again as soon as it showed sign of letting up, and I shortly after them.

But my adventure was far from over as I picked my way back the four city blocks to my house. The whole right lane was flooded most of the way and the traffic crawled, making the journey last twice as long. At one point, a firetruck blew past in my direction, driving on the wrong side of the road. Cars dive-bombed out of its way. Police officers stood at key intersections, cordoning off flooded lanes and directing traffic. This is a nightmare. I thought. The good news is I made it home safely and to my class on time, and now I have my water bottle back. All in a morning's work, I guess.

Gettin' My Teacher-Game On!

All things considered, the first day of school went relatively smoothly! Of course, I am learning a lot as I go and constantly evaluating and adjusting my teaching. (For instance, I don't know how much more utterly silent independent work we will be doing in class, as it was only somewhat productive and I didn't know what to do with myself during the time. Independent-time might come back, but only on rare occasions, I'm thinking.) I've also learned the necessity of communicating with the utmost clarity and have been virtually kicking myself for several things I neglected to mention in class. Regardless of my faults though, the students are all very courteous and it was a pleasure to read their first papers--a simple introduction I assigned before school began. I can already tell it's going to be an excellent year and I am going to be learning a lot about what it means to be a teacher!