Final Days

I'm down to THREE more days. THREE. Today was my last day at my favorite school with my favorite students. One of them wrapped himself around my legs today. Yesterday I had a student put her face on the ground with her hiney in the air while I sang the goodbye song and she refused to finish the song. =(

I can remember way back to the start of this Internship... days seemed so long and the end of the year seemed so very far away. Now I only have three days left and I'm really sad! I wish I could share the faces and voices of my students. They have wiggled their way into my heart, even on those rough days.

It seems a bit unfair that I have to leave, find a job (!), and make my way in the real world.

Anyone want to hire me?

That's My King

This video was shown today in church and I wanted to share it with you.

Twenty Days and Counting

Today I had what is most likely to be my last Sunday at church. Bittersweet moment! I'm over the moon excited to graduate, get certified, and start doing what I have truly come to love. I'm also slightly terrified, but what can I say. So, I've been thinking back over the past nine months, and here are some thoughts I've had...

1. I'm hardly the same person I am when I got here. I'd like to say I've  mellowed out. I may have never been the most up tight person to begin with, but I don't worry when things start to go a little wonky. I've learned to just go with it. I can't get upset when my students throw tantrums or don't want to sing a song I've prepared.

2. I've learned to put a lid on my sarcasm. This has been the biggest struggle for me for years. Yes, my sarcasm is always going to be a part of me. But I didn't want people thinking I was mean when I first got here because I put up my sarcasm barrier. I heard that from a lot of my now close friends at the end of last year; I didn't want a repeat. I didn't have four years for people to get to know me here. I had four weeks.

3. I (almost) always sing in key! As long as I take the time to think about it and don't assume I know how a song goes and where it starts.

4. High schoolers are not scary. Now my high school and middle school groups are some of my favorites.

5. I've come to learn that those kids that are "easy" are actually far more difficult to work with than the "difficult" kids.

6. I've accomplished things I never thought I could do. I've done this internship, I've found a church where I feel included and accepted that wasn't a place that I already knew people my age, I've made new friends, and I've lost 37 pounds. That last one is actually the most impressive to myself. I honestly never thought it would happen. =)

7. Today, Logan named me an honorary Hokie.I consider that a pretty big complement. =)

Hello, Future!

I am staring the end of my internship in the face. I have as little as 12 (non-consecutive) days left! Today is aprox. day 135. 135!!! I can remember day 5!!! So much has changed! I don't shun the piano, I sing in key, I'm living in my own apartment, the future intern is asking me questions... Wow.
A moment I had today: I'm sitting at the piano with one of my students. He climbs into my lap, hooks his feet around my legs, pulls my arms around him, and squeezes. It was the sweetest thing!
I seriously cannot believe it's almost over. When did this happen? More reminiscing to come...

Musical Moments

The end of my internship is drawing near and I'm really enjoying this last month or so of sessions. The students are responding well and I'm comfortable enough to try new and more challenging things. I've been doing more improv activities and I'm learning to make up songs as I go- much sucess with the Clock Song and So-and-so ate Ms Julie. Today I had my additional session with my case study student and it's just so awesome to see the difference in him from the start of the year. He used to say maybe five "words" per session and now he's chattering the whole time, even singing with me! And he looks like a Fraggle, so the combination of enthusiasm and Fraggle is just too adorable. Downside of coming to the end is that I'm swamped with work. Researching and writing my case study, reading two books simultanesly and trying to spend enough time planning sessions to keep them interesting and new, and looking for that all important JOB. As my case study would say, Whew!

"Spring Break" is a week and a half away and I can't wait! I'm headed to Charleston before heading home and I cannot wait to see my friends!

In other news unrelated to anything else, I've lost a total of 35 pounds. =)