so many hours in just one day

I've been with TFA for almost two weeks and it feels like forever! It's incredible the amount of information that has been thrown at us, and it's scary that we don't have time to not pay attention.

Some of the thinks I have learned so far:

- I've been placed to teach rising first graders over the summer

- The average income of my students' family of four is 14,000 a year

- Not to drink the water from the fountain at my school because the water probably isn't safe

- The literacy statistics of third grade are used to project prison beds

- Lesson plans stink, for real

- 5 am will always feel like 5 am no matter what, even if you go to sleep at 9

Club Celebration Partners for Life!

Today marks the 22nd birthday of Sarah Hoyoon Lee, aka the other half of CC/BBC/PIC/DP in my life. It has been such a blessing getting to know this girl . Though it took a while to coerce her into being my friend, it is crazy to see that not ALL that much has changed since freshman year (: Have a mimosa to celebrate this momentous occasion!

Be Joyful Always

Try to remember the last time you experienced joy?

I have always had a difficult time differentiating between joy and happiness, and it is something that I've been thinking about a lot over the past couple of days after hearing a sermon on Sunday. I believe joy is a much deeper emotion that stems from within, but this isn't to say that joy can't be triggered by external forces. So, I've come to the conclusion that I need to figure out how to be more joyful.

I have been so incredibly blessed to have a church a block away from my house, where I have joined a young women's bible study. The young women were welcoming, open and one is even a current TFA corp member, which has been an unexpected answer to prayer. The entire group helped ease my nerves about institute and the transient period of life I've entered.

And these are my scattered thoughts of today.