I realize it's been quite a while since I've posted on my blog and I apologize for its neglect.
Things in DC have been going going going. The first quarter of the school year came to a close last Friday and our second quarter starts tomorrow. It's hard to believe that the year is already 1/4 over! I'm 1/4 of the way to my summer vacation!
Living in the city took some adjustments. I am now an absolute pro at parallel parking but I still get very stressed out on the city streets (I also lock the doors whenever someone is walking on the sidewalk when I'm at a stop sign).
I feel very safe in our apartment but the total lack of sunshine has started to get to me and I'm fairly certain I may go crazy this winter when I get to work before the sun rises and I leave work after it has set. The cold is also starting to take its toll on me. This weekend we had a nasty wintry mix that reminded me a little too much of Raleigh's crappy winter. I'm looking for an indoor hobby so if you have any ideas PLEASE let me know.
I now feel 90% comfortable getting around by myself on the metro. Thankfully, I don't have to do it very often because I'm able to drive to and from work. I tried taking the metro one day when my car was in the shop and it just took waaaaaaay too long (1 hour vs. 20 minutes... plus I have to walk over 1 mile in the cold).
I'm finding that I'm not doing the kinds of exciting things I had planned on doing when I moved up here. I thought I'd get settled here and have some sort of exciting life that was reminiscent to the girls on Sex & the City but it just turns out that I'm more of a homebody who is a little uncomfortable living in such a bustling area. I think part of it is that I'm just too exhausted to do much. I leave for work at 6:20 and get home around 5:30 every day. When I get home I make dinner, do work, and then usually pass out around 9pm. My weekends aren't much better. By the time I get home on Fridays I just want to curl up in bed and go to sleep. The rest of the weekend usually consists of work and cleaning but usually Mike and I get out at least once to do something.
Work has been going well. The adjustment to so much "new" took a while but now I can say that I'm very happy and comfortable with my job. I LOVE my boss and my co-workers. It's really refreshing to work with people who also like what they do.
I'm considering starting a new blog that's only dedicated to the teaching aspect of my life. I have so many crazy interactions and great stories that I feel like I should share them. I'd also like to share what I've learned about teaching (what strategies work for certain children, etc) and even add some lesson plans and activities. We'll see if that ever gets off the ground. It's been 2 months since I've written on this blog so the chances that another blog would be well maintained are very slim. Oh well.
I do miss Raleigh. A lot. But overall I'm happy here with my new job and with Mike. Some days I wish I could just move my school and Mike down to NC but I think this experience in DC will be good for me.
Ha! I see you're FROM N.C. in D.C. and I used to live down there but came BACK here to D.C.
ReplyDeleteHope you like it here. It's not really UNsafe; it's just a metropolis so odd things are bound to happen. More often. I've lived here for decades and never been robbed, stabbed, any of that. Hope that helps.