Welcome Back

Wow, it's been a hot minute since I last wrote anything in this blog. I started two other blogs, but they didn't have the same feel as this blog, and I decided I still had some "tales" to tell. I originally deactivated my blog to hide it from the potential all-seeing eyes of Google. I have 100 posts here and I feared something written here would come off the wrong way or offend an employer or student.

After closer examination I haven't discovered too many inappropriate posts or words, and I feel this blog could be a great way for students to see me for me. It's also a great social studies teaching tool. I also believe this blog was a great resource for prospective, currents, and returned Peace Corps Volunteers. I still have some editing to do to old posts and comments, but the feel of the blog will remain the same. I want to support future Volunteers and RPCVs who find themselves struggling professionally as I did.

This has been a difficult year, but all the waiting, hoping, and disappointment has paid off ten-fold. I can now see more clearly now than ever the path I'm on, and the future isn't muffled in the dark. I'm not just making it through life, I'm finally living the life I always pictured. As a family member told me two weeks ago "You know all that waiting and disappointment was because you were just meant to be here... where you are NOW." What she meant was that I finally got my dream job. I mean my REAL dream job. I'm going to be a teacher of history and psychology at one of the best schools in the country, and arguably the best in the state. It's also up in a area that is consistently ranked as the number one community for young professionals.

I know my experience in Peace Corps was instrumental, but it wasn't the only thing. For the past semester I've been working at two schools; a high school and an elementary school. The high school position deserves special recognition. I was terrified going into it, because it's working with emotionally disturbed students with a variety of behavioral and emotional issues. I didn't know what to expect, but I learned and grew considerably. With the help of some amazing and talented staff I have found a new classroom confidence inside myself. Seriously, The students make my day, too, and I find myself dreading the end of the school year. I have so much fun at work, and it is a job I wake up excited to see everyone. I know I'm built for teaching, and I'm looking forward to my future in education.

I've had a lot of highs and lows since I've been home. I've learned a lot about myself and what I want to accomplish with my life, I learned that I'm highly resilient and flexible to changing situations. I'm a lot more hard-working than I ever thought, and after over two years my friends are still there. I'll even be a groomsman in one of my buddies' weddings. I've learned that true happiness comes from within, but that family is the most important thing. I've developed new hobbies, I've gone out, I've had fun, and been on dates. I've been happy, and sad, but mostly happy. I've missed my Peace Corps friends, but my favorite two are back in America now and I even got to see him, and I'll see my other friend in two weeks.

My last entry before this I felt disillusioned and unsure of who I was or where I was going. There are a lot more reasons to how I felt then, but fear not, world. Life after Peace Corps can be amazing and great. I'm proof to that.