My New Home

Ah, sweet summer time. Even with a big girl job, I’m still finding time to enjoy the weather. In fact, I think being cooped up all day in a school is making me appreciate it even more. My current location: the back patio of our new townhouse, overlooking a pond, with a cold glass of water and a plate of cheese and crackers. It’s been a long few days since we moved in, and it’s such a relief to finally have a normal schedule. But let me start with the move.

Last week myself and three other TFA teachers officially signed the lease on a beautiful 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom townhouse in a nice neighborhood only a mile or so off of 95 south. It was built in 2006 so it is in great condition, and all of the appliances are included. Downstairs is the master bedroom/bathroom, a smaller bedroom/bathroom, a living room, a dining area, a sunroom, a patio, and a nice big kitchen with the washer/dryer and all the kitchen appliances included. Upstairs are two more bedrooms that share a bathroom. We also have a one car garage and driveway. Parking is the only issue, but it’s worth the hassle for the house. Amy and Krista have the upstairs, I have the master, and Lojo (whose personality is equally as spunky as her nickname) has the small bedroom downstairs.

Saturday morning mom and dad drove the 90 miles to Roanoke Rapids to start unloading the 21 years worth of stuff I’ve collected. It was no easy task, I assure you. Not that I had any part in it—by the time I got to Roanoke Rapids at 3pm, everything was unloaded and my furniture was put into place. Yes, I am spoiled. But also very grateful. The house is beautiful bare, but it’s even more beautiful now that we have it all set up. Mom set up a gorgeous eggplant dining room set, complete with monogrammed napkins for each of the 4 roommates. I will admit I freaked when I heard that “eggplant” was the color, but it looks amazing—all we are missing is complementary artwork. Our cabinets and fridge were stocked, and we have so many kitchen gadgets and utensils that we hardly even know what to do with it all. Luckily we have plenty of cabinet space. Mom left the organization of my giant bedroom, bathroom, and walk-in closet to me, since it is one of my favorite things to do. Dad was a good sport the whole day, taking orders and sighs from his two girls and tackling the challenge of killing the giant spider that lived above our front door. The other girls’ parents moved them in over the course of the next two days. Here are some pictures of the new place:

We’ve met several of our neighbors already, all of whom are over the age of 50. Mary Lee brought us her business card and expressed her excitement for having some young people in the neighborhood. Marge brought us treats and told us stories about her 12 siblings, only 7 of whom are still living. And an old man from across the street came hobbling in with his cane, introducing himself as “the dirty old man”….we didn’t ask. We came home yesterday to a plastic bag full of fresh tomatoes on our front door step, presumably from one of our new neighbors. It already feels like home.

Sunday night we invited a group of the other corps members over for burgers and Mom’s homemade macaroni and cheese. It was fun to play hostess, baking brownies, cleaning the kitchen, and showing people around our new home. By 9:00 that night, half of us were sitting out on the patio catching up from the whole day we had been apart (that’s a lot when you’ve lived with people for practically 6 weeks straight…).

This week is our professional development, so all four of us in the house drive together to a local middle school for a day of sessions. The days are long because it’s mostly just sitting, listening, and discussion. But again, I do appreciate being on a schedule. The majority of our district is African American teachers, so it’s really the first time in my life I’ve been a minority. I don’t mind it one bit though. We’ve met so many great women and men who are more than happy to help us. My principal made an effort to find Krista and I and introduce us to other teachers at the school. Today I met a teacher on my 7^th grade team, and we discussed getting together to come up with an organization system for the students that would be consistent for both of our classes. She was a lateral entry teacher too (entered the field without traditional training), so she remembers what it feels like and has already been a wealth of knowledge. She also informed us that it's a really new school, and our classrooms have tons of storage/organization space—YES! I almost fell over with excitement when she told me about the cubbies, drawers, cabinets, etc. that line the classrooms. Typical.

I also received my official hire letter today, so as of Monday, August 9^th I will be an official employee! I have to go to the district office to sign my paperwork with some other new teachers. I must say, even though TFA had placed me, I was still a little nervous that something would fall through. But now I’m in the clear, and I’m even more excited for the year to start. Quite a long ways to go before I’m ready, though.

I think maybe I have been less entertaining and creative with this post, but so much has happened that I really just needed to catch up. Come back soon!

PS: I spy a teacher wearing a unitard in Starbucks (I've moved locations to post this blog until we have internet at the house). YIKES!