Goodbye Philadelphia...

It's weird how moving somewhere for a year seems like such a long time when you are there, but then when you know it's time to leave you suddenly feel as if you wasted so much time. We leave tomorrow morning at 3:00am and I feel the urge to eat every cheesesteak in sight, visit every water ice stand, and take another long walk down south street just to savor these last moments. I honestly don't know if I am ready to say goodbye to such a cool city or goodbye to the people I have met this year. But I do know that it is time to move on to the next stage of life. Time for a new adventure. New people. New places. New experiences. It terrifies me. I can't wait! So as this day comes to a close and all my shoes are neatly (or not so neatly) tucked away in suitcases and my room is stripped clean, my three roommates and I prepare for our first adventure: a cross-country roadtrip!!! We board a 30 hour bus ride (yes, 30 hours, please kill me now) tonight and hit Oklahoma City on sunday. From there we drive me and all my stuff home to california, where we are all fully prepared to do nothing but relax on the beach! So goodbye philadelphia. You and your loud noises, humid weather, amazing people, and beautiful buildings will be missed. :)

Preparing for our traveling adventures!

All the girls on our last night together!

Playing musical chairs with the kindergarten class!

Logan Hope Day Camp

My girls from camp. I'm going to miss them like crazy!

Me and Shakira!

Goodbye Party with friends and neighbors!

Love Drive.

Hey Everyone!


For the month of February missionyear is doing a Love Drive to help support some of the most under-resourced neighborhoods in the country. The money will be going to help support some of the volunteers in MissionYear who are serving at schools (such as Logan Hope =D ), health clinics, shelters, youth centers, and more! If you feel like you have some extra love that you want to share consider making a special donation toward my year in philadelphia!!!


To make a donation go to:
www.missionyear.org/love


 Annnnd if you donate $50 or more, you get a sweet special-edition t-shirt!  Thanks so much everyone! Hope you have a great week!!! :)

Back in the Big City!

So I've been back in Philly now for almost two weeks, and I don't think I realized how much I missed it! Being home for christmas was awesome! It was definitely a much needed break and such a good time with family and friends! But being back at Logan Hope and back with my roommates and back in my neighborhood, just feels right!

I flew into Philly last week with a fever and a sinus infection (a great way to start the new year right?) and ended up missing my first few days at work. When I finally got back to Logan Hope, I received an excited welcome back and several questions from students very concerned for my health! it was really cute! But I love being back at the school and just started an art section on color theory with my kids. I also found that I  somehow end up with more paint on me than the students do! This monday, Martin Luther King Day, will be a school service day. The kids wont have regular class but will spend the day learning about MLK and doing different things to help and clean up their school. The other art teacher and I will be painting a mural in the hallway with some of the kids! I am really excited about it! I've never painted a mural before!! Don't worry...pictures to follow! :)

As for the rest of my life here in Philly, I didn't realize how relationships with people I have built in my neighborhood until I came back from break. It's kind of easy to feel out of place in such a tight-knit neighborhood where everyone knows everyone by name! But being back I have really realized that I have made some awesome friendships! Last saturday, I got to visit a new restaurant that my neighbor Nikki opened over christmas! It was such a cool place (with delicious clam chowder!) When we visited her she gave us a tour of the place and sat down with us for awhile. I had no idea how much i had missed her company while I was home for christmas! Seeing her that saturday and several of my other friends really made me realize how much I enjoy being here in Philadelphia. and how much I am going to miss it once i'm gone!

Celebrating my 21st Birthday!

Family Photo! It was great to be back with my whole family for awhile!! 

He (Danny) gave me these sunglasses for christmas! if you can tell they are pink with bling on the sides!!!

Christmas Party!

Christmas eve with my siblings!

Found our my brother and his wife are pregnant with their first kid!!! yay! auntie rachel!

Christmas Morning! I love these boys soooo much!

A project about health I did with some of the kids that we entered into a contest!

Life Lessons from the UPS Guy!!!

So with everyday working at LOGAN Hope School comes another experience or story that makes my week entertaining. Whether it is something funny a kid said or the amazing art work the students produce, I always enjoy these moments. But there was one moment recently that stood out as the highlight of my week:

So I was subbing in the kindergarten class and of course because all kids love to draw, we were all coloring together. Then the UPS guy came into the classroom to have me sign for a package. This particular UPS guy probably delivers packages a few times a week, so I've gotten to know him a little and he is really nice and friendly!
When he walked into the classroom, one of the african american kindergardeners looked at him and said in the happiest voice, "WOW! your black!!!"
He laughed and said, " Ya and your brown!!!!"
Then one of the little cambodian boys stood up excitedly and said, "I'm brown too!!!!!!"
And a little white girl stood up and said, "and i'm white!!!!"
So the UPS guy pulls up a chair, sits down at the table, and grabs the box of crayons. He holds up a blue crayon and ask what color it was. Then he holds up a red one. and then a purple and a yellow. The kids happily shout out each color. Then he says, "See how many different color crayons there are!!! But even though they are all different colors, they are still crayons!!  It is the same with people. Some are brown, some are white, and some are black, but they are all people!" The kids all smiled and shook their heads in agreement!
Everything the UPS guy said was so true! and I loved how he made it so relatable to the kids!!! It was an awesome moment! One that i will remember forever.

HERE IS A PICTURE OF SOME OF THE K AND 1ST GRADERS!! THEY ARE HOLDING UP THEIR ABSTRACT SELF PORTRAITS!!! THEY'VE BEEN LEARNING ABOUT ABSTRACT ART FOR THE PAST FEW WEEKS AND THEY ALL CALL IT ASTRO ART

OUR ABSTRACT ART WALL!!!!

SOME OF THE KIDS ENJOYING FALL DURING RECESS!

ANOTHER AWESOME ABSTRACT SELF PORTRAIT!!!!

Abbeys and Protests.

So most of these pictures are either from when all my roommates and I went and hung out at an abbey for a saturday or from when we were in downtown philly checking out the protests. Both were really beautiful and insightful experiences. At the abbey, I had the amazing opportunity to get outside the city for a while and enjoy the BEAUTY of fall! I've never experienced leaves that change color! The whole area was filled with trees, lush grass, streams, and flowers. It was a breath of fresh air! (literally...haha). The protest on the other hand was a completely different feel. Tents filled the area next to city hall. People stood with signs and ambition for change as they marched in the streets. We went to hang out there for a little bit, not really to participate in the protest, but rather to see what it was all about and gain a better understanding of why they were there. It was interesting because every seemed to stand for their own issue. Each person fell under the umbrella category of "corporate greed and white collar crime", but  each individual was protesting some sort of variation of that title. Also, everyone had a lot of life. You could feel the passion and excitement in the air as drum circles, cheering, and speeches echoed through the streets! I'm definitely glad I had the chance to check it out!!! 

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One of the drawings a 7th grader did in my art class last week! 

elizabeth and I in a coffee shop!!

The protest at center city!

Some of the signs from the protest!

Some pictures from a beautiful abby where I got to spend the whole day!! So beautiful!

I LOVE fall!!! my first time ever experiencing it!

eating gelato with my roomies!

Life in Philly.

Hanging out with me team at orientation!

meet esther! she is on the houston team, but she's from philly! 

on a beautiful rooftop in Chicago

coffee shop and board games??? i think yess!!!! notice how happy josh is about it too! 

we met this wonderful lady during our city scavenger hunt! she made us bubble Tea!

The security guard was so concerned when we were pretending to hit the liberty bell!

A pyramid in fairmount park!!

Not really a good explanation for this one. it was also during our scavenger hunt and we we're at the 30th street station in the subway!! umm ya we got some weird looks! haha

RUNNING ON THE ROCKY STEPS!!!!! awesome...even though i left my gray workout suit at home!

Apparently this was one of the first drinking fountains!   and apparently we were pretty tired from running around the city all day long! but i still thought it was cool!

These are just a few pictures from the last few weeks!!! I did start work at LOGAN Hope school two weeks ago and I am the official art teacher for the school! I teach 6 classes ages  k-8th!! its gonna be a LOT of work but I am really excited!!! The kids are AMAZING!! i already have fallen in love with all of them!
As for the neighborhood, I am starting to get more familiar with it! I'm starting to get to know the people on my block and to make a few friends!! And I'm always surprised when someone remembers my name and calls out to me to say hi as I walk home from work! But i love it! Also I have decided that I am going to be friends with the people who run the corner store near my house!  I really do love philly and the people in it! it's becoming more and more my home! :)