Carissa's (Continuing) Adventures

Well... so much for regular blog updates. Since I write frequently, I thought it wouldn't be difficult too keep updating this once I returned, but it turns out I'm too in danger of becoming an actual "blogger." If you know me for very long, you'll discover that when I feel strongly about anything at all, I write an essay about it. I keep being tempted to post these musings on my blog, but so far I've resisted. I'm not quite ready to become that person. In the meantime, I can do part educational blog/part life update. Thanksgiving just flew by and found me in the reminiscing spirit. Two years ago, I was thankful for seeing my mom for the first time seven months. Last year, I was thankful for Julie and making our dream of exploring London together a reality.  This year, I was thankful for being with my whole family for the first time in two years. It was eventful, as always, but wonderful, too.  In between eating turkey and rolls, I'v...

Three weeks ago, I embarked on a new school adventure in America. Actually, it started more that three weeks ago, as I carefully, lovingly set my room up. I arranged the desks, the books, my teacher desk, my boards, all the way I wanted them. I even got permission to paint the wall in my room blue and make my students a bit happier.  Planning for the first quarter My lovely bookcase, organized by color.  My degree did NOT include classes on painting.  After some training and meetings, I finally got to meet my students. I have 7, 8, and 10th grade English classes. The first week, we didn’t do too much intense work, as I wanted to get to know them and train them to be in my class. We did do a day of goal setting where I asked them what they wanted to do and who they wanted to be in 10 years. Then we worked backwards and set academic and character goals for this school year and put them up on the wall on these colorful notecards. My finished wall ...

Before I moved overseas, a friend advised that I would go through a six week period and a six month period. She told me it would take me about six weeks to stop feeling like I was on vacation (no more “honeymoon” phase!) and six months to truly feel at home and settled. I’ve found this to be true in reverse, as well. About six months after my plane landed, I stopped walking around with a lost feeling and smacking the outside of the bathroom wall to turn on the lights. Since returning to the States, I’ve experienced about as much as I could: anger, frustration, sadness, joy, laughter... I’ve traveled to see friends. I’ve been in two weddings and watched my “niece” start to crawl and take her first steps. I’ve drank heaps of coffee and spent many a day sitting down, staring at nothing, hoping for an angel to drop my next big assignment in my lap. With Ashley (Jane Bradley Photography) With Katie Look at this adorableness! (Jane Bradley Photo...

A little over two weeks ago, I stepped foot in America for the first time in 22 months. Having spent the better part of two years in Bulgaria as a missionary, teacher, and legal alien, stepping back on my home soil has been a strange experience to say the least. People have asked me many questions, most of them along the lines of, “How was it?” “Did you have fun?” “What were your favorite things?” “What are you going to do now?” And my replies have generally been: “I love tacos.”  I haven’t really known the answers to these questions. I have a general idea of what happened over the past few years, but I lived day-by-day. Each day brought new challenges and events, so I didn’t spend the time pondering how I had changed and what I liked the most. Now that I’m face to face with my old world, I feel a bit out of sorts, and almost at a loss to describe what’s happening inside my head. Today in church, an image from the end of Return of the King came to my mind and ...

  I’ve been back in America for one week now. I’ve had enough time to get over jet-lag and visit Walmart but not enough to feel quite at home. It’s strange to be back in a place where I know everyone, I see familiar faces at the store or coffee shop, I can ask for something without practicing the conversation in my head, and the waitresses are just so nice . I’ve had ups and downs so far during this transition: the lowest point being having a break down in CVS; the highlight being back with my friends and family.  I’ve been missing what had become familiar in Bulgaria: my friends, my job, public transportation, the food. Fortunately, I have plenty of pictures to remember my last few weeks abroad with. A week before my departure, winter hit Sofia. My students enjoyed more snowball fights and I enjoyed my magnificent view.   Making literal snowmen?   I miss this view!  I also crammed as much time with friends as I could into th...