KASIA
Exceptional Education Graduate |
KASIA
Exceptional Education Graduate |
Well, I could have never anticipated that the weather would welcome us home the way that it has! What an incredible change to go from 80 degrees Dominican Republic to negative digit degrees Buffalo, New York. Nevertheless, it is so wonderful to be home. Thankfully, I’ve had the last three snow days to really get myself mentally and physically prepared for the upcoming graduate semester and second half of the school year as a sub. From laundry to remembering I don’t have to throw out my toilet paper anymore, I’ve been slowly transitioning back into life at home. It’s so funny how I find myself thinking of the group and laughing at the most random times. I already miss everyone; I miss Sam’s group texts in the morning to make sure every person in every house was up and at it; I miss la Rosa runs with my roomies; I downright miss my roomies! I miss my students and the lovely people that touched my life so deeply during our two and a half week time in Cabarete. I miss a lot of things, but thankfully, those things are just a few clicks away in my photo albums where I can smile and remember the beautiful times that were had.
Coming back to the States is one of the hardest times of the whole trip. I’m joking a little when I talk about the tp situation, but I’m also being very honest. Just as hard as it is to get into the habit of not drinking the water or remembering to toss the tp, it’s equally as challenging to remind myself daily that I don’t have to worry about those things anymore, but the greatest impact so far that I have felt after being home is my environmental mindset. Being a part of the DR lifestyle is such a learning experience because you can’t help but walk the streets and see garbage and plastic and glass bottles all over the place. That is devastating to see, and because of this, I have been extra passionate about recycling, spreading the word of how our actions impact other places of the world, and even eating less meat. There are so many little changes that we can make in our lives that will help the world around us (what we see and what we cannot see). This is just one of the many lessons that the trip to the DR has taught me. Secondly, as I come back to a consistent subbing job and the world of education, I intend to incorporate so many of the lessons and ideologies learned in the Montessori school throughout my everyday work. I may not have all of the resources or even be in the Montessori setting, but there are many more lessons to be learned and implemented. I’m still trying to plan out the next few years of my life and determine when and where returning to the DR fits in. I guess we’ll all see how that one unfolds, but until that time comes, I will live out what I learned from both of my trips there with the IPDS cohorts. It’s difficult to know that this trip has officially come to an end, but it’s exhilarating to know that the impact the DR made on all of us will be carried on and spread as we come into contact with new people each day. It doesn’t stop here; it keeps growing. We impact the circles around us and hopefully those circles impact their circles and so on. Thank you for reading along as I’ve taken this journey. I can’t wait to see what the future holds. Stay warm, Buffalo. Can’t wait to be back, Cabarete.
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AuthorI am a first year graduate student and a substitute teacher in two school districts. This will be my second time traveling to the DR with the IPDS cohort from BSC, and I am honored to be back! I am passionate about my family and friends, education, music, and spreading smiles. Thank you for following my journey. ArchivesCategories |