Summertime

Well, it's finally here.  This is the last weekend Dakota and I will get to spend together before I have to move out of our apartment to help with an ESL summer camp.  It's been over a year since we've gone even a night without at least sleeping in the same bed.  Though it is only for a couple of months, I think it will be hard for me to sleep without him for at least the first couple of weeks.  We'll still be in the same town, so I'll at least get to see him here and there on my breaks, but it will still be weird after living together these last couple of years.

Aside from that, I think that I will learn a lot this summer.  The students I will be working with are from Japan and I am anxious to learn more about their culture.  Living with your boyfriend has its perks, but it can also make you more isolated.  Because I will be living in the dorms with the students, I think there is a lot of potential to make good friends.  I've been in the planning process these last few months, making reservations for everything, and it has been pretty stressful.  I'm glad I am finally moving toward the DOING process, which I think will be much more fun.

I'm sure it will be rough for some of the students when they first get here, considering the tragedy that recently occurred in Japan, but I hope that I can make their experience here a good one.  I'm excited to hear about their impressions of the U.S., what they like and what they don't like.  I also hope to gain some insight on their culture...and maybe I'll even get to try some of their cooking, which I hear is pretty awesome.  Who knows...perhaps there will be someone there who knows how to do amigurumi (a Japanese art) that can help me.  I've been trying to figure it out for awhile, and I'm getting better, but I'm sure having someone who can show me how to do it face to face would be helpful.

It's only a week away and I'm so nervous, but so excited at the same time.  My first ESL experience will be a pretty in-depth one, which I anticipate will be very valuable for my future.