Writing in Pencil: First Week Recap! & Polar Vortex: Round 2

I haven't been to work yet this week (MLK day, then working from home yesterday and today) so I figured I'd give you all a recap of how my first week of orientation went at my new job! My 2 week orientation may very well turn out to be a 1 week orientation anyway due to this crazy weather.

First Week Recap

When I started my first day last Monday, I was still struggling with a tinge of self doubt. How could I be sure I had made the right decision? (Still working on my word of the year!) What if I was in over my head and they thought they had hired someone more experienced than I actually am? Well, all fears were put pretty instantly at ease.

First, context of exactly what it is that I do. The nonprofit that I work for aims to get underserved and first generation students to college and through college. I was a first generation student myself. My dad has a high school degree and my mom obtained her Associate's, so (being the oldest) I was the first child in my immediate family to get a Bachelor's degree. I had a lot of help from a college access counselor in my high school who was incidentally also sponsored by a local nonprofit and whom the Executive Director at my new job actually knows. Guidance counselors were overrun with behavioral issues and just getting students to graduate high school so my college access counselor provided support that I wasn't getting anywhere else.

I remember her having numerous conversations with my dad about the FAFSA (which he was hesitant to provide tax information for) and helping me with the application process. I was fortunate to get into William and Mary Early Decision. I also applied to JMU Early Action which was not binding. The process, though, was SO MUCH easier for me than what high school students go through today. Our students apply to an average of 7 schools and have much less familial, school, and financial support. So we try to make up for that gap in support on both the high school and the college side. I'll be working with college students to help them be successful in their undergraduate education. I'll probably be posting more on this later, so just wanted to provide some background:) Back to orientation...

Week One Highlights:

Day 1: Receiving a free wifi hub for when I travel and need internet, ordered new business cards, and jumping right in and working with students on my first day!
Day 2: I got to review the Scholars that are coming onto my caseload and get some information on their goals and challenges from the other coaches. Eating Thai out with my new coworkers and having some excellent shrimp fried rice.
Day 3: Filmed an intro video to share with my students on the organization's Facebook account and drafted my first email to my new students!
Day 4: Working with more high school students and set up my new office space!
Day 5: Got a background check and explored downtown Bethesda, MD a little.

Everyone was so welcoming and sweet to me during my first week! I tend to be a little quiet and shy when first meeting new people, but I think that really lasted only about 3 days and I'm already starting to feel like a contributing member of the team.

My BIGGEST take-away from the first week was how energized, motivated, and excited everyone is to do their job. And THAT feeling is, as it turns out, contagious:)

Polar Vortex: Round 2

This time, I did a few things differently.

Went to gym Tues. morning BEFORE storm hit to combat the inevitable cabin fever.
Stocked up on groceries the night before and filled my car tank with gas.
Made sure the pipes were insulated to keep them from freezing over again. (Well, made sure that Mike took care of this:)..)
I also took my Little (sorority little sister) Jenny up on an invitation to get lunch downtown during the beginning of the snowstorm because I knew I wouldn't be able to get out of the house later on. I bussed there and back and we ate at District Taco which where I had some amazing fish tacos! She is recently engaged and, at lunch, asked me to be a bridesmaid for her July wedding! I can't wait to be a part of her special day, which is looking to be kind of a big event. Is it bad that I'm already nervous about walking in and standing in front of people? That last time I was in a wedding was as a flower girl when I was 7 or 8. In any case, I'm so excited!

Other goings on...

Mike's friend David Husband and his girlfriend, Shannan, who we have hung out with many times also just got engaged! We are hoping to see them this upcoming weekend to celebrate!
My family came in from out of town last weekend and brought my nephew. All I want to do is hold him! We went to Tortilla Coast, a regular in the dining out rotation of Mike and me.
Last weekend, Mike and I also helped celebrate the 25th birthday of one of our favorite 1L friends from Cabaret, Sarah. It was at a bar and the atmosphere made us feel INCREDIBLY old (Seriously, as soon as we got there MJ and I gave each other a look that said "People actually do this for fun?"), BUT as soon as Sarah and her friends got there it was actually really fun and great to reunite with her.