Jumping In!

Hello blog followers!

Annie here, with my first blog post!  It’s pretty daunting to sit down and try to sum up everything that’s happened to me here in the past two months (TWO MONTHS?!)  The phrase that comes most to mind is ‘jumping in.’  I feel that that is really all that TTA is.  We constantly push ourselves and are pushed by other to jump into new situations.  One of the reasons that I wanted to participate in TTA is because in my interviews there was so much discussion about how taking risks leads to growth.  This really resonated with me.  And in the two months that I have been here, I have felt that this school not only talks this talk, but walks this walk.  To me, ‘jumping in’ fits with this because jumping can feel like taking a risk, but also contains the excitement that goes along with it.  Here are some of the ways I have gotten to ‘jump in.’

•      -Living at the dorm was a huge ‘jump in.’  I went from having no kids to 21 teenagers in a day!  Living with them definitely presents its challenges (21 is a lot to parent) but is also so rewarding and fun.
•     I joke that my relationship with the other interns has been 0-60.  We went from not knowing each other to being friends, co-workers, roommates, parents, students and adventure buddies.  We have been having a blast and learning a lot from each other.
•     I have totally jumped (or dived!) into the hot springs of Idaho.  I have already visited five and am looking to ramp up that number.
•     My relationship with my mentor, Chad, is really special.  We have gone from having never met to spending all day together in less than two months.  It is a relationship that I am already learning so much from. 
•     Today, I taught most of the lesson in government.  This was especially exciting because it was Parents’ Day!  I was definitely nervous but by the end parents were even participating in the discussion which was a blast.

I could continue but I know that I have already gone waaaaaay more than six words.  Life here is exciting, dynamic, challenging, hysterical, wild and fun, and right now, that is perfect.

-Annie

Caitlin and I try to do a jumping photo at Alice Lake.  I missed the time...

p.s.  I’ll come up with my six word story at some point!