I can hardly believe it, but I only have two more days left as a student teacher in the United States before leaving for Quito, Ecuador. I am full of nerves and excitement to begin the next journey. As I look back on my time in Mishawaka, I am beyond grateful for how the Lord has provided for me. Here are some reflections from the last ten weeks!
1. Audio messages continue to be a lifesaver
When I was in Liberia, my friend Natalie and I sent audio messages to each other every single day. I would record one right before I went to bed, and when I would wake up, there would be an audio message from Natalie. One of my favorite parts of the day in Liberia was eating breakfast with Natalie, or rather with Natalie's audio message. That tradition continued as I went to Spain and my pals Katie and Taryn also joined the trend. My friends and I call audio messages "Christmas presents" because we love getting them so much.
It was really hard leaving Bloomington in December and coming to Mishawaka in January. God gave me such great friends throughout my time in college, friends that cared for me so well, challenged me to be a better person, and pointed me to Jesus. It was so hard to say goodbye to them, and I was worried that the business and stress of senior year would keep us from chatting very much. However, as always, I have the best friends in the world that keep me updated through audio messages. In this time of transition, audio messages from my greatest pals have been an amazing blessing.
2. God provides community in ways that we can't even imagine
During my time here in Mishawaka, I have been living with my sister and brother-in-law, Corinne and Jared. I had the opportunity to go to their church during this time and be a part of their small group. Gathering with local believers in Mishawaka has been such a blessing over the past ten weeks. As always, I am blown away how God provides community wherever I go. From this small group, I have gained wisdom, knowledge, and friendship as we ate together, prayed together, and studied the Bible together. This community has been another reminder of how we are unified in Christ to other believers.
3. I enjoy a good feast
One of the things I was most excited for coming to Mishawaka was having a kitchen! As a Resident Assistant at IU, I only ate dining hall food for all six semesters I was there. It was not good. My eating schedule was all over the place and I normally ate while studying or walking to class. Not ideal. Also, hamburgers, chicken tenders, and wilted lettuce are just not tasty after about two weeks of constantly eating them.
Coming to Mishawaka, I was able to share a home-cooked meal with Corinne and Jared almost every night. One of my favorite parts of the day was sitting down and sharing a meal with them. As we came home from busy and stressful days at school and work, not to mention literal blizzards outside, there was something really special about eating a meal that one of us had prepared and processing through our days. We ate a lot of good food like lemon blueberry scones, turkey burgers with spinach and feta, homemade crunch-wraps, and chicken pot pie. I have grown to be really thankful for the food that God provides for us and the people we share it with.
4. I really love teaching
Student teaching has been one of the most challenging experiences, but it has also
cemented my passion for teaching and made me confident in my career choice. I was blessed with the most amazing cooperating teachers throughout the last ten weeks who challenged me and supported me so much throughout this experience. There were definitely a lot of long days where I reflected back on things I should have done differently. I can also confidently say that I have never slept better than during student teaching. I hit my pillow every single night absolutely exhausted from the day.
Despite some challenging days, I absolutely loved my time at Penn High School. I loved the students who I got to work with that brought so much life and personality to each class. It was so rewarding seeing students engage with the content and grow in their knowledge of Spanish and the cultures of Spanish-speaking communities. I really enjoyed working with an incredibly supportive staff. Although I went to bed exhausted, I woke up excited for what the next day would bring.
5. It's been fun!
Throughout the past ten weeks, there have been a lot of fun memories that I will take with me as I transition out of Mishawaka. One of my favorites includes a weekend trip to Canada, complete with poutine, Tim Hortons, and a sketchy Airbnb. We had a lot of dance parties in the kitchen, many taking place before 7AM in order to get pumped up for the day. We had fun (most of the time) playing with Corinne and Jared's dog, Walter, who has the most energy out of any dog
I have ever seen.
Overall, I very much enjoyed my time in Mishawaka. Now, it's time to head out to Quito!
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