1st Week @ Loyola!

Well my journey has begun.
I arrived in Chicago last Thursday June 12. It was quite a move. My parents and I left at 4am and made up here by 11am. First we pulled right up to Fordham Hall and the 2nd year LU CHOICE teachers helped move all of my stuff up to the 6th floor, room 608. My mom and I started putting my things away into the afternoon until I heard a knock on the door and it was Kath my new roommate for the summer. Kath is from New Jersey and went to school at Notre Dame. She is super nice and I knew we would get along great. A week in and it is going great!

Shortly after getting the apt. put together my parents and I left to go to my great aunt Cathy and uncle Gene's for dinner. Little did we know it would be 3 hours later and still trying to find their house which is actually only 30 minutes from my apt. Once we got there I had the best Chicago style deep dish pizza from Lou Mahnti's.

Over the next 3 days the first and second year students had orientation and a mini retreat. This was a great time for me to get to know the other people in my class and also in the class above us. It was a great time to reflect on the process of applying for the program, how we are all ordained to be here by God and to go through this experience together. We participated in many get to know, team work, communication activities and before I knew it Sunday was here and I was preparing for my 1st day of graduate class.

I have now been in Educational Psychology with the lovely Dr. Schiller who is great with many innovative ideas to bring into the classroom and a way to integrate many content areas at once, like math, literature, religion, etc. for one lesson plan.

Through this course we have been working with students from Swift school. I have been working with 2nd and 3rd graders and it has been nice to take the ideas that we are learning with Dr. Schiller and immediately applying them with the students everyday.

Yesterday June 18th was the first day that I was in a 'funk' and I began to have thoughts of second guessing my decision to come here. Questions like..."God are you sure you were calling me here, to do this rigorous program?" "Are you sure you chose the right Gina?"

Feelings of inadequacy and wondering if I am going to have enough patience for the kindergarten students. When thinking about educating the younger ones, I think is it really going to be teaching them? Will I feel like I am accomplishing something?

Then I go back to what I know. When praying about what to do after college at Northwest I told God I want to GO where there is a need. And this program places us in areas where there is a hard time finding teachers because of the pay, conditions, stability. Then I think about how faithful God is and how He will provide me with what I need. I have to go beyond myself and be someone for others.

Last night our community (the 6 1st year LU CHOICE teachers) decided to go play a game of whiffel ball and that was really fun to get out by Lake Michigan on a beautiful night and enjoy one another and do something fun!

As the first week comes to a close I am thankful for where I have seen God in every moment and how I continue to realize and God reveals to me how much I need Him.