PFO, TCK, ESFP, WHAT?

Acronyms. Welcome to my life for the past few days.....

PFO
Pre-Field Orientation

As of 2 days ago I have entered the realm of name tags, scheduled sessions, sweet tea 24/7 and repetitious where-are-you-from conversations! Yes, I am in Southhaven, MS at christian school (sleeping on a cot in a math classroom!) for my 2 week orientation for NICS. As I was getting off the exit onto Getwell Dr. (fun fact insert- this street assumed this name because of the hospitals that were on this road during the civil war), I had a rush of feelings similar to those I had August of my freshman year of college…. What am I doing? Will I be miserable?

But, just like college, within the last 2 weeks not only have my questions been answered and my anxieties calmed, but I have been enjoying my time getting to know the other missionaries serving with NICS, especially the teachers that will teaching alongside me in Bolvia!

Zach, Amanda, me, Stephanie, Isaac, Molly, Jill, Vicki, Tammie, Scott

TCK
Third Culture Kid.

The focus of my 2 week orientation seems to be connecting to and teaching these types of students that are most commonly found in international schools. Yes, for those of you who are my friends AND consider yourself one of these special types of people, I have thought of you often and have found myself "pooly" (coined by a friend, a term to define the state of having tears well up in the eyes and create a sort of pool) on several occasions!

Some fellow NICS teachers enjoying a quick break between our sessions!

EFSP
Extrovert Sensor Feeler Perceiver

That's right. After multiple attempts to define myself based on a combination of 4 different letters, the task has been accomplished! 9 different roommates and 25 years later, I am able to answer the questions to the Meyers Briggs personality assessment honestly so to create a profile that sums up (in a lose way) who I am!

Some highlights of my personality include (and I quote):

*you only go around once in life

* good at personal interactions

* generous, peacemaker

* cuts red tape

* juggles multiple projects/events

* becomes distracted and gets off track easily

* getting the task done with a maximum of fun with a minimum of fuss

Sounds about right :).....

Let the Parties Begin!

During the past few weeks I have become quite the reflector and have come to the realization that God has really blessed me by putting so many wonderful people in my life during this "season"! I mean, I knew I had a great TU community that I would instantly be apart of (10 of us from university moved down here together after graduation), but I had no clue about the other relationships He had in store for me. Therefore, in a way that is suitable for any good friendship, each good-bye was accompanied by some type of party. So...get out the brownie mix and salsa, Megan's leaving Charlotte!

Amanda (Indiana, US), me (La Paz, Bolivia) Erin, (Charlotte, US), Jenny (Kijabe, Kenya)

The first "party" was thrown by our wonderful roommate Erin, who we are all leaving behind :(. She totally surprised us with a special night that started with a video of pictures highlighting some memories of our time in Charlotte and revealing how much we have all GROWN-UP....no wonder some of us were mistaken for STUDENTS our first year of teaching! After the video, friend after friend kept trickling into the house until a good smattering of my Charlotte buds were all there to send me off and wish me safe travels and oxygen at my new elevation of 12,000 feet...bring it La Paz!

Kim, me, Jenny, Cindy and Josh, Nicole, Jamie, Ria and Katie

The second "party" consisted of the lovely ladies from my Target group (a small group of women from my church, Steele Creek Church of Charlotte) and was also a sweet time to glean wisdom from these women and to "remember why we are here" :)!

Amanda, Caroline and Max, me, Michelle, Kelly, Julia and Kaya

Now, one cannot leave Charlotte without a proper good-bye from the "first friends" of the city. Therefore, my last "party" at the Hohensee's was a sweet time to remember the good old days! That's right, the days when my life consisted of playing with my 1 year-old buddy Kaya,explore" the neighborhood, talking with my new friend Caroline to prolong the time in the AC and then joining my cooped-up-in-the-ACed-apartment-all-day roommate Erica and entertaining ourselves with movies from our local library while sitting on lawn chairs in our undecorated living room! Sufficed to say, my life has changed a bit since I first moved to Charlotte, but our friendship has stayed the same and I will truly miss them!

Caroline, Peter, Max and Kaya Hohensee

I am a Tiger...

A Lincoln Heights' Tiger to be exact.
When I first walked down the blue and white halls as graduate fresh out of school, I had no clue what the next three years would bring.
Thank goodness!
The class of 2016 might not have had a 3rd grade teacher...or any class for that matter!
Instead of scaring me away by revealing the responsibilities and lessons that lie ahead, God knew to surround me with people who would come alongside me.
People willing to hurl their shoes at my shelves in order to scare out the escape artists masquerading as innocent hamsters in my classroom! People who offered me their life-supply of multiplication flashcards and main idea worksheets because my students STILL weren't getting it. People who wrote AND illustrated "social stories" complete with stick-figures making BAD choices and learning the RIGHT choices to make. Some of these bad choices included choking other students, flailing on the floor in the middle of the hallway and running around the school playing hide-n-go-seek with the teacher!
Caring, creative, hilarious, hard-working and compassionate people. People who have all contributed to the special memories I have as a Tiger.
I will truly miss the people of Lincoln Heights Elementary, staff and students.
Here are just a few pictures to commemorate my last year as a Lincoln Heights' Tiger.
ROAR!

Which one is the farmer's wife and where is my tail?

One of the many reasons why I love our administration!

Can you tell we're excited it's the last day?!

Last but not least, my "Taylor Twins". Oh how I will miss you 2!

twenty-FIVE

Ta Da! I have officially joined the blogging world!
For my first post, I have decided to keep it short and sweet (don't get to used to it) by sharing five simple reasons why I like being the big 2-five!

Reason 5: I'm mature enough to start my own blog!

Reason 4: I can choose my means of transportation. I think this zippy road bike suits me well...especially while traversing the country roads of Davidson!


Reason 3: I've made my way up the Starbucks' Customer Ladder to earn the status of a REGULAR! This newly acquired position not only entails getting your drink without saying a word (because my friendly, neighborhood barista already knows what I want), but it also comes complete with a birthday breakfast (blueberry muffin with a straw instead of a candle and a crayon-colored receipt instead of a flame) on the house and a personal birthday shout-out! Thanks Erin!

Reason 2: I have great friends who know what I need:

...words of encouragement and...

...the Bolivian staples!

Reason 1: I have lived enough years to see the hand of God in my life, but there are many more years (Lord willing) to come that are bound to bring more stories of His faithfulness and goodness!