Student teaching is going well so far, despite a million (some-not-so) little stress inducers that should be driving me crazy.  Like that my school is forty-frigging-five minutes from my apartment, or that my GPS sent me down a road with a closed bridge the first day, or that the second day I was so nervous about meeting kids for the first time I left my lights on all day and had to get my car jumped, or that when the secretary called maintenance they said they weren't allowed to jump cars (but no worries! The Transportation folks are!), or that my football game Friday night got rained out during the second quarter, or that I have to wake up really early, or that my apartment doesn't have wireless so I'm paying to use Starbucks', or that gas is like 50 cents more expensive in NY, or that I didn't actually get a key to my apartment until Wednesday despite having lived here for like a week and a half at that point, or that I still can't check my mail, or that my cooperating teacher doesn't like lesson plans and straight up told me he wants me not to "depend on" (read: use) them and that he'll steal things from me.  Oy.

But! It's not so bad.  I like my school and the kids are (mostly) very well behaved, though they are quite chatty.  I like the other teachers I've met so far and I don't even mind the drive, just that I have to wake up so early to accomodate it.  Thankfully, school doesn't start until 8 AM so I don't have to get up as early as I expected... though I am still waking up at 5:30.  But, Friday I slept in until 6!  (So depressing, right?)  And I'm learning my way around Cheektowaga and Akron quite well.  My apartment is nice and close to Tops and Target and Starbucks, which are really all I need in life.  And I love, love, love my apartment and living outside of Houghton.  I love Houghton, don't get me wrong--I miss the people and being able to walk everywhere and stars and a practice room and my heart breaks because I can't go to Menno every Sunday.  But it's so nice to be able to go to Target!  Or to run to the grocery store whenever I need to.  Or to spend hours and hours people-watching in a big, comfy purple chair in Starbucks, though admittedly I did that all the time down in Java.  But I love my apartment, with its balconies and nearby laundry and playground and my wonderful roommates (even Katie).  I love watching Smallville--or, really, anything!--with Sarah, because she gets so involved and it cracks me up.  I love, love, love living with Bekah--she is wonderful.  I'm quite jealous of Allison getting to live with her for the last three years!  I love living with other student teachers, and working with teachers.  Even though poor Sarah has to hear us babble on about music lessons all the time, she loves it--she went to the school Katie student teaches at, and was in band--and she loves middle schoolers too, so we talk about them a lot and it's wonderful.  And I love cooking, even though I haven't very much yet.  Basically, I am happy.  I'm completely terrified of the future, but I'm sure that one day I'll be good at all of these little things that scare me.  I'm this weird mix of scared and nervous and completely content.  

How are you?