Eleven Days.

In eleven days, somehow, my time in Philly will be done.  I have no idea where all the time has gone, but I have had SUCH an incredible time and have met SUCH beautiful (that's for you, Rachel and Ryan) people.

In eleven days, I have quite a bit to pack in.  Here's what's on the schedule:

• Another school visit, hopefully.
• Visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Renoir exhibit
• Go back to Reading Terminal Market
• Find some dresses for Recruitment (oops.)
• Figure out how the heck I'm going to move into my new house in Athens when I haven't gotten anything other than the bare bones and won't even be back in GA till August 4th and start working on the 5th.
• And most importantly, spend every possible moment with the friends I've made this summer.

Like I said, I have loved loved LOVED this summer.  And there are quite a few things I'll miss, like having our bosses sing to us at every staff meeting and bring us treats like popsicles, ice cream, and giant Reese's cups.  I'll miss getting a thank you note on my door for even the smallest thing I've done.  I'll miss my OOT team.  I'll miss mega bed. I'll miss being in Philly and getting to ride the sketchyyyy subway.  I'll miss running down Broad Street, seeing the transformation from the shady temple area to the glossy center city and land of museums.  I'll miss our tradition rendition of SHOUT! in the copy center every night at midnight.  And I'll miss the 18 interns and countless other incredible staff members and corps members I've gotten to know.

(I probably won't miss working till 2 am, though.  Just a thought.)

Speaking of the corps members, this is their LAST week in the classroom.  They've spent the last five weeks essentially doing a crash course in teaching in some pretty rough areas to get ready for the next two years of their lives.  The beginning was rough.  Everyone was sleep deprived, anxious about finishing lessons, and scared about being in front of a class of students for the first time.  But after my three school visits last week, I have no doubt that these CMs have become incredible teachers.  It was crazy to watch them really transform INTO teachers.  They developed connections with their students on the first day.  They became really invested in their successes, and were able to share with us their excitement over their students' ability to overcome obstacles and succeed in the classroom.  In the classroom, they seem like they've been teaching for years.  Yes, everyone has hit obstacles.  Everyone has had bumps in the road or days where they haven't been 100%.  But they've come back every day, ready to give 100% again, and that's what matters.

Before this summer, I knew I wanted to apply to TFA.  Now, I'm sure.  And so I'll spend the next few weeks trying to come up with a personal statement that somehow captures my desire to become a part of this movement and convinces the powers that be that I belong here, too.  That I can fight for these kids, too.