day one

Who can say they got to jump rope at work? I CAN! I CAN!

Today was my first day at the Milwaukee Rescue Mission. After going through some initial "first day" stuff like paperwork and meeting with HR, it was time to help out with lunch. Yes, that's right... Yours truly functions as a lunchroom monitor 3 days a week, which of course is followed by RECESS! Things seemed really awkward up until recess time. There I was, trying to assist kids while they ate their lunch - I mean, chip bags and milk jugs are hard to open after all! I didn't know ANY of them. I didn't know any of their names, and I didn't really know the other people assisting either, making the whole situation a little strange. However, all of that awkwardness was put aside for 15 minutes of fun - RECESS! A little girl came up to me and asked me if I would hold one end of the jumprope while her and her friends jumped. I also very quickly became "home base" for a game of tag as well. Quite fun.

Overall, my first day went pretty well. I will say, I'm a bit overwhelmed. There's just a lot of different things to remember because there's a lot going on. I am really excited about most of the things I am a part of, and extremely nervous about two of them. I'm assisting with the junior high release time (junior highers aren't always as "welcoming" as kindergarten, first, and second graders) and I'm also helping with the teen center - both of which make me nervous because they're slightly out of my element. However, I know that after time and after I get to know the kids, it will be a lot of fun.

As with every new job, it's normal to be nervous about things and feel the discomfort of not knowing anything and being the "newbie." I'll just be excited when I can move past the "learning" part, and I can move on to enjoying it!

Good day though... More updates to come.