Yesterday's Turn of Events

7:30 a.m. -- Wake up. Immediately remember that today is the day I hear back from Teach For America (TFA). Burrow further down in my covers for a second, working to calm my roiling stomach.

8:00 a.m. -- Go to the gym. A rather infrequent event that I hope to turn into a regular Tuesday/Thursday routine. It feels amazing to just up and run for a while. I need cardio back in my life.

11:00 a.m. -- Meet someone at the Student Film Production Club (SFPC) equipment closet to check equipment back in. SFPC responsibilities are officially back in full swing.

1:30 p.m. -- Report to work at National Scholars Office. Pick up kid at the Honors College and walk back to the north end of campus while trying to convince him that OU is awesome.

2:30 p.m. -- Back at the office, I log in to my email address. I've been on edge all day, but I'm not expecting to hear from TFA until the late afternoon, so I don't expect anything.

I'm not emotionally prepared for the first email that greets me.



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From: Teach For America Admissions
Subject: Your Teach For America Application


Dear Virginia,

I am pleased to extend you an offer to join the Teach For America 2011 corps!

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Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!

I stop reading. NOT prepared.

Wait! What?!

I reread and reread and reread that first line before I even look at the rest of the email.

I follow a link. I've been extended an offer to teach secondary school social studies in Alabama.

Crazy. Life is crazy.

It takes me about an hour to let the information soak in, and about another hour for me to tell anyone about it. When I finally do, it's only to the people in my office.

I call my mom on my walk home to tell her the news. We start discussing specifics but her cell phone dies.

I'm waiting to tell my roommates in person so I walk the rest of the way home in a trance. I'm trying to picture myself in the Alabama bayou, teaching history (U.S.? World? Euro?) to a group of high schoolers.

I'm immediately intimidated.

When I get home, it's as if the fates have aligned. All four of their cars are parked in the lot.

I step inside and give the door a healthy slam behind me. That gets their attention, and with a grin, I tell them I WAS ACCEPTED INTO TEACH FOR AMERICA TODAY!!!

Hugs and happiness galore as they congratulate me. Those are the moments when I'm so grateful to have as awesome a set of friends as I do. I am so lucky to have them.

We go to Michelangelo's for wine and chocolates that evening to celebrate. Yes, it's a Tuesday. But it's not every Tuesday that you get such great news. Besides, we're seniors. These things are acceptable now.

And if they aren't, well... whatevs. Time with friends is always worth it.

---*---

More processing of this new turn of events will follow, I assure you.

But for now, I'm content. I'm happy that I've been accepted, grateful that there is at least one solidified path set before me, and feeling blessed for yet another great opportunity to do something outside my ordinary sphere of experiences.

The freaking out is still to come.

Get excited.