::ahem::

I got my visa today.

Anyone who lives on Jackson Lane probably already knows this information...but for the three of us who don't live on Jackson Lane, I thought I should let you know.

woot.

Amber

DISNEY!

Family:

Here is my list of must-sees while in Orlando:

Muppet-Vision 3D (it's in the Hollywood Studios theme park).

Fun/Scary rides.

That is all.

Can't wait for Saturday!

Who you callin' nerdy?

Hey man, we're on board, I think the problem is that we all talk to each other too dang much! There's nothing to post on the blog when everyone already knows what's going on!

Here's a fun detail that our ladies across the sea might not know yet: Tyler got his visa!!! It only took Matt three trips to the Saudi Embassy, but we've finally got some paperwork!

Tyler and I are in Providence, Rhode Island at the moment. We're pretty much just killing time till we leave to Boston to visit Raina and Jeff. Providence is...boring. I think if you were to look up "College Town" in the dictionary, there would be a picture of Providence. There's NO ONE in town and there's honestly nothing to do. Maybe we just picked a bad time to visit. According to the visitor's guide given to us by our hotel, there's a folk festival kicking off the day after we leave. womp womp.

Anyway, we're booking our trains/planes back to DC so that we can *hopefully* get my visa as well. There is the small detail that we still haven't gotten the sponsor letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but...you know. Insh'allah, we will get it before August 2.

Another fun tidbit: We won't be leaving the States till September 9th-ish because the school won't have our apartment ready until Sept. 12. We decided that after 3 weeks of life on the road, we kind of just want to do a quick visit to Amsterdam and then head to Dammam and hit the ground running. So YAY! More time in the land of the free and the home of the brave!

we're failing at this.

alright kids, to entice us to post i've changed the layout of the blog to something much more indicative of our personalities: brown and nerdy? i don't know.

at any rate, we're nearing the point where we're really not going to be around each other enough so i just wanted to make sure everyone's still on board for the echols blog.

let's do it.

Game on!

Welp, we got an email from Saudi Sally telling us that another crucial step in my visa process is completed, and they expect that Tyler and I will be able to go over to Saudi together. She still doesn't know WHEN my visa will be ready, but she did say that we would be in the clear to keep all our summer plans and go forward with all our trips.

I suggest we all study up for our trip to Orlando, starting with Daniel Radcliffe's suggestions for the Wizarding World: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1641785/20100617/story.jhtml

(Yes, I realize I just posted an article from MTV.com... don't disown me.)

Ladies and Gentlemen: ANOTHER Echols blog.

We've started our blog to record our international exploits: http://educationincultureshock.blogspot.com/

We titled it "Vicariously Yours: An Education in Culture Shock."

Yes, it took us a good while to come up with that name. Keep your sassy comments to yourself. (c:

Cairo.

Monday morning I had an interview. Skype is awkward. Needless to say I was nervous about the video portion of this interview. Luckily, there was no video involved. Praise the Lord. The interview went great and they promptly emailed me Tuesday morning to ask me to join the Office of Development at the American University of Cairo. WHOOP!

Now, what does this all mean? 1) I'm moving to Cairo in August. Holy crap. I'm moving to Cairo in August. 2) I'm interning in an office that works primarily with donors and fundraising. Better get my networking skills polished for all that schmoozing. 3) I get to take and speak Arabic in an Arabic speaking country. I am so ready to get out of UGA's Arabic department.

Things I'm excited about:

1. Cairo is like the New York of the Middle East. Chaotic, never sleeping, dirty (or as Brad put it "covered in feral cats and feces"), and wonderful. I literally cannot wait to get back to my second home (the Arab world, that is). The kind of feeling I get from thinking back to Morocco and Kuwait is one of homesickness. I love the people, the culture, the language, the sounds, the smells, and the general Arab-ness SO much my heart hurts. I feel as though I'm going home.

2. The internship sounds awesome. I cannot wait to be part of a team again in an office setting and really hone some professional skills I can use in the future.

3. The Arabic. Taking MSA classes and speaking in my general day to day for a year should make me as close to fluent as I can get. This is by far the most exciting thing for me. I really wasn't ready to quit Arabic post-undergrad but there's really no other way to learn than to just go there and speak.

4. Meeting my future husband. Just kidding. But not really. Surely there's some converted Egyptian named Khaled (the sexiest of all Arabic names) just waiting to marry me. Right?



Things I'm nervous about:

1. Arabic. I know that I can pick up the language relatively quickly again when I'm in that environment, but I'm not the most confident when it comes to using my language with native speakers. The good thing about the Arab culture is that a) they love me over there. For whatever reason, I'm enticing to Arabic families and they think my lack of actual speaking ability is endearing, b) people are so willing to invite you to a meal, tea, coffee, or whatever if it means you'll speak English with them and they can speak Arabic to you. So, hopefully these fears will be mitigated and I'll jump right into speaking and learning in the classroom.

2. Community. Something I've learned about myself and my faith over the past four years is that I thrive in fellowship and community, but don't do so well without it. I've already had some contact with some Christians that run an orphanage in Cairo so hopefully I'll be able to volunteer there and meet some fellow believers, but I'm worried about being spiritually isolated in a Muslim country.

3. General living. This is kind of double-edged sword to me. I am so excited to be independently living in a country completely unlike my own. However, I'm also a little nervous about this process of settling in alone.



Overall, my excitement is way more overpowering than my nerves. I am absolutely enthralled with this opportunity and cannot wait for all of you to come visit. GET OVER THERE.



love.

ANNOUNCEMENT!

family, the day we've all been waiting for has arrived. my college graduation. but more important than the fact that i survived UGA is the fact that THE Alton Brown will be the commencement speaker for the class of 2010. Dad, sharpen your electric flame-knife and get ready for May 8th.

We survived!

Back from Vegas. Went from 68 degrees to 29 and snow flurries. Brrrr! Had a great time. Brad and Lea have a great house in LV. We loved it. We stocked their wine cellar, and then proceeded to decimate it.

They are great hosts, but I just don't think they can keep up with their parents! We had a great time, and at this time plan to go back soon (just kidding).

Las Vegas Trip

More piix from Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Baby!

Hit the ground running in LV. Got in late, stayed up later, then got up at 6 am due to a client phone call. Hit the casinos (apparently the odds favor the house) and saw some amazing sights. Everything in LV in big! It's also Chinese New Year, so it's a little unsettling. It looks like Chinatown.

Checked out the Trump. Looks great and the rooms are awesome.

I'm sure today I will win back all my losses and win enough so I can retire.

theme.

fyi- i hated our template so i'm playing around with the layout. sorry if it throws anyone off and let me know if you have any concerns/want me to fix anything about it.

love you guys.

also,
BIG CONGRATS to Ty and Amber on their recent job acquisition! i wish i could come visit. for real.

How about these seats!

Went to the Predators game on Thursday with a client. Had to get some tickets so I asked another client if their tickets were available. I was going to buy the, but they just gave them to me.

On the glass, right behind the goal. This picture is literally taken while I am sitting in my seat. That is a seam in the glass.

Amazing! You could actually see the flight of the puck. I guess I am spoiled for any other game.

Mom's girlfriend trip to Phoenix

As most of you know, I just got home Friday night from a "girlfriend trip" to Phoenix with my best friend, Carol. Carol had a conference for her work and her husband could not go with her so she asked me to go. Carol and I have been trying to get away for a weekend for several months but had cancelled twice due to illness of either her parents or mine.

We went to Royal Palms Spa and Resort in Phoenix, Arizona. This place was probably the nicest place I have ever been to. Carol was able to have a spa manicure and pedicure while I had a facial and a massage at the spa. This spa was far and away the fanciest one I have ever been to. The grounds and room were unbelievable and the restaurant is five star and the #1 rated restaurant in the state of Arizona.

We had a great time visiting with each other, had excellent food, and totally enjoyed our trip. Dad and I are looking forward to our trip to visit Brad and Lea in Las Vegas over Valentine's weekend and FYI Bobby Feltault's high school graduation is June 4th if anyone can make it. Dad and I are going and have already made plane reservations.

Love, Mom

Offbeat Saturday Night

So, had a client back out on the Predator tickets last night about 3 hours before drop of the puck. First amazing idea - why don't we go? Second, who can we ask last minute - Ty and Amber. Had to sweeten the offer with dinner at the Palm and taxi services, but wore them down.

We had a great time, and the Preds won. I might decide to go out another Saturday night this year.

A funny story you all might appreciate...

I'm teaching Ancient Greece right now in Social Studies and to start class off I was reviewing what we'd covered over the past few days. The conversation went something like this:

me: Alexander the Great was from where?

student: Masa--Misa--mmmm

another student: Macedonia

Me: yes! Macedonia. And who was the famous Athenian tutor his father hired to teach him when he was young?

VERY enthusiastic student: Aeropostale!!

Me: (chuckles) VERY close, but it's Aristotle! Kinda sounds like Aeropostale, but slightly more Greek.

A Lesson in American Social Class Differences

I know this may come as a shock to some of you, but there are some major differences between the demographics of Tyler's kids and my kids. It's funny because there's only a short 10 minute drive that separates our two work places, but the issues we face every day could not be more different. The contrasts really become apparent when we talk about the things that are part of our kids' pop cultures.

For example: After school I sell snacks to the athletes and tutoring kids to raise money for the student council. The most popular snack:

Flamin' Hot Cheetos.

When most people begin their tenure at Wright, they never even know that these crispy treats exist. But man, Hot Cheetos are to the kids of Wright Middle School what trail mix is to the yuppies of FRA. They won't even consider eating regular Cheetos. They will only make an exception for...

Takis. My kids describe then oh so eloquently as "Mexican Cheetos."

Are you sensing the theme in my kids' dietary habits here?

Tyler's kids, meanwhile, eat granola.

At least the girl that I tutored last year did. Every day. Her mother was heath conscious and provided her daughter with a practical snack. Not my kids! No, no. They'd rather spend their allowance on processed grains and artificial flavors.

My kids' hero:

That's WWE super star John Cena, for those playing the home game. Just look at the guy! They LOOOVE him! He's in their lockers, on their notebooks and even in the notes they pass during class. Ob.sessed.

Tyler's kids' hero:

Alright, so "hero" is a generous term. But Tyler's kids enjoy "intellectual" entertainment that hones their wit and steeps them in viral pop culture references. No one outside of my kids' tax bracket has ever heard of John Cena, and there's a reason for that.

My kids:

Tyler's kids:

While Tyler's kids were watching the State of the Union address, my kids were watching

Tyler Perry's "Meet the Browns" on TBS.

Very funny.

Even though my kids often test my limits and challenge me professionally and emotionally every day, I really will miss the community where I work and the diversity of my work place. The extreme differences between mine and Tyler's two worlds, which are less than 5 miles apart, is such a perfect testament to the social structure of Nashville.

I love it.

state of the union. yeah, it's getting political.

there are so many things to say about the address and i don't care enough to list them all. but. i will say three things:

1. nancy pelosi has got to be the CRAZIEST looking you-know-what in the history of the house. she. scares. me.

2. for a lot of the speech, i felt as though i was watching comedy central. seriously, was there a laugh track added after they filmed this? some of those guys could. not. get. enough. of the president's jokes. i don't think it's that funny what he's doing (or not doing) in the country. and harping on stuff that you didn't like about Bush and making funny little quips and sarcastic comments about his administration obviously makes you a great leader. (get it? that was my sarcastic comment of the night....)

3. i'm confused. are we spending more money? or are we cutting the deficit by a dime in the next 3 decades? i'm no economist, but i feel like you said a lot of different things and nothing at all at the same time. you, sir, are a magician.

i don't hate president obama. i'm sure he's a cool guy and a good basketball player and stuff. ya know, the stuff of great leadership. yikes.

sorry to get political. i'm listening to it for class and taking notes and couldn't handle it anymore. i needed somewhere to be sarcastic and biting. love you all!

p.s.- lea, you'll be happy to know that michelle obama and jill biden are working together to "support" you. hopefully, you feel better already.

the rain in spain.

hello family. i hope this blog post finds you happy and healthy (i hate that phrase). it's raining in athens, wah wah. also the internet at my house is out so my roomies and i are camped out at a local coffee shop. we are so college.

this semester is shaping up to be a busy one, ironically. who knew that taking an extra semester of classes you don't need could end up so chaotic. but, such is my life- taking on too many things and never sleeping. i kind of love it that way. i can't really function unless my life is crazy. for one, i am in the process of completing an honors thesis for my capstone and graduating with high honors. as much grief as the honors program gives me, i can honestly say that it is one of the big reasons i came to UGA and to graduate without high honors wold be a waste. i'm also presenting my policy on inclusionary zoning in Athens at the Center for Undergraduate Research symposium in March. the undergraduate research component of UGA has been another incredibly awesome experience i'm not sure i could have gotten elsewhere. its nice to have a few pieces that have either been published or could turn into something publishable in the future under my belt all before i finish undergrad. roosevelt has continued to keep me busy. we're hosting a southeastern policy conference in April and i've become the point person for it. we have 6 seniors on our board and this is kind of big way to go out for all of us who have spent the last 4 years living and breathing the roosevelt institute. everyone's invited to attend! i would love to have you guys here to see what it is that i do and how much time i spend working on something i really believe in. this post didn't really start out as a way to just talk about all the stuff i'm doing, but i realized that i forget to let you guys know what i'm doing sometimes and this is just an easy way to tell everyone at once.

being in arabic again has been a struggle to say the least. taking a year off was a bad choice, like milk on a hot day. i love the language so much and really want to be good at it, but that requires so much work. here's to me committing and really busting my butt to get good at it. hopefully some of it will pay off and i'll be in egypt next year making it happen.

tyler and amber- i know you guys are bummed about ASK not working out, but i really believe you'll know where you're supposed to be soon and that something will work out. i know it's hard to be patient and let these things take their course, but breathe easy and know that it will work out exactly how it's supposed to.

brad and lea- i cannot wait to eat lobster tail and all the ridiculously good food you tasted the other day at the trump. april is going to be a stellar month.

love you guys so much! i miss you all and look forward to hearing about life in your part of the country.

go. dawgs.

The A&T update

So, while most of this post will be old news, I think it'll be good to record it for posterity.

Tyler and I have had 2--count 'em, TWO-- snow days which brings our total days worked with students in 2010 to a whopping TWO. It's a very prime new year. I'm not sure what numerologists would have to say about this turn of events, but I'm taking this a good sign for my sleep deprivation recovery and a bad sign for my productivity. The students will be especially difficult when we return, considering that next weekend is a 3 day weekend.

Tyler just left to interact with humans after being holed up in our apartment for 2 days because of the "treacherous" conditions. In all truth, we probably shouldn't be on the road. We are those stereotypical Southerners who really have no idea how to live in snowy conditions. For example: I had to babysit last night, so I headed out around 4:45. Yes, all the major roads were bone dry and there were no issues...as long as I could make it out of our parking lot safely! I kicked it into gear and it was like I was riding a Saturn-shaped snow sled. I just kind of skidding my way down the hill. I should probably look into changing my bald tires some time soon. If we lived up North, I would totally be that person trapped in a snow drift.

In other news: We've been waiting on word from Dr. Mitchell, the superintendent of ASK, with the deadline of January 14th quickly approaching. We both felt like the interview went really really well, and were hoping to hear good news from him when we got a Search Associates update email that said there's a confirmed 7th grade Language Arts position open a few days ago. I had told him during the interview that World History would be my first choice because I haven't really gotten to sink my teeth into the other half of my teaching license. So, perhaps he's waiting for that position to become confirmed before he contacts me...I just hate waiting.

I emailed him on Thursday (2 days after the opening was posted) to remind him that I wasn't opposed to continuing to teach ELA, and that I was looking forward to hearing from him...too pushy?

I think this latest development has REALLY gotten our hopes up and we will be pretty upset if it doesn't work out. If we don't hear anything by the 15th, we'll really start contacting the other schools that have openings we could fill and try to line up some interviews for the recruitment fair in February.

So that's what's new with us.

get back on the wagon.

alright kids, it's been far too long and we need not neglect the blog any longer. i think its snowing in nashville right now? that'd be awesome. the kids in georgia are praying for a snow day tomorrow, which would mean i went to class today only to receive syllabi i can access online and may not even have to wake up for class tomorrow. furthermore, i already dropped a class. college is awesome.

in other news, the Fulbright countdown begins today. i will know in approximately 3 weeks whether or not i'm a finalist and when that day comes, becca and i will either be celebrating or mourning the loss of our futures, but either way it will involve adult beverages.

it was great to see everyone over the break, even under the circumstances. everyone get back on the posting train.

oh and......ROLL TIDE!!