A few grains remain in the hourglass as the twilight of my volunteer experience grows to close. As I reflect on the past nine months, I begin to question what I have learned and who have I become. Throughout this experience, I have worked at HIAS PA, a refugee resettlement in Philadelphia, PA. I recall...
There have been so many lessons from my time as an Augustinian Volunteer, but one thing that stands brighter than others is the interconnectedness of our world and how we all fit together. Being an Augustinian Volunteer has taught me a great deal, especially how all of us are on the same team, moving towards...
Being a preschool teacher sounds like it would be easy. Reviewing colors, shapes, and songs everyday, what could be simpler? Coming into this year, I expected my days to be spent playing with Legos and counting to ten. My reality, however, has been a completely different experience. To say that we preschool teachers are on...
“Willingness to jump into all sorts of unexpected situations.” Though perhaps included as a catch-all in most job descriptions, as I look back at the description for my AV position at HELP of Ojai, it strikes me that this line captures an important theme – the unexpected – that has underscored my entire experience as...
I decided I wanted to be a teacher when I was 17. I imagined growing up and having my own classroom. I thought about how I would decorate it, how I would arrange the desks, and how I would make sure that every student felt comfortable there. When I decided to spend the year as...
Community is the charism, or spiritual gift, of the Augustinian Order and a pillar of the Augustinian Volunteers. “What is community?” is often asked as we strive towards achieving a fruitful community of volunteers throughout the service year. Before, I had a surface level understanding. It was a group of people united over a single...
When it came time for orientation this August, I was super nervous about living with two strangers in intentional community for the next year. Upon meeting Meg and Hank, I became assured that this year would be one wild ride. The three of us spent the entire week laughing until tears were pouring out and...
Never in my life would I have ever imagined that one day I would be dressed in an Eeyore costume with a fluorescent orange vest and holding a hand-held stop sign at a K-8 school in California. Yet, that is exactly where I found myself on Halloween morning. Since it was a Wednesday morning it...
I have always loved the sun. I love the feeling of its warmth on my face. I appreciate how it makes the avocado tree in our front yard abundant with fruit. I look forward to the amazing show it puts on every morning and evening, each day different than the one before. I recently remarked...
I have very distinct memories of being back home during my high school days, driving my sister to school every morning. Normally, we would be too tired to talk in the early morning but have plenty of jokes to share on the ride home. In the present day, the days begin and end very similarly....
