Bittersweet :)

It is truly amazing how much you can learn about yourself in 4 short months. Within the past few days I have really began to understand that my job up here has been much more than cleaning cabins and serving meals. This summer has allowed me to realize that if you surround yourself with positive people, you can accomplish anything. I have learned that settling is not an option and that you are the only one in control of your own future. I now fully believe that “everything happens for a reason” and that my decision to come here for the summer was to reaffirm my passion for teaching by following my dreams. Through my experiences with two of the most wonderful children in the entire world, I look forward to being able to make a difference in the life of children in my future classrooms.


I do not think I ever would have discovered these things in any other work environment. Rather than simply working 9-5 at a traditional job, my bosses (and friends) managed to welcome the entire staff into their family. Through thick and thin we made it through the summer, and despite the aggravation we often caused one another (like any “normal” family), I know I have met some lifelong friends.

While I prepare to say goodbye to missy and the kids, and to finish up my last three days of work I feel like this really is the end of a chapter of my life. As I pack up my life and move to the other end of the country, I am now ready to start my career. My time at SWWL has given me the confidence in myself to dream any dream, pursue any goal, and to believe in myself. These are things that I will take with me for the rest of my life.

Missy gave me a card tonight, with a poem inside of it (which is the reason why I got all sentimental in the first place). I want to share it with everyone, and plan on getting it framed for my new apartment (yay). It is my new anthem and the way I look forward to living the rest of my life:

You can Design Your Own Destiny

You are a wonderful person,

so do wonderful things.

You can make a difference in

your own world.

You have a purpose;

You have the power;

you are magic.

You can create beauty,

Recall the past, plan the future.

You can soar in imagination.

You have the courage to question,

and you can choose to change.

The only limitations you have are those in your own mind.

Don`t be satisfied with less than all you can be.

Don`t compare yourself with others;

draw your own dreams

and design your own destiny.

Live each day to the fullest.

Give a little more than you take.

Make the world a better place to live,

and always...

always...

Listen to your own heart,

For only you know what is best for you.

Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to have this many emotions at the end of the summer. It really goes to show how much of an influence an experience can have on how you view the world.