Most people have probably never heard of Cleveland because there really isn't much here besides Delta State University. Cleveland has a population of about 12,000 people but it seems much smaller than that because it is very under-developed. But they do have a Walmart! Woohoo!
This morning my roommates and I set off on our adventure from Baton Rouge to Cleveland, about a 5 hour drive. I was actually surprised to find out that Baton Rouge is only 45 miles from the border of Mississippi..(weekend trips maybe?) As soon as we entered Mississippi, the scenery was gorgeous; such lush greenery and crop fields.
Arriving at Delta State University, I was pleasantly surprised that the campus is quite nice and way larger than I imagined. Entering the college town, businesses had signs in their windows saying "Welcome Teachers!" or "Welcome Teach For America!" It was such a good feeling to know that we were so welcomed by this community. Because this town is so small, they LOVE when we come here for the summer -- mostly because we give them mula! (money).
Teach For America has completely taken over this campus. Well, I guess we would have to considering there are 800 corps members plus a few hundred staff members! This summer, Delta State will be hosting many TFA regions, including: South Louisiana (me!), Louisiana Delta, Memphis, Nashville, Appalachia, and the Mississippi Delta.
As soon as we step foot on the grounds, it was as if we were local celebrities. There were dozens of tents set up, food trucks and hundreds of volunteers. They truly made us feel so welcomed!
After registering and getting all of these cool trinkets and such fun paperwork (not!), I headed to my dorm where I awaited anxiously to see who my roommate for the next 5 weeks would be. Unfortunately, they were switching us from our Induction roommate. HOWEVER, guess who my roommate is?? My suite mate from Induction, Hanna, from Oklahoma! I'm so lucky that I ended up rooming with her because we have already formed a strong friendship. But, I liked our dorm rooms much better at LSU..here I have to wear flip flops in the shower and around my room. The floors are gross and it doesn't even look like they cleaned it! Oh and by the way, this dorm is the men's dorm. Can you imagine what it's like when the MEN'S dorm wasn't cleaned?? EW! Not to mention they look like a prison cell.
View from my bed
The oh so lovely open closet we share
The view of my bed from the door
See what I mean? It's so bare!
After a much needed trip to Walmart, my friends and I attended a BBQ they had set up for us at what they call "the quad" which sounds really cool, but really it's only a big grassy lawn. I sat with my region (afraid to branch out to the others, lol) but I know that tomorrow I will meet many people from across the country.
Tomorrow starts day one of hell, I mean, Institute! It should be an exciting time, but extremely rigorous. Every day, our wake up call is at 4:30am! CRAZY! Hopefully as time passes, my morning routine will become easier and I will get used to this madness. This week is really all about training, whereas next week we get to start teaching summer school! I can't wait to meet my students and the team I will be working with over the next few weeks.
My planner, 1000-page Instruction Manual and my
gorgeous Delta State University lunchbox!
I'm all set for my first day tomorrow! Woohoo!
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