This year started off with quite a bang. My coworker and I took a group of 15 students to Pittsburgh for just over a week. Part of the week was focused on 'arts and entertainment' and we did our best to show them a wide variety of what was available along those lines in Pittsburgh. We went to some incredible museums like the Carnegie Museum of Art and Natural History and the Bodies Exhibit, as well as shows like Second City and the Broadway version of the Lion King. Then, for the last part of the week, the students broke up and participated in a variety of activities on the main CMU campus. During this period I was blessed with a visit from Sophie, which was absolutely wonderful.
The whole experience was very interesting. Darbi and I were both very concerned with the safety and well-being of the students. I think that at times this concern might have made us a bit too careful, bordering on restrictive. But, in the end, I think that safety is paramount, especially when it is a school-sanctioned trip. It has been interesting to me to read the responses of the students to our chaperoning. It seems that many of the students would have liked us to be more of friends than chaperones, but we couldn't have done that. It raises the question again about us being only slightly older than the students we are supposed to be mentoring.
Seeing Sophie was wonderful, though. I still can't believe how patient she is with me and how easy it is just to slip right back in beside her. There really is no awkwardness or uncertainty. I have never had anyone in my life that I'm so completely comfortable around. What a blessing she is.
Oliver wanted to come to Pittsburgh too.
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