We're already into the third week of Bridge and time has flown by. I've already made memories that will last a lifetime and hopefully friendships, too, judging by the great connections I've formed with my advisory of girls, my fellow T.A.s and the site directors. Every morning, advisories sit together and eat breakfast. We talk about everything from light topics like weekend plans and embarrassing stories to heavier subject matter with topics like bullying, verbal self-defense, and what it means to be a part of a team. I love how my girls have told me that because of advisory, they can trust me and tell me everything. They have told me that I listen to them with all of my
heart.
Each Thursday is field trip day, and so far we've hit the Palo Alto Museum and Zoo, where the girls learned about all sorts of animals and how to be "green," and the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford, where we set up a scavenger hunt for the girls. Not only did my advisory place second in the hunt, but they also bonded really well as a team and even the quiet members of my advisory took leadership roles. The girls were completely fascinated by the paintings and sculptures, especially the totem poles in the Native American section. The girls write a journal entry every night and their advisor responds to the entry the next day. The T.A.s respond back with questions and comments on the entry and then the girls will comment back to the T.A.s entry and a conversation ensues in the journal. It's an amazing way to get to know the advisees.
I can't believe that the first two weeks have whizzed by us already! As the saying goes, "Time flies when you're having fun!"