Reconfiguring time and priorities with a smile…

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Ana Hernandez

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Ana Hernandez

<i>"Hello" in your host country's language:</i> Buongiorno! <i>Home Institution (your U.S. University/College):</i> Santa Barbara City College <i>Expected graduation year:</i> 2023 <i>Destination city & country:</i> Rome, Italy <i>Program provider:</i> Santa Barbara City College <i>Major/minor:</i> Early Childhood Education <i>Demographics:</i> Community College, Hispanic/Latinx, First-Generation College Student <i>Future career aspirations:</i> Find a way to provide early childhood education opportunities and education in places where there is none in the U.S. and abroad. <i>Top 3 goals for your time abroad:</i> Observe the highly successful early childhood programs, such as; Reggio Emilia and Montessori in their country of origin. Observe cultural differences in early childhood, families and children, in town, on the street, on the buses, in the restaurants. Immerse myself in a culture different than my own to create more awareness and a deeper understanding of myself and the children and families I will work with as an Early Childhood Education Educator. Enjoy the food, arts, music, culture and people of Rome, Italy.

This week I will start my internship at the preschool I was assigned to. I am very excited to be working with children again. I will be shadowing a teacher and observing teaching styles and methods. This is a major aspect of why I wanted to come to Rome.

As I settle into the third week, I am still re-configuring my time and prioritization. The first week was about acclimating, the second about time management of classes, homework time, sleep schedules and working out the bugs with internet and connectivity. This week, after I begin my internship, I will have a better idea of how to prioritize and manage my time for the rest of my stay in Rome.

I didn’t realize how many factors make a difference in the management of my time. It was all second nature to me at home since I knew where things were in the city, I had a car and understood how to take the bus, if need be. Here in Rome, I do not have a car, and therefore need to know what other options I do have. The bus will be my major mode of transportation to the preschool. In learning to take the bus, I need to pay close attention and listen attentively to the stops so that I do not go past my bus stop and get lost. If I miss the bus, I need to learn about schedules and how often busses travel to my destination. Even something as simple as: how to use my bus pass is something I need to learn to make a smooth transition on taking the bus. I know, as I practice, make mistakes and learn from them, it will all come together to help me reconfigure my time and be able to prioritize my goals and objectives.

We will be heading to Venice and Florence this weekend with a school excursion. This is another practice in time management and prioritization. I do not want to take any books or worry about any homework this weekend while in Venice and Florence. I want to be fully present in these beautiful locations; therefore, I need to finish my homework that is due this Sunday before I leave, which would be Thursday. This is not unfamiliar to me, since I practice this at home. The only difference is that at home I have only been juggling four classes. Here and now, in Rome, I am juggling 5 classes, and internship and a weekly blog. Since I do not want to spend all my time in my apartment, this entails a bit of accommodation, modification and a whole lot of smiling.

I have added the piece about smiling to my blog about time management and prioritization because it is an important piece to keeping your sanity while juggling many things. I know there is a learning curve and I will make mistakes in juggling work and leisure, but that is ok, life will continue and the world will keep turning, despite how I feel about it, and that …makes me smile.