hero

For the first part of our morning we were finally able to go check out the neighborhood and schools that we would be serving for the next 9 months of our lives. Mine is a K-8th grade middle school named Thomas Creighton Middle School. It's in the Northeast part of Philadelphia near the Olney part of town. When we first rolled up to the school I couldn't get over how massive and awesome it was. It was probably 4 or 5 stories high, but more importantly it looks exactly like a castle. While the first 2 stories' windows were barred shut so that no one could break in, the neighborhood itself was not that bad. It was mostly residential and consisted mainly of row homes, which is pretty typical of Philly. While it being a castle was pretty badass, the best part of the trip was when we walked by and recess was in session. As we walked by, a small group of probably 3rd graders or so noticed a couple of the red jackets our team leaders were wearing and shortly thereafter ensued a small child riot as one of the girls scream "Oh my god its City Year, I love ya'll!" When the rest of the crowd heard and realized what was going on they are rushed to the fence and commenced the greatest spectacle I have ever been a part of. I would probably equate it to what a sports team feels like when they come back to their respective city for the celebration. The kids were all shouting and waving and doing dances and jumping rope and whatever other skills they possessed to try and impress us. I have never felt so welcome, and so idolized in my whole life. And I haven't even gone inside the building yet. I can only hope the rest of the year goes this smooth.