Monday was Labor Day, so despite the fact that I spent most of Sunday trying to sleep off some sickness, I made the trip to Orlando with some friends to go to the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot. It was a different group than my usual "Disney friends" which was kind of fun. The new Mission Space is amazing! It was my first ride since the refurb, and I love it now more than ever. We finished the evening with an outstanding meal at Monsieur Paul's. Like within the Top 5 meals of my life. Highly recommended.
Tuesday I woke up after not enough sleep and prepared for the longest day ever. I decided to work out after school, then shower quickly and come back for Back to School Night so I went to school looking a little rough. Of course, I had forgotten that it was Picture Day. I'll get mine done on Make Up Day. There was no way we were documenting this situation. My Algebra classes prepared for their upcoming test, and in Social Justice we had a great conversation about love vs. sin. I worked individually with a few students after school then took off for the gym. I was changed, worked out, drove home, showered, and got ready for BTS Night in just over an hour.
In the brief time that I was home, I looked around and realized that it's all just stuff. The idea that my house would be gone by next Tuesday was humbling and terrifying, but there wasn't much that I would want to take in the event of an evacuation.
When I walked in the board room for dinner, my colleagues all turned around and embarrassed me by cheering. Maybe I should dress up more often? Overall the night seemed to go as planned, but with fewer parents than usual it seemed. New of Hurricane Irma churning in the Atlantic had sent a frenzy through the city earlier that afternoon. Last year I changed how I approach BTS Night by incorporating a quick low floor, high ceiling task for parents to experience then a quick who I am/what the class is. Students don't want to be bored with eight syllabus talks, and I figure neither do parents. A colleague whose daughter is in one of my classes said to me as I walked out, "You're a rockstar in there." I was really pleased that my love for my students and content was evident. This night used to be a source of stress for me in "dealing" with parents. Now I really enjoy it as an opportunity to share with them as two parts of the same team.
Wednesday morning began with an emergency faculty meeting about the hurricane situation. We talked about preparing materials to be able to continue delivering content in the event of school devastation. We are so lucky to have access to so much technology that makes this endeavor possible in the face of the unknown. I already have most of my courses available online so while a virtual platform would lack the atmosphere and collaboration of a classroom, the basics could still take place. But at this point, the storm's track showed her riding up the east coast of the state. We were pretty much in the clear other than some rain and 40 mph winds.
The county was supposed to announce closures at 3pm, and our announcement would surely follow. Well, the downside of every student having a MacBook and an iPad is that they know all the news before you. At noon there was cheering. Hillsborough Country had called off school for Thursday and Friday. The rest of the day was a blur of deciding what to bring home (knowing that there was the potential that I wouldn't be back for over a month), talking about the importance of safety with students without creating any more anxiety. After the school day ended, we had a STEM meeting as though nothing out of the ordinary was going on. But as I walked out of the building that day, the awareness that something major would happen before I returned nagged me.
I looked at Thursday as an opportunity to get some school work done that I hadn't gotten to last weekend. I put in grades, looked at lesson plans for the upcoming unit in each class, and emailed some students about missing assignments. By afternoon, these bonus days to catch up on work suddenly became essential for hurricane prep. The NHC model suddenly began reflecting more of the Euro model, and Irma's track had shifted west. Not good for Tampa. I had planned to spend the storm at a friend's house simply so I wouldn't have to be alone. With the new track, I walked my house in earnest determining what I couldn't bear to leave behind.
The list looks like this:
-my grandmother's wedding and engagement rings
-the mirror and crucifix that hung in my grandparents' house
-the globe from my grandparents' dining room
-the diamond earrings that I received for my high school graduation
-a set of sterling silverware
-a Phillies hat and official ball from the 2008 World Series
-a first class relic of Blessed Marie Rose Durocher and a third class relic of St. Maria Goretti
-my framed pilgrim passport and compostela from the Camino de Santiago de Compostela
-my journals from middle school through present day
Additionally, I'm bringing:
-box of insurance, medical, mortgage, etc paperwork
-a suitcase of random clothes so that I don't end up naked if I lose everything
-food, water, and supplies
-MacBook, iPad, iPhone, apple watch, textbooks, and school planners
Friday began with an even worse storm track for those of us on the west coast. Then the mayor announced mandatory zone A evacuations, and I began looking for a place to ride out the storm. Earlier in the week I'd had four friends offer their places to evacuees. By this point, one was in zone A and out herself, another decided to go to her parents', and a third was contemplating an evacuation himself. So I reached out to the only one that was left. He was very apologetic in telling me that his parents don't want anyone else in the house in case they have to evacuate. With officially none of my original options left, I took solace in the kindness of a work friend.
Tomorrow we will travel about 20 minutes east to her parents' old (empty/for sale) house. Hopefully when I return to my house on Monday/Tuesday, it will still be here and intact. I've taken everything off my walls and shelves. I'm piling as much as I can in my closets and bathrooms (the only interior rooms I have) and closing all the doors. Our winds are supposed to be in the 90s. When compared to the devastation of 185mph, 90 seems really good but it's still not. My building is 30 years old, the roof was inspected three weeks ago. I have no plywood or hurricane shutters for my (three) windows. I'm not far from Tampa Bay but likely far enough (and on the second floor) to avoid storm surge. When I leave tomorrow, I don't know what I'll be coming back to - and that is the most terrifying thought. Yes, it's just stuff. But the thought of having nothing is incredibly humbling right now.
...and to think, four days ago I was at Epcot without a care in the world.
