Last Update: What I learned in Boating School is

Just like SpongeBob in that scene, I am hesitant to reflect so soon on the year I've had. Afterall it has just been a month since I returned to New York and I am still not used to being back. I miss my family, friends, the food, struggles, adventures and everything I can possibly miss about living in the D.R. I keep telling everyone I'm following the 3/3/3 rule of dogs after adoption: 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months.

It's hard to put into words what it was like to live there but I do have a few lessons to share. For example, things don't go as planned, and sometimes that's better. As you know the school I had chosen wasn't interested in hosting me for a 2-week afterschool program but I managed to convinced them to let me do a 2-hour workshop. I eventually gave the same workshop at the other schools, instead of leaving them stranded with just the survey portion of the research. Not only that, but the workshop is easily repeatable and sharable which makes it more likely to be picked up by other teachers. That transition was initially scary as I felt I wasn't having enough impact on the girls with just a workshop. But the second biggest lesson I learned was that a conversation is enough. I realized this after having discussions on gender disparity in the STEM fields because they took our conversations very seriously. So much so that three girls decided to bring attention to the issue by hosting a girls in tech day at their school. Not only that but engaging in conversation with a woman in technology already gave them an example of how it could be possible for them. That exposure alone plays an important role in making a difference.

There's tons more to say and reflect about but alas I am still transitioning. I just wanted to check in with you all and thank you once again for being part of this wonderful experience. We changed lives together and will hopefully continue to do so. Our work in D.R. was incredibly enriching for 120 girls and possibly more to come. Thank you for being here!

P.S. Here's a video for the 'What I learned in Boating School is' bit