It Goes By Quick

What up friends and fam! I'm leaving for Panama in T-minus 7 days so I figured I better start this blogging business now. This is my first time using a blog so hang with me if it seems a little rough at first. Think of it as the prologue to what's about to be an epic tale of adventure (like Lord of the Rings but with less wizards and more canals)
First, a little bit about what I've been up to the past several months:  

I've been working for the YMCA after school program up in woodland since late October, getting some more experience working with kids. Needless to say, I had a blast working with the kids who are so full of energy and have provided me with countless amounts of crazy stories. All my co-workers were great and had a lot of wisdom to offer. I owe a great deal of gratitude to my boss, whom I have so much respect for her dedication to childhood development. I learned so much in such a short time and I'm stoked to bring that with me to Panama!

Also, for those who don't know, over the past year and a half, I have been a volunteer tutor at CDCR San Quentin. It has been such an eye-opening experience working with the student inmates and getting to see how education in prison impacts the process of rehabilitation. From that first nerve wracking trip walking across the yard, to right now I have grown confident in my abilities as an educator and to handle situations that are out of my element. I want to thank the San Quentin staff for accommodating our little group and for the Teach-In-Prison program for giving me this opportunity (any Berkeley students reading this right now need to seriously get at this decal!) Finally I want to thank Shenel for being my prison buddy and making those long trips with me every week!

As I said earlier this is my last week in the states so what better way spending it then with my buds in...Las Vegas!?! We got back late last night, but we had a blast this past weekend. Now I know what you are saying "But Nick, didn't you tell us that it was 5 GUYS driving 10 HOURS down in a PRIUS to stay at the COSMO...that sounds kinda lame???" Well, you are gonna have to speak a little louder cause I can't hear you from the 61st floor of the cosmopolitan

This view+50 miles to the gallon, no my friend not lame at all

We had a great time with a lot of laughs and some shenanigans, but nobody got stranded on the roof and Mike Tyson's tiger is still at Mike Tyson's mansion (I assume). I'm definitely gonna miss these guys

My Wolf Pack

There is probably a lot more to tell, but this whole blogging business is a lot more draining than I had anticipated so now I'm gonna go replenish myself with 200cc's of In-N-Out stat! I'll likely have one more post before I leave so stay tuned amigos!