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Sara and I sat down at Yerevan recently to chat about her work as Trybal Gatherings‘ DC ambassador, how her approach to teaching has changed over the years, making friends by walking, and the enduring appeal of summer camp to people in their 20s and 30s!
Samuel: What brought you to the DMV?
Sara: I went to Goucher College, which is a small liberal arts school in Baltimore. Then, I stayed in Baltimore for six years, teaching. My boyfriend at the time had a job in DC. We were in Baltimore together, but knew we needed a change, and moved to southwest DC after the pandemic hit. So, essentially, his job brought me to DC.
The crazy thing is: I had coworkers as friends in Baltimore, but I never really had friends friends. But in DC, I showed up to a potluck Shabbat dinner by myself at the JCC, and right then and there met the girl who is currently my roommate. And, I met my best friends through City Girls Who Walk DC.
Samuel: Would you say that’s what has kept you here the past few years?
Sara: I now also have a really, really good group of girlfriends. We’re all in our 30s and single. And so yeah, that is what’s kept me here. And, living with my roommate has kept me here, and my job has kept me here. I knew I wanted to stay working in Maryland, so I work in Montgomery County, but I don’t want to not live in DC. I really like living in the city.
Samuel: Why?
Sara: It’s the community, the people, the ability to do activities, the walkability. I have to drive to dance, drive to school, drive to my tutoring job, and all those things are great, but it’s really amazing being able to be in the hub, and then expand myself to go everywhere else.
Samuel: What’s your personal Jewish community like?
Sara: I’ve been finding my Jewish community. I’m friends with a rabbi at Temple Shalom, so I’ll do Shabbat at his synagogue. I go to Sixth & I. I work at Adas Israel, as the professional development liaison for their teachers – teaching teachers how to teach. I do that once a month. And I’m the DC ambassador for Trybal Gatherings, so I’m hosting events there. I like to host events and go to events and go to things with my friends that make me feel connected to Judaism.
Samuel: Tell me a little more about your work with Trybal Gatherings.
Sara: Trybal Gatherings is a Jewish sleepaway camp for people in their 20s and 30s. It’s hosted at the camp I went to as a kid. It’s Thursday through Sunday, and you do Shabbat on Friday and havdalah on Saturday. There’s a pool party, a color war [Editor’s note: games and competition with participants divided into teams], brunch, and a slide show on Sunday. You get to pick electives, like yoga or arts and crafts or rock climbing or pickleball. It’s really fun!
Samuel: What are you doing as an ambassador?
Sara: I’m trying to reach people, not recruit people. And if there’s enough interest, I’d love to do a camp bus from here in August. I’m a very extroverted person, and creative. People struggle to find their Jewish community – I want Trybal to be that community for someone. I had a friend who met her fiance at a murder mystery Trybal event. People are meeting significant others, people are meeting their best friend. I want that for others.
Samuel: What is the appeal of summer camp?
Sara: One of the biggest appeals is that you’re getting away from work, yeah? And you’re putting your phone away. But another appeal is that everyone is there to make connections. We do something called “friend dates,” where you get matched randomly with someone and get a question to talk about. You obviously don’t stay on topic. You go off topic, and almost every year, I always end up crying with that person. It’s so meaningful, and it’s around havdalah time, in the dark, and you get to know this one person really well. It’s meaningful, whether you stay friends with that person or not. You get that special, meaningful moment.
Samuel: What is feeling particularly alive for you Jewishly right now?
Sara: My work with Trybal DC. I’m really passionate about the events we have coming up. I’m going to use my teacher brain and my Trybal Ambassador brain all together to combine and help people make meaningful connections with each other. I’m also really excited – I’ve started the process of trying to put together a DC Color War, maybe at Marie Reed or the National Mall, sometime in May. That’s my biggest project right now. I’m doing my school work, I’m doing everything, but on the side, if you were to see me at my lunch break, that’s what I’d be working on. I have a lot of irons in the fire.
Samuel: A few quick ones to finish. What are you feeling proud about?
Sara: I am a national board-certified teacher. It’s a three-year process, but I did it in one year during the pandemic, and I’m in the process of maintaining my certification right now.
Samuel: Whether it is from the certification process or just being a more experienced teacher now, how has your pedagogy [Editor’s note: the methods and practices of teaching] changed over time?
Sara: I’ve gotten more reflective about my teaching. I’m someone who can’t sit still, and I get bored pretty easily, which is actually great for teaching third grade. Recently, I videotaped myself teaching and watched it back, which was helpful for learning about what does and doesn’t work. I do a lot of goal setting with my students, and we do data binders with all their data from quizzes and things like that. I want to focus on what they need to learn, what their goal is, and what they’re going to do to achieve that.
Samuel: Teaching and organizing these events – you must be very busy!
Sara: I’m feeling very proud of my time management, too. I also dance with a dance company called AVA. I take classes when I can, and I’m setting time aside to dance twice a week to prepare for a Wizards game in February and a showcase in March. This past November, I danced at a Commanders game.
Samuel: You’re hosting Shabbat dinner and can invite any three people. Who are you bringing?
Sara: My answer is always Oprah. She’s just done a lot in her life. She’s talked to really cool people, and she’s philanthropic. Barack and Michelle Obama would be my second and third people. I’ve read a lot of her books – I like her style and her view on relationships and healthy eating in schools. She’s got a good head on her shoulders.
Samuel: Last one. Finish the sentence: When Jews of the DMV gather…
Sara: We do good things.
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