Encouragement

Today my kids told me I'm the first "good" math teacher they've had. I asked what they meant, and they said "All our other teachers only check if we do our homework, not if it's right or wrong." I explained I do that too; when I come around and check off their homework, I give them full credit if they just tried all the problems.

I explained, "If I give you 20 problems for homework one night, it would be best if I could check them all as right or wrong. BUT, there are 26 of you. So then I would check (and correct) 20 problems for each of the 26 students, which is 520 problems...for only one night's math homework!"

They said, "Yes, but you put the correct answers on the board and show us how to do the ones we got wrong." It was a great chance to explain self-responsibility and how they need to be in charge of their own learning. We check answers so they know what they really understand and what they need to work on. My job is to help them learn for themselves, not just to write things for them to copy without thinking.

I think the message got across.

One girl even told me she used to hate math but now she loves it. Another said I make it "funny." (...But I'm not sure exactly what that means.)

Turtle Liberation Movement: El Sal

Over Thanksgiving Break, some friends and I went to El Salvador.
(You can click on the pictures to make them bigger)

(Appropriate, right? He was hanging out near our hostel.)

We stayed for a couple days at a hostel called El Roble and met some great people, like Alicia (Belgian), Oleg (Russian), and Duncan (Canadian), along with some other teachers from Honduras. We ate well, surfed, played water volleyball (and failed), played cards, and had great conversations.

Oh! And we liberated turtles! (Meaning we released newborn turtles into the ocean.)

The second half of the trip we visited some of my friends from college in El Salvador. My friend Veekee (who I met in El Sal last May) met us at the bus station. She waited there for the two hours that it was late. I was floored, but really it's just another example of the emphasis Latin Americans place on relationship over time.

"Speak of those things that nourish the spiritual life...Godly conversation about spiritual matters very much helps spiritual advancement, especially when persons of like mind and heart are united to God." ~Thomas a Kempis

My visit with my friends in El Salvador can best be described as this. I'm not sure I can express with words the love and understanding they have for one another and for God, so please be content knowing it is immense and sincere.

And to my delight, we made sure to throw down a little linedancing.

Home is where the heart is.

I'm an AUNT!!!!

Out one of my best friends in the world, Christi Matanick, just had her baby, Miss Layla Elizabeth Matanick. She and Than (her husband) are going to raise the most Jesus-loving child in the world, and I'm really excited to get to meet her and watch her grow up.

I think somewhere deep down inside I'm bummed I missed her being born, but right now I'm too excited to be sad. I actually did meet Layla last summer, but she couldn't even hear yet, she was so little. Anyway, I just wanted to share the greatest joy of my life right now. :o)

Lago de Yojoa

To celebrate the end of the first partial (quarter), a bunch of us went to Lago de Yojoa to relax. For me it was a beautiful weekend of spiritual reflection and study. I intentionally left my reading books at home to encourage myself to seek my quiet time with Jesus, and it felt amazing to rest in Him.

We also hiked under a GIANT waterfall, and it was probably one of the most intense water-related experiences I've ever had. And that's saying something. The waterfalls were pounding so hard over us we had to wear t-shirts over our bathing suits to keep them on and hold hands in a line to stay together. It was CRAZY and such a thrill. We did a little cliff jumping while we were there, too, but that was nothing compare to the falls.

Three friends and I decided to extend our trip another night and went to a hostel nearby. We read and played cards and told stories and got to know each other better. I live for this stuff.

Before I say anything further, let me clarify that hitch-hiking is a very acceptable, common, and safe means of transportation in Honduras. Any guide book will testify to that. That said...we hitched home. Maybe a hundred, hundred-fifty miles. The road home is the same highway the whole way. We hopped in the bed of trucks and hopped out when the trucks stopped. It took us 3 trucks to get the whole way, and we only had to wait about 20 minutes at the longest between rides.

Personally, I'd take riding in the open air of the back of a truck over a bus any day.

Accidents and Providence

Today (Saturday) we had school to make up for some of our missed school. Two of my closest friends and I decided to go out for a movie and sushi to celebrate our survival of the Week That Would Not End. I figured I wouldn't need to bring my cell phone because I was with these two and anyone else who might call could leave a message. Besides, one of my friends had her phone, so we wouldn't need both hers and mine. (We try to roll without purses as much as possible.) We invited another friend, but he opted out.

On the taxi ride to the movie we got into a minor accident. We hit the car in front of us at maybe 45 mph. It was pretty bizarre because we all realized we were about to hit, and then a split second later I thought "Ooh, this is going to be bad..." I turned my face into my friend and began to burrow/hide when we crashed into/under the car in front of us. We heard the windshield shatter and then fumes started filling the car.

We all got out fine and some very sweet, concerned Hondurans on the side of the road were asking us if we were ok. We all got little bumps and bruises and I messed my thumb up somehow, but nothing serious.

There was so much that evidenced God's protection and sovereignty over this situation. Firstly, we had no seatbelts to be wearing. I was in the middle backseat and, according to Newton's First Law of Motion (inertia--I just taught a unit about it), I should have been thrown forward. But I wasn't. Also, none of us were in the front passenger seat. If our friend has joined us, he would have sat up front and could have seriously injured his long legs against the dashboard. (Not to mention the lack of an airbag.) There was also no car that crashed into us from behind, and given our speed, we all walked away in good shape.

Here's the best part: As we were collecting ourselves on the side of the road, an IST employee pulled up just moments later and picked us up. It turns out my friend hadn't brought her phone either, but this woman had hers and knew the numbers we had to call. We debated going to the hospital but decided to give it some time, and it turns out this woman was going to the same mall we were. We weren't even that much of an inconvenience! We went ahead with our plans for dinner and a movie to give ourselves some time to relax and unwind a little. Given the circumstances, the three of us are very aware of the depth of God's protection over us.

Blessed be the name of the Lord.

**Just found out Leslie's (my roommate who was also in the accident) pastor felt the need to pray for her yesterday afternoon...

WORLD CUP 2010, BABY!!!!!!

Tonight's win depended both on Honduras beating El Salvador AND the US beating or tying Costa Rica. Honduras won 1-0 but the US was down 2-1 for most of their game. At the VERY last possible moment, the US scored a goal TYING the game and sending Honduras to the World Cup!!!!!!!!! If only you could hear the cheers and fireworks erupting right now. Honduras is finally united again in celebration. As my friends and I walked home, we were greeted by cheers, shouts of thanks, and declarations of love for the USA. But this was all Honduras. They've earned this victory.

And now Micheletti has declared tomorrow a national holiday so we can all celebrate safely. Beautiful.

(For the record, My heart does still feel for Costa Rica and am hoping they'll pull through against Uruguay. Then life would be absolutely perfect.)

Mom and Pops

I began this evening feeling really overwhelmed and frustrated with certain circumstances in my life, but now, thanks to my parents' logical practicality and youthful sense of humor, I am smiling again and back to work. (We've got a 6-day week this week as we struggle to make up for lost time. That's what I get for bragging about all our unexpected time off!)

Though I'll be the first to admit my history of frustration and irritability at my parents' teasing, I think I can appreciate it a little more as I get older. (Though they will probably be the first to tell you I still don't "appreciate" it enough...)

Mom and Dad, I miss you. Please don't ever stop teasing me.

And don't quote that back to me any time soon. :o)

Community

School went well today but I've started to feel frustrated with our inconsistent school schedule and the effect it is having on my class. I have students of all abilities and it's been incredibly difficult trying to catch everyone up to the same page, given many manditory and voluntary student absences.

Anyway, today I processed with a friend, and it really helped me to give voice to my deeper thoughts. Then after my roommate and I caught each other up on the day, she got me a treat from our local panaderia (bakery) as a day-brightener. I also got a very sweet, encouraging email from the friend I processed with. Finally, I just got a call from the mother of our Honduran family who live below us. She excitedly asked if I was home and told me she had something for me. I went down to meet her and she handed me a warm and delicious surprise gift of yucca frita. She remembered it's one of my favorites.

This has been the BEST bad day ever. :o)

Suspension of Rights

An email I received today:

U.S. Embassy Tegucigalpa
Avenida La Paz
Tegucigalpa, Honduras

To: All American Citizens
From: American Citizens Services Unit, Consular
Section
Date: September 28, 2009
Subject: Warden Message - State of Exception Imposed

The Embassy advises citizens residing in and visiting Honduras that the
de facto regime issued a decree suspending certain rights under the
Honduran constitution on Sunday, September 27, 2009. This decree
affects all people in Honduras, including non-Hondurans. Specifically,
the following articles of the Honduran Constitution have been suspended
for the next 45 days (until November 11, 2009):

Article 69: The right to personal freedom
Article 72: Freedom of Speech
Article 78: Freedom of Association
Article 81: Freedom of Movement
Article 84: The right to due process _

For the next 45 days, the defacto regime has stated that the local and
national police, at times to be assisted by the military, will arrest
individuals for the following reasons:

* Disobeying announced curfew, or appearing to engage in
suspicious activities
* Gathering in public without prior approval from police and
military forces
* Carrying out media announcements violating the law or government
resolutions , or offending human dignity or any public official

The de facto regime has also stated the following:

* Individuals that are arrested for violating the above listed
restrictions will be detained
* All public installations which are occupied by demonstrators or
which are occupied by persons carrying out activities prohibited by law
will be cleared

The U.S. Department of State continues to strongly recommend that
American citizens defer all non-essential travel to Honduras as these
new restrictions will be in effect throughout Honduras, and may be
extended beyond the 45 days originally announced.

The de facto regime has been imposing a curfew of varying time periods
affecting various cities throughout Honduras since Monday, September 21.
It is expected that this practice will continue for the foreseeable
future. The Embassy recommends American citizens monitor local
television and radio for
updates to constitutional and travel restrictions and other security
measures. The Embassy strongly recommends that American citizens abide
by these restrictions.

Barring a change in the security situation or the imposition of a
daytime curfew, the Embassy and the Consular Agency in San Pedro Sula
will remain open to the public. Non-immigrant visa services remain
suspended for all but emergency medical cases.

Honduran airports re-opened September 24 for domestic passenger flights
and international cargo and mail flights. Most International passenger
flights resumed on Friday, September 25. Those whose flights were
cancelled due to the curfew should contact their airlines for further
information.

The Honduras Mess

After 60+ hours of curfew, which has now (thankfully) been restricted to afternoon/evenings, this is the best article I have found on the situation here. (The rest all seem to be heavily biased in favor of Mel and are seriously inaccurate.)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204488304574427403985118892.html#articleTabs%3Darticle

School was canceled for a couple days because of the curfew, and yesterday I only had 15 out of my 26 students. I asked them if when we prayed together any of them would want to add anything, or if they would rather I pray for us all. They smiled and (awkwardly) looked around at each other for a moment, nobody saying anything. I explained that either way was fine as long as they prayed along in their hearts and asked them again if any of them, given the chance, might possibly want to add to my prayer out loud. One of my boys asked if they could pray in Spanish ("YES!") and then a bunch of hands went up, most of them volunteering to pray. It was so good and sweet and encouraging. Thank you guys, too, because I know Honduras has been in your thoughts and prayers and you are joining with us in seeking peace for the people here.

38 hour lockdown

We're on hour 27 of 38 and we're all going a little crazy by now. The teachers have a list going around and I thought you might enjoy it.

Some ideas for staying in:

sleep
count the number of drip spots in your ceiling
do some plyometrics
pilates anyone?
bake something delicious and share it with your watchyman
Speed Read
sleep
do some jumping jacks
color a picture
write a card to all new North American teachers
bake something else and hoard it cause who knows what food we might have to save (kidding)
knit a quilt for those cold nights.
use the bathroom while the water still works.
play hide and seek.
play body body.
extreme dance party (with candles.)
write a novel about being under a curfew.
run in circles.
plant a garden.
clean your house because lela will probably never actually come back.
start naming insects in your house.
make bottlecap magnets for your fridge.
lay out in your courtyard without sunscreen.
wax the ceiling
drop a cat from a high place.
catch a cockroach and make it to a pet. and give it a leash.
sharpen your teeth.
braid your roommate's hair.
research the holy roman empire.
clean and polish your belly button
wash a tree (but only if it's inside).
mow the grass with scissors.
weave a carpet out of insect legs.
whine.
listen to a painting.
sweat.
try to draw a map of where everything is in Tegucigalpa
imitate the vendors that yell in your neighborhood (we miss their voices)
decorate your room
start digging a tunnel to the other houses (naranja, im half way there, any progress on your side?)
declare war on the ants in your kitchen
talk to the watchyman
update all the worried family memebers in the states.
invent something
play cards
make pancakes in the shapes of your roommates initials
write a letter
craft something, anything
drink way too much coffee and see if that helps your cabin fever
read for fun
quote movies
actually memorize your cell phone number
clean out your fridge
make up new recipes with the random food you have left in your house
learn spanish
decorate using Francisco Morazan
speak without using the letter e
make a liquado without milk or yogurt or juice
wash your hands in the pila because you don't have running water
polish your engagement ring
try 6 times to upload pictures to a facebook album... and still fail
sneak out of your house to go to a closed pulperia
enjoy the silence
watch cows walk up your road
fill your toilet with water from the pila in order to flush it because you still don't have water
form a girl band and make a music video
read in the hammock
plan all vacations for the rest of the year with your Lonely Planet Guidebook
bake bread
verbally encourage your tomatoes to grow in your garden
finish Gilmore Girls Season 1
plan a wedding
base your worth on how many people comment on your facebook status
look up uglydresses.com and try not to throw up in your mouth
kill a chincha
talk to your housemates on gchat even though you are within speaking distance
argue with pulperia man to make him give you his last 3 bottles of agua azul
have an in-depth conversation about which country the Little Mermaid takes place in
come up with witty quotes for your newly-added quote board
watch R. Kelly's Trapped In The Closet
follow minute-by-minute updates on Honduran politics
attempt to watch all 7 seasons of Gilmore Girls before curfew is over (WE are starting season 4)
take a shower using a saucepan
wage an epic battle against a honduran hornet
make a design using thousands of colored tally marks
count the number of cracks in your styrofoam ceiling
play hide and seek with your houserat
update your blog and read other blogs obsessively
see who can kill more red ants in a day
then see who can count more different kinds of ants you having living with you
build a fort in your living room
sit on your balcony and watch the lightning
seriously contemplate hardcore parkour routes on your neighbors' roofs
look up song lyrics in Spanish
play indoor soccer
try to do EVERYTHING that EVERYONE has recommended
make a list of suggestions to pass along
Defrag. computer before 11pm.
Develop an evacuation plan titled, "Get the white people out of here"
Write a Christmas list.
Boil extra water. And then some.
Put extra floor wax on the floor and have a skating party.
Email last love letters b/c you don't know when you'll have electricity again. (Marnie)
Write a love letter by candle light. Que romantico!
Make a castle with a deck of cards- just remember that all fans must be turned off. Unless you want to designate someone as the blocker.
Find and or make your Halloween costume, its only a month away.
Instruct a Chepes class.
Count out your Honduran change to find out how many Choco. bananas you can purchase when we escape.
Develop a trap for geckos just in case we run out of food.
Have a massage train with your house mates and guests.
Have a slumber party where ever you end up falling asleep.
Reminiscence of snow days but frown when you realize that at least during snow days you can have fun outside.

Mel's Back

I love how we're all on a first-name basis with Mel Zelaya here.

Throughout the day yesterday, the principal's assistant kept coming to my class to pull my students to go home. It wasn't until the third or fourth kid left that I asked him what was going on. He explained Mel had re-entered the country and parents were concerned that roads might be closed later in the day.

As it turns out, they were right. Tegus is now under 26 hours of house lockdown (as of 4 pm yesterday), and school is canceled again. (My kids who didn't do their homework over our last break got super lucky with this additional unexpected extra time off!)

I've had a few really, really good conversations with Honduran friends about the political history of the country and its current situation. Then as I was reading the news last night, I found one friend (the leader of our Bible study) quoted on BBC!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8267775.stm

For the record, I think the article is a little pro-Mel. It doesn't represent my opinion of the situation; I'm just sharing that my friend was quoted in the international news. :o) Due to my association with IST, I can't really discuss politics out of concern for my students and their intensely politically involved families. Just know my roommate and I are safe enough in our warm and bug-friendly home, writing lesson plans and watching Gilmore Girls. (At this point, I'm seriously considering drinking vinegar to keep the mosquitoes away...)

Roatan

Our trip to the Bay Islands was absolutely beautiful. It started before sunrise, which is actually one of my favorite times of day. (The other is in the few moments before sunset when the whole world is cast in warm gold light.) People were sleepy and dozed on and off for the eight hours bus ride to the ferry. It was SUCH a luxury to have our own bus for the 16 of us.

We snorkeled and bobbed in the water most of the time. I love my life. I also love SPF 70 sunscreen. :o)

Some of us started our mornings with iced coffees on the beach here.

We're on a boat.

A handful of us jumped off the two-level boat dock a few times. I LOVE this picture my friend Aaron got of me.

fin.

...ps, most of these pictures aren't mine. Thanks, Aaron and Kristin.

oink oink

Due to the infamous Gripe Porcina (Swine Flu) our school has been shut down for two weeks. Even better, we're getting paid for it. :o) Aaaaand thanks to scheduling rearrangements, we're really only going have to make up for 4 days! This is such a HUGE blessing (for those of us who aren't sick and miserable, I mean) because we finally have time to get caught up on grading and get life organized again.

...Yeah, we're also going to take advantage of this and travel. :o) We're almost all going on a group trip to Roatan, one of the Bay Islands in the Caribbean, and then afterward a smaller group of us are going to head over to Utila (another one of the Bay Islands). They lie along the southern end of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second-longest coral reef in the world (LonelyPlanet.com), so I'm basically expecting to happily float on my stomach for the next week and a half.

Later today, some of us are going downtown to explore the city of Tegus. I'd like to bring a camera, but since we're taking public transportation everywhere, I might not. We'll see.

Enjoy this beautiful Thursday/Saturday!!!!!

Reggaeton y Hip Hop

I'll be completely honest with you guys: my new favorite musical genre is reggaeton/hip-hop. My friends who live in Chinita (TOTALLY un-PC, we know, but that's the nickname their house adopted courtesy of its owner) get this Latin American MTV-type channel and the music is just too catchy to resist. Go buy some on iTunes, I just did.

Currently listening to:
"Dime Si Te Vas Con El" by Flex
"Te Amo" by Makano
"Baby Come Back" by Magic Juan

Also trying to ignore the fact that I'm missing out on the family reunion right now...

Math Review Enlightenment

Turns out I'm not a bad teacher. My kids just don't read directions.

...Hooray?

"You're a Good Miss"

Week One went well, but man was it exhausting. I love my kids and feel like I've got a pretty good read on most of them (except for the two who are still on summer vacation...), but they need a lot of extra help. We had a lesson on subjects and predicates, and though the kids could lead me through the examples orally, they all totally bombed the independent practice. I retaught the lesson the next day, which was really good because now they're subject-predicate-professionals, but now we're behind in social studies. It's the same with math: as I teach and we discuss place values, they can give me the correct answers, but with the independent practice they really struggle a lot. I'm frustrated because I feel like it's my fault for not being able to explain the concepts adequately or assess my students appropriately.

The saving grace, though, came on Wednesday when one of my students who has a hard time communicating in English (and also happens to be the tiniest fifth grader ever) gave me an ENORMOUS bear hug, turned his little face up to me and said very sincerely, "You're a good Miss." (My Costa Ricans called me "Teacher," my Hondurans call me "Miss"...I just don't know how to refer to myself in the third person anymore.) Miguel's comment really meant a lot because I haven't been trying to be their friend as much as I've been demanding their obedience and respect. But let's be honest: I have a very expressive face and I tease my kids to provoke their participation, and I'm pretty sure they enjoy it.

Thursday night a group of us took an aerobic Latin dance class and I love it SO so much. Leslie, Michelle, and I plan on going regularly. The instructor is an INCREDIBLE dancer and actually sort of dance-challenged me a handful of times, which was pretty flattering, but I just laughed and tried not to encourage anything. I'm telling you, these Latins have some crazy moves. Like, Beyoncé-status crazy.

I also got a cell phone. It works with a phone card, so there's no set monthly fee, and ALL incoming calls (even international) are FREEEEE!!!!! So call me: 011-504-9500-6772.

First day of school!!!!

Surprisingly, I didn't get nervous. I was a little concerned when I found out about some of my students and how many special cases I have that need extra attention (for various reasons), but the night before and morning of the first day of school (today) I was at peace. I'm convinced it was because of your steadfast prayers and am SO grateful for them because it's making all the difference.

Today was great. I was expecting to not have enough time to get everything done (devotional, self-introduction, expectations/procedures/rules, time capsule activity, reading placement tests, reading, discussing and characterization chart on Ananzi, grammar lesson, math placement tests, and science experiments), but due to last-minute changes within our grade level I actually ended up with extra time to kill. (Not as nice as it sounds, especially on the first day.) So we went to the polideportivo (sort of like a covered blacktop area) and played a couple games to wear out some of their energy.

The kids are pretty good...we're definitely going to have to work on a few things (speaking in English, for one, and DEFINITELY spelling and phonics), but they're sweet. They were eager to please (which was nice) but still pretty disruptive, so I'm wondering how bad it will get when they don't care about impressing me anymore. But in between telling them to flip their cards (colored cards behavior management system) I can still make them laugh and engage, so hopefully we've got a good balance working out.

Biggest thing: please be praying for my students and for the dynamics of the class. I have a number of kids who need extra support for medical, emotional, and/or language comprehension issues and I can't handle it all on my own. Pero todo puedo hacerlo con la ayuda del Jesucristo.

Dios les bendiga, mis amigos.

Honduran Bible Study

The owner of our apartment (nicknamed "Apartamento Del Sol") has a granddaughter who invited Leslie and me to their Bible study tonight, and it was fantastic. We sang "Desde Mi Interior" ("From the Inside Out") which is one of my FAVORITE worship songs, and then we discussed Philippians in both Spanish and English. Leslie doesn't speak any Spanish but very much wants to learn. She and I got to know Rene (the Bible study leader), Johanna (our landlord's granddaughter), and Alberto pretty well and it was just a great time all around. Rene's going to invite us to his barbecues and Leslie and I might have Christmas with Johanna. I also had lunch with Johanna's mom today, and she's going to teach us how to make baleadas and enchiladas.

I love it here.

Overwhelmed

OK, so I'll be honest: I'm getting nervous. As new teachers, we've been thoroughly inundated with information and it's intimidating. Everything I do, ever, has to be weighted and posted on BlackBoard. Lesson plans, assignments, grades, calendar events...all that good stuff, which is super helpful for students but confusing and painful for those us who've never been on this side of it before. We had a meeting today about how to use the new Promethean Boards (essentially Education-minded SmartBoards), and though it's an awesome and CRAZY interactive tool, it's totally foreign and all of our lessons have to be taught (and saved and posted on BlackBoard) on them. By the way, I teach 8 subjects, so that's about 5 lessons each day. We're talking intensely pre-planned weeks of lessons.

Plus, I've spent the last day cleaning out my room (ok yeah, I did get excited as I was rearranging the desks) and trying to get organized, though I'm still waiting for my classroom supplies to arrive. The first grade classes have Open House tomorrow, so they're rooms are clean and decorated and look AMAZING, and I'm not even close to being half-way done. Our Open House is this Saturday, and I've got a lot left to do before then. (Outside welcome bulletin board, inside interactive bulletin board, behavior modification chart cards, name tags, word wall, welcome letter to parents, fixing fallen posters and putting up new ones...) I know it will all get done, but right now I just want to fast forward through this first month to the day when I have some idea of what is going on.

La Llegada (The Arrival)

Hey so I made it!!! I slept the whole three hours to Houston and Michelle met me when I got there. We sat together on the flight to Tegus with a college-aged Honduran guy and talked the whole flight. It was good. We arrived on time, all our bags made it (except for my two boxes of classroom supplies I had to leave with my parents because of the embargo), and we met up with the IST leaders waiting for us on the other side of Ag inspection. I met my roomie, Leslie, and we were all dropped off at our new homes. Our home, Apartamento del Sol, is amazing. It's green on the outside and a pretty cheerful yellow on the inside, and HUGE!!! We each have our own room, our kitchen has pots and pans already, and we have a washing machine, too. We showered and changed and went to the school for a Honduran culture presentation and dinner with the administration, which turned out to be a lot like our fiesta at Mr. Bimrose's in Costa Rica. Best of all, now we have a lightning storm going on, and with our great view from our mini-balcony, we couldn't ask for anything more. 

Our vista
Family room
La cocina
My cheerful (and undecorated) room 

with free bed sheets

Last night at home

Sorry, guys, this one is going to be sans pictures.

It's 1:15 AM and my family and I are leaving for the airport in just over two hours. Yikes.

I really thought it wouldn't all start to hit me until I had to say goodbye to my parents at the airport, but nope, here it is. I'm leaving again, and this is the real deal. I'm MOVING this time. Let my two suitcases and two boxes stand as evidence. That really surprised me, by the way. I honestly thought I could fit all my own stuff into one suitcase (the boxes are for school supplies), but I totally forgot about my stuff in the bathroom and shoes. Shoes take up space, man. Half of one of my suitcases is full of sneakers and boots. In my defense, I did fit all the clothes I own (minus a few shoes, a couple jackets . . . and snow pants) into my two suitcases. That's kind of impressive, right?

I'm SO excited for tomorrow and what the Lord has planned for me this year, but I still really hate goodbyes. Asi es la vida, I guess.

El último día :o(

The last day of school has never been so sad in the history of education. 

Actually, most of the day was pretty great because I think I was in denial. The kids had a huge graduation party because they are moving on to the middle school, which means a new building, new shirts (switching from green collars for elementary school to blue collars for secondary school), and new teachers. You probably remember your transition from having one teacher all day to six or seven and leaving behind everything that's familiar to start something new and exciting. Best of times worst of times kinda thing. 













I ALMOST made it the whole day without crying. I was doing pretty well because some of the kids had been crying off and on all day, so I was becoming desensitized to it. But then, in the last couple of minutes as kids are starting to leave, my buddy Ignacio comes up to me without saying a word, wraps his arms around my waist, and buries his wet, teary face in my stomach. I lost it. So then Lulu and Montse come and cry with us and the four of us are this big sad crying hug mass and my heart just about broke into 22 pieces.

The Little Mermaid

The fifth grade puts on a musical every year, and this year we did "The Little Mermaid." The kids put a LOT of work into their songs, dances, and lines, the parents made the costumes and stage decorations, and Mitzi and I served as sort of "backstage directors," if you will.

I want to show you just how huge this thing was, and the best way is through PICTURES! (If any parents find this site, please don't be upset, I just want to brag about your children to my friends and family back home.)