WOW I cannot believe that was my last post on my blog. I have just been too busy to sit and update and post pictures or even take pictures off my camera.
Well....I've had a girls baking day at my house...I'll have to post some photos of us covered in flour.
We've been working hard at school!
Miss Carol had a week of fun parties with the students before returning to the United States to be with her son who was having surgery and who had a succesful operation and is currently recovering with all good reports at home!
I've been having classes after school and at my house in the evenings and on the weekends with my 6th grade students.
This is an important year for them, because they actually receive a diploma for completing their primary school. But I have many students who are behind. Some because they carried over Paces from last year...some because they are struggling in some of their subjects...some because futbol and girls are much more interesting than Paces....some I don't know why or how they got so behind...but here we are. And right now we have TWO weeks left to finish their work! So we are working non-stop!
I have been stressed over them for a while now....and it is only getting worse...but now I can see that some of my students are actually starting to see that if they don't get busy and really start to work they aren't going to make it. Some are responding to that reality with hard work and determination which is making me very hopeful!
And today I booked my flight back to the Texas for the holidays. It always brings mixed feelings for me. I am happy to see my family, flush my toilet paper, take a shower, and GO TO WALMART and OLD NAVY.....but I hate leaving my kids here. Even though school will be out, thinking about the end of the year brings tears.
Some of the students will go to different schools...some for financial reasons, some have selected a different school for their highschool years, and even those who will return next year, I may not be working with them as much during the day and I have gotten so attached to these 6th graders. I have never had such a stressful time of trying to get the kids to finish their work, but also a glorious time of getting to know them on a personal level, and getting to share with them, and seeing them come to me with questions and concerns. It has been a great experience.
Hopefully they won't forget all the fun times we have had this year!
And now I better get off this computer and get ready for my day because I have 4 girls who should be arriving in about an hour to work on Paces!
Oh ....and my dates in Texas are.... arriving on December 7 and returning to Honduras on January 23! See you all soon!
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Saturday was the Futbol (soccer) game between Honduras and USA. So I had a 6th girls watching party at my house. The girls were all very excited about the party. It ended up that msot of them needed a ride to my house, and then I had to take them all back home because it would be 10:00 when the game would end. So I learned the answer to the all time question.....HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN YOU FIT INTO A TOYOTA COROLLA? The answer would be TEN!It was great as we were picking up all the girls, and taking them back home, making our way through town and they were screaming at people on the street...VIVA HONDURAS! They even had me yelling! And they were singing the Honduras national anthem... we were quite a site!
The girls had a fun time, and it was one of my best memories of my time here!
Go Honduras!!
Maria Fernanda and Sandy
Beautiful Daniala!
Miss Carol cheering for her USA team!
The girls singing the Honduran anthem at the beginning of the game.
Munching on treats and chips and coke and settling in to watch the game!
Cheering for Honduras when they made a goal!
USA scored again and Miss Carol is getting her groove on in celebration!
Ready to crawl back into the car and take all 8 of the girls home! We were all sad that Honduras had lost, but that didn't stop us from showing our love for our team! As we drove through town still shouting cheers for Honduras and the girls singing!
Katherine is under all that paint! She was the one picked to sit up front on Miss Carol's lap. She was cheering out the window while the other girls were trying to get crammed into the back seat!
Getting everyone back into the car...7 girls in the backseat, Miss Carol in the front seat with Katherine on her lap.
A picture taken of my backseat! Remember there are 7 girls back there...So glad they are smiling!
Well it has been so long since I have blogged….Things have been crazy and I have been busy – with school in the day, and staying after school with the kids and two weeks ago I started with 4 nights a week that I have students coming to my house from 6:00 – 8:00. By the time the end of the week gets here I am exhausted! Physically and emotionally…the kids are probably tired of seeing me cry, but when I get more than tired I can cry at the drop of a hat…yep that’s where I am these days.
My 6th grade conversation class has been doing some experiments. Okay, so I’m not a science teacher…..we are following the directions, but not getting the exact result. But we end up having fun and some weeks making a nice mess.
These pictures are from the week we were going to blow up a balloon, by putting soap, baking soda and water into a bottle and putting the balloon on the top and supposed to blow up the balloon from the chemical reaction…..okay so that didn’t work.
We also tried to make a compass…again didn’t work, but we had fun playing with a lot of different types of magnets I had brought back from the States, and trying some different things with the magnets.
The kids decided I didn’t pick good experiments so they looked in the book and decided we should make a volcano the following week. So I brought the supplies and we first “built” the volcano with the newspapers around the soda bottle. Well that is of course after we all had a paper ball fight…me included!
Then Gina read the instructions…the students added the ingredients…and we waited….waited…waited…no erupting volcano.
Then they decided they wanted to see what was happening inside the bottle…so we ripped apart the volcano …..it was bubbling, but not an erupting volcano.
Well another dud for me! Maybe we’ll try it again…I must test it home first the next time!
4TH GRADE ART CLASS
In our art class we have been studying animals and the verse that says ..”everything that has breath praise the Lord”…..So we spent two weeks making animals – starting with a box and then letting their imagine run! The kids did a great job!
We had a bunny….dogs….turtle…and some unknown animals.
Farys and her pink bunny
Last week we made animal puppets with paper sacks - unfortunately I forgot my camera that day, but we had butterflies, a lady bug, a tiger…and a Ninja! The kids were awesome!
DASSIA’S PIZZA PARTY
At the beginning of second partial I told the 6th graders that for all who were caught up at the end of the partial we would go to Pizza Hut….well at the end of 2nd partial I had one girl who was….even being gone through part of 3rd partial in the states I gave them extra time…still I only had Dassia. So I had talked to her about what would we do for her trip to Pizza Hut….no friends had completed it. So she had asked me if we could just have a pizza party at school with the whole class.
We planned the day for the pizza party…and all the kids knew it was for Dassia’s accomplishments that we were having pizza for lunch.
Well God is so good …I never knew how much we would have to celebrate that day!
The 6th grade girls had been fighting, and were completely divided. When I would call the class together…there would be this invisible wall dividing the girls. I had talked with them one day and heard everyone’s version of what had happened….and I had been praying for them that they would be able to resolve their differences and be friends again. It was Friday, the day of the pizza party and I wondered what would happen, how could we have a party together when the girls were split, 3 and 6…..that morning the girls asked me for a time that they could all get together and talk. Miss Cristy had asked Miss Dinora to sit down with them to talk through things but this was the day that parents were coming for report cards so there was no time for this to happen. I went to Miss Cristy wondering what we could do …she came to me and said Mr. Alan wanted to see the girls. They relunctantly went to a classroom with Mr. Alan and about 30 minutes later they emerged, walking down the patio with their arms around girls they hadn’t spoken to in days, all crying and laughing!
One of the girls told me “Miss we are all laughing about how silly we were being!” So I had been worried about the pizza party to celebrate Dassia’s accomplishments…and it was all in God’s timing as we had more to celebrate! We celebrated friendship that day too!
Daniela even made a chocolate cake the night before to bring and share during the pizza lunch. It was a perfect day!
KAREN’S B IRTHDAY PARTY
It was a fun day of food and gifts and of course birthday cake!
….and of course the birthday girl’s face in the cake!
SAMSON’S NEW FRIEND!
One morning I was awoken by Samson barking and barking and barking! I was very irritated because I had about 20 minutes before my alarm was set to go off. Normally if there is a person he doesn’t like walking by, he will bark but then the person is gone and he is quiet…or a stray dog comes by and he barks for a second but that’s it. But this morning he was barking and barking and barking and he was not relenting! I finally, out of frustration, got up and looked out my bedroom window…and this is what I saw!
In the field across from me there are always horses and cows over there feeding and normally Samson isn’t bothered by them. But on this morning the horse had come over to my fence and they were nose to nose. It was funny as I sat and watched them for a while. The horse was putting his nose through my fence and Samson had his nose to his and was barking like crazy, but it wasn’t a “I want to eat you because you are in my yard” kind of bark…it was more of a “I want to get to know you because you look like me and kind of smell like me but you are 3 times as big as me – what are 
you and can you be my friend?” kind of bark.
Saturday, October 03, 2009
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSHUA!!!
Today is Joshua's 21st birthday. It is so hard being away from my son on special days, and then there are always those whispers of guilt telling me I have deserted him. Those whispers are sounding off in between my tears of just wishing I could be there to spend this special day with him.
I am so thankful for my sister and brother-in-law who drove most of the day Friday to arrive in Kansas, to have dinner with Josh and spend the evening with him, and take him to breakfast on his birthday, and who are now driving back home to Texas.
I pray that Joshua will be blessed beyond words today on his birthday and will know how much his mom loves him, even though I can't be there with him!
I am so very proud of my son, my little boy, my strong young man, my friend, my 21-year old, my son the soldier!
Happy Birthday Joshua!
Today is Joshua's 21st birthday. It is so hard being away from my son on special days, and then there are always those whispers of guilt telling me I have deserted him. Those whispers are sounding off in between my tears of just wishing I could be there to spend this special day with him.
I am so thankful for my sister and brother-in-law who drove most of the day Friday to arrive in Kansas, to have dinner with Josh and spend the evening with him, and take him to breakfast on his birthday, and who are now driving back home to Texas.
I pray that Joshua will be blessed beyond words today on his birthday and will know how much his mom loves him, even though I can't be there with him!
I am so very proud of my son, my little boy, my strong young man, my friend, my 21-year old, my son the soldier!
Happy Birthday Joshua!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Sunday I got up to get ready for my day of driving to Tegucigalpa to pick up Annette and Carol from the airport.
I should have known I was in for some kind of a day when as soon as I began to dry my hair the power went out. It is not uncommon for the power to be turned off and Sunday is a typical day for this to happen, more people are home, not as many businesses are running...but it was only 8:00 and I wanted to dry my hair.
Well there would be no hairstyling that day!
I headed out about 9:00 to go to the airport. I made great time there, met Carol and Annette and we decided to go to Chili's for lunch.
So we went there, had a wonderful lunch and sat and visited for a while. We left....drove through the city and got on the highway and out of the city almost 3:00.
The traffic was barely moving and all we could see ahead of us was a long line of cars. Not normal! Especially not on a Sunday. So we kept putzing along wondering what is going on.
Well about 10 minutes out of the city is a very large cemetery up on a hill...and as we came closer to the cemetary we could see cars and cars lining the side of the highway. There must have been a very important funeral going on because there were tons of cars and people and that had caused this long line of backed up traffic. It picked up a bit when we passed the cemetery, but there was still bumper to bumper traffic for quite a while.
We finally spread out a bit...but still there was so much traffic to try and pass and get around, more cars than normal it took so long to get to a point where you could just drive!
We finally made it and I felt good...looking at my watch because I knew I wanted to be down out of the mountain before the sun set.
We had a pretty good trip the rest of the way home...only having to make our way around the road construction....and then...boom!
I hit something in the road and it sliced my tire.
We pulled over and got out of the car to see the tire...it's dead! Now I have a spare tire but no jack (I must buy a workable jack!). Annette sees within walking distance up the road a little shack on the other side of the highway with a sign for tires. So she walks up there....they have used tires, and they say they can help me if I can drive my car over to their little place. About that time the sky opens up and the rain pours out of the clouds!
We all get back in the car and I slowly inch up the road on the shoulder, and wait for a break in the traffic so I can wobble across the highway.
I make it...and we sit with these guys to try and wait out the rain a bit. It finally lightens up enough that they decide they can put my spare tire on. Now this is a place that sells used tires, but they do not have a jack! They are in worse shape than I am. But somehow they changed the tire...we decided we were better off not knowing!
They put my spare on, threw the slit tire in my truck and put back all our luggage and we were back on the road...in the downpour!
We did make it home....I was so happy to finally see Comayagua!
With the funeral and the traffic and the tire incident, it took us almost 3 hours to get home! Double the time it should take!
What a day! But we had many things to be thankful for....
...I got down out of the mountain before dark and before the downpour of rain
...we got the flat in a safe part of the road where there was a shoulder to pull off on, not just the edge of a mountain
...we got a flat near a place where they could change my tire
And as Elaine just reminded me...another praise....I was not alone, but with Annette and Carol. Makes things like this much easier to handle when you are with friends!
It was a long, stressful, drive home, but I am thankful that even in the midst of the craziness God was taking care of each one of us! He never said we would not have any trouble, or life would be smooth and easy, or that we could just skate by without a care....but He does promise that he will always be with us...and yesterday He was!
We had troubles, and we had difficulties, but nothing that we couldn't handle!
I should have known I was in for some kind of a day when as soon as I began to dry my hair the power went out. It is not uncommon for the power to be turned off and Sunday is a typical day for this to happen, more people are home, not as many businesses are running...but it was only 8:00 and I wanted to dry my hair.
Well there would be no hairstyling that day!
I headed out about 9:00 to go to the airport. I made great time there, met Carol and Annette and we decided to go to Chili's for lunch.
So we went there, had a wonderful lunch and sat and visited for a while. We left....drove through the city and got on the highway and out of the city almost 3:00.
The traffic was barely moving and all we could see ahead of us was a long line of cars. Not normal! Especially not on a Sunday. So we kept putzing along wondering what is going on.
Well about 10 minutes out of the city is a very large cemetery up on a hill...and as we came closer to the cemetary we could see cars and cars lining the side of the highway. There must have been a very important funeral going on because there were tons of cars and people and that had caused this long line of backed up traffic. It picked up a bit when we passed the cemetery, but there was still bumper to bumper traffic for quite a while.
We finally spread out a bit...but still there was so much traffic to try and pass and get around, more cars than normal it took so long to get to a point where you could just drive!
We finally made it and I felt good...looking at my watch because I knew I wanted to be down out of the mountain before the sun set.
We had a pretty good trip the rest of the way home...only having to make our way around the road construction....and then...boom!
I hit something in the road and it sliced my tire.
We pulled over and got out of the car to see the tire...it's dead! Now I have a spare tire but no jack (I must buy a workable jack!). Annette sees within walking distance up the road a little shack on the other side of the highway with a sign for tires. So she walks up there....they have used tires, and they say they can help me if I can drive my car over to their little place. About that time the sky opens up and the rain pours out of the clouds!
We all get back in the car and I slowly inch up the road on the shoulder, and wait for a break in the traffic so I can wobble across the highway.
I make it...and we sit with these guys to try and wait out the rain a bit. It finally lightens up enough that they decide they can put my spare tire on. Now this is a place that sells used tires, but they do not have a jack! They are in worse shape than I am. But somehow they changed the tire...we decided we were better off not knowing!
They put my spare on, threw the slit tire in my truck and put back all our luggage and we were back on the road...in the downpour!
We did make it home....I was so happy to finally see Comayagua!
With the funeral and the traffic and the tire incident, it took us almost 3 hours to get home! Double the time it should take!
What a day! But we had many things to be thankful for....
...I got down out of the mountain before dark and before the downpour of rain
...we got the flat in a safe part of the road where there was a shoulder to pull off on, not just the edge of a mountain
...we got a flat near a place where they could change my tire
And as Elaine just reminded me...another praise....I was not alone, but with Annette and Carol. Makes things like this much easier to handle when you are with friends!
It was a long, stressful, drive home, but I am thankful that even in the midst of the craziness God was taking care of each one of us! He never said we would not have any trouble, or life would be smooth and easy, or that we could just skate by without a care....but He does promise that he will always be with us...and yesterday He was!
We had troubles, and we had difficulties, but nothing that we couldn't handle!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
With a week of vacation today was my one day that I had planned for myself....to relax...and do some things I enjoy just for me. HA!
My rent is due on the 15th of each month, so I had gone Monday evening to the bank to withdraw the money I needed to pay my owner, 4,000 lemperas. I counted it at the ATM, yep it was all there. Put it in my wallet and came home. That evening or maybe the next morning I put it in my envelope in my closet with my receipts for September (my bookkeeping system - ha!). Normally the owner comes to the school to collect my rent, so I wasn't sure when I would see him this week.
This morning I slept in, stayed in bed until almost 9:00...wonderful!
I got up, got on the computer for a minute...enjoying being in my living room in my jammies smelling the wonderful jasmine blooms from my front bushes, happy I have nowhere to be this morning.....then was reading through a science experiment book to find a fun experiment to do on Tuesday with my 6th graders during conversation class (their request)....when I hear someone tapping at my outside gate. Well I am in my jammies, and not prepared to receive guests...and I am thinking it is probably someone begging for money, or the gaurd coming to collect for October early...so I will just ignore it and continue with my lazy Saturday morning.
A bit later I hear someone tapping again and now I hear my name...oh no it must be the owner coming to collect the rent. So I run to my room to get dressed and grab his money from my envelope. I pull it out and count it....3,500...what! No, that can't be right. So I count it again., 3,500....I get dressed and count again....still 3,500. Oh no! I look through my receipts, in another envelope, no other money, and I have no cash other than about 30 lemperas in my house!
So I go outside with my 3,500 lemperas and he smiles and hands me my receipt. I am so embarrassed and upset my Spanish brain has completely shut down! I finally get him to count it and frantically tell him I had 4,000 lemperas and now I cannot find it in my house! I am so sorry!
He is so nice...God has certainly blessed me with a nice house and a nice owner who just smiles at me! I tell him I will go to the bank now, so I grab my car and we hop in to run to the bank, I am thinking I can just go to the ATM and get out 500 lemperas. .....
NO!!!! Nothing can be that easy! The machine is down, which means I must go inside the bank to use my debit card and get the rest of his rent money. That would be alright EXCEPT I HAVE NOT HAD A SHOWER....I HAVE NOT BRUSHED MY TEETH...I BARELY COMBED MY HAIR....I HAVE ON NO MAKE UP....
Being a Saturday morning there is a long line of people inside. I know they must all be looking at me and thinking she smells....she needs her hair colored look at those gray roots.....and she looks so old with no make-up....and what is that bad breath smell????? Oh it is the gringo!
Well I got his money and apologized again and again....lo siento lo siento!!! I am now back home and thankful that is over, and very thankful that I did not see anyone I knew in the bank!
This blog with not have a picture.....and thank God there is no scratch and sniff! LOL!
What a morning! Not as I had planned...but it all worked out in the end....the rest of my day will hopefully go better. I am looking forward to my appointment at 1:00 with Glenda to color those gray roots and get a pedicure from Ana!
My rent is due on the 15th of each month, so I had gone Monday evening to the bank to withdraw the money I needed to pay my owner, 4,000 lemperas. I counted it at the ATM, yep it was all there. Put it in my wallet and came home. That evening or maybe the next morning I put it in my envelope in my closet with my receipts for September (my bookkeeping system - ha!). Normally the owner comes to the school to collect my rent, so I wasn't sure when I would see him this week.
This morning I slept in, stayed in bed until almost 9:00...wonderful!
I got up, got on the computer for a minute...enjoying being in my living room in my jammies smelling the wonderful jasmine blooms from my front bushes, happy I have nowhere to be this morning.....then was reading through a science experiment book to find a fun experiment to do on Tuesday with my 6th graders during conversation class (their request)....when I hear someone tapping at my outside gate. Well I am in my jammies, and not prepared to receive guests...and I am thinking it is probably someone begging for money, or the gaurd coming to collect for October early...so I will just ignore it and continue with my lazy Saturday morning.
A bit later I hear someone tapping again and now I hear my name...oh no it must be the owner coming to collect the rent. So I run to my room to get dressed and grab his money from my envelope. I pull it out and count it....3,500...what! No, that can't be right. So I count it again., 3,500....I get dressed and count again....still 3,500. Oh no! I look through my receipts, in another envelope, no other money, and I have no cash other than about 30 lemperas in my house!
So I go outside with my 3,500 lemperas and he smiles and hands me my receipt. I am so embarrassed and upset my Spanish brain has completely shut down! I finally get him to count it and frantically tell him I had 4,000 lemperas and now I cannot find it in my house! I am so sorry!
He is so nice...God has certainly blessed me with a nice house and a nice owner who just smiles at me! I tell him I will go to the bank now, so I grab my car and we hop in to run to the bank, I am thinking I can just go to the ATM and get out 500 lemperas. .....
NO!!!! Nothing can be that easy! The machine is down, which means I must go inside the bank to use my debit card and get the rest of his rent money. That would be alright EXCEPT I HAVE NOT HAD A SHOWER....I HAVE NOT BRUSHED MY TEETH...I BARELY COMBED MY HAIR....I HAVE ON NO MAKE UP....
Being a Saturday morning there is a long line of people inside. I know they must all be looking at me and thinking she smells....she needs her hair colored look at those gray roots.....and she looks so old with no make-up....and what is that bad breath smell????? Oh it is the gringo!
Well I got his money and apologized again and again....lo siento lo siento!!! I am now back home and thankful that is over, and very thankful that I did not see anyone I knew in the bank!
This blog with not have a picture.....and thank God there is no scratch and sniff! LOL!
What a morning! Not as I had planned...but it all worked out in the end....the rest of my day will hopefully go better. I am looking forward to my appointment at 1:00 with Glenda to color those gray roots and get a pedicure from Ana!
Friday, September 18, 2009
TGIF!!!!
Well today was 6th grade Learning Center in my living room. Yea, not a great idea! Maybe all girls...or all boys...but with the group of kids I had we didn't get much work done. I had a few who really wanted to work... but my two boys were here because their moms made them come. So they were not a good mix. But it was fun to see everyone!
Not much was accomplished today....two tests was passed....a few math pages were worked. Some serious talks and decisions to be made about committing to me and to themselves to work and finish their year. Without their commitment, I can't make it happen.
A lot of food was eaten...one Pace was lost...and then found..but only after everyone was accused of throwing it on the roof and I was trying to see on my roof to see if it was there. And there it was in the couch all the time! Girls!
I'm glad the "vacation" is over...and tomorrow I really am taking vacation...sleeping in and then going to Glenda's to have my hair colored and a pedicure! Next week will be back to school and I will be happy to be back to class and with my kids again!
It was hard today to try and keep them working...because I wanted to play as much as they did!
Thankful I survived the week!
Well today was 6th grade Learning Center in my living room. Yea, not a great idea! Maybe all girls...or all boys...but with the group of kids I had we didn't get much work done. I had a few who really wanted to work... but my two boys were here because their moms made them come. So they were not a good mix. But it was fun to see everyone!
Not much was accomplished today....two tests was passed....a few math pages were worked. Some serious talks and decisions to be made about committing to me and to themselves to work and finish their year. Without their commitment, I can't make it happen.
A lot of food was eaten...one Pace was lost...and then found..but only after everyone was accused of throwing it on the roof and I was trying to see on my roof to see if it was there. And there it was in the couch all the time! Girls!
I'm glad the "vacation" is over...and tomorrow I really am taking vacation...sleeping in and then going to Glenda's to have my hair colored and a pedicure! Next week will be back to school and I will be happy to be back to class and with my kids again!
It was hard today to try and keep them working...because I wanted to play as much as they did!
Thankful I survived the week!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Thursday...Day 4 of Vacation
This morning I headed to Maria Fernanda's house at about 10:30. Karen arrived shortly after I did. So the three of us sat outside and worked on Paces.
A little while later Maria's mom announced that lunch was ready. WOW! To me lunch is a sandwich and a piece of fruit....not here! Her mom served a delicious lunch of chicken with a wonderful mushroom sauce, rice and the vegetables were beets and cucumbers, and a small square of Honduran cheese. I cleaned my plate! It was all delicious!
I usually don't eat beets - it's one of those things that bring back horrible childhood memories, of soggy mushy purple things and then the eggs that have been soaked in the beet juice....awful memories! But this was so delicious!
Our afternoon snack was freshly made lemonade!
I am totally getting spoiled this week! Next week when we are back at school I will be back to not eating lunch or trying to eat some fruit as I work on giving out 6th grade homework assignments...and staying after school to work on Paces, and not get home until late and being too tired to do more than make a scrambled egg or grilled cheese sandwich for dinner. I will remember and dream about the wonderful lunches I have gotten to eat this week at Katherine's and Karen's and Maria's homes!
Tomorrow I am having as many as will come of my 6th graders to my house to work. I am hoping for the 7 who I have heard from or that Karen has talked to .... I'm planning an easy lunch of spaghetti...I have snacks of chips, fruit, cookies and banana bread. Hopefully we will do more than just eat tomorrow!
I have sure enjoyed spending time with some of my students this week. Some days at school they make you crazy...but I love them all so much! I miss the kids I haven't seen this week!
Saturday I am actually going to have vacation!!! I am looking forward to sleeping in and then at 1:00 I have an appointment at Glenda's salon to get my hair colored and treating myself to a pedicure! After this crazy week I am sure I will fall asleep in the chair as Ana gives me my pedicure! It will be so wonderful!
This morning I headed to Maria Fernanda's house at about 10:30. Karen arrived shortly after I did. So the three of us sat outside and worked on Paces.
A little while later Maria's mom announced that lunch was ready. WOW! To me lunch is a sandwich and a piece of fruit....not here! Her mom served a delicious lunch of chicken with a wonderful mushroom sauce, rice and the vegetables were beets and cucumbers, and a small square of Honduran cheese. I cleaned my plate! It was all delicious!
I usually don't eat beets - it's one of those things that bring back horrible childhood memories, of soggy mushy purple things and then the eggs that have been soaked in the beet juice....awful memories! But this was so delicious!
Our afternoon snack was freshly made lemonade!
I am totally getting spoiled this week! Next week when we are back at school I will be back to not eating lunch or trying to eat some fruit as I work on giving out 6th grade homework assignments...and staying after school to work on Paces, and not get home until late and being too tired to do more than make a scrambled egg or grilled cheese sandwich for dinner. I will remember and dream about the wonderful lunches I have gotten to eat this week at Katherine's and Karen's and Maria's homes!
Tomorrow I am having as many as will come of my 6th graders to my house to work. I am hoping for the 7 who I have heard from or that Karen has talked to .... I'm planning an easy lunch of spaghetti...I have snacks of chips, fruit, cookies and banana bread. Hopefully we will do more than just eat tomorrow!
I have sure enjoyed spending time with some of my students this week. Some days at school they make you crazy...but I love them all so much! I miss the kids I haven't seen this week!
Saturday I am actually going to have vacation!!! I am looking forward to sleeping in and then at 1:00 I have an appointment at Glenda's salon to get my hair colored and treating myself to a pedicure! After this crazy week I am sure I will fall asleep in the chair as Ana gives me my pedicure! It will be so wonderful!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Wednesday.... Day 3 of Vacation
My mountain get away....at Katherine's house!
This morning I headed to Katherine's again. I arrived at her grandma's house to leave my car and her grandma walked with me to Katherine's because I wasn't sure if I could remember the way. When we arrived grandmother was hot and tired and stayed a bit to rest and have a cool drink. I told Katherine, and she translated for her grandmother, that I had hoped that over vacation I could go somewhere, hike up a mountain and spend some time enjoying the beauty here....and even though I didn't go anywhere, God gave me what I had wanted, as I hike up the side of the mountain to Katherine's house and I can sit outside with her and enjoy the beauty around us. I told her how much I love coming to her house. She thought I was crazy for liking where her house is, but I think it is peaceful there.
Katherine took her Math test, finished her English Pace and took her English test, passing both!
Afterward, I headed to Karen's where we began working on Math. Maria arrived also with her Paces. Maria is loving her new Math Pace as it has introduced a new concept, variables, and she is enjoying solving these new problems! She is very excited to be the furthest in Math Paces in her class! Go Maria Fernanda!!!!
Karen took THREE tests today and passed them all! She is working like a crazy woman! But so happy about it! She has a lot of work to do to complete her year, but she is motivated to work and really wants to complete her Paces!
I had a wonderful lunch at Karen's house that her mom prepared for me. How sweet! They really do make me feel special!
Tomorrow I will be heading to Maria Fernanda's house for more Math and English Paces and hopefully a test or two!
Friday I am calling the kids together to have a work day on Paces at Miss Stephanie's house. I am hoping they will all come!
I am attaching some pictures I took today at Katherine's house! My vacation spot!!! :)
Katherine's little sister yesterday, pretending to get married!
I loved watching Genesis play today. She didn't need toys or videos or games or even tv shows to keep her occupied. She played with a sheet, a hanger, a towel and her mom's jacket. She hung things on the hanger and sang and wore the sheet on her head and pretended again to be getting married with her novio .....I loved watching her use her imagination as she played while Katherine and I worked on Paces.
The view from the porch where we worked
Part of Katherine's house and you can see there isn't much further to go to reach the top.
My mountain get away....at Katherine's house!
This morning I headed to Katherine's again. I arrived at her grandma's house to leave my car and her grandma walked with me to Katherine's because I wasn't sure if I could remember the way. When we arrived grandmother was hot and tired and stayed a bit to rest and have a cool drink. I told Katherine, and she translated for her grandmother, that I had hoped that over vacation I could go somewhere, hike up a mountain and spend some time enjoying the beauty here....and even though I didn't go anywhere, God gave me what I had wanted, as I hike up the side of the mountain to Katherine's house and I can sit outside with her and enjoy the beauty around us. I told her how much I love coming to her house. She thought I was crazy for liking where her house is, but I think it is peaceful there.
Katherine took her Math test, finished her English Pace and took her English test, passing both!
Afterward, I headed to Karen's where we began working on Math. Maria arrived also with her Paces. Maria is loving her new Math Pace as it has introduced a new concept, variables, and she is enjoying solving these new problems! She is very excited to be the furthest in Math Paces in her class! Go Maria Fernanda!!!!
Karen took THREE tests today and passed them all! She is working like a crazy woman! But so happy about it! She has a lot of work to do to complete her year, but she is motivated to work and really wants to complete her Paces!
I had a wonderful lunch at Karen's house that her mom prepared for me. How sweet! They really do make me feel special!
Tomorrow I will be heading to Maria Fernanda's house for more Math and English Paces and hopefully a test or two!
Friday I am calling the kids together to have a work day on Paces at Miss Stephanie's house. I am hoping they will all come!
I am attaching some pictures I took today at Katherine's house! My vacation spot!!! :)
Katherine's little sister yesterday, pretending to get married!
I loved watching Genesis play today. She didn't need toys or videos or games or even tv shows to keep her occupied. She played with a sheet, a hanger, a towel and her mom's jacket. She hung things on the hanger and sang and wore the sheet on her head and pretended again to be getting married with her novio .....I loved watching her use her imagination as she played while Katherine and I worked on Paces.
The view from the porch where we worked
Part of Katherine's house and you can see there isn't much further to go to reach the top.
Cars....gotta love em!
Last night when I came home I pulled the door handle to open my car door so I could get out and open my gate...only to have my door handle crumble into about 8 pieces.
So now, to get out of my car I have to roll down my window and open it from the outside.
JOY!
What is really funny, is that several months ago the outside handle on the passenger door did the same thing. So now each door has part of a working handle.
But I am still thankful that I have a car to get around...it drives good and is able to carry me around Comayagua and to nearby cities to visit friends and pick friends up from the airport....so all is good!
Just another thing to laugh about!
Last night when I came home I pulled the door handle to open my car door so I could get out and open my gate...only to have my door handle crumble into about 8 pieces.
So now, to get out of my car I have to roll down my window and open it from the outside.
JOY!
What is really funny, is that several months ago the outside handle on the passenger door did the same thing. So now each door has part of a working handle.
But I am still thankful that I have a car to get around...it drives good and is able to carry me around Comayagua and to nearby cities to visit friends and pick friends up from the airport....so all is good!
Just another thing to laugh about!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Vacation!
So this week we are on vacation. Today was Honduras' Day of Independence. There are many holidays during September.
Well while others are celebrating this week many of our kids are working hard. Why they wait until the end of the year to kick into gear, I don't know. But this is what they do. I even tried motivating 6th grade by offering a pizza party at the half-way mark if they had completed their first two partials...only one student completed.
So now that we are about to start our final partial they are all beginning to feel the pressure. Even though their teachers have been stressed out over them for months!
So this week Henry has high school students coming to his house working on Paces, mainly 10th grade and 11th grade (11th grade is a combination of the U.S. 11th & 12th grade).
Some of my 6th graders have been calling me for help this week...so I have been working with students all week.
Monday I had Fernando at my house all day and he almost finished his entire Math Pace - way to go Mini Tino!
Maria came Monday afternoon and finished her Math Pace and took her Math test. When her mom, came to pick her up she invited me to come to her house to work with Maria later this week and asked if I could come early to have lunch with them. So Thursday I will be at Maria's house.
This morning I went to Katherine's house to work on her Math Pace. (None of my kids like Math!) I loved being at her house! She lives in a barrio that is crazy to drive in .... very narrow streets, and some streets you can't drive through ...I met her at her grandmother's house, which is way up on a hill, but is on a drivable paved street. So we parked my car there and walked to her house, because it is way up a jaggedy dirt path - not drivable by a car. I loved it at her house...we sat on the porch outside to work and it is so pretty with the breeze and the trees and being up the mountain. One of her friends came to the house, she wanted to see her teacher who Katherine had told her about. I was greeted with hugs from her little cousins and a big hug from her sister Genesis who also attends Ruach.
I was honored when her mom asked if I would like to have lunch with them. She had prepared the traditional Honduran soup. (I had been smelling it cooking all morning!) It is similar to an American vegetable soup. My first instinct is to say "no thank you", not because I don't want to eat the food she has prepared but because I feel like I have come to serve, come to help, and I feel guilty for taking from the families here. But I am reminded that it is not polite and considered rude here to say "no thank you" . . . I don't feel worthy, I don't feel deserving of their gift. But I accept and am truly touched by the hospitality of the families here!
I am going back to Katherine's in the morning for her to take her Math test and get her next Math Pace.
After I finished enjoying my lunch with Katherine it was back down the hill to get my car and head off to the Mall Premier to meet Karen to go to her grandma's house to work. When I arrived they were sad to hear that I had already eaten lunch with Katherine.
Karen and I worked on her Paces and I am going back tomorrow also, for her to complete 3 Paces and take her tests.
Karen told me to be sure not to eat lunch at Katherine's so that I could have lunch with her at her grandma's house.
I feel so special! Yes this is my vacation, no I'm not relaxing, I'm not resting, I'm not laying in a beach chair next to the water sipping a tropical drink.....but I am doing what I love and spending time with the kids that I love!
I will continue to post about my Vacation Adventures this week!
So this week we are on vacation. Today was Honduras' Day of Independence. There are many holidays during September.
Well while others are celebrating this week many of our kids are working hard. Why they wait until the end of the year to kick into gear, I don't know. But this is what they do. I even tried motivating 6th grade by offering a pizza party at the half-way mark if they had completed their first two partials...only one student completed.
So now that we are about to start our final partial they are all beginning to feel the pressure. Even though their teachers have been stressed out over them for months!
So this week Henry has high school students coming to his house working on Paces, mainly 10th grade and 11th grade (11th grade is a combination of the U.S. 11th & 12th grade).
Some of my 6th graders have been calling me for help this week...so I have been working with students all week.
Monday I had Fernando at my house all day and he almost finished his entire Math Pace - way to go Mini Tino!
Maria came Monday afternoon and finished her Math Pace and took her Math test. When her mom, came to pick her up she invited me to come to her house to work with Maria later this week and asked if I could come early to have lunch with them. So Thursday I will be at Maria's house.
This morning I went to Katherine's house to work on her Math Pace. (None of my kids like Math!) I loved being at her house! She lives in a barrio that is crazy to drive in .... very narrow streets, and some streets you can't drive through ...I met her at her grandmother's house, which is way up on a hill, but is on a drivable paved street. So we parked my car there and walked to her house, because it is way up a jaggedy dirt path - not drivable by a car. I loved it at her house...we sat on the porch outside to work and it is so pretty with the breeze and the trees and being up the mountain. One of her friends came to the house, she wanted to see her teacher who Katherine had told her about. I was greeted with hugs from her little cousins and a big hug from her sister Genesis who also attends Ruach.
I was honored when her mom asked if I would like to have lunch with them. She had prepared the traditional Honduran soup. (I had been smelling it cooking all morning!) It is similar to an American vegetable soup. My first instinct is to say "no thank you", not because I don't want to eat the food she has prepared but because I feel like I have come to serve, come to help, and I feel guilty for taking from the families here. But I am reminded that it is not polite and considered rude here to say "no thank you" . . . I don't feel worthy, I don't feel deserving of their gift. But I accept and am truly touched by the hospitality of the families here!
I am going back to Katherine's in the morning for her to take her Math test and get her next Math Pace.
After I finished enjoying my lunch with Katherine it was back down the hill to get my car and head off to the Mall Premier to meet Karen to go to her grandma's house to work. When I arrived they were sad to hear that I had already eaten lunch with Katherine.
Karen and I worked on her Paces and I am going back tomorrow also, for her to complete 3 Paces and take her tests.
Karen told me to be sure not to eat lunch at Katherine's so that I could have lunch with her at her grandma's house.
I feel so special! Yes this is my vacation, no I'm not relaxing, I'm not resting, I'm not laying in a beach chair next to the water sipping a tropical drink.....but I am doing what I love and spending time with the kids that I love!
I will continue to post about my Vacation Adventures this week!
We celebrated Dia de Nino (Day of the Child) on September 10. It was a lot of fun! We had food, and games, gifts and pinatas, and time to just hang out with friends and visit. It was a lot of work for the Spanish teachers....I got to hang with the kids but Miss Kristy and Miss Mary Cruz did all the work to prepare!
5th graders hanging out waiting for the party to get started.
Katherine looking so cool! With the shades and the hat....I told her she looked like a biker chic ready to hop on the back of a Harley with her cute boyfriend!
4th graders!
Gabriel...aka Dr. Brainiac....aka Dr. Lagos... One day he may be performing brain surgery or finding a cure for cancer or helping sick people who cannot afford to go to the big city for treatment...and I can say I was his teacher! Love this guy!
Katherine's little sister , Genesis, who is in Kinder. She is sooo cute and looks so much like Katherine! She is a real cutey!
The 3rd & 4th graders had Burger King for lunch...which came with the awesome masks! Andres and David Arturo are showing me their cool super hero moves!
Dassia and Miss Kristy's daughter, who the kids started calling "Mini Miss Kristy" She is so cute!
Yea, they may be in 6th grade, and they may think they are all cool and grown up and sophisticated and with their cool clothes and their boyfriends and their cell phones and their music ...but give them a pinata full of candy and they become kids again! I love these guys!
Katherine's pile of candy! I was at her house today and they are still eating on this candy.
This little guy has the biggest beautiful eyes!
Miss Candy has some of the cutest kids in her Kinder class! The little guy in the middle is so adorable and everyone loves him! I can't wait to see him as he grows up over the years.
Miss Candy had some music playing outside her classroom, and as soon as the song came on that the kids had learned a dance to this year, they began dancing. I love it!
Ivis, Josue and Hanssel. Josue and Hanssel look so nice in their new outfits.
David Arturo and Andres. David and his younger brother Josue got new clothes in celebration of the day of the child. He was so proud to show me his new outfit.
The 6th graders have been practicing this skit for weeks. They were excited to perform this day.
Fernando - PREACHING!
He is taking after his big brother.
These are the gifts bags Mary Cruz and Carol made for the 3rd and 4th graders. Mary Cruz is so creative! She made these gift bags out of pieces of construction paper and yarn, then decorated them and put each child's name on their bag. The kids loved them!
My 6th grade boys chillin and listening to music.
Nicole has this beautiful natural curly hair. I remember last year her mom fixed her hair this way on the Day of the Child too. She loves it when her mom fixes her hair this way. It is so pretty...and I love to play with her ringlets!
The tables decorated by Miss Kristy for the 5th and 6th graders
5th graders hanging out waiting for the party to get started.
Katherine looking so cool! With the shades and the hat....I told her she looked like a biker chic ready to hop on the back of a Harley with her cute boyfriend!
4th graders!
Gabriel...aka Dr. Brainiac....aka Dr. Lagos... One day he may be performing brain surgery or finding a cure for cancer or helping sick people who cannot afford to go to the big city for treatment...and I can say I was his teacher! Love this guy!
Katherine's little sister , Genesis, who is in Kinder. She is sooo cute and looks so much like Katherine! She is a real cutey!
The 3rd & 4th graders had Burger King for lunch...which came with the awesome masks! Andres and David Arturo are showing me their cool super hero moves!
Dassia and Miss Kristy's daughter, who the kids started calling "Mini Miss Kristy" She is so cute!
Yea, they may be in 6th grade, and they may think they are all cool and grown up and sophisticated and with their cool clothes and their boyfriends and their cell phones and their music ...but give them a pinata full of candy and they become kids again! I love these guys!
Katherine's pile of candy! I was at her house today and they are still eating on this candy.
This little guy has the biggest beautiful eyes!
Miss Candy has some of the cutest kids in her Kinder class! The little guy in the middle is so adorable and everyone loves him! I can't wait to see him as he grows up over the years.
Miss Candy had some music playing outside her classroom, and as soon as the song came on that the kids had learned a dance to this year, they began dancing. I love it!
Ivis, Josue and Hanssel. Josue and Hanssel look so nice in their new outfits.
David Arturo and Andres. David and his younger brother Josue got new clothes in celebration of the day of the child. He was so proud to show me his new outfit.
The 6th graders have been practicing this skit for weeks. They were excited to perform this day.
Fernando - PREACHING!He is taking after his big brother.
These are the gifts bags Mary Cruz and Carol made for the 3rd and 4th graders. Mary Cruz is so creative! She made these gift bags out of pieces of construction paper and yarn, then decorated them and put each child's name on their bag. The kids loved them!
My 6th grade boys chillin and listening to music.
Nicole has this beautiful natural curly hair. I remember last year her mom fixed her hair this way on the Day of the Child too. She loves it when her mom fixes her hair this way. It is so pretty...and I love to play with her ringlets!
The tables decorated by Miss Kristy for the 5th and 6th graders
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