- Yesterday, we had an earthquake. Usually they aren't very strong. In fact, I usually don't feel them unless I'm sitting down. However, this one was long and strong! I was actually at a restaurant on the side of the mountain with two friends. I was sitting in a chair that overlooked the entire city. So my friends and I quickly got up and ran to a grassy area. Betty said all of the windows at the house were rattling. Other people had picture frames fall down! Kind of crazy!
- School is definitely back in full swing. The honeymoon phase of great behavior is over...unfortunately!
- I have started tutoring a 2nd grader for 30 minutes twice a week. I had him write a story about his dog, and he ended up writing a story about a dog named Pepitotito who saves someone from a robber! I had trouble following his story, so I think we have a lot of work ahead of us!
- Last week, a sweet 6th grade girl asked me if I was going to stay and teach next year. I said I wasn't sure yet, and she said, "Well...if you leave, we might get a teacher worse than you!" I don't think it came out the way she wanted it to!
- The weekend before school started, I went with two teachers to some naturally hot pools outside Xela. They were so, so relaxing! One of the teachers that went is actually Guatemalan. Guatemalans only have to pay Q25, while everyone else has to pay Q50. However, guides get in for free. So, he tried to pass as our guide, but the ticket guy wasn't buying it, maybe because I was laughing! Oops! Guatemala is pretty conservative, as in women don't wear shorts. So, one of the teachers and I were unsure how much we needed to wear...until we saw a woman topless. Then I figured my one piece swimsuit and shorts would be just fine!
- I do miss family and friends in the U.S., but I'm learning to be present with the people I'm with, wherever I am!
- God is so great, and I am thankful to Him! In Bible we are talking about prayer. God has been challenging me to seek out what it means to pray continually. Earlier this week, I was getting stressed with lesson planning. I prayed, asking God to figure out what we should do! He did, which reminded me that I need to trust Him with the daily things as much as I do with the bigger things. Sometimes it's much easier for me to ask Him when I have a big/important decision to make...Should I stay here next year? If so, how long? If not, what's next? Too often I depend on myself to make the "smaller" decisions. Yet, I think He wants to be in all that I do...big and small!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Update
Just a few quick updates...
Oh NO! The JELL-O!
On Friday, the 6th graders presented projects about climate in their science class, the hour right before I teach them math. Three girls gave a presentation about El Niño/La Niña using blue JELL-O with white icing. After they presented they passed out plates of JELL-O to every student. I was in the teacher lounge, and they even brought some to me. I had a bite, but I thought it tasted a bit weird. Then again, JELL-O is not my favorite. Towards the end of the hour, the science teacher told me that three of the boys were probably going to be late to math, because they had eaten too much JELL-O and thrown up on the floor of the boy's bathroom.
Gross! I hate throw up...the smell, the sound, everything about it! So, as math class started, I pulled the three boys out into the hallway and explained to them that if they started feeling sick again, they didn't need permission, they just needed to run to the bathroom as quickly as possible! I also told the entire class the same thing. I had planned a fun lesson (I thought!) about misleading graphs and statistics. We watched two misleading commercials and then discussed. Everyone seemed to be feeling fine by this point.
Yet, as the students started working on different stations, things turned for the worst. Kids started running out of the classroom to throw up...multiple times! So I called the school secretary/nurse from the teacher's lounge across the hall and told her what was going on. She told me to call the principal. The principal told me to collect more information...like who made the JELL-O and how many times each kid had already thrown up. So I quickly asked kids these questions and called the principal back. At this point, I started laughing, because I just couldn't believe what was happening! Kids just kept running out of the class to throw up, while I was on the phone. After I hung up with the principal, I saw that one of the original boys that threw up fainted! I kind of began to freak out. I quickly grabbed wet towels for him and called the principal again to tell her I really needed help. The boy wasn't very responsive at first, so I started asking him questions and moved him into the teacher's lounge. When I came back in the room, another boy was shaking and very, very pale. He wasn't very responsive either. All of the girls were sobbing. Thankfully, the principal and director came soon thereafter and took the four sick boys! The bell rang for lunch, but the girls were still sobbing, because they felt like it was all their fault. So I spent time comforting them. The English teacher came in and started google-ing all of these symptoms and concluded that they had food poisoning. Apparently, JELL-O packets can go bad! Seriously, what a day! During lunch word quickly spread about what happened. So one dramatic boy in the next class moved his desk away from the trashcan, because he said he could smell the throw up, even though not a single kid threw up inside the classroom! Needless to say, Friday was quite unforgettable!
Gross! I hate throw up...the smell, the sound, everything about it! So, as math class started, I pulled the three boys out into the hallway and explained to them that if they started feeling sick again, they didn't need permission, they just needed to run to the bathroom as quickly as possible! I also told the entire class the same thing. I had planned a fun lesson (I thought!) about misleading graphs and statistics. We watched two misleading commercials and then discussed. Everyone seemed to be feeling fine by this point.
Yet, as the students started working on different stations, things turned for the worst. Kids started running out of the classroom to throw up...multiple times! So I called the school secretary/nurse from the teacher's lounge across the hall and told her what was going on. She told me to call the principal. The principal told me to collect more information...like who made the JELL-O and how many times each kid had already thrown up. So I quickly asked kids these questions and called the principal back. At this point, I started laughing, because I just couldn't believe what was happening! Kids just kept running out of the class to throw up, while I was on the phone. After I hung up with the principal, I saw that one of the original boys that threw up fainted! I kind of began to freak out. I quickly grabbed wet towels for him and called the principal again to tell her I really needed help. The boy wasn't very responsive at first, so I started asking him questions and moved him into the teacher's lounge. When I came back in the room, another boy was shaking and very, very pale. He wasn't very responsive either. All of the girls were sobbing. Thankfully, the principal and director came soon thereafter and took the four sick boys! The bell rang for lunch, but the girls were still sobbing, because they felt like it was all their fault. So I spent time comforting them. The English teacher came in and started google-ing all of these symptoms and concluded that they had food poisoning. Apparently, JELL-O packets can go bad! Seriously, what a day! During lunch word quickly spread about what happened. So one dramatic boy in the next class moved his desk away from the trashcan, because he said he could smell the throw up, even though not a single kid threw up inside the classroom! Needless to say, Friday was quite unforgettable!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Estoy en Xela ahora.
I flew from DFW to Guatemala City late last night and stayed at a little bed and breakfast. I don't think that saying good-bye ever gets easy! I woke up really early this morning, took a bus to Xela, and took a taxi to Betty's house. Betty quickly made me the typical eggs and black beans, since I didn't eat a very big dinner or breakfast. After eating and catching up, I unpacked the TWO suitcases that I brought, which made me realize how many clothes I actually have here now! I am so thankful to have more warm clothes, as it was very cold this morning, and it's already getting cold now that the sun has gone down. I am also thankful for getting here safely and the sweet time in Dallas with great friends, family, hot showers, and central heating. God is so good! We have inservice on Monday, so I get to just hang out until then...
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