Day 38: Rainy Maria

For any of you who enjoy keeping track of weather, Maria is proving to be very interesting! She has moved on toward Bermuda but she is moving so slowly we are still getting more than our fair share of rain!



This morning Hannah needed to go in for some blood work...another one of those situations that was supposed to be "quick"...I took her in shortly after 7 a.m. because she couldn't eat anything until after the blood was drawn. When we checked her in, the receptionist said to have a seat. Hannah would have to wait for the dozen or so people who were already there ahead of us. In my head I was thinking that meant she would be done around dinner time, of course. However, she told me she was happy to wait there and give me a call when she was done, so I went to school and when she called, my students went into Abbie's room for the ten minutes or so that I was gone! Ah, life on the island! 


Tonight, Hannah told me that she needs to have this same test done on Friday. Don't know why. It will be fun to see how long that will take!



Tuesday at Abbie's School has been sport day so far this year.  Typically, the goal is to go play soccer or some other game on the beach. However, we've had a scheduling snafu so we've moved it to Wednesday. Because of this switch, I have the first through fourth graders for language arts for the entire morning on Tuesdays, but I won't have them at all on Wednesday. As a result, today I wasn't very prepared for it. Next week, though, I'll know better how to plan! (Another lesson learned, right??) I will say, though, that my first graders had lots of great practice on sight words, and the third and fourth graders were given plenty of instruction and practice on the long-i vowel!!

A Happy New Reader!!!

At school, the older kids are really starting to appreciate singing in parts and are beginning to hear themselves and the tone quality they're producing. That's fun because they're taking ownership of the whole process! And some of my little guys in first grade are beginning to recognize some sight words and learning the sounds of some of the letters, which make them very excited, too. Some of them are able to actually read books in English, which makes both them and their parents pretty stoked! I have to say thanks to my friend and colleague, S, who gave me some good ideas for my youngest ones!


After school my piano student came and following that, I gave my first voice lesson on the island! That was fun, and she seems pretty excited about her singing! I helped out for a little bit with tutoring, but then Hannah and I headed to the post office.


Upon leaving the post office, Hannah reminded me that we needed to search for milk! I waited in the car for her to run in to get it and much to my surprise a guy stopped at my driver's side window to have a chat. He had a full beard and was sporting a well-worn straw hat. He asked me how my day was going and then told me he's been on the island for about twenty years and is currently working on a children's book, which he would like to have published. When I sounded surprised he proceeded to tell me the entire story! He must have it memorized because it sounded as though he was reading it to me!  Even more weird: the main character and the antagonist have the same names as two of my brothers! The story was well written and well told, but it was one of those times when the culture of being on an island was magnified. How many times would a lone stranger you had seen a couple of times around town just casually walk up to you as you waited in your car and begin a conversation? 


So today was once again filled with all kinds of "island" adventures...ones that we'd never experience in our home town back in Michigan.


Thank You, God, for allowing me to have these experiences today with people I would not have known had I not come here. What a wonderful opportunity You have given us!