Days are Done!

Waiting for our plane in Culebra

Our plane!

We were the only passengers!

Flying over Brava and Resaca Beaches

The Fort at Old San Juan

Inside the Fort

A View from one of the Lookout Points

Hannah is captivated!

Pretty cool, huh? It's actually a soldiers' entry!

A Street in Old San Juan

We're home! Our day in Old San Juan was packed with exploring the awe-inspiring fort and the beautiful old city. Although I was a tad wary of Hannah's response to this "history lesson" she was absolutely enthralled by the whole place. She got it. I loved it that she got it.

Today we got Hannah signed up for school back here in Michigan and I spent the day trying not to think about the fact that I have no job. By choice, I have no job. I'm having a very hard time getting my head wrapped around that. I guess it's good that my house is need of "mucho" attention. And we had to get new clothes for Hannah because she's grown an inch and a half in three months. Yeah, you read that right! New jeans because shorts aren't going to cut it up here...

The kids at Abbie's school are planning to perform the songs I taught them at their rainforest festival next weekend, so I recorded the accompaniment today with the help of Bethany, my savior of the day!!! We drove to the post office to send it second-day air (hopefully it will get there by a week from Friday!!!).

After a dinner that actually included fresh vegetables instead of rice and beans, I was settling down to check my email. While my MacBook was waking up I got a phone call from Al, whose house we "watched" for the last two-and-a-half weeks. Our conversation was great; he's doing well and so is his wife. He then told me that for all the times he and Mary have gone off and had someone take care of the house, he has never come back to have it so well-cared for!!! Wow!!! That sure made us feel great! Hannah loved their dogs and cat, and I love pretty much everything about their place!

I'm (we're) so very glad to be home but also so incredibly thankful for the experiences we were privileged to have during our three months in Culebra. The lessons learned, the people we met, and even the hurricane we weathered will forever shape us.

Thank you, God, for the incredible journey of Culebra. Thank you for bringing us home safely.

Day 79: Last Day in Culebra

Wow! Can't believe we're wrapping things up here! Hannah slept in while Mom (that would be me, in case you wondered...) began doing things in her head to get ready to go. We had errands to run, chores around the house to complete, and of course we wanted to go to at least one beach and snorkel and/or swim!

We dropped by the post office to mail a couple of boxes I'd forgotten to get out of Nadeen's car (sure am glad she checked her back end!), got come coffee to bring home, since I've come to enjoy Puerto Rican coffee. As we were driving back toward our house to get our suits on, we noticed that the little temporary road-side food cart was open!! It's NEVER open on Thursdays, so we were geeked! We picked up our favorite indulgence here: papa. They're mashed potato that's been rolled into a large meatball-sized ball and has a meat filling. Before they're served, they're deep flash-fried, so the outside is like a pastry crust. They're so carb-filled, but oh, so.....bueno!!!


When it was beach time, we decided (actually, Hannah decided this time) to go to Tamarindo. We have lots of history at this beach, as it's the one Abbie's school kids go to each Friday. It's also the first place we tried snorkeling and got stuck on a reef. Today was a completely different experience, though! We easily snorkeled out to find plenty of beautiful sea life. The sea urchins were far enough away from us that we got some great shots of them instead of them getting shots at our feet!!! We went out quite a way and got to some sea grass. I began praying that Hannah (and I) would get to see a sea turtle. All of the sudden, I heard Hannah let out a yelp! I turned around to witness a beautiful silver fish that was at least as long as she is!!! It came within six feet of her, too, so it was a kind of surreal experience! That guy was so fast we didn't have a chance to get a picture of him, but it was fun to watch! Heading in the direction of the shoreline, I was keeping my eyes peeled for a sea turtle and suddenly one it was my turn to yelp! Hannah turned around, caught a great view of him and we even had the treat of him gliding to the surface for a quick breath of air!

Then he slid away effortlessly, leaving us both giving each other underwater high-fives! After a while of watching various schools of fish, fish chasing other fish, and noting all the different colors; some vivid and some well-camoflauged, I was praying again, asking God for a chance to see another turtle. What happened? You guessed it!!! Another turtle! This one wasn't a green turtle, though; it was a Hawksbill!! Yay! Plus that, it was bigger than the first! Hannah didn't get any good shots of that guy, though, but not even ten minutes later we saw a THIRD turtle!!! And he was the biggest one!

So it is with the greatest pleasure we share this not-the-best-but-the-best-we-could-do pictures of the best snorkel day EVER!!

Thank you, God, for an absolutely experience in your beautiful creation under the ocean's surface. We were truly blessed beyond belief today!!

Day 78: Last Day of School!

This is really weird. We've been in school for two and a half months. Today was our last day. A week from today Hannah will have started back at Western Middle School in the seventh grade. I'm still not sure I've really let that sink in.

We had a full day: the first-graders wrote their own books about pumpkins and jack-o'-lanterns, the other kids made a fun books of jack-o'-lanterns, and we did the typical math, science, Spanish, and social studies. At the end of the day, the student's dad who's an amazing soccer guy came in and worked with the kids for about 45 minutes. Then we finished off with a drawing to see who was taking our jack-o'-lantern home! So, yeah, it was definitely a full day!

Immediately after school, I got my classroom things packed up to ship home. While I did that, Hannah and two of the other girls washed Al's car so it will be fairly clean when he returns on Saturday. We were all done by 4:00 and took our 70-pound box of classroom "stuff" to the post office to be sent home.

We then went home and grabbed a quick shower to get all that sweat off so we'd be presentable - and not stinky - so we could go pick up Nadeen from the airport and take her home. (You may remember that we stayed in her house for the first two and a half months here. That's where we were living when Irene hit and Maria decided not to.) It was great getting to meet her and put a face with the house! She typically does the books for Abbie's school, so most of the kids at school know her pretty well.

Tonight we indulged in television - a rarity these days - and watched Survivor. Then I turned OFF my morning alarm, since tomorrow we can sleep as late as we like! We're hoping to catch one last snorkel and swim, probably hitting Tamarindo and Zoni Beaches, so maybe we'll have some more cool underwater shots for tomorrow's posting!!!


Thank you, God, for a great last day of school!!!

Day 78: Happy Jack!

Today we made a jack-o-lantern! It was so much fun! My brother, Mark, typically gets our girls their Halloween pumpkins and this year he mailed Hannah's to her here in Culebra! What a guy!!

Happy Jack, sitting with the students who helped create him!

Only one of the students has ever seen a pumpkin before and she was so little she doesn't remember it. The rest of them were amazed at the sight, the feel, and the inside. They pulled out the seeds and wondered if they could grow a pumpkin here on the island. They weren't sure how they grew; on a tree, perhaps?? So they had a lesson in what grows in Michigan in the late summer and early fall. It was evident that they were having a very hard time wrapping their heads around a change in seasons. They were enthralled by the idea of leaves falling off the trees, making the trees look dead. They are giggly when they think of how wonderful snow must be, and can't imagine what it would be like to have apples and pumpkins to go pick rather than mangoes and papayas.

They decided they wanted a happy Jack-o-Lantern, and our little Sophia, whose birthday happens to be today also asked for two teeth in a happy smile! Of course that was much better to me than one of those creepy-looking ones, so we drew it with marker and then they watched with eyes glued while I carved out each piece. They were beside themselves when I cut out the top! They got excited every single time an eye, nose, or mouth popped out, too, so it was pretty fun!

You may or may not remember, but on Sunday we went to Zoni Beach. On the way we happened to see some guys by the road with the biggest crabs I've ever seen!!! The thing on the left is a frozen chicken, so it gives you an idea of the size of these things! WHOA!

Robot Man on the beach

Another picture I forgot to post on Sunday is this one. Hannah made a robot from beach sand (in honor of her cousin, Bres,) and I forgot to post it, so here he is!

Today was another really good day at school. The little ones are learning so much and the bigger ones are being very responsible and staying focused, although I am giving more one-on-one attention to the littler ones. We had time at the end of the day to still have music class, and today I taught them a couple of silly songs. What a fun way to end the day!

God, thank you so much for the joy of teaching today. Thank you for the gift of excited students who marvel at carving a pumpkin!

Day 77: Can You Say "TIRED"???

I think the beach visits this weekend caught up with me today!!! I am BEAT!

We had a great day at school. We worked very hard, had fun and the kids were great. I even taught Spanish to the first graders!! The older ones were snickering at me once in a while and corrected my pronunciation a couple of times, but overall I surprised myself!! I did much better than I thought I would!

Throughout the day I caught myself trying to imagine what it will be like the next time I step into a classroom back home. The kids will probably all speak English as their first language, there will be lots more of them than what I have right now, and I'll be teaching one grade level instead of three, four, or six at a time! I wonder if it will feel weird or if it will just come back as natural.

Hannah said again tonight while we were playing "Sequence" (a game we've come to really enjoy!) how very excited she is to be going home. She is in her room practicing her flute right now so she can be on top of things next week when she's back in band!

Can't believe we only have two days of school left. Wow.

Thank you, God, for a productive yet peaceful day at school.

Day 76: Sunday at Zoni

We've had this crab hanging around the house. He (or she, I don't know...) wanders across the cement patio from one part of the yard to another, looking for something to eat, I suppose. I've only seen it hidden away, though, until this morning. I heard a scraping noise outside, snuck out and got to see how big and weird and amazing this creature is.

We had a nice, leisurely morning, watched Westwinds live, and then went to Zoni Beach for a couple of hours. There we swam, walked, built a sand castle only to count how many waves it took to completely level it, and thoroughly enjoyed each others' company.

God, thank You for our crazy crab and for Zoni Beach.

Day 75: Fruit of the Island

What a wonderful day today was!


First, I've been meaning to do this, and just haven't taken the time. I know my hubby appreciates trees and gardening, so if he were here, he would be all over this. Al has cultivated in their yard some amazing fruit trees. This week, this is how the fruit looked! We have been the grateful recipients of his labors, too, which has been an especially nice treat!

A lemon ready to be picked!

What's especially fun is that my nephew and his wife are expecting, and she just told me this week that their baby is now the size of a mango!!! So every time I see the mangos ripening on the tree, I think of that sweet new baby!

Mango - Bigger than any I've seen at Meijer!!!

Lemons!!

Not sure what these are, but they're all over the place!

We had decided that we were going snorkeling today. We've snorkeled at several beaches around the island and didn't want to miss out on the best one, so we figured the dive shop would steer us in the right direction. I had told Hannah that I really wanted to go back to Carlos Rosario beach, which is quite a hike to get to, but I really like the beach and heard there's great snorkeling there, too. As it turned out, that's where the lady in the dive shop recommended we go!!! We headed over to it, took the mile-plus hike over the top of the mountain/hill and enjoyed a deserted beautiful beach. 

The trip to Carlos Rosario beach...
That's Flamenco Beach in the distance.

Hiking the trail to Carlos Rosario reminded
Hannah of our own lane back home!

A view on our hike

Louis Pena Island in the distance

Hannah brought her underwater camera along, too, that Uncle Mark sent, so we got some fun shots! We saw a lot more than we got pictures of, but it was pretty cool to capture the jellyfish on camera! They're amazing to watch in the water. We completely lose track of time when we're snorkeling, so I have no idea how long we were in the water. Although we're pooped out from it we are in total agreement that it was well-worth the effort!

Under the ocean's surface...

Hannah, looking for sand dollars

Hi there!!!

A fish that captured Hannah's attention

Jellyfish!! Can you see the center??

After our visit to the underwater world, we went home to shower and get cleaned up and then had a treat for lunch by going to Dinghy Dock. It's a restaurant that's right on the water's edge and has ample spots for boaters to secure their rig and grab a bite to eat. There were actually more people there from boats than from land! We sat at a table right at oceanside and Hannah got a kick out of watching the huge fish swimming not ten feet from us.

Late Lunch at Dinghy Dock! Yum!!

Tonight was Hannah's last volleyball match. She hadn't practiced at all this week. That, in combination with our snorkeling adventure, showed her looking a bit weary on the court. They pulled out a victory, though, in 3 games. Then after the game she was introduced to a pro player from the big island! Her coach said he is a close friend, he was asking about her during the game, and noticing some really good things about her abilities. He told Hannah that she definitely has the body of a volleyball player and she should keep playing, so that was a big encouragement for her! 


Tonight we decided to watch a movie together and then head for bed. What a great day!


Thank you, God, for such beauty that we were able to enjoy together!

Day 74: Final Friday!

Today was the last Friday we'll be spending at Abbie's School and in Culebra. Since I didn't post last night (I was beyond tired) I'll catch you up briefly on both days' events!


It was really a treat to have the students who didn't go on the trip together to teach both yesterday and today. We all were amazed at how quickly the day flew! Yesterday, although it was a full day (8:00 to 2:30), it seemed short. And Friday release time for the kids is 1:00. Normally we all go to the beach, but that wasn't the case today. We stayed at school and had a "regular" day. I announced it was break time and the kids just stayed in their seats working on their schoolwork until I prodded them several times! Then at lunch time the same thing happened!!! I finally walked over and took a pencil out of the final student's hand and said with my fake glare face that she'd better, "Poof, be gone!" Actually, it's very satisfying as a teacher to have students want to continue rather than let out a cheer when it's time for a break.


Last night, we thought Hannah had volleyball practice but when we arrived at the gym at 4:00 there were unfamiliar faces, no volleyball players, and a huge satellite dish sitting on the sidewalk just outside the building. We were then told that there was to be a big basketball event that involved professional teams coming over to play tonight (Friday). It was supposed to be a televised game, too! We were encouraged to go and a couple of Hannah's friends asked her to go, so we had our dinner and got all cleaned up with our "going out" clothes on and made the trip back into town for the 7:00 game. Although I'm not particularly fond of basketball, it was an outing and seemed important to Hannah. Arriving at the gym at about ten minutes to seven, it was a pretty vacant place. There were no cars, except for a lone Jeep parked next to the building. We passed by slowly, peering through the windows to see what kind of activity, if any, was taking place. There were about six people inside, but there was no sign of any basketball game whatsoever. Our conversation then turned to alternative activities, questions about whether we had the wrong time or place, and what our options were. 


Eventually, Hannah declared that she was tired anyway and thought I was, too, so we should just go home. Although I didn't voice it to her, I was happy with her decision. So home we came, and both of us went to our rooms to read: Hannah with The White Giraffe, and me with Pride and Prejudice. I went in to pray with her before she fell asleep and it ended up being a peaceful, quiet evening. A wonderful way to end a very busy week.


Thank you, God, for the unexpected quiet of this evening. Thank you for Hannah's new-found desire to enjoy the pleasure of reading.

Day 74: Last Day of All Students

Today was bittersweet. There are several students who have already headed over to the big island to prepare for the New York trip, especially due to the fact that down here you never need sweaters or sweatshirts. Fall clothing here isn't any different than summer clothing. 


The big deal, though, is that today was the last time we'll see most of the students. Some have become very dear to me, some very dear to Hannah, and some very dear to us both. Each one has whittled out a special place in our hearts in one way or another. Lisa, one of the other staff members, has become very special, with her calming and caring way. Plus that, she's a creative soul, so I appreciate that about her.


Tomorrow brings a day with only six or eight students. The reason I don't know the exact number is that one family may or may not send their children; they might go on vacation, too. With this I cannot relate, but it is a cultural reality I have come to know as a reality. Lizette will be there, too, as the Spanish and art teacher. I appreciate her dedication to excellence in teaching and the time she takes to be sure her students are well-taught. The two of us made out our schedule and I'm looking forward to a great day. Friday and next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I'll be the only teacher, so that's going to be a challenging but fun experience!


Thank you, God, for a day that will stand tall in my memory as special. Thank you for the students I got to know.

Day 73: Another Project Completed!

The kids at Abbie's School are getting pretty pumped up for their trip, for which they leave early Thursday morning. However, that means there are projects and assignments that must be done prior to their departure.

Hard at Work

Working on the Title

After completing her Romania project last night, Hannah set out to put the finishing touches on her rainforest poster. She chose to study the manatee and has learned a significant amount about both the manatee and "stick-to-it-iveness." Not the most patient student, Hannah likes to do things that give her gratification that comes in a relatively short amount of time. This poster, though, calls for 3-D work, which is waaaaaay out of her comfort zone. It also calls for artistry, which is something she enjoys, but doesn't have a lot of practice in (probably due to her bent toward boisterous activity rather than quiet focus). As if that weren't enough of a challenge, we have also moved from one house to another since she started this poster, with neither being our own. Therefore, she doesn't have the resources (hot glue gun, construction paper, drawing and painting tools - you get the idea.) So this has been a project that has had numerous short bursts of time spent on it, followed by longer periods of inattention, during which time some items produced have been misplaced, damaged, or destroyed. Tonight, however, is THE NIGHT. She is completing it as we speak, including the making of the THIRD "Manatee" sign that will stick out as part of the 3-D effect. Personally, I'll be oh-so-glad when it's turned in.

Tonight, I'm pretty tired, so I'm keeping this short, but I am so very thankful for a good day at school and one day closer to being home with my loved ones.


Thank you, God, for a day that included the completion of Hannah's last major project!!!

Day 72: Monday, Monday

Today was a typically busy Monday, which started with last-minute rushing at home to get ready for school.  

My replacement, whose name is Claire, came to observe again today, and I think she's starting to feel as though she sort of knows the role and expectations. That sure makes me feel better!! She's going to teaching in a different room than where we are now so she can be closer to Abbie, since Claire isn't a certified teacher. The kids have all met her and seem to like her, though, so that's great!

Once school was over we did our daily visit to the post office, where two beautiful cards awaited us from my wonderful hubby. We were overjoyed to see his handwriting on the envelopes and it makes the realization of going home soon even more exciting.


The project on Romania Hannah has been working on is due tomorrow. She hasn't had a lot of experience in writing research essays, so I have been giving her some pointers. However, tonight was crunch night for her, so we buckled down together to get it all wrapped up. In addition to her essay, she is required to hand-make a brochure about her country, which she finished up over the weekend. It looks awesome, too!

Miriam and Joselyn

The two girlfriends I've developed a pretty close relationship with, Joselyn and Miriam, told me they were going to come up to say their final "good-bye." They are planning to take the ferry first thing in the morning to the "Big Island" so they can get some clothes for the cold weather they'll face in New York City! Obviously, they have none here, so they have to go shopping and then get packed! In any case, up they came. Hannah had made it a point to make a special batch of Rice Krispies Treats because their kids were joining us as well, and she topped them with the Halloween decorations Uncle Mark had sent her just for fun! We had a great visit, I gave them a tour of the house, which they loved, and then we said our final farewells, with assurances that we would be visiting each other in the future.


We then fixed and ate our dinner, and got back to work on Hannah's Romania project. She was pretty tired by this time, but she stuck it out and completed it! She also asked for help with her math, which she got all done before falling into bed. Another big assignment under her belt. Another country she knows something about. Another math concept successfully practiced. Hopefully, it will all stick in her brain for a long time.

Needless to say, my schoolwork didn't get done (putting my "mom" hat on rather than my "teacher" hat has to be done from time to time!) so I will be scrambling a bit tomorrow, but oh, well! It was wonderful to have that time with Hannah.


Thank You, God, for the good friends we've made here and for the opportunities I have to help Hannah with her schoolwork.

Day 71: Finally Got My Video to YouTube!!!

Here's a photo of Hannah with the three girls from Abbie's School who also play volleyball in this age bracket! It was fun to watch the game and walk down to get Hannah some ice cream that she's been hinting at getting for weeks now...

Genna, Amdry, Hannah, and Ali

This week my third- and fourth-grade students presented a readers' theater performance to the rest of the school. They worked hard on it and I thought it was so sweet, so naturally, you have the opportunity to see them as well, if you'd like!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Jhe59VdhoA

We had a great day today, working on homework the this week's lesson plans, but also played at Flamenco Beach for a good while. Hannah also baked a batch of cookies and made some muffins Uncle Mark had sent to her. It was great fun!!! (And delicious, too!)

Then we had a visitor this evening, which was pretty fun, too. He (or she...I really don't know) showed up just outside our door and Hannah discovered him/her! I'm not sure the dogs were too crazy about this visitor, though, as I heard them in a low growl several times when it moved from one place to another.

This is definitely the largest hermit crab I've ever seen, so it was pretty fun for us!


We've had a great weekend, feel pretty settled, and are ready for our final week and a half of school!


Thank you, God, for a beautiful day full of quality memories.

Day 70: A House Tour

Lizards mating...right on the wall outside my bedroom...

So today was pretty wonderful!! As you can see, I got to witness the mating of a pair of lizards...right on the wall outside my bedroom. It was kinda weird. They just were there, as still as statues for several minutes...maybe half an hour? My hubby asked if they were smiling. What do you think???

Then we hung out at home, with Hannah digging into a research project that she has for school. She's making a brochure and writing and essay based on whatever information she can find about Romania. She was pretty involved with it for quite a while, but she has more work to do on it tomorrow.

Hannah Working on Research about Romania

We also headed over to the airport to purchase our flight tickets to San Juan. I decided that with the ferry system being so unpredictable these days it would probably be better not to risk it. Plus, Hannah's been on the ferry several times, so it would be nice for her to experience what Culebra looks like from a little six-passenger plane!

After stopping for a few groceries and gas for Jeep Liberty we're now driving, we headed home. We thought our hill at Nadeen's was big but this one puts it to shame! We need to put the car in four-wheel drive when we come up the drive to the house! I'd love it if we had a camera on the front of the Jeep so you could experience what we experience every time we make that trip. It's wild and crazy!

Anyway, our new digs are pretty sweet, and I'd wanted to get pictures for you earlier this week, but I've been too swamped. So today that was my project and here are the results. Hope you like them!

The Beautiful Sign Above the Entrance

The sign above the entrance was made by a friend of the owners who also lives here in Culebra. Pam does beautiful work and this is a hobby she started after she retired down here!

Kitchen with Cabinets that Mary Built

Walking into the Home

Looking from the Kitchen into the Living Room...
Mary built the door, too!

Part of the Deck

Another Part of the Deck

View from our deck

View from our deck

Looking from the Other Direction on the Deck

Another direction, but still from our deck

Yet another direction, but still from our deck

Looking from the deck to the side of the house

The Door on the Right is My Room and on the Left is Hannah's Room

Bathroom

The shower

The View from the Shower...can you believe it???

The potty.

Looking from near the bathroom at our bedrooms toward the kitchen and main house

Hannah on the Upper Deck

From the upper deck...

Solar panels are located just off the upper deck!

Yes...

From the upper deck

Upper Deck View

Another Upper Decker...

Side View of the House

We are incredibly blessed to have two great dogs to care for, too. The owners are great people who are going through some really tough stuff at the moment. So it's working well for them that we're here, too.

The house is completely run on solar power, too. By the end of every day this week, the batteries are 100% recharged! The lowest they've gotten since we have arrived is 91%, so Al says we're "good energy conservers." His goal was to build a place that was self-sustaining, and that's pretty much what this place is! He has a super-generator that runs on diesel fuel, for times when the batteries stay below 90% for a period of time. Then he just runs the generator for an hour and they get all charged up again! Even his cell phone is solar. It's amazing!  Plus that, he has an official weather station up here, so the other morning when we'd had some overnight rain I had to check the gauge and write down that we'd had 0.16 inches of rain. I felt so official!!

Tonight Hannah played another volleyball match and she made the play in the first game to clinch it for her team! Go, Hannah!!!

Thank you, God, for a beautiful day, for the plans we're making to head home, and for the opportunities we have in the meantime!