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!

Day 69: Performance Day!

This morning at school the kids presented the music we have been working on to their parents and the abuellos (elderly/grandparents) who come to visit with them. Our program included the littlest ones singing "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning" from Oklahoma!, "Catch a Falling Star" from Princess Diaries, Siyahamba, a song from South Africa, Shake the Papaya Down (fits with the Rainforest theme), "Who Has Seen the Wind?", "Seasons of Love" from Rent, and "Colors of the Wind" from Pocahontas.


When the performance was done, Abbie announced our leaving and it made for a very emotional time. My sweet little first grade students were pretty upset and so were many of the other students I have either for music, art, language, or sociology. It was pretty tough.


Since today is beach day, we headed over to Tamarindo once everyone was gone and that was a good time for Hannah, as she walked the length of the beach with a student she has grown quite close to. On their way back, another student met up with them and the three of them had a really nice time together. I have a feeling from the way she talked about it that it's a memory that will stay with her for a long time.


This evening Hannah had volleyball and she made some really good plays! I'm impressed with the improvement she makes every week. The girls here are quite focused when it comes to volleyball, too. They don't take the opportunity for granted, so there are some great values she is witnessing.


Tonight the two of us enjoyed watching a movie my Fabber friends sent in a care package. It was great fun munching on Twizzlers, peanut M & Ms, and popcorn...


Hard to believe that two weeks from tomorrow we'll be HOME!!!


Thank you, God, that today was a good hard. Thank you that Hannah and I will have some wonderful memories of this place.