My Jinx.....

Okay....so I don't know if I'm jinxing myself or not but I just got back from Valencia yesterday and.......I found milk again!!!!

(it makes my Oreos taste soooo much better)

I suppose it's the little things that keep us happy isn't?

Hopefully there's milk wherever you are.....

Dios te bendiga

My First Student Departure....

Sadly last week we had to say good-bye to one of our students, Mark, who moved to another city in Venezuela. While normally this isn't a big deal, as many students across the world switch schools everyday and people are constantly moving from one place to another. But for us, it's a bit different.

With only nine students in the entire class and barely 70 making up our school, the loss of one student has a huge impact. For me, it wasn't the first student I've had move part-way through a year, but I was a little sad with this one. Mark was one of my four 5th Graders and with a class that size, we really have a chance to bond and get to know one another.....seeing him go was like losing one of us.

We have a tradition at the school, a Despedida for anyone that is departing. They show some photos and then a teacher speaks about the leaving student and subsequently anyone in the school can come up and talk about that student as well. This is followed by everyone, literally EVERYONE having the chance to either shake hands, hug and say good-bye personally with the student.

I spoke and almost got a bit choked up....but I survived. Then however, one of my other students, a 6th grader, stood up and said some great things about Mark. This is what really got me. I could see Mark, who is normally a quiet kid that keeps to himself, starting to tear up, but fighting it and....I don't know, it was just tough to handle.....difficult to watch.

After the Despedida, everyone went home. On Saturday, Mark came back to school and met up with nine other students and myself. We had a good-bye football match (soccer). It was a last chance to see him, talk and wish him well for the future.

Mark, if you get a chance to read this, good luck buddy. We miss ya.

Dios te bendiga

My Missing Class....

So I've been back for a little over a week and oddly enough, I had a really quiet week last week....none of my 5th Graders were here! I expected two of them to be gone (they were out of the country), but then I found out that one of them was moving and another was missing in action! I was a bit surprised to come back and not have any 5th Graders, although I'm not going to lie....it was pretty nice to have one or two extra planning periods each day!


Things aren't as giving this week. Three of my 5th Graders showed up, with only one still in the States (and he returns on Saturday, although to be fair, he is doing his homework via the Internet). My student that is moving is here until Friday, when we will have a Despedida for him (a good-bye or going away ceremony) and then we'll hang out in class a bit too.

It's sad to see Mark go, but this is also the way it is at International Schools. Often kids come and go and they also have a tendency to either return a bit later from a break, or sometimes they leave early too. Sadly, there isn't too much we can do about it, but shake our heads, and keep moving along with the curriculum.

My Mozzies....

So aside from the wonderful assortment of tasty goods at the grocery store, I had another amazing surprise in store for me when I arrived at my house. I had pretty well been bug free for the last couple of months, except for the occasional cricket or spider that crept in from under the door.....ah but now.....the mozzies have returned.

Just to give you an idea of how many mosquitoes there are, I killed four last night before I even got into the shower. AND this is supposed to be the dry season, when there are less of them.

The good times just keep on coming!

Dios te bendiga

My Milk.....

Wow....has it really been that long? I suppose after a while you really lose track of time right?

Well.....let's see, where to start! The end of the first semester came rather quickly, especially preparing for Christmas break and getting ready to head home. I managed to make it back to the States for a little while, although the trip to Iowa consisted of 3 delayed flights, 1 missed flight, a night in Caracas-including 7 hours in a hotel that was more like a hostel, one canceled flight because it was "too cold" to land in Des Moines, and ultimately I flew into Cedar Rapids, met mom and drove home. Incredible really....and that was just getting back into the States.

My break went well. I spent a lot of time in Des Moines, visiting family and hanging out with my friends. I was only in Iowa City for a night, so I apologize to all of you I didn't get to see. Hopefully we can reconnect this summer.

The trip back here was less eventful. 3 flights, only one delay (of course in Venezuela....these people can't depart on time, it's just not possible) and another 12 blissful hours spent trying to sleep overnight in the airport in Caracas.

Eventually I made it back to Anaco and got a chance to go to the grocery store, where I was greeted with the usual lack of supplies: No milk (it's been hard to find since September and I had yet to find any since then), no flour, no sugar, no yogurt and no bread. What a welcome back!!

Luckily I went to Farmatodo (think Walgreen's) across the street and found some yogurt and the last loaf of bread. Then as I was walking home yesterday, I stumbled upon a grocery store that....dare I say it....had milk!! So now milk is sitting in my fridge for the first time in months. I'm so excited to actually open it up and take a sip!

Other than that, I'm busy getting back into the swing of things. I'm trying to plan our MUN trip to Germany for April, plan two vacations and finish my report cards. Ah, and I'm helping the boys bball team practice and get ready for their tourney in February (which I have to if we are going to have 10 players and actually scrimmage).

In short, sorry for the delay and I'm going to try to get better with my writing this semester.

Dios te bendiga,