Martes Musings

In an attempt not to get so bogged down, here is a shorter post.

I am trying to remember to take pictures of all my classes. It is hard as the days are busy, but I did remember on Monday to take Pics of my 11th grade class. The only sad thing is that Rachel is missing (she was in Santiago for the day visiting friends.)

That's Lis (pronounced Liz) on the left. Her father is one of the pastor's at the church I will be attending here. She is a very bright student and alot of fun to have in class. Next to her is Karen. Karen's mom owns a clothing store in town and Karen seems to be the barbie doll of her class. She is a sweet girl but she often doesn't show alot of motivation. It is hard to expect 11th grade girls ANYWHERE to see the value of anything outside of boys, but it seems even more difficult here. Beside Karen is Mary. Mary's family is from Costa Rica and came here 4 years ago to plant the church that I attend. (So Lis and Mary's fathers are the two pastors at Templo Bautista.) On the other side of me is Elsie. Her mother owns a bakery in town (and I ate a YUMMY donut from there for breakfast on Sunday.) She is academically perhaps the strongest student in her class (Lis definitely has an advantage because she is a native English speaker, but Elsie has really exceptional writing/understanding skills and she puts effort into her studies.) Next to Elsie is Brayan - the only boy in their class. He is a good kid but not very motivated. He is also very shy about his written english and probably doesn't like me alot because I like them to write in class. They are a fun class, and we have alot of interesting discussions. It is hard to make US history relevant for students who don't necessarily intend to go to school in the States, but it is important for their understanding of world politics etc. We will be able to vary from the book more after this first semester and discuss more current events. I really enjoy discussing American government, but I also recognize that much of my appreciation is found in the subltleties and those are harder to communicate.

I really need to get pics of my 9th grade class. I want to tell you stories about them, but you need to see their faces and, in truth, hear their voices to appreciate what a handful they are. BUT they are great kids and I have LOADS of affection for them. For any of you who have kids, or who have taught before can you please tell me why sometimes the troublemakers win your affection more quickly than their quiet studious classmates?

The dog...has a name. Dariel named her "pila" which means battery because she keeps going and going. Rachel and I took her to the vet today (again) and she got her parvo shot and a leash and a food dish. I know, I know...but my roommate, Jessica, really doesn't want me to keep her...If I can find her a family I will. She is a pain, and keeps me up at night, but honestly, it is nice to have something to look forward to in the evenings -- and playing with Pila and cuddling with her is an escape for me. (Granted, sometimes I would like to strangle her. On the walk back from town today I was holding her and she was SCREAMING and drawing the attention from everyone for blocks. They were all turning to see who was killing the dog. I just smiled sheepishly and hoped that they knew that the gringo wasn't torturing the dog, though it sounded that way. Most people just smiled. I am sure they are getting a laugh out of the gringo school teacher adopting a female runt street dog. *sigh* what can I say? I am a pushover.

In other news (quite literally) the Dengue epidemic here is being reported on around the world. Here is an article from Cuba (?) and another from China.
Regan is supposed to come home from the hospital tomorrow whcih is fantastic, but Katie Fluth was really sick earlier today so we are all praying that she doesn't have Dengue. It is getting ridiculous, but there really isn't much you can do to avoid it. I will make a point to either get my misquito net by saturday. I don't know if it will really make much difference, but it cannot hurt.

That is about it for the moment. I am tired and I think that Pila has finally decided that she is sleepy again, so with any luck in about 10 minutes she will be so fast asleep that I can put her in the kennel without her waking up and noticing! *crosses fingers* Please keep praying for us here. I am definitely learning to adjust (and am VERY excited about my mother arriving here in Friday) but there are still worries and frustrations. (As of course you all know since we all have them.) I will keep praying for all of you. Know that you are in my thoughts constantly.

Best wishes to my small group as you gather tonight (well, tomorrow...but you will read this wed.) I miss you all terribly, but am encouraged to know that you are all fellowshipping together and building community.

Grace and Peace