These past few days at school and outside of school have been a bit hectic! Tuesday, when I woke up my voice was still completely gone but Julissa was back at school thank goodness. She has been super busy planning her daughter's quinceanera so when I saw her looking so tired, I couldn't help but feel bad. I was able to get my voice back by the end of Tuesday but it started leaving again Wednesday after the students started getting super loud. I was beginning to get frustrated with them because my throat was really starting to hurt and I wanted to be better by the time Friday rolled around. Julissa insisted I rest my voice for the rest of the day.
Wednesday, after resting my voice the previous evening, my voice was back in full working order. It couldn't really go that high but I could talk and teach which was enough for me. That day went fast as well. We practiced our songs in the morning, did a little bit of teaching but nothing new, and then the afternoon flew by! Julissa and I started cleaning the classroom a little bit because we knew what Thursday and Friday were going to look like. That night, I actually packed my suitcase which is a big change from what I normally do! I tend to pack the night before I go on a trip frantically but since we had our Chirstmas program tonight at school, I did not think I'd have time. My bag was all packed, I'd worked out, and thought I could relax for the night before I remembered that I promised my students I'd straighten my hair for their Christmas program. The rest of the night, while the girls and I were watching Christmas movies, I straightened my hair. I wondered what the reaction to it the next day would be.
This morning, after a quick run-through with the straightener and trying to pick out an outfit for school since it was a dress-down day, we were on our way to our last full day of the week! Larry and Lariana were going to be the tell-all of how the reactions at school would go. Larry told me I looked much better with my hair straight and Lariana said my hair looked pretty so I figured it was safe to go to school like this. My students all looked at me shocked when I got to school and said all sorts of things to me. Luckily all of them were nice. Lots of the teachers complimented me as well which was nice because often times, I really don't talk to any of them. Our school day today consisted of: rehearsing for the Christmas program, lunch, and the dance. Talk about an easy but semi-hectic day. The rehearsal took up our whole morning for the most part and then it was time to go to lunch. After lunch, we cleaned and organized the students' desks a bit and watched Diary of a Wimpy Kid until it was time for the school dance.
Even though this is only the second one, I really enjoy the school dances because the students love them so much! They get to dance and show off their moves but also be outside and run around with their friends. This school dance, we had a visit from Santa and when he walked out, the students went in a dead sprint for him. I wish I would have video-taped it because it was so funny! They all received a stuff animal from Santa and then danced around for the rest of the afternoon until it was time to go.
This evening was the Christmas program we had been preparing for for a month now! My class did well as did everyone else's but it was so exhausting! The only place big enough for everyone was the church so I felt like that was starting off on the wrong foot for one. Second of all, my students had to sit in the back so they could not see and because of that, they wanted to talk the whole time. It is such a struggle keeping them quiet during the day but then at night as well...it was tiring. By the time the show was over at 8, half of the parents had left with their child already. Many parents would get their child as soon as they had performed which meant they were making more noise than their already was. It didn't surprise me but I was hoping they wouldn't do that tonight. Amanda came with us to the program and I think it helped her understand better the frustrations that we sometimes come home with from school. I am so glad it is over though.
Tomorrow, the students get out at 11 and then the staff has a Christmas party that afternoon! And after that...I fly HOME!! I have been singing "I'll Be Home for Christmas" since Advent started and I'm so excited that it's finally here! Part of me cannot believe it is actually here and it might not hit til I'm on the plane but that doesn't matter. I have so much to be thankful for and being able to come home is one of them. Even though school can be frustrating, I am grateful to have been given the opportunity because it has helped me grow so much in these past 4 months and meet some fantastic people. God has granted me strength and given me lots of other gifts that I would have never known I had if I did not come down here. However, I am definitely ready to be back in Kansas for a few weeks! The change of pace will be relaxing but being able to see everyone that I love in the place that I love is what I'm truly looking forward to!
I fly out at 6:30 here and land in Atlanta at 8:20. I will get back in Wichita around 10:30 tomorrow night so if you could say some prayers for safe flights for me as well as my other volunteer friends that are flying home tomorrow as well. I cannot wait to see all of you and love you very much!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Voiceless
So I woke up this morning in hopes that my voice would be back in full working order but God had other plans. I walked in to school and greeted the sisters with a squeaky "good morning" waiting for their reactions following. They said they appreciated me coming in and would try to find someone else to come help me during the day. I went up to the classroom to get ready for the day, trying not to be nervous about how it would go being alone and barely having a voice. One of my students was up by the classroom already so he came and helped me for a little bit before we went down for prayer.
After prayer, I brought the students back up to the classroom and told them about my voice. I let them know they have to be on their best behavior and extra quiet today because I cannot make my voice any louder without hurting it. We made it through math and made a bar graph about what our favorite part of Christmas break is. It took longer than it would have if I had a voice. The 4th grade aide came and helped me for a bit which was nice but she had to spend her time with her normal class so the times when she wasn't in the room were definitely a struggle. Making it to 9:45 when the students have PE was really hard for me. My throat had started burning and I was having a hard time with a few of my students. I actually had to send one of my students to the office this morning because it was becoming such a struggle and I could not keep hurting my voice anymore. Once it was time for PE, I could have not been more grateful. I was not having the greatest day and my class was not making it easy on me. After making some more tea, I went up to the classroom and let go of some of my emotions for a bit. We spent the rest of the time after PE and before lunch in the computer lab so I didn't have to talk as much.
After lunch, I decided I needed to teach a little Reading to them so I pushed my way through that for about an hour before popping in a few movies for them to watch before library. Library came and went and then it was finally time to get ready for them to go home. My day was not over after school, however, because Julissa normally does homework help after school and since she was not here, I had to do it for her. That definitely did not help my voice. Once it was over, I was ready to leave school. I felt so emotionally tired and my throat was making me feel the consequences of talking all day.
Looking back at my day, I realize it could have been worse but I definitely think that this has been one of my hardest days as a teacher. I take my voice for granted quite often and having lost my voice before, I always feel powerless when it happens. I know that as a teacher I should not need my voice to have control of my classroom and that many people communicate without their voice each day but I am not strong enough to do that yet. I admire people that use sign language and non-verbal forms of communication each day because it opens up a whole new world for us. However, I felt like I was at my weakest as a teacher because I could not use my voice. I cannot tell you how many times I stopped today to say a quick prayer to God for strength and patience.
I have not talked all evening which has been hard for me but I know that I have to do it in order to get better. I do have a few positives to end this post tonight though so no worries.
Positives:
~I am a much better listener when I cannot talk back.
~I was able to work out again today which I hadn't done since last week when I got sick.
~I will be home in 4 short days!
~Julissa will be back tomorrow to help me.
~I have great roommates that are helping me get better.
~I do have some very kind and caring students despite their vast amount of talking.
I hope you find the positives in your day if you had a rough one as well! I am going to head to bed soon in hopes that my voice comes back tomorrow. Good night and peaceful dreams!
After prayer, I brought the students back up to the classroom and told them about my voice. I let them know they have to be on their best behavior and extra quiet today because I cannot make my voice any louder without hurting it. We made it through math and made a bar graph about what our favorite part of Christmas break is. It took longer than it would have if I had a voice. The 4th grade aide came and helped me for a bit which was nice but she had to spend her time with her normal class so the times when she wasn't in the room were definitely a struggle. Making it to 9:45 when the students have PE was really hard for me. My throat had started burning and I was having a hard time with a few of my students. I actually had to send one of my students to the office this morning because it was becoming such a struggle and I could not keep hurting my voice anymore. Once it was time for PE, I could have not been more grateful. I was not having the greatest day and my class was not making it easy on me. After making some more tea, I went up to the classroom and let go of some of my emotions for a bit. We spent the rest of the time after PE and before lunch in the computer lab so I didn't have to talk as much.
After lunch, I decided I needed to teach a little Reading to them so I pushed my way through that for about an hour before popping in a few movies for them to watch before library. Library came and went and then it was finally time to get ready for them to go home. My day was not over after school, however, because Julissa normally does homework help after school and since she was not here, I had to do it for her. That definitely did not help my voice. Once it was over, I was ready to leave school. I felt so emotionally tired and my throat was making me feel the consequences of talking all day.
Looking back at my day, I realize it could have been worse but I definitely think that this has been one of my hardest days as a teacher. I take my voice for granted quite often and having lost my voice before, I always feel powerless when it happens. I know that as a teacher I should not need my voice to have control of my classroom and that many people communicate without their voice each day but I am not strong enough to do that yet. I admire people that use sign language and non-verbal forms of communication each day because it opens up a whole new world for us. However, I felt like I was at my weakest as a teacher because I could not use my voice. I cannot tell you how many times I stopped today to say a quick prayer to God for strength and patience.
I have not talked all evening which has been hard for me but I know that I have to do it in order to get better. I do have a few positives to end this post tonight though so no worries.
Positives:
~I am a much better listener when I cannot talk back.
~I was able to work out again today which I hadn't done since last week when I got sick.
~I will be home in 4 short days!
~Julissa will be back tomorrow to help me.
~I have great roommates that are helping me get better.
~I do have some very kind and caring students despite their vast amount of talking.
I hope you find the positives in your day if you had a rough one as well! I am going to head to bed soon in hopes that my voice comes back tomorrow. Good night and peaceful dreams!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Blessings, Giving, and Listening
The last two school days went alright. Thursday was a bit rough for the majority of the day but I toughed it out and made it through. My students were all confused as to why I was gone and explained that sometimes teachers get sick too. That evening, I wowed the roommates with my cooking skills by making chicken enchiladas for them. Like normal, the enchiladas were a hit and we hung out for the rest of the evening. Patricia continued tormenting Amanda about the Secret Santa gift exchange. She had convinced Amanda that she had drawn her in our exchange and was asking her questions about what she would like all week.
Friday I was ancy to be done with school because we were headed to Orlando for the weekend for the CVIF Christmas party. I woke up late that morning so I had to put my hair in a ponytail. My students had never seen my hair back like that yet and boy did they notice. My girls were all saying kind comments about it but my boys made comments such as, "Ms. Halstead, it looks like you have a mohawk." or "Ms. Halstead, did you shave your head?" The boys always have more dramatic comments about my looks than the girls. Other than that, the day was pretty relaxed and once it was over, Patricia and I darted out of school to pack and pick up Amanda from the office. We finally made our way out of Ft. Lauderdale after a few mishaps and wrong turns around 5:30 and were stuck in traffic for quite some time after that. I was so ready to be done with the 3.5 hour drive already but it seemed to go on forever. We finally made it out of south Florida and arrived in Orlando around 9 that night. I dropped Amanda off at her friend's house for the night and Patricia and I stayed at Nicole's and Ebony's (fellow volunteers) apartment. I went to bed fairly early that night because the next morning I was going to drive an hour out to Cape Canaveral to go see one of my Emporia friends, Shantel, who works for Disney cruise lines.
My alarm came fast on Saturday morning but I was able to leave by 6:30 so I could meet Shantel once she got off the ship. She has Saturday mornings free when they port so I was able to spend about 5 hours with her total. She has been on the ship for about 2.5 months now and hasn't seen anyone from home since she's gotten on so I'm glad I was able to finally see her. We went shopping for a bit in Cocoa Beach after we ate breakfast and then talked for the rest of the day. Being away from Kansas and both have the same degree, we had lots to talk about and find it very easy to relate to one another. She does not get off the ship for good until February so hopefully I can see her before that or if not, see her when she gets off. I had to drop her off at 12:30 so she could work at 1 and then I headed back to Orlando so I could pick up Amanda and get ready for our Christmas party.
That night our Christmas party was at our director's house and she made a huge feast of food for us to eat! There were several alumni and a few other guests there so we had lots of people to talk to besides one another. It was so great to be able to spend time with everyone before we all head home for Christmas. It really felt like family time as we sat around, chatted, laughed, and enjoyed each others' company. As the evening went on, it was time for our Secret Santa gift exchange. I was in charge of it so I organized everyone in the living room and everyone swapped gifts. It was neat to see who had drawn who and the plan that God had behind that. I am going to take this moment to brag, though. I believe, and many agreed that I received the best present of all. My secret Santa, Nich (our only guy), handed me a card. When I opened it, there was a folded up letter and in the corner, I saw the YMCA symbol. I became a bit curious and wondered what he had given me from there. A membership was too much so I unfolded the letter only to see the most sincere and heartfelt present ever given to me I think. Nich had contacted the YMCA back home and donated $30 to Camp Hyde in my name! I wanted to cry but did not. I gave him a huge hug and just kept looking at him shocked but grateful at the same time. He said it took a little bit of work but he was able to give money to my camp for me because he must have known how much I truly love Hyde. I have no doubt that took a lot of time for him to come up with and then follow through with so my heart is truly grateful for him, more-so now than before. Nothing was going to bring my mood down for the rest of night.
After the Christmas party was over, we went with the alumni from last year downtown to their bars. We ended up at a place that was on top of a roof. Not many people can say they can go to an outdoor bar in December and it still feels good! As we were all hanging out, we ended up meeting some guys that graduated from Ivy League schools. Impressive, I know. As we got to talking, I found out that one of them is moving to Hutch in mid-January! He is going to be working at the new Siemens plant out there for 6 months. He is actually very excited for this move and was asking me all sorts of questions about what I should know. I was more than excited and willing to share my love of Kansas with him. He is originally from Maine so the small towns are no big deal for him. I shared as much about Kansas as I could with him for the rest of the night before it was time to leave. He will only be there til June so I probably won't get to see him while he's there but I hope he enjoys it!
This morning, I woke up with a bit of a sore throat as well as sounding like a man when I talked. I was hoping it would go away but I knew that it wouldn't. As we all started getting around for the day and getting ready to leave, I realized that I was losing my voice. Wonderful. I haven't said this yet but Julissa will not be there tomorrow because she has to set up for her daughter's quinceniera (15th birthday) that is on Friday. I tried to rest it as much as a I could but between saying good bye and trying to plan our day, I ended up talking more than I probably should have. After we ate some leftovers that our director had given us, we headed back to Miami. I tried not to talk the whole way back but sometimes that was the only way I could stay awake. Eventually I felt a little too tired to drive so Amanda drove the last hour back to Miami. By the time we got back, my voice was pretty much done for. I unpacked and then headed to Mass at 7:30. During Mass, I was the annoying girl that kept coughing so I didn't shake anyone's hand nor could I say anything. I feel so disconnected in church when I don't sing or say the responses. I love being able to participate and share my love of God with everyone so this evening was a struggle. And I know I shouldn't care what people think but I didn't want people thinking I didn't want to participate. I decided that God wanted me to be silent so I could listen to the readings and the Mass itself today. I worked hard to focus on every word the priest or reader was saying today since I couldn't speak. I really enjoyed the readings and I'll post a few verses at the bottom that really struck me. The rest of my night has truly been quiet. I have said maybe 10 words to the girls. It's such a struggle for me not to talk. I'm worried for school tomorrow.
It's really easy to be frustrated with situations like this. It's very inconvenient for me to not have my voice right now: as a teacher, a friend, sister, daughter, and someone that lives far from home, but I know that there is a reason God chose this time to quiet my voice. I am supposed to be preparing myself for Jesus' coming so I have to quiet all parts of me and listen and wait. This could also be a new way for me to give myself to others. Every other time that I've lost my voice, I've found that I can listen to God, my friends, and myself better. So this no voice situation really could be okay (until school tomorrow that is). Try and look for the good in everything--even when it's hard. I should probably get some sleep now so maybe I can have a small voice tomorrow but I will leave you with a few verses from our readings in Mass today:
"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good tidings to the poor."
~Isaiah 61:1
"Pray without ceasing."
~1 Thessalonians 5:17
Friday I was ancy to be done with school because we were headed to Orlando for the weekend for the CVIF Christmas party. I woke up late that morning so I had to put my hair in a ponytail. My students had never seen my hair back like that yet and boy did they notice. My girls were all saying kind comments about it but my boys made comments such as, "Ms. Halstead, it looks like you have a mohawk." or "Ms. Halstead, did you shave your head?" The boys always have more dramatic comments about my looks than the girls. Other than that, the day was pretty relaxed and once it was over, Patricia and I darted out of school to pack and pick up Amanda from the office. We finally made our way out of Ft. Lauderdale after a few mishaps and wrong turns around 5:30 and were stuck in traffic for quite some time after that. I was so ready to be done with the 3.5 hour drive already but it seemed to go on forever. We finally made it out of south Florida and arrived in Orlando around 9 that night. I dropped Amanda off at her friend's house for the night and Patricia and I stayed at Nicole's and Ebony's (fellow volunteers) apartment. I went to bed fairly early that night because the next morning I was going to drive an hour out to Cape Canaveral to go see one of my Emporia friends, Shantel, who works for Disney cruise lines.
My alarm came fast on Saturday morning but I was able to leave by 6:30 so I could meet Shantel once she got off the ship. She has Saturday mornings free when they port so I was able to spend about 5 hours with her total. She has been on the ship for about 2.5 months now and hasn't seen anyone from home since she's gotten on so I'm glad I was able to finally see her. We went shopping for a bit in Cocoa Beach after we ate breakfast and then talked for the rest of the day. Being away from Kansas and both have the same degree, we had lots to talk about and find it very easy to relate to one another. She does not get off the ship for good until February so hopefully I can see her before that or if not, see her when she gets off. I had to drop her off at 12:30 so she could work at 1 and then I headed back to Orlando so I could pick up Amanda and get ready for our Christmas party.
That night our Christmas party was at our director's house and she made a huge feast of food for us to eat! There were several alumni and a few other guests there so we had lots of people to talk to besides one another. It was so great to be able to spend time with everyone before we all head home for Christmas. It really felt like family time as we sat around, chatted, laughed, and enjoyed each others' company. As the evening went on, it was time for our Secret Santa gift exchange. I was in charge of it so I organized everyone in the living room and everyone swapped gifts. It was neat to see who had drawn who and the plan that God had behind that. I am going to take this moment to brag, though. I believe, and many agreed that I received the best present of all. My secret Santa, Nich (our only guy), handed me a card. When I opened it, there was a folded up letter and in the corner, I saw the YMCA symbol. I became a bit curious and wondered what he had given me from there. A membership was too much so I unfolded the letter only to see the most sincere and heartfelt present ever given to me I think. Nich had contacted the YMCA back home and donated $30 to Camp Hyde in my name! I wanted to cry but did not. I gave him a huge hug and just kept looking at him shocked but grateful at the same time. He said it took a little bit of work but he was able to give money to my camp for me because he must have known how much I truly love Hyde. I have no doubt that took a lot of time for him to come up with and then follow through with so my heart is truly grateful for him, more-so now than before. Nothing was going to bring my mood down for the rest of night.
After the Christmas party was over, we went with the alumni from last year downtown to their bars. We ended up at a place that was on top of a roof. Not many people can say they can go to an outdoor bar in December and it still feels good! As we were all hanging out, we ended up meeting some guys that graduated from Ivy League schools. Impressive, I know. As we got to talking, I found out that one of them is moving to Hutch in mid-January! He is going to be working at the new Siemens plant out there for 6 months. He is actually very excited for this move and was asking me all sorts of questions about what I should know. I was more than excited and willing to share my love of Kansas with him. He is originally from Maine so the small towns are no big deal for him. I shared as much about Kansas as I could with him for the rest of the night before it was time to leave. He will only be there til June so I probably won't get to see him while he's there but I hope he enjoys it!
This morning, I woke up with a bit of a sore throat as well as sounding like a man when I talked. I was hoping it would go away but I knew that it wouldn't. As we all started getting around for the day and getting ready to leave, I realized that I was losing my voice. Wonderful. I haven't said this yet but Julissa will not be there tomorrow because she has to set up for her daughter's quinceniera (15th birthday) that is on Friday. I tried to rest it as much as a I could but between saying good bye and trying to plan our day, I ended up talking more than I probably should have. After we ate some leftovers that our director had given us, we headed back to Miami. I tried not to talk the whole way back but sometimes that was the only way I could stay awake. Eventually I felt a little too tired to drive so Amanda drove the last hour back to Miami. By the time we got back, my voice was pretty much done for. I unpacked and then headed to Mass at 7:30. During Mass, I was the annoying girl that kept coughing so I didn't shake anyone's hand nor could I say anything. I feel so disconnected in church when I don't sing or say the responses. I love being able to participate and share my love of God with everyone so this evening was a struggle. And I know I shouldn't care what people think but I didn't want people thinking I didn't want to participate. I decided that God wanted me to be silent so I could listen to the readings and the Mass itself today. I worked hard to focus on every word the priest or reader was saying today since I couldn't speak. I really enjoyed the readings and I'll post a few verses at the bottom that really struck me. The rest of my night has truly been quiet. I have said maybe 10 words to the girls. It's such a struggle for me not to talk. I'm worried for school tomorrow.
It's really easy to be frustrated with situations like this. It's very inconvenient for me to not have my voice right now: as a teacher, a friend, sister, daughter, and someone that lives far from home, but I know that there is a reason God chose this time to quiet my voice. I am supposed to be preparing myself for Jesus' coming so I have to quiet all parts of me and listen and wait. This could also be a new way for me to give myself to others. Every other time that I've lost my voice, I've found that I can listen to God, my friends, and myself better. So this no voice situation really could be okay (until school tomorrow that is). Try and look for the good in everything--even when it's hard. I should probably get some sleep now so maybe I can have a small voice tomorrow but I will leave you with a few verses from our readings in Mass today:
"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good tidings to the poor."
~Isaiah 61:1
"Pray without ceasing."
~1 Thessalonians 5:17
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Sick Days
Sick days--no one likes them or at least I don't. You feel miserable (normally) and while it's nice to have your house or apartment to yourself, you normally don't have enough energy to get anything productive done. I woke up this morning with a cold sweat and thought a hot shower would help but ended up making it worse. I decided it would be in my best interest to stay home from school which was a tough decision for me. Part of me wanted to tough it out but I also knew that I could not stand for very long so school would not have been pleasant.
I slept til almost noon today after decided to stay home. I felt better when I woke up but was still pretty exhausted and had little to no energy. Eventually I moved to make myself some food and in the afternoon, I had to run some errands so I was out for about 30ish minutes and that was more than enough for me. I've been pretty lazy the rest of the evening. I was supposed to make chicken enchiladas for the girls tonight but no one wants food made from a sick girl so that did not happen. Hopefully I have time tomorrow. I have been packing a box to ship back home for Christmas break so I don't have to check a bag that has to go tomorrow. It is rather difficult to pack for a place you won't be at for a week plus staying there for 2 weeks. I might be over-packing but I'd rather do that than under-pack and not have enough clothes for home. It's nice not to have to pack heavy clothes like my coats and long sleeve shirts though. That definitely gives me more space to pack more clothes!
So to sum up this blog tonight, being sick is no fun but that's another day finished so Kansas is slowly but surely getting closer. Fingers crossed that I feel better so I can go to school tomorrow and celebrate the Immaculate Conception!
I slept til almost noon today after decided to stay home. I felt better when I woke up but was still pretty exhausted and had little to no energy. Eventually I moved to make myself some food and in the afternoon, I had to run some errands so I was out for about 30ish minutes and that was more than enough for me. I've been pretty lazy the rest of the evening. I was supposed to make chicken enchiladas for the girls tonight but no one wants food made from a sick girl so that did not happen. Hopefully I have time tomorrow. I have been packing a box to ship back home for Christmas break so I don't have to check a bag that has to go tomorrow. It is rather difficult to pack for a place you won't be at for a week plus staying there for 2 weeks. I might be over-packing but I'd rather do that than under-pack and not have enough clothes for home. It's nice not to have to pack heavy clothes like my coats and long sleeve shirts though. That definitely gives me more space to pack more clothes!
So to sum up this blog tonight, being sick is no fun but that's another day finished so Kansas is slowly but surely getting closer. Fingers crossed that I feel better so I can go to school tomorrow and celebrate the Immaculate Conception!
Monday, December 5, 2011
Photos!
Here are a few pictures of my life lately! I will have a few from the Christmas pictures we took yesterday and a few from Thanksgiving as well. Enjoy!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Catch-Up
I have been such a lazy blogger lately so just a forewarning, this might be a two-day read for those that do not have a ton of time! I could have definitely written several nights this past week but didn't. Instead of blogging, I get distracted by Pinterest. If you haven't heard of it, it's a site where all sorts of crafts, recipes, clothes, etc. or what my dad would see as pointless on it. I could look on there for hours and sometimes do. There are some nifty things on there like a face cleaner that I made and used this past week using olive oil and castor oil. Enough with Pinterest. It wastes my time as much as Facebook does.
This past week, the girls and I started getting into the Christmas spirit since we won't be here during Christmas. We put up the tree on Wednesday for our community night. After getting the Christmas music going and starting to cook our stuffed peppers (thank you Pinterest), we finally got the tree that was passed down to us out of our balcony closet. I was a little worried that it might not have a stand or lights but it had both! Whoever bought or inherited the tree, I'm very grateful for you! The three of us worked away on assembling our small but perfect Christmas tree. There were lights already weaved into the branches so that was helpful. Amanda had a few ornaments and kindly made us a star for the top of it. That took up our whole evening but I'm glad it did. We had good conversations and thanks to Google Maps, I was able to see Patricia's house in Haiti and the girls were able to see mine back in Kansas. Patricia explained a lot about what it was like living in Haiti like not having constant running water. That definitely struck and shocked me. I had no idea that she lived in an area like that. There were water pumps not too far away that they would go to get their water. She also said that they had hired help to do their laundry and other things around the house. At first, I thought, well they had enough money for maids but then as she went on to explain, it was because those people needed money. Her family hired them because they knew that their help were worse off than she and her family were. As Patricia said, "There's always someone poorer than you." I've heard that before and I'm sure many of us have but for some reason listening and asking her questions about Haiti, it really hit. I felt much more grateful for what we had in our apartment even though we are having a bit of a bug problem. Knowing that Patricia lived in Haiti like that for 14 years of her life, I'm sure she is much more grateful. What an evening for me.
Thursday evening consisted of more Christmas activities. After my Skype date with Julia, ABC had a Country Christmas concert so, of course, I watched it. It was definitely past my bedtime when it was over but it made me feel all sorts of good inside. Even though it's not cold down here, it is finally starting to feel like Advent and Christmas. The readings for Mass each day are really helping me prepare what is about to happen in a few weeks. I'm realizing my heart has a lot to do before Jesus comes.
Friday we had a short day at school because report cards were being passed out and we were having conferences with the parents. Needless to say I was super nervous the night before. I woke up early attemptedly because we were supposed to dress professionally so that meant no button-up shirt for once! I was really excited to finally be able to pick out an outfit for the day and I only tried on two different outfits. After starting out our day with Mass, everything else went quickly. We have been practicing more and more each day for our Christmas show on the 15th and I think I'm finally getting a bit nervous for my students. Noon finally came around but we had parents ready to come and conference with us while our class was still in the room! Parents had to come get their child's report card from their teacher that way we could discuss their child's behavior, progress, and anything else. Some of my students' parents intimidate me so I was nervous about how some of them would be in conferences. It ended up not being as bad as I thought it would be. Most of the parents were very nice and listened to everything Julissa and I had to say. The parents of the students who are not doing their best have already been talked to at some point so they were not surprised. Not all of our parents showed up and a few of them happened to be ones that we really needed to talk to but that's how the cookie crumbles I suppose. We were able to leave a little early which was nice because I had a few errands to run after school.
That evening, Patricia had told a friend that she would dog-sit her puppy for the weekend. This little puppy is shorter than the length of my arm so it's a very small dog. Carly, the dog, is definitely cute but was not trained for our apartment. She had more than her fair share of accidents in the apartment. Patricia had never watched or taken care of a small dog but luckily I'm used to small dogs thanks to Jenae's dog, Macy. I woke up on Saturday and went for a 2.5 mile run and after a shower and straightening my hair for fun, Amanda and I went grocery shopping. When we got back, I could tell Patricia needed a break from Carly so I took her outside for a walk for awhile. The rest of my afternoon, I graded and organized papers from the week. I had to stay shut in my room so Carly didn't come in and tear all my papers up. I got a little lonely but I got some work done which is always good. That night, the girls and I watched two of the Harry Potter movies that were on tv. After realizing it was midnight and that I was going to Mass at 11 the next morning, I went to bed.
I have been going to Mass at Barry University which is a Catholic college by St. James. Some of you are probably thinking, "I can't believe she switched again," but I think I will stay here for good. Everyone that goes there is around my age and even though it's a bit of a drive, it's kind of nice to have time to prepare for Mass and have that time to myself after. After Mass today, I was able to get some grading done and then the girls and I went to a small retreat at Sr. Kathleen's and Sr. Stephanie's house with some other women they knew. Getting there was no easy task though. We ended up being in traffic for an hour! Normally it only takes about 20 minutes to get there but there was a huge wreck apparently about 4 miles down from us so we had to take the quickest exit because all the lanes of the highway were closed at the next exit. Everyone had to get off at the same exit so it became a mess. People were driving in the grass, on the shoulder--typical crazy driving when something like this happens. Amanda was driving and I was definitely saying prayers in the backseat for her and every other driver to be patient as they endured the mess of traffic. We finally arrived at the sisters' house and were able to spend some time in prayer and really reflect on getting ourselves ready for Jesus to be born. I was also reminded through the readings they gave us that while I may watch others and then prepare myself for what I think might happen, what I want and what God wants might be totally opposite things. A verse from Proverbs comes to mind, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways, submit to Him and He will direct thy path." (Prov. 3:5-6)
As I start to prepare for what comes after my year of volunteering is over, I have to trust in God. That does not mean I can be lazy though. I have to work and put forth the effort but I also have to listen. I have been starting to get my ducks in a row so that as I start contacting schools and districts, I am prepared and ready to show them my best.
Well the rest of my night after the retreat has consisted of taking Christmas pictures with the girls, working out, and lesson plans. The pictures will be posted soon after I do some editing but we had fun taking them or at least I did. I kind of dragged them into it. I felt like my mom for a bit. Well, I have to finish writing lessons and get ready for the week. I've been hoping and praying that this week goes by fast because after that, I will be home in less than a week! 11 days until I'm back in the state of Kansas though so I cannot complain too much! Have a blessed start to your second week of Advent. I hope you are preparing your hearts and minds along with all the fun stuff of Christmas like decorating. I love you all!
This past week, the girls and I started getting into the Christmas spirit since we won't be here during Christmas. We put up the tree on Wednesday for our community night. After getting the Christmas music going and starting to cook our stuffed peppers (thank you Pinterest), we finally got the tree that was passed down to us out of our balcony closet. I was a little worried that it might not have a stand or lights but it had both! Whoever bought or inherited the tree, I'm very grateful for you! The three of us worked away on assembling our small but perfect Christmas tree. There were lights already weaved into the branches so that was helpful. Amanda had a few ornaments and kindly made us a star for the top of it. That took up our whole evening but I'm glad it did. We had good conversations and thanks to Google Maps, I was able to see Patricia's house in Haiti and the girls were able to see mine back in Kansas. Patricia explained a lot about what it was like living in Haiti like not having constant running water. That definitely struck and shocked me. I had no idea that she lived in an area like that. There were water pumps not too far away that they would go to get their water. She also said that they had hired help to do their laundry and other things around the house. At first, I thought, well they had enough money for maids but then as she went on to explain, it was because those people needed money. Her family hired them because they knew that their help were worse off than she and her family were. As Patricia said, "There's always someone poorer than you." I've heard that before and I'm sure many of us have but for some reason listening and asking her questions about Haiti, it really hit. I felt much more grateful for what we had in our apartment even though we are having a bit of a bug problem. Knowing that Patricia lived in Haiti like that for 14 years of her life, I'm sure she is much more grateful. What an evening for me.
Thursday evening consisted of more Christmas activities. After my Skype date with Julia, ABC had a Country Christmas concert so, of course, I watched it. It was definitely past my bedtime when it was over but it made me feel all sorts of good inside. Even though it's not cold down here, it is finally starting to feel like Advent and Christmas. The readings for Mass each day are really helping me prepare what is about to happen in a few weeks. I'm realizing my heart has a lot to do before Jesus comes.
Friday we had a short day at school because report cards were being passed out and we were having conferences with the parents. Needless to say I was super nervous the night before. I woke up early attemptedly because we were supposed to dress professionally so that meant no button-up shirt for once! I was really excited to finally be able to pick out an outfit for the day and I only tried on two different outfits. After starting out our day with Mass, everything else went quickly. We have been practicing more and more each day for our Christmas show on the 15th and I think I'm finally getting a bit nervous for my students. Noon finally came around but we had parents ready to come and conference with us while our class was still in the room! Parents had to come get their child's report card from their teacher that way we could discuss their child's behavior, progress, and anything else. Some of my students' parents intimidate me so I was nervous about how some of them would be in conferences. It ended up not being as bad as I thought it would be. Most of the parents were very nice and listened to everything Julissa and I had to say. The parents of the students who are not doing their best have already been talked to at some point so they were not surprised. Not all of our parents showed up and a few of them happened to be ones that we really needed to talk to but that's how the cookie crumbles I suppose. We were able to leave a little early which was nice because I had a few errands to run after school.
That evening, Patricia had told a friend that she would dog-sit her puppy for the weekend. This little puppy is shorter than the length of my arm so it's a very small dog. Carly, the dog, is definitely cute but was not trained for our apartment. She had more than her fair share of accidents in the apartment. Patricia had never watched or taken care of a small dog but luckily I'm used to small dogs thanks to Jenae's dog, Macy. I woke up on Saturday and went for a 2.5 mile run and after a shower and straightening my hair for fun, Amanda and I went grocery shopping. When we got back, I could tell Patricia needed a break from Carly so I took her outside for a walk for awhile. The rest of my afternoon, I graded and organized papers from the week. I had to stay shut in my room so Carly didn't come in and tear all my papers up. I got a little lonely but I got some work done which is always good. That night, the girls and I watched two of the Harry Potter movies that were on tv. After realizing it was midnight and that I was going to Mass at 11 the next morning, I went to bed.
I have been going to Mass at Barry University which is a Catholic college by St. James. Some of you are probably thinking, "I can't believe she switched again," but I think I will stay here for good. Everyone that goes there is around my age and even though it's a bit of a drive, it's kind of nice to have time to prepare for Mass and have that time to myself after. After Mass today, I was able to get some grading done and then the girls and I went to a small retreat at Sr. Kathleen's and Sr. Stephanie's house with some other women they knew. Getting there was no easy task though. We ended up being in traffic for an hour! Normally it only takes about 20 minutes to get there but there was a huge wreck apparently about 4 miles down from us so we had to take the quickest exit because all the lanes of the highway were closed at the next exit. Everyone had to get off at the same exit so it became a mess. People were driving in the grass, on the shoulder--typical crazy driving when something like this happens. Amanda was driving and I was definitely saying prayers in the backseat for her and every other driver to be patient as they endured the mess of traffic. We finally arrived at the sisters' house and were able to spend some time in prayer and really reflect on getting ourselves ready for Jesus to be born. I was also reminded through the readings they gave us that while I may watch others and then prepare myself for what I think might happen, what I want and what God wants might be totally opposite things. A verse from Proverbs comes to mind, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways, submit to Him and He will direct thy path." (Prov. 3:5-6)
As I start to prepare for what comes after my year of volunteering is over, I have to trust in God. That does not mean I can be lazy though. I have to work and put forth the effort but I also have to listen. I have been starting to get my ducks in a row so that as I start contacting schools and districts, I am prepared and ready to show them my best.
Well the rest of my night after the retreat has consisted of taking Christmas pictures with the girls, working out, and lesson plans. The pictures will be posted soon after I do some editing but we had fun taking them or at least I did. I kind of dragged them into it. I felt like my mom for a bit. Well, I have to finish writing lessons and get ready for the week. I've been hoping and praying that this week goes by fast because after that, I will be home in less than a week! 11 days until I'm back in the state of Kansas though so I cannot complain too much! Have a blessed start to your second week of Advent. I hope you are preparing your hearts and minds along with all the fun stuff of Christmas like decorating. I love you all!
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