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!
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