Saturday, December 11, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Mr. GrassJumper
So I obviously haven't had the desire to write recently, but this last week something happened that I thought was blog-worthy.
This is how my class usually looks. I'm not the one taking the pictures, so they're actually looking at me. Here, I was telling them about a mean 3rd grade teacher who played a trick on us (well, on me.)
This was the prank. This is a dead grasshopper who was probably 6 inches long, formerly named Mr. Grassjumper. He was the 3rd grade class pet, but I gave that teacher so much grief for keeping him in a tiny jar for weeks and weeks. "He's just going to die!" I told her. I was right. Well, Mr. Grassjumper ended up on my projector, and I found him on Wednesday morning staring at me as I turned on my screen.
Well, when I told my kids about him, they naturally had to see. So I let them stand on desks to check him out. You can see the huge nasty beast if you look on the projector.
I convinced one of my "bravest" boys to get him down. My kids, though, weren't convinced thta he was dead.
You should have heard the screams when it flopped down onto the desk!
After the falling of Mr. Grassjumper came 2 or 3 minutes of kids trying to run away, kids screaming, and just crazy Spanish chatter.
We bagged the little sucker, and we returned him to 3rd grade. My whole class piled into that classroom and said "UGH!" at the teacher. The poor 3rd graders were confused, though, because they thought their pet had been buried. HA!
This is how my class usually looks. I'm not the one taking the pictures, so they're actually looking at me. Here, I was telling them about a mean 3rd grade teacher who played a trick on us (well, on me.)
This was the prank. This is a dead grasshopper who was probably 6 inches long, formerly named Mr. Grassjumper. He was the 3rd grade class pet, but I gave that teacher so much grief for keeping him in a tiny jar for weeks and weeks. "He's just going to die!" I told her. I was right. Well, Mr. Grassjumper ended up on my projector, and I found him on Wednesday morning staring at me as I turned on my screen.
Well, when I told my kids about him, they naturally had to see. So I let them stand on desks to check him out. You can see the huge nasty beast if you look on the projector.
I convinced one of my "bravest" boys to get him down. My kids, though, weren't convinced thta he was dead.
You should have heard the screams when it flopped down onto the desk!
After the falling of Mr. Grassjumper came 2 or 3 minutes of kids trying to run away, kids screaming, and just crazy Spanish chatter.
We bagged the little sucker, and we returned him to 3rd grade. My whole class piled into that classroom and said "UGH!" at the teacher. The poor 3rd graders were confused, though, because they thought their pet had been buried. HA!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
this is so honduras
[two posts in a week? don't get used to it. ]
it's been yet another crazy week. it's rainy season, which means that there are days when it rains and rains. it's also much cooler, which has been fabulous.
when sunday night rolled around, it'd been raining hard all day. the river that goes through our colonia was so high that it was splashing water over one of the bridges. if you've seen the news, this has happened elsewhere in latin america with this storm. when the rain stopped, we walked down to the bridge to check it out. it was crazy how powerful the river was and how fast it was moving. rumor had it that a truck had been taken into the river and was rushing down it not far from that spot.
we went back home to our roommate telling us we were being evacuated. our house is on fairly low land (especially low compared to other houses that IST owns), and behind our house there is a very steep dropoff that ends in that same river. the river was very high, and there was a threat of landslides, which at its worst case scenario, would have thrust our beloved house into the raging river. we evacuated our house and were put up in a very nice hotel. it sure was a swanky little vacation.
school was cancelled monday becuase of 'red alert' for the tropical storm, and it was also cancelled today. strangely enough, today was sunny and warm. some people think that the reason for school being cancelled today (and why it could easily be cancelled tomorrow) has to do with our friend mel. remember mel zelaya? last june, he was forced out of the country in his pajamas when a coup took over. he came back in... october? which resulted in many scary situations and a curfew that kept us in a house other than our own for about a week. anyway. people say he's on his way back. sweet timing, mel. i'm hoping and praying that this doesn't interfere with anything more than it has already; hopefully he has no desire to return, or that he can hold off til june 19.
the problem (well, one problem) is that school was supposed to be finished on friday. as it stands right now, we have to make up these two days that we missed next monday and tuesday. but it's so hard becuase in first grade, i've finished my curriculum last week, and was just planning on fluff activities to pull me through the week. it's frustrating because the fluff is being put off for at least 2 days. i just want to be done! i need closure for this year; i need it to end. i love my kids, but it seems like we're just putting off the end at this point. summer needs to start.
my consolation is that regardless of whether we're still making up these school days, i am completely out of honduras on june 18th!
it's been yet another crazy week. it's rainy season, which means that there are days when it rains and rains. it's also much cooler, which has been fabulous.
when sunday night rolled around, it'd been raining hard all day. the river that goes through our colonia was so high that it was splashing water over one of the bridges. if you've seen the news, this has happened elsewhere in latin america with this storm. when the rain stopped, we walked down to the bridge to check it out. it was crazy how powerful the river was and how fast it was moving. rumor had it that a truck had been taken into the river and was rushing down it not far from that spot.
we went back home to our roommate telling us we were being evacuated. our house is on fairly low land (especially low compared to other houses that IST owns), and behind our house there is a very steep dropoff that ends in that same river. the river was very high, and there was a threat of landslides, which at its worst case scenario, would have thrust our beloved house into the raging river. we evacuated our house and were put up in a very nice hotel. it sure was a swanky little vacation.
school was cancelled monday becuase of 'red alert' for the tropical storm, and it was also cancelled today. strangely enough, today was sunny and warm. some people think that the reason for school being cancelled today (and why it could easily be cancelled tomorrow) has to do with our friend mel. remember mel zelaya? last june, he was forced out of the country in his pajamas when a coup took over. he came back in... october? which resulted in many scary situations and a curfew that kept us in a house other than our own for about a week. anyway. people say he's on his way back. sweet timing, mel. i'm hoping and praying that this doesn't interfere with anything more than it has already; hopefully he has no desire to return, or that he can hold off til june 19.
the problem (well, one problem) is that school was supposed to be finished on friday. as it stands right now, we have to make up these two days that we missed next monday and tuesday. but it's so hard becuase in first grade, i've finished my curriculum last week, and was just planning on fluff activities to pull me through the week. it's frustrating because the fluff is being put off for at least 2 days. i just want to be done! i need closure for this year; i need it to end. i love my kids, but it seems like we're just putting off the end at this point. summer needs to start.
my consolation is that regardless of whether we're still making up these school days, i am completely out of honduras on june 18th!
Friday, May 28, 2010
brown day [green day]
today was green day at international school. this is a very much anticipated day (in early elementary anyway) that involves a hike up a nearby mountain and, of course, a dog show.
mornings in tegucigalpa have been wet recently, and this morning was no exception. i woke up to the sound of rain, and that sound continued on through mid morning, but stopped just in time for our walk. on the bus this morning, i predicted that 12 kids would show up today. the rain coupled with the hike up a mountain outside of the school scared quite a few parents off, but i ended up with 16 of my 23. of course, every single kid with any type of behavior problem was present. ... just saying.
the hike was MUDDY. there were parts when i had to pull a kid out of a place where his foot had been caught quicksand-style. there were parts when my little girls whined and cried. i had a girl who kept saying "this is the baddest baddest baddest baddest day ever." i had some girls who were really sad that they had bought new shoes and had chosen to wear them today. (uhhhh...) basically, my kids aren`t used to nature and that became super apparent very quickly. most of them were little troopers, though. and after my suggestion that we should rename it brown day, they instantly were busy thinking of better names for it, like coffee day. (that was my fave).
ohh and then the dog show. i sat with a bunch of my little girls, and we discussed whether each dog that we saw was pretty or ugly. we had a pretty striking debate when it came to the poodle. i just don`t know how so many people can think that poodles are good looking dogs. YEAH RIGHT.
3 weeks from today i`ll be in home.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
a typical day in our lives.
today, jenny and i took a personal day to go apply for a new passport at the US embassy in tegucigalpa. this was something that we've known we should do since we got our temporary passports in costa rica, and we were excited about missing school today to do it, as it means a 5-day weekend thanks to some honduran holiday.
when we got in the embassy, we were again pleased to see that being north americans, we had no line to wait in. neat.
but that's where our luck ended. we were talked to first about not having the proper official identification (note: we DON'T HAVE ANY). that problem seemed to resolve itself and eventually we got to the part where he let us apply for the passport. things were looking good, and he even let us sit down to wait for our interviews. but then just as he was letting us sit down, he pulled out a hole puncher and a stamp and mutilated our temporary passports. (note: as i mentioned before, we have NO OTHER identification)
we were slightly concerned about the state of our identification, but then we forgot about it for awhile as we were interviewed and told we could leave. but then we realized, without a honduran residency card, a united states passport, a united states driver's license, a birth certificate, or any identification at all, we're very much out of luck. the atm cards that are on our way? we can't get them because we need ID to be able to pick them up. residency cards? forget it--i'm doubting whether they will ever show up. we spent a good 2 hours in the bank trying to figure out how we could even access any of our money from our accounts. the answer? we can't.
it's so frustrating, because there seems to be no reason for killing our passports this morning. we paid good money for those, and they're still valid for about 8 months. people get new passports while having non-mutilated passports in their possession all the time. agh. i don't think the US embassy knows how much trouble they've caused.
here's a (censored) picture of my poor little fake passport.
(i can't figure out how to rotate it and i've just given up. turn your head.)
when we got in the embassy, we were again pleased to see that being north americans, we had no line to wait in. neat.
but that's where our luck ended. we were talked to first about not having the proper official identification (note: we DON'T HAVE ANY). that problem seemed to resolve itself and eventually we got to the part where he let us apply for the passport. things were looking good, and he even let us sit down to wait for our interviews. but then just as he was letting us sit down, he pulled out a hole puncher and a stamp and mutilated our temporary passports. (note: as i mentioned before, we have NO OTHER identification)
we were slightly concerned about the state of our identification, but then we forgot about it for awhile as we were interviewed and told we could leave. but then we realized, without a honduran residency card, a united states passport, a united states driver's license, a birth certificate, or any identification at all, we're very much out of luck. the atm cards that are on our way? we can't get them because we need ID to be able to pick them up. residency cards? forget it--i'm doubting whether they will ever show up. we spent a good 2 hours in the bank trying to figure out how we could even access any of our money from our accounts. the answer? we can't.
it's so frustrating, because there seems to be no reason for killing our passports this morning. we paid good money for those, and they're still valid for about 8 months. people get new passports while having non-mutilated passports in their possession all the time. agh. i don't think the US embassy knows how much trouble they've caused.
here's a (censored) picture of my poor little fake passport.
(i can't figure out how to rotate it and i've just given up. turn your head.)
Saturday, April 3, 2010
semana santa: FAIL(?)
this week has been the long anticipated semana santa, or holy week. schools have off, and so my housemates and i planned a trip to costa rica, thanks to wicked cheap airline tickets. sounds great, right?
we flew to san jose monday night and then rented a car tuesday morning to drive to the nicoya peninsula, which is about 4 hours away on the pacific coast. it was pretty enough--tropical with a beautiful beach. we packed our car up wednesday morning and headed to the beach. while we were parked there enjoying the waves and heat, someone got into our car and stole absolutely everything. well, not quite everything. but they got all of our clothes, except for kendra´s suitcase, all of our cards and money, except for bethany´s, and two passports. since it`s semana santa, all of the businesses and offices are closed until monday, which means that jenny and i can`t fly out today as planned, because we no longer have passports.
that day was just unbelievable. we had everything stolen, which we found out about by about 1:00. then we tried to get money wired to one of the girls who still has a passport, and then we hit the road. it took us about 12 hours to get all the way back to san jose, since we couldn`t get on the ferry we had been aiming for. then, while waiting in the line of cars for 2 hours to get on the ferry, a bird actually pooped on my leg. it was a thing. it happened. and it really worked to be a metaphor for the day.
basically, we havent had an amazing time in costa rica. we`re fairly jealous of our two roommates who get to go home this afternoon, while we`ll still be here for another several days at least. it doesn`t seem like a bad thing, and we`re going to do our best to make the most of it while also pinching colones and doing our best to not run out of money. we are considering a coffee tour which involves acting out the coffee making process. cheestastic? yeah, but it might just turn this thaaaang around.
one thing`s for sure. we havne`t been able to have taco bell yet because of semana santa businesses closing, but rest assured: we WILL have taco bell before we go back to tegucigalpa. probably many times.
we flew to san jose monday night and then rented a car tuesday morning to drive to the nicoya peninsula, which is about 4 hours away on the pacific coast. it was pretty enough--tropical with a beautiful beach. we packed our car up wednesday morning and headed to the beach. while we were parked there enjoying the waves and heat, someone got into our car and stole absolutely everything. well, not quite everything. but they got all of our clothes, except for kendra´s suitcase, all of our cards and money, except for bethany´s, and two passports. since it`s semana santa, all of the businesses and offices are closed until monday, which means that jenny and i can`t fly out today as planned, because we no longer have passports.
that day was just unbelievable. we had everything stolen, which we found out about by about 1:00. then we tried to get money wired to one of the girls who still has a passport, and then we hit the road. it took us about 12 hours to get all the way back to san jose, since we couldn`t get on the ferry we had been aiming for. then, while waiting in the line of cars for 2 hours to get on the ferry, a bird actually pooped on my leg. it was a thing. it happened. and it really worked to be a metaphor for the day.
basically, we havent had an amazing time in costa rica. we`re fairly jealous of our two roommates who get to go home this afternoon, while we`ll still be here for another several days at least. it doesn`t seem like a bad thing, and we`re going to do our best to make the most of it while also pinching colones and doing our best to not run out of money. we are considering a coffee tour which involves acting out the coffee making process. cheestastic? yeah, but it might just turn this thaaaang around.
one thing`s for sure. we havne`t been able to have taco bell yet because of semana santa businesses closing, but rest assured: we WILL have taco bell before we go back to tegucigalpa. probably many times.
Monday, March 15, 2010
you're welcome, 1st grade.
today while i was teaching kids about maps (think painful amounts of repetition and acting out bird's eye view), i noticed an especially blotchy kid sitting and looking hot (it was, after all, about 97 today, sources tell me). i ask the kid if he itches, and he says no. i ask if a bug bit him, and he looks at me all confused. then one of my good english kids threw out the spanish word for chicken pox. my itchy blotchy kid said, 'yeah.' and i just got confused. excuse me?! send your kid to school with the chicken pox? when you know he has them?! the other kids promptly moved away from him with scornful, "ayyy, eduardo!"s. then i asked the kids to raise their hands if they've never had chicken pox. most raised their hands. thinking it was a language misunderstanding (after all, most 1st graders have?) i changed it, "raise your hands if you have had them" and the other kids raised their hands. awesome. thanks, eduardo, for single handedly taking out half my class in the (very) near future.
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