I just wanted to pop in to say, have you ever sat down to think about what makes America great? Lots of things, no doubt, but at this particular time in my life I'm pretty convinced that limitless refills on fountain drinks is one of them.
Especially at restaurants that serve Diet Dr. Pepper. A never-ending flow of Diet Dr. Pepper... That's liquid happiness right there.
And while I'm on the subject, here is a list of reasons why I love home. In five words or less:
-rednecks are good people
-TV
-real, lung-cleansing cold
-crazy, wonderful family
-Union Chapel Missionary Church
-country music
-Wal-Mart
-driving myself in a car
-wide-open spaces
-a real kitchen
-naps every day
-understanding...culture and language
-lots of hugging
Hope you're all enjoying the last few days of 2008. Hasta pronto!
Friday, December 26, 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Christmas is A-Comin'
In case anyone's counting down with me, only eight days remain between me and a long, boring, FANTASTIC day of flying home for Christmas! That's one more week of school...complete with four Christmas parties, a two grammar quizzes and a Bible verse quiz (lest anyone accuse me of being a cake-teacher). And, not to be overlooked, an ice-skating party with the entire Middle School.
Yes, IMPACT is at it again. Now don't get me wrong; I love teaching Middle School. But I prefer the small doses of my classes (11-4 students per class) to the whole group together. Together they get a little...um, "squirrelly" is perhaps an apt adjective. A few too many hormones and a little less structure than is probably best. But we all need a bit of non-structure I suppose, to learn to manage ourselves without outwardly-imposed rules. I just wish that practice time weren't on my watch. Well, anyway, Alice (the aid of one of my students) has promised to sit with me on the bleachers and giggle at the kids with me. So not a total loss.
I've been trying to remember enough of the funny stuff I see around town to make a list of things for you. Enjoy!
You Might Live in Quito at Christmas Time If...
-Fireworks go off at all hours of the day, for no discernible reason
-All the billboards of Santa Claus say "Jo jo jo" (pronounced like "ho ho ho")
-Christmas time means an increase in crime (boo)
-You come back from your Thanksgiving trip to the beach (which cost you about $100 total for three days) and rejoice in how "cold" it is, even though you can still wear short-sleeves.
-Your Chinese take-out comes with a packet of ketchup and they don't have chopsticks. (admittedly not Christmas related)
-At the school Christmas concert, during the explanation of St. Nickolas (who was from Turkey) the Spanish emcee announces that St. Nick came from "Pavo" (which means turkey like the bird; Turkey like the country is "Turquia")
-The elementary Christmas program is totally bilingual, with some songs sung in eight languages.
-You joyfully stood in the POURING RAIN to pick out a Christmas tree at Parque Carolina
-You spend more time in the mall than normal because it feels like Christmastime inside.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Yes, IMPACT is at it again. Now don't get me wrong; I love teaching Middle School. But I prefer the small doses of my classes (11-4 students per class) to the whole group together. Together they get a little...um, "squirrelly" is perhaps an apt adjective. A few too many hormones and a little less structure than is probably best. But we all need a bit of non-structure I suppose, to learn to manage ourselves without outwardly-imposed rules. I just wish that practice time weren't on my watch. Well, anyway, Alice (the aid of one of my students) has promised to sit with me on the bleachers and giggle at the kids with me. So not a total loss.
I've been trying to remember enough of the funny stuff I see around town to make a list of things for you. Enjoy!
You Might Live in Quito at Christmas Time If...
-Fireworks go off at all hours of the day, for no discernible reason
-All the billboards of Santa Claus say "Jo jo jo" (pronounced like "ho ho ho")
-Christmas time means an increase in crime (boo)
-You come back from your Thanksgiving trip to the beach (which cost you about $100 total for three days) and rejoice in how "cold" it is, even though you can still wear short-sleeves.
-Your Chinese take-out comes with a packet of ketchup and they don't have chopsticks. (admittedly not Christmas related)
-At the school Christmas concert, during the explanation of St. Nickolas (who was from Turkey) the Spanish emcee announces that St. Nick came from "Pavo" (which means turkey like the bird; Turkey like the country is "Turquia")
-The elementary Christmas program is totally bilingual, with some songs sung in eight languages.
-You joyfully stood in the POURING RAIN to pick out a Christmas tree at Parque Carolina
-You spend more time in the mall than normal because it feels like Christmastime inside.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Christmas Miracle
Yesterday I saw an actual miracle happen. And as a result, I'm getting to go home for Christmas! I can't even believe how fantastic it is!
What happened was that a friend of mine, another teacher here, was talking to her dad about Christmas break, and I guess she mentioned that one of the other teachers wasn't getting to go home or have visitors over Christmas. He suggested that he could pay for part of my ticket! And then I found a good price on a ticket, and THEN my own dad said maybe he could help out a bit too, so North America, here I come!
For those who are interested, I'll be flying into Columbus on the 21st and back out on January 2nd. Whee! If you're able/interested in meeting up, let me know!
So with a little internet searching I have come up with a visual representation of the series of steps from the time I heard that someone wanted to help pay for my ticket, until today.
Step 1- skepticism...
Step 2- shock...
Step 3- Glee...
And at step 3 I remain...gleefully expectant of my upcoming surprise trip home! Whee!
What happened was that a friend of mine, another teacher here, was talking to her dad about Christmas break, and I guess she mentioned that one of the other teachers wasn't getting to go home or have visitors over Christmas. He suggested that he could pay for part of my ticket! And then I found a good price on a ticket, and THEN my own dad said maybe he could help out a bit too, so North America, here I come!
For those who are interested, I'll be flying into Columbus on the 21st and back out on January 2nd. Whee! If you're able/interested in meeting up, let me know!
So with a little internet searching I have come up with a visual representation of the series of steps from the time I heard that someone wanted to help pay for my ticket, until today.
Step 1- skepticism...
Step 2- shock...
Step 3- Glee...
And at step 3 I remain...gleefully expectant of my upcoming surprise trip home! Whee!In a totally unrelated point, while I was finding the above pictures, I ran across this one which I thought was so random and surprisingly humorous that I wanted you to enjoy it, too. (For me the funniest part was how long it took me to figure out the point of the picture.)
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