I realize its been awhile since my last post but things have gotten even busier here in the last few days. We’ve had meetings at the school each day from about 7am until 3pm going over rules, expectations, and planning procedures. We even had a presentation about substance abuse because apparently some middle school students were caught with drugs on campus last spring. It kills me to think that my eight-year-olds will have access to drugs in just three years but that is totally the reality in this country (and in other countries, I suppose)
Yesterday after school Makenzie, Aubrey, Ashley (fellow third grade teacher from Minnesota) Lindsey (middle school science teacher from Arkansas) and I took a cab to Hiper Piaz which was essentially a WalMart on drugs. On the way there, however, we stuffed 5 of us in a little cab as the driver was telling us that he could be suspended for having too many people in his car. We had waited for half an hour in the rain for him though and were not willing to wait for another one so we told him to deal (well, Aubrey told him). I ended up lying across the backseat on the laps of Makenzie, Lindsey and Ashley and it felt like the longest car ride of my life! The roads here are full of potholes and other surprises so I actually thought I was going to die in that cab. Luckily we got a lot of good stuff at the cracked out superstore and made it home alive and well.
Yesterday and today was a little frustrating at school as many of our supplies were not distributed equally and planning is going to be quite the task. It took the third grade team almost two hours to plan one week of two subjects. So Elisa and I went to the gym to blow off some steam. It sucks to think that we can never really run outside unless we are going to be on the track at school but I’m so lucky that I was raised in a place where I didn’t have to think twice about my safety. I’m hoping that can be possible for Guatemala some day…
Last night we experienced our first of many power outages in the city. Luckily a reserve light comes on in the hallway of our apartments so it wasn’t completely dark but we actually had some fun lighting candles and using the trusty headlamp my mom packed for me. Its pretty awesome living in a building with just teachers; it almost feels like we are living in the dorms again as we walk in and out of each others apartments all day without a care in the world.
After school today the teachers went to a little bar called Coco Drive near the school to celebrate the end of a long, busy week. A lot of teacher’s went out afterward but Aubrey and I came home and passed out until about an hour ago (11pm!). We still have a lot of little things to get done this weekend in order to be ready for school on Wednesday so the rest of the weekend is up in the air but likely to be pretty low key.
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