What went wrong?

It’s so hard to figure out where this day went wrong. Was it when I got up at 4:50 this morning? Was it when I got to school early to get caught up and realized we had no water and no electricity? I spent today trying to get organized and write lesson plans for the substitute teacher because I leave for Bogota at 5:45 tomorrow morning. Kathy and I tried to “pre-check” with the airline this afternoon – no such luck. But the ticket agent assured us that if we got to the airport three hours before the flight we’d probably be fine. Three hours before? It’s not going to happen. And we only have a 55 minute layover in San Jose. I may be in Colombia tomorrow night and then again I may not. And my shopping trip yesterday to find winter clothes was a bust. If I do get to where I’m going, hope I can buy a coat.

James and Maggie and I went on a Habitat trip on Saturday. There were six EA teachers and 26 seniors (23 boys, 3 girls) and Mags. Our site looked like the footprint for one house – turned out it was the site for four houses. The EA kids were polite, enthusiastic, and hard-working. We had a fantastic day. Maggie said she learned a lot of Spanish from the contractor. I was in charge of water, band aids and general mother/nursing duties – just about my speed. I taught all but three of these kids last year, and truly enjoyed spending time with them again.

Maggie and I are participating in a Salvadoran mob scene next month – we have tickets to a Shakira concert at a local stadium. This is supposed to be one of the hottest concerts in the world right now. So off we go. Then James and Maggie are headed to Honduras for a Knowledge Bowl tournament in November. We are certainly covering more square miles this year. I need to figure out an adventure for Will to go on real soon. Think he is looking forward to being spoiled by his grandparents when they visit in December.

I finished my first Master’s class! Only eight more to go… Studying nights and weekends is tough in addition to teaching, but I’m sure the result will be worth it. The class was about using media in the classroom. James and Maggie and Will all helped our group produce a video/powerpoint presentation for new international teachers on how to make pupusas. It’s a long story as to why we showed our film while wearing native costumes – but here is my classmate and iMovie genius, Jennifer. We couldn’t have completed the project without her!

Maggie is the new treasurer for the 9th grade. She’s also going to try a Salvadoran sport – handball. I think the team wants her because she is tall. I’m not sure if she can be in the school band and play a sport, but I think she should give it a try. This blog entry is starting to sound like some obnoxious holiday letter that you stick in a Christmas card. I’ll stop here and go pack, and then return to write about Bogota. The adventure continues… Susan