I'd Rather Have a Snow Day

I've never had school canceled for anything but snow. The seemingly harmless flakes were so inviting as I watched the morning news, waiting impatiently for my school to crawl across the screen with the words: "CANCELED" or "2 HOUR DELAY" close behind. Ah, snow days.

Here in Guate, we have earthquake days.

I was on lunch duty today when I felt the first earthquake. It wasn't huge, but it was substantial enough to cause quite a stir amongst the students. Terremotos are common in Guatemala so I didn't think much of it. During my fourth period prep, I saw my desks shaking. Earthquake 2. The students were rushed out to the commons, which isn't the safest place to be during an earthquake, but it beats the 'ol duck and cover method under poorly constructed desks in a school building which sits precariously on a ravine. The students were taken back to their classrooms and resumed class. But not ten minutes later, we felt another shake. Earthquake 3. Again, the kids ran out to the commons. The order that briefly reigned was soon lost to chaos as the seniors screamed for joy and the little ones clung to teachers' arms and legs. Fortunately, class resumed before too long.

I was back in my classroom, foolishly thinking I could finally get some grades entered, when I felt another hard shake. Earthquake 4 wasn't huge, unlike the 4.8 and 5.8 we felt earlier, but it was enough for Han Al to cancel school and send the kids home early. We the teachers, however, had to stay and have a meeting (it's no fun being grown up sometimes). Evacuation plans were discussed and student leaders were delegated. Mother nature showed her approval of our safety plan with a gentle nod. Earthquake 5.

Horatio Spafford

I was very encouraged by the hymn "It is Well" tonight at church. And subsequently inspired to share with you the story of its author, Horatio Spafford. Check out his story here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horatio_Spafford

It's really incredible.

It has been a difficult transition, with misunderstandings at work and feeling limited by the precarious situation in Guatemala. I often wonder (as most of us do) what God's plan is for me here. Regardless, it is well:)

North & South

I don't know if I've told you, but Han Al American School has a large Korean population. The owners of the school are Korean and almost all of my students were born in South Korea. This makes for some interesting art work on my vocab quizzes. Their favorite subject is Kim Jung Il. He usually resembles a pig with hairy armpits in the sketches I receive. These selections are courtesy of my 7th grade World History class.

My schedule is incredibly busy with 5th, 6th, and 7th grade social studies and science, 8th grade World History, and 9th grade American History. My 5th graders are prone to tears and day dreaming while my ninth graders are prone to act like 5th graders. 7th grade is a dream; they love to learn and like to tell me: "miss, you are so excited about science!" 8th grade is apathetic and 6th grade is forgotten, as the 2 of them have been fused with the 5th graders. Poor things. And ALL of my students are English Language Learners. Every morning, I get asked if I can "borrow me" a pencil. I was, however, proud to see that my students are passing notes in class in English. Anyone have a clue what they were trying to say to each other?

In other news, I caught a bird in my class this week. It flew into my room, bounced around the walls a bit, freaked out my 5th graders, and landed on the floor next to me. Fortunately, I was able to catch him with my cardigan and let him fly away. Otherwise, I may have had to move our life cycle lesson up a few months in science class:(


Outside of school, I have tried belly dancing and octopus. Not sure which one I disliked more, but dancing with smooth Guatemalans while my white belly is moving slightly off-beat might trump the fishy sliminess of octopus. Here's Heather about to take the plunge:

We were finally able to go out last night and see our colleague, Manlio, play with his band downtown. It was good medicine to get out of our apartment and hear some familiar American rock and roll (and some very catchy Spanish tunes). With all of the violence, we've felt a bit trapped in our little zone 10 slice of Guate. The streets, buses, and non-yellow taxis are dangerous, so any chance we have to get out is a blessing. Heather and I went to the grocery store today and the city felt very on-edge. I can't really explain why, but things felt strange. Elections are tomorrow and all of Guatemala is hoping that a new president will be elected to oust the corrupt Colon (he has been buying votes from the poor for years, I guess). The most amusing candidate by far is Colon's ex-wife, Sandra Torres. Guatemalan law states that blood relatives of the president cannot run for office. So, Torres filed for divorce and is now illegitimately running for president. Yikes. Pray for vision and honesty to be elected for Guatemala.


Thinking of you all and missing you very much.

The House of Healing (sans Faramir)

Hey folks. Sorry it has been such a long time since my last post. And this one, I'm afraid, will be brief. Prayers are appreciated for me, Heather, our friend Teresa, and our housemate Christy. All four of us are sick this weekend with various flus, colds, and mysterious viruses so prayers for healing would be wonderful. There is, unfortunately, no Lord of the Rings healing power in our little apartment so divine intervention is top priority;)

At least I don't suffer from "hippo" like one of my fifth graders this week. He tried to get out of his work by saying this and it might have worked, until I discovered that by "hippo" he meant "hiccup." More on my little charges later...