First Week Back

This was our first week back from break and on to the final home stretch! There are only 7 more weeks of class yet! In some ways I am so glad and in other ways it's really sad. I am not ready to give up my kids! It was hard to get back into the working mode this week. But enough about school. There were some other funny/strange/new things that happened this week.

I started working out with the new trainer at the gym this past week. The one I liked and knew left at Christmas and I was too embarrassed to work out with the new guy, so I just worked out on my own, and then I got sick and didn't go for a while. I decided to get brave this past week and work out with him. The old guy spoke English and that made it easier, but this one doesn't. Let me just say he is going to give me a run for my money! I worked on my abs on Monday and was sore until Thursday! Then I did more! Haha! I haven't been that sore for a while. It's good though. He told me that if I work out with him, I will be heavy! Good thing heavy means something totally different here--it's a good thing to be heavy! It means like cool, fit from what I can understand.

On Friday, my neighbor who is a medical student had a ceremony for going from being a med student to being a medical intern. He invited us to go with him! It was quite an interesting experience. He is Haitian, so we went with his family and friends, most of whom don't speak Spanish or English! Thankfully my roommate Megan came who can speak French. And Pierre the neighbor can speak them all, so when he's around, we have no problems. It was kind of like a graduation of sorts. I ended up having the four year old on my lap the whole time--he is so cute! They came over from Haiti after the earthquake and only speak French and Creole. He was trying not to fall asleep but did towards the end. I was surprised he stayed asleep because at the end they had a mini rock concert! Seriously, they were up there with drums, guitars, etc. and singing loves songs! Oh, complete with back-up singers who were basically dancing! Megan, Amanda, and I were like "what is going on?!?!" It was like a graduation and rock concert combined! I have never experienced anything like that before. Then afterward we went out to Chinese food. We were laughing because it was 3 white girls with a whole bunch of Haitians eating Chinese in the Dominican Republic! Talk about a mixing of cultures! We didn't end up eating until like 11 at night. The three of us were so tired, but it was a great time. I am so thankful for awesome neighbors!

Me, Megan, Pierre, Amanda, and Pierre's mom. She is still living in Haiti and came over for the ceremony. He was so happy!
Probably some of the cutest kids in the whole world! And this is one of my top ten favorite pictures ever as well! It was dark outside the theater where the ceremony was held, but there were lights shining on the walls. The kids were all looking at the light. This isn't posed--I just happened to catch them all at the same time!

The oldest one having a great time looking in the light! If you think of it, pray for the two boys. They both have sickle cell anemia. This one has been sick this past week. Look how cute he is all dressed up!
The three white girls at dinner. Can you tell how tired we are? We got our food before everyone else and waited to eat it. We were so hungry!

A HUGE blessing happened today--I could understand most of the message at church! There was a lot I could apply to my life and a lot to think about. The same guy is going to speak next week on the same topic, so I am excited about that. He talked about "the root of bitterness." One verse that really jumped out to me was Hebrews 12:14, which says, "Make every effort to live at peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord." Wow. That's quite a statement. First of all, I need to live in such a way as to be at peace. That's hard sometimes. But what really stuck out to me is the part about how without holiness no one will see the Lord. We need to live in such a way that our lives point to the one true God. May my life point to Him at all times, for He is worthy!

Semana Santa

This past week was our Spring Break, also known as Semana Santa, or Holy Week. I really needed a break, so a few weeks before, my dad offered to take me on a cruise! We both flew to Miami and met there. We went on a five night cruise to Key West and to the Cayman Islands. A lot of time was just spent at sea as well. It was wonderful! It was my first cruise, and I loved it! The food was awesome and it was a great time to just relax and spend time with my dad. I enjoyed it immensely. We just walked around in Key West and went snorkeling at a reef and a ship wreck in Grand Cayman. We went to dinner in the restaurant every night and sat with the same couple and had the same waiter. It was great to get to know them and to have really good food! I wasn't hungry the whole week from how much I ate! The food was amazing! My dad even tried frog legs, and I tried a bite! I just tried not to think about what they were. It was a great time to rest and think about what our Savior did for all of us.
Our table with our two waiters. This couple was very nice and fun to get to know. She is a reading teacher :).

Our room!

The ship. It really is like a floating hotel!
Playing with angles :)
FROG LEGS!!!!

We were all SO ready for Spring Break! I can't believe we go back to school tomorrow. Last month was Reading Month, which meant more crazy activities. The kids had fun though. The highlight of the month is Dress Like a Book Character Day. They were all so cute! We also had a mystery theme--someone "stole" the Cat in the Hat and the kids had to figure out who by asking the "suspects" questions. I was one of the suspects, and that was great too. My class figured it out--it was cute! I can't believe I only have 8 more weeks with them. I will miss this group a lot!

Best buds reading. The third one of their group is to the left--you can see the one looking at his book :)
A Mummy!
Geronimo Stilton! He is the newest and biggest craze in third grade. The cool thing is, the whole series was first written in Italian and then translated to English! Gotta love the glasses in this picture :)
Reading under my desk! This is taken from the front, where a piece of wood hangs almost to the floor. He was peaking out, as I was reading on the floor in front of him :)
She should be reading "Rapunzel" :)

As far as summer plans, I still don't really have them nailed down. I was hoping to travel to Europe, but now I have nobody to go with me. So we'll see what happens. Any ideas from my readers out there?

I am excited for the end of the school year, but it is bitter-sweet. I love my kids. And, even more than that, a couple of the people I have really grown to love here are leaving. That makes me sad. I pray that the Lord truly directs all their adventures as they seek to follow Him. And I am praying for more awesome staff to come in that I can work and serve alongside. The cool news is almost all the elementary staff is staying, so that will be great to have consistency! Our school often struggles with consistency in staff, so we are all very excited!

I hope you all had a blessed Easter. He is RISEN! There is so much joy in that. May you all feel that joy as you seek to serve and follow HIM!