back on-line... for the time being
Oh, the internet. For the time being, it is back in business. Well, almost. I am listening to the experts discuss why it isn’t on yet in the background. But, it’s expected to be back in business shortly.
So, what have I been doing with my life without the internet, you ask? Lots!
This past weekend we had Friday off, and a group of teachers went to Caye Caulker for the weekend. I was rather skeptical about the weekend in that first, Hurricane Ivan was looming off the coast and second, I just spent all summer on the beach and how different could it be from that? But I was sold on the idea by the other teachers so I went. Well, turns out that the beaches on the Carribean are VERY different from the barrier Islands of South Carolina. The water is totally clear, it’s so warm and Caye Caulker is the neatest little island—probably only a couple miles long and totally covered in sand. There’s no paved roads, it’s all golf carts. The buildings are all thatched roofs and really bright colors. The sweetest thing was that it’s the off season and we landed in one of the nicest hotels on the island for about $13 belize a night (that’s $7 in the states!), because we agreed to not use the air conditioning (we’re used to it!). It was gorgeous, right on the beach and… we had hot water! That in itself was such a luxury! Plus, it was just a great time with the other teachers, to get to know them outside of school. This is such a diverse crowd of people!
My third week of teaching has ended uneventfully… I’m meaner than ever to my class of boys (which is expanding by the day… I’m up to 34!) While the girls and I are getting along just swell. Honestly, they’re all great kids, but the boys need more discipline, that’s all. I’ve had them writing “I will not make noises in class” almost every night, slowly I’m winning the battle for “leader of the pack” with that bunch. Then, the fun can begin. On the other hand, the girls are just darn cute and their personalities are really starting to come through. They say the funniest things, I’ve started to mimic the way they complain about their work (they always say “eeeh, miss” when I give them work to do) and I’ll turn around and say it back to them and they all laugh (it’s a challenge to make them laugh because often they don’t get sarcasm...). Alison Robezolli has started playing for the masses we have on Friday and I was so proud of them because they sang like angels this morning! I taught them the songs yesterday and told them if they were good and participated at mass, we’d have class outside. I could hear them all singing the whole time! It’s been a challenge to get good behavior at mass, but the principal gave us permission to “clonk them” if need be, and I took that liberty when the boy sitting next to me had his foot resting on the bleacher behind him when he should’ve been standing. I whacked the sole of his foot with my hymnal, all the while thinking that it’s going to be hard to be back in the states where I could get sued for that (and that’s probably something I should keep quiet about… don’t tell any future employers, ok?).
Our house continues to be without chairs and loaded with geckos, but we have two welcome additions—a washing machine and a small refrigerator! Cold water is great to have, but the real excitement is the washer. It’s funny to see how archaic it is though-- washing our clothes consists of taking the washer outside, filling it with water from the spigot, turning it on so it can swish the water and clothing around then releasing a plug that drains it manually. You put them into the spinner which is attached to the machine, spin the soap out, and then repeat this a couple times to rinse the soap out. You put them back in the spinner and then hang them up to finish drying on the line. It sounds like a lot of work, but after doing wash by hand for three weeks, we’re SO not complaining!
Ok, so I should probably post this since the ‘nets up again and showing signs of slowing… So, keep me and my students in your prayers and I miss all of you and am praying for you all too!
So, what have I been doing with my life without the internet, you ask? Lots!
This past weekend we had Friday off, and a group of teachers went to Caye Caulker for the weekend. I was rather skeptical about the weekend in that first, Hurricane Ivan was looming off the coast and second, I just spent all summer on the beach and how different could it be from that? But I was sold on the idea by the other teachers so I went. Well, turns out that the beaches on the Carribean are VERY different from the barrier Islands of South Carolina. The water is totally clear, it’s so warm and Caye Caulker is the neatest little island—probably only a couple miles long and totally covered in sand. There’s no paved roads, it’s all golf carts. The buildings are all thatched roofs and really bright colors. The sweetest thing was that it’s the off season and we landed in one of the nicest hotels on the island for about $13 belize a night (that’s $7 in the states!), because we agreed to not use the air conditioning (we’re used to it!). It was gorgeous, right on the beach and… we had hot water! That in itself was such a luxury! Plus, it was just a great time with the other teachers, to get to know them outside of school. This is such a diverse crowd of people!
My third week of teaching has ended uneventfully… I’m meaner than ever to my class of boys (which is expanding by the day… I’m up to 34!) While the girls and I are getting along just swell. Honestly, they’re all great kids, but the boys need more discipline, that’s all. I’ve had them writing “I will not make noises in class” almost every night, slowly I’m winning the battle for “leader of the pack” with that bunch. Then, the fun can begin. On the other hand, the girls are just darn cute and their personalities are really starting to come through. They say the funniest things, I’ve started to mimic the way they complain about their work (they always say “eeeh, miss” when I give them work to do) and I’ll turn around and say it back to them and they all laugh (it’s a challenge to make them laugh because often they don’t get sarcasm...). Alison Robezolli has started playing for the masses we have on Friday and I was so proud of them because they sang like angels this morning! I taught them the songs yesterday and told them if they were good and participated at mass, we’d have class outside. I could hear them all singing the whole time! It’s been a challenge to get good behavior at mass, but the principal gave us permission to “clonk them” if need be, and I took that liberty when the boy sitting next to me had his foot resting on the bleacher behind him when he should’ve been standing. I whacked the sole of his foot with my hymnal, all the while thinking that it’s going to be hard to be back in the states where I could get sued for that (and that’s probably something I should keep quiet about… don’t tell any future employers, ok?).
Our house continues to be without chairs and loaded with geckos, but we have two welcome additions—a washing machine and a small refrigerator! Cold water is great to have, but the real excitement is the washer. It’s funny to see how archaic it is though-- washing our clothes consists of taking the washer outside, filling it with water from the spigot, turning it on so it can swish the water and clothing around then releasing a plug that drains it manually. You put them into the spinner which is attached to the machine, spin the soap out, and then repeat this a couple times to rinse the soap out. You put them back in the spinner and then hang them up to finish drying on the line. It sounds like a lot of work, but after doing wash by hand for three weeks, we’re SO not complaining!
Ok, so I should probably post this since the ‘nets up again and showing signs of slowing… So, keep me and my students in your prayers and I miss all of you and am praying for you all too!
posted by Alison G. @ 8:07 PM
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