The Breakfast Train is leaving at 9!

This week was filled with sheep chasing, real Bolivian food, and lots of tourist experiences!

At school the kids are finally used to our new schedule which is such a great thing! Now they know what comes next, and what to do if they are finished! This eliminates many what do I do now, Miss and what time is it? It was a successful and overwhelming week planning and curriculum wise. I keep finding stacks and stacks of papers from previous teachers that I am not quite sure what to do with, and I am pretty sure some of it is older then my students :).  It is such a blessing coming into a classroom with some supplies and stuff to work with, but then there are things that I am not sure what the heck I am supposed to do with. Teaching is overwhelming at times, but in the hard times it is so cool to see how the Lord has given me gifts in handling situations and also the ability to make up songs in order to help the kids remember concepts ( they are not in tune, and surely not award worthy, but they seem to be working). Then there are times like last week, where the kids have to chase the sheep off the school campus and I just give in and laugh. I have been told this happens quite frequently, however I don't think it will ever get old. I have already learned so much about myself as a teacher it is a little crazy! The kids can definitely push me but it is reaffirmed that this is where I am supposed to be everyday.

This weekend was the first time I think I really had Bolivian food. I have had mellowed down versions at school but this was a new experience. On Friday a few friends and I went out to a fancier Bolivian restaurant and it was so good! I don't know if I would choose to eat it everyday, but I would try it again for sure! I have also learned that half the fun of going out is never knowing what I am really going to get because most places just have menus in Spanish!

I also had a chance to go into the city to the more touristy part of La Paz on Saturday. I have not seen that many white people in one place in a while, it was a little bizarre! There were a lot of fun little stores to go into and a really yummy restaurant that took us a while to find, but it was worth it! To end the week we went to a fancy hotel in our "backyard" that has an awesome breakfast buffet on Sundays! (I just realized I have eaten out a lot this week). They had the best French Toast I think I have ever had and it was so hard to stop eating!

My friend Meg and I  in the touristy part of the city! 

Some other great girls I work with :) 

Overall this week has been full of challenges, but a lot of fun with friends!

I hope your week is blessed!

Sara

Everyday's an adventure!

This week has been really long and really quick all at once! 

We continued our Visa process and had to go to a clinic/hospital/I can't really explain it. We spent almost our entire Monday in the medical place and were only originally supposed to be there for a few hours. I had to pee in a cup (afterwords some nice Bolivian men kindly let me know my zipper was undone :/) see a doctor, get my teeth checked by a dentist, and have an x-ray of my chest taken. I met all the standards of Bolivia and was checked off as a healthy lady! I also found out I have lost about 8 pounds since I have been here, the girls and I have labeled it as the missionary diet :) 

This week at school went well. The students have now warmed up to me and the idea of being back at school, therefore their true behaviors have come out! I had to make some minor adjustments to the behavior plan I have in place, but they responded well and have definitely improved! I have been overwhelmed by differentiated instruction and after reviewing the levels of the kids they range from 2nd grade to about 5th. It is crazy the difference, not because they are not bright, but it all falls on the amount of English they speak. It is a crazy and overwhelming job to take on but I can already see the struggles and learnings making me into a better teacher! After talking to one of my students parents this weekend I learned I have my 4th graders stamp of approval and respect.  I will take that as a great victory! 

I am looking forward to really diving into our routines and curriculum this week! We are studying life science and I am chilling a jello mold for an animal cell this very moment! There are definitely days I wish I were back in college and just talking about the possibility of teaching, but when I look back at the week it is worth the struggles and tears!
Here are some pictures of my classroom! Its a little messy still, but things are really coming together!

Before! 

We have to move everything into the middle of the room during the summer break! 

The front entrance with the library and cubbies! 

 Some Pictures from our Olympic Party last weekend! We had olympic themed snacks!

The RINGS!

We tried to show American Pride, but the powdered sugar melted haha! 

My desk and also our small group table! 

Popcorn Torches! 

With love, 

Sara

Miss, Miss

I have probably heard Miss, Miss about 400 times in just the last 3 days, however it is a great reminder why I am here. I was told over and over how difficult the first year of teaching was going to be, and don't get me wrong I am starting to see the mountain growing higher and higher of planning, grading and e-mailing parents (and it's only the third day). However, it is overwhelming and incredible to feel the sense of belonging and peace I get from standing in the classroom with my 4th graders. I do have some challenging students, and when people kept offering to pray specifically for my class it made me a little nervous, but I have some great kids that are excited to be back at school. 

 It has also been a while sense I have been this tired and I am pretty sure I fell asleep in the taxi on the way home from school today :) The long days of teaching on top of beginning of our visa process have sent me to bed around 9 and honestly I wish it was earlier sometimes!

We started our Visa process yesterday and had to be fingerprinted twice! Not to mention that no one spoke english in the interpol office, which is not a surprise anymore :) We went with a woman from the school and one of the girls spoke a little spanish but it definitely caused one of my friends and I to set a day for lessons :) The other doosey was having to give our height and weight in metric (thank God for google). 

I have been quickly forced to see that I am the minority in a country very different from my own. The comforts that have been here to keep me sane have been watching live US T.V and streaming the Olympics with my roommate, while eating lots of homemade cinnamon rolls!  I am surrounded by incredible teachers/new friends who love the Lord and are so supportive as I transition into this new time in my life. It's only been a week, but I feel like it has been a whole lot longer! 

Please be praying that this transition continues to go smoothly, no sickness, and lots of patients for my new little friends :) 

I will post pictures soon when my classroom is not overflowing with tissue boxes and books with no shelve! :) 

Until next time, 

Sara