Shout Outs

I wore a bracelet made by Abi Gum today... Thanks Abi :)

I also have paper flowers on my desk from Sandy Gum... Thanks Sandy for the great memories as your RA! :)

Again, thanks Mom for the candy corn... I am still enjoying every little bite.

Thanks Uncle Jason and Aunt Janna for coming to see me in 2 1/2 weeks! Woohoo! We're going to have a blast!

Thanks Christie Griffin for preparing me for teaching... I think of you often!

Weston... I am jealous of your Coldplay concert. Too bad the plane ticket was $500 to join you.

Christina Watson, I know you're praying for me! :)

Bluckers, Jill, Gpa&Gma, Jaclyn, Mom&Dad, Verschas --- Thanks for your financial support! I couldn't do this without you!!!

I CAN BREATHE!!!

YAY! I'm finally feeling better!

I didn't realize how hard it was to breathe these last couple weeks, but there was a moment yesterday when it hit me... I can breathe again! A deep breath! Without coughing! Woweee! I hardly know what to do with myself!

I did have a couple coughing sprees today, but I'm definitely on the mend. Thank you Jesus!

Tricia has started coughing... a put-put sort of cough that isn't coming from her throat... it's coming from deeper... so your next prayer request is for her health!

Finally, Photos of the New Class!!!

Sorry it took me so long to remember my camera... but here they are!

The miniscule desk... crowded with organization, of course.

The carpet, bookshelf, and doorway... and yes, we have hardwood floors!

Another view of the carpet area.... piled with notebooks I need to grade.

Where we spend most of our time :)... I'm so glad it's so colorful!

Teacher Student Swap Day

Tomorrow is Teacher Appreciation Day here in Costa Rica, so today was a dress-up day with teachers dressing like students and students dressing like teachers. The girls were excited to wear scarves "just like Miss Siscoe does all the time." Here's some photos of my goofy students dressed like me.
I was dressed like a student in the school uniform polo, comfy pants, braids, and a pink camo backpack (courtesy of my student Christina :)). Front: Bayley, me, Gaby, Paula. Back: Christina, Rebecca, Katie, Valeria, Nicole.
A close up of Bayley's mustache. He was dressing up like Profe, the PE teacher.

Oh Gaby... haha, she is always making me laugh.

Mis estudiantes tienen mucha energia...

And the neck scarf girls... just like me :). Rebecca, Christina, Katie. Hopefully, I don't often have the same look as Christina, ha.

Adventura Numero 30,000

As Trish and I leave school today to go visit tico families, she says, "Well, adventura numero trenta-thousand!" Nothing like a little Spanglish to get us started. We met 3 host ticas today with the possibility of living with them -- Norma, Maria Carmen, and Adriana. We have another visit on Sunday. Meeting each woman and their children made me feel much more at ease with the decision to move in with ticos. I am excited to learn Spanish... and of course I'm nervous also because I know my grammar is really bad.

Please pray for me. I've never had bronchitis before, but it's certainly not fun. I just slept 2 hours right after getting back to the apartment from our visits. I'm just so... sick. Blah.

Package Shout Outs

Thanks Joann Blum for the goodies from the States! Trail mix, Rice Krispie treats... I am living the life now! ha. Oh, and thanks also for the snowflake garland. It immediately went up above my classroom door... (speaking of classroom, I still need to take photos of the new classroom, don't I? Whoops...)

And thanks to Mom for another package! Lots of fall goodies... and CANDY CORN!!! Yes!!!!!!!!!

(Whew, 2 packages in 4 days!!! I don't know if I can handle the emotion!) :)

Weekend Photos!

We went to the National Theater to a ballet this past Saturday night. I finally have photos! :) The curtain... The blurry ballerinas...

The theater...

Outside the theater...

And the lovely ladies! :) me, Trish, Peggy, Kim, Laura

And I finally went to the doctor's today for this cough that I've had for the last... 2 or 3 weeks, we'll say. My coughing has interfered in many a lesson the past few days and it was to the point that my chest hurts so badly every time I cough... Don't worry Mom... but it turns out I have bronchitis. The doctor kept asking me, "Have you ever had this type of cough before?" I kept saying no, but I don't think he believed me or something. He muttered something about chronic coughing... I sure hope this isn't chronic. He gave me a prescription for 3 drugs -- an antibiotic (which I haven't taken in years, thanks Mom), a cough suppressant, and a mucus loosener? something like that. Woohoo, so I'm currently high on drugs. I just hope there's no severe side effects...

Oh, and I didn't mention that these drugs cost me 1/10th of my monthly paycheck. Drugs here are more expensive than the US and they sure better work...

And to end this post on a happy note, we put up a Christmas tree! Yay for confiscations from Sojourn's random storage closet :). . .