I'M HOME!

I have made it home after almost a year in a foreign country! Wow, what an accomplishment it feels like to have survived and even thrived!

Now I'm talking with the family as much as I can and eating lots of cheese. I didn't realize how much I had missed dairy!

Kallie has her driver's license now so we're heading to Peoria this afternoon to Barnes & Noble... then meeting my friend Emily for dinner... then Austin's birthday party back here in Kewanee! Busy day!

Spanish Rap

Who knew I would be writing raps in Spanish for homework? Our class is performing this rap for the whole student body this Friday afternoon... Tricia will be videotaping, so there will definitely be a video coming soon for your enjoyment :). For now, here's the Spanish lyrics and the English translation below. It sounds a whole lot better in Spanish... the English doesn't quite rhyme :) Enjoy!

Yo Metí La Pata

Coro:

Cada persona en cualquier idioma

Tendrá un error que será una broma

Meter la pata es algo que se dice

Para arreglar algo que yo hice

//Metí la pata, metí metí la pata//

Verso 1:

Yo metí la pata un fin de semana,

Cuando estaba hablando sobre mi hermana,

Ella le ayudó a un amigo que lloraba

Ella se acercó y a su espalda la frotaba.

Yo quería mostrar que ella era muy sincero,

Pero les conté que ella tocaba su tracero.

//Metí la pata, metí metí la pata//

Verso 2:

En el puro principio cuando no sabía nada

Yo metí la pata cada día en la mañana

Mucha gente aquí dice “Gracias a Dios!”

Para decirle gracias al Padre de los Cielos

Pero yo entendí que me habían despedido

Entonces les dije “adiós” muy confundido

//Metí la pata, metí metí la pata//

Verso 3:

Esta mañana les pregunté a mis amigos

Acerca del tiempo, que había hecho “errores”

Quise preguntarles si estaba equivocado

Pero dije, “héroes,” y yo metí la pata

//Metí la pata, metí metí la pata//

Verso 4:

Una vez yo pasé una vergüenza

Me habían pedido un testimonio

Pero cuando me acerqué al frente

Todavía no sabía que decir

Entonces para explicarme

como me sentía

metí la pata cuando dije que

estaba embarazada

//Metí la pata, metí metí la pata//

Verso 5:

Yo estaba hablando con mi hermosa esposa

Le pedí un beso, y por favor venga

Desfortunadamente, metí la pata

Usé el nombre de su hermana, Meghan

//Metí la pata, metí metí la pata//

Coro:

Cada persona en cualquier idioma

Tendrá un error que será una broma

Meter la pata es algo que se dice

Para arreglar algo que yo hice

////Metí la pata, metí metí la pata////

I Stuck My Foot in My Mouth

Chorus:

Every person in whatever language

Will make a mistake that will become a joke

“Meter la pata” is something that you say

To fix something that you did

//I stuck my foot my foot in my mouth in my mouth//

Verse 1:

I stuck my foot in my mouth one weekend

When I was talking about my sister,

She helped a friend who was crying

She sat with her and rubbed her back.

I wanted to explain how sincere she was

But I told them she was touching her friend’s butt

//I stuck my foot my foot in my mouth in my mouth//

Verse 2:

In the beginning when I didn’t know anything

I stuck my foot in my mouth every day in the morning

Lots of people here say “Gracias a Dios!”

To say thanks to the God of the Heavens

But I understood that they had told me goodbye

So I told them “adiós” really confused

//I stuck my foot my foot in my mouth in my mouth//

Verse 3:

This morning I asked my friends

About the time I had made mistakes

I wanted to ask them if I had made “errors”

But I said “heroes” and stuck my foot in my mouth

//I stuck my foot my foot in my mouth in my mouth//

Verse 4:

One time I was embarrassed

They had asked me to give a testimony

But when I got close to the front

I still didn’t know what to say

So to explain myself

And how I felt

I stuck my foot in my mouth when I said

I was pregnant

//I stuck my foot my foot in my mouth in my mouth//

Verse 5:

I was talking with my beautiful wife

I asked her to come here for a kiss

Unfortunately, I stuck my foot in my mouth

I used her sister’s name, Meghan.

//I stuck my foot my foot in my mouth in my mouth//

Chorus:

Every person in whatever language

Will make a mistake that will become a joke

“Meter la pata” is something that you say

To fix something that you did

////I stuck my foot my foot in my mouth in my mouth////

Field Trip

Our Spanish classes took a field trip to a factory where they dry wood to make all kinds of jewelry, wind chimes, bead curtains, purses, etc... basically whatever you can think of, but all out of wood. These items are sold all over Costa Rica as tourist souvenirs.

The racks of wood drying... They said the wood has to dry from 6 months to 10 years.

Nothing to do with the wood, but I really like this photo. Jared on the right and Avery on the left.

Wood beads in process...

A carving of two horse heads...

My friends Caroline and Jared... I know it has nothing to do with the wood factory, but I really like this photo that I took :).

My conversation teacher, Lissette, and I.

My grammar teacher, Marlene, and I.

Volcan Arenal Otra Vez!!

Last time I visited the fabulous town of La Fortuna was when my Aunt Janna and Uncle Jason travelled here in December... and the time before that was more than a year ago when my friend Jaclyn and I came here to "preview" Costa Rica...

This time I was with a group of students from the intensive course... This time we upgraded to an actual hotel instead of a hostel, and we took a van instead of public buses! Wowee!

The group in front of the waterfall... we hiked all the way out there in the pouring rain. It was so much fun and so cold and so, well, cold. My hands were purple at one time... and we were utilizing one of the guy's techniques for avoiding hypothermia. Good memories.

Here's the upgraded hotel :)
And the upgraded transportation. :)

Manuel Antonio Otra Vez!

I mentioned a while ago our impulsive beach trip to Manuel Antonio, and here's several photos finally! I travelled with a group of young adults who are studying in the same intensive course that Trish and I are currently in. ...but I just realized that I somehow forgot to take a group photo, so I guess I won't be able to show that one.... oops.

But I do have these cute photos of a monkey! :)

He was determined to get into the coconut...

...but then later on he stole someone's camera and dropped it from the trees... not a very friendly monkey.

Beautiful!

Summer Art Students

It's been good to have a high school teacher's schedule this summer and have different groups for short periods throughout the day. Here's some photos of various students...

6th graders ...

2nd graders... another 6th grader...

5th graders.... aka my past 4th graders ;)

Abstract Art

Here's a sneak peek of what I've been teaching in my Art&Design classes this summer. I know some of you might think, "Aw c'mon, Kate, I could paint that..." and you're right, you probably could... but what I teach in my class is that it's all about the process behind the finished product.

This process was to color one piece of paper with a secondary color (orange, purple, or green) and then to color two larger pieces of paper with the two primary colors that make the previous secondary color (for example red and yellow because they make orange, etc.). Then cut the smaller secondary paper in half and glue in the middle of the two primaries... Wallah! The secondary color looks like it's two different colors!!!

This process is to first design a glue stamp and let the stamp dry overnight. The next day, paint the stamp with the desired colors and then stamp another piece of paper... Wallah! Abstract art! The kids loved this project because all the results were so different. Paper mosaics were also a big hit... we were working with organic shapes (aka torn construction paper) to piece together whatever our minds concocted!

And basic line drawings... the rule was that the kids had 10 minutes to draw a shoe, but they couldn't pick up their pencil! Some just started scribbling after a couple minutes, but there were a few that turned out really well.