NYE babysitting.

here are a few signs that you shouldn't have accepted a New Year's Eve babysitting job:
1. Your friend gets you the job with her ex-kind-of-boyfriend's new girlfriend and their child.
2. She tells you...(after you've accepted the job).."Yeah..you might see the sun rise in their living room..they'll probably be hammered when they finally come home."
3. the mom just tells you "oh, that apartment complex by the hospital." VIA.TEXT.
4. you can't get ahold of anyone when you get to the apartment complex.
5. Dad is the only one at home, and CLEARLY doesn't hear the door when you've knocked 7 times.
6. These are the directions given to you once you get there:
-"Umm...the baby is already sleeping. He's like 1-ish. He might be getting kind of sick. Maybe. He sneezed earlier. So like. Um. If he wakes up, you can give him this bottle in the fridge...(unscrews lid)..smells fine...(re-screws lid)...and just put a few drops of this baby cold medicine in there and swish it around...there should be directions on the medicine..um..yeah. ok. see you later."
7. There is a CONSTANT chirp! from the smoke detector in the baby's room.

48 minutes down...5 hours to go.

sleepovers.

last night, hannah and i had our "we've been apart for two weeks. we NEED to have a sleepover" night.
so, we began the night with:
1. spaghetti, which i haven't had in so long it seems. SUCH good food. I don't know why I don't invest in making it every week. then
2. walmart (which, by the way, doesn't sell painting canvases anymore-BUM.MER.) this was the brand spankin' new garden city walmart too, which i'm completely against, because i hate that it takes away our charming little beach community small town feel with it's GIANTNESS.
3. a visit with our "other mother". Mrs. Pam CONTINUALLY keeps the two of us in stitches. she is the mother of two very sweet boys, but they are the furthest things from girls, she could get. therefore, we love giving her her dose of girl-time, and being her fashion consultants, and listening to her read us her latest children's book find! I swear, someone should put her in charge of running the library for all of the children of the world.
4. baked cupcakes. WE ARE THE QUEENS OF CUPCAKE WORLD. seriously, we've loved them together since we were in middle school. we are super creative, but last night, we chose to just do simple yellow cake with chocolate chips mixed in and then chocolate icing. DE-LISH.
5. talked like we literally hadn't spoken in years. we stayed up until 6 in the morning, re-living the last several months of our lives together. i've realized that no matter where you go in the whole world, or who you're with, there is NOTHING like your own bed, with your sister curled up next to you, just talking. about boys, food, the future, and most importantly how the Lord is using you in this life for HIS glory. Hannah and I have very different futures ahead of us. The chances that we'll end up in the same town, same COUNTRY even, are not huge. and the sheer thought of that makes me want to throw up. but, I KNOW that each of our future's will be HUGE. The Lord has complete control over our lives. Our job is not to sit on our butts and not do anything, but to SEEK LISTEN and be PROACTIVE about what the Lord is presenting us with. and THAT is something I can be content with. the fact that I know her future is so bright, and so full, because she is letting the Lord web her future. i'm so proud.

feliz cumpleanos pete!

today was pete's birthday. what he wanted to do for his birthday activity was go the the shooting range, so the family came along! we went in, got a 9mm pistol, 100 bullets, and 3 pairs of earplugs. the little hunter-guy took us to our range, where we set up our fake human with target, and got organized.
Pete started out the day by shooting off about 10 shots. Mom followed by shooting five. And I got scared. Then, I took the gun, and shot. Didn't do too badly either. After about 20 more minutes, Mom and I started to freeze, so we went inside and let Pete have the time of his life.
Finally, around 5:00 he came inside, and we deliberated on supper plans. We looked to our left, and there was this classy lil' diner called "Shooters". We had heard from the little guy that worked in the shop that the diner had good cheeseburgers. And there ya go!
So, after we went in and ordered our three VERY LARGE hamburgers, we began to look around the place. Let me describe it for you: about 12 very large (8 seater) tables, two large sofas, a bar, and a fireplace.
Ya know when you're at a bar-type restaurant, there tend to be carvings on the table, well, same thing in Germany.
As we sat at dinner, we noticed quite a few that really struck our eye. I'll describe to you the type of people I think they are based upon their carvings:
Bill & Chong: A sweet old man that was stationed in Korea, his wife had died several years earlier, so he was lonely, he met Miss Chong. Miss Chong was a sweet old woman that owned a teapot shop in Korea. She was lonely too, and when she met Mr. Bill, he just sent her heart all-a-flutter. They got married (or not), and moved to Germany (his next placement) and lived happily ever after.

Sincere Hippie: Debbie was her name. She and her husband came to Germany on vacation in the 90's. She loved to dance, and smoked a lot too. But when she turned 40, she had to let her youth go. She just wanted to express to the Rod & Gun club her true heart.

Bowhuntin' Ted: Ted, a 25 year old guy that was from the backwoods of South Carolina. He grew up out on the farm, and in the swamps. At 18, he enlisted into the Army. Stationed in Germany 7 years later, he was grateful to find this Club, and get a little taste of home.

Big Tony: The General that resided in Heidelberg much longer after retirement. He spent every moment at the Club, known for his ability to hit any animal with his eyes closed, he was very established and important.

Unicorn Kayla: Earth.Child. She never quite got over the whole My Little Pony stage of 3rd grade. We're concerned.

REX: Yep, ALL CAPS. Rex. He had this head...shaped kinda like an egg. And then, when he was in the Army, they had to give him a buzz-cut. He was also 6'7". About 300 lbs. All this combined. Rex. Like a dino.

Eric & Flo '88-'92: Poor Flo. Eric had this 4 year rule. He'd only date someone for that long..when he wrote this on the table...she cried. She saw the light at the end of the tunnel.

Seriously?! Do people expect us to take them seriously when they write things like that? I am assuming that all these stories are true, and that maybe Eric didn't break up with Flo. Maybe after the carve, he regretted it. We can only hope.

After all this, I just wrote "Betsy". I got too nervous to write anything else.

pet peeves.

here's my opinion. probably a little bold, but, i'm okay with it.

-back scratching feels good right? IN.DOSES. now, i realize that i'm probably one of the LEAST toucy-feely people this world has to offer. i mean, sure, if you're sitting on the other end of the couch, and my legs are getting cramped up, i'll use you as a footrest, or if you want to run your fingers through my hair for hours upon hours upon hours, i'll let you...but. that's about it.
BUT. when i was sitting in church on sunday, the lady in front of us was just scratching, and rubbing her little boys back the WHOLE service. i just don't understand. when you do that for an hour, hour and a half-ish, doesn't it get old?! like the "thrill" and the "ooh that feels good" sensations just simply fade. why oh why mother-who-cares-an awful-lot-about-her-son's-back-scratching-needs would you do that?!
ALSO...the SOUND! arg! it's like nails on a chalkboard. the constant scrussh, scrusssh, shh, shhh noise that the hand makes on the back of the shirt? waaafh! just a TAD distracting in any situation: paying attention in church, a movie, conversation, board game..just simply not okay.

-dates. here's my thoughts, when you take someone out to eat, do not, DO NOT sit on the same side of the table (if there are three or more people, it's fine. just two. no) first of all, how do you get to look at them? i mean, just gaze upon their beeeeauty. two, i don't want to look at your jaw muscles chewing while i'm talking to you. i want to look at your eyes, or your forehead, or your chin, ears (both of them), something else. i don't want to have to twist and contort my body to turn to have conversation. uh uh. no thanks.

-overpacking = unneccessary things. i am the most guilty of this. especially as i sit and look at my TWO exploding suitcases on my bedroom floor right now. seriously, for two weeks in the raging snow, you don't need one single pair of flats, you need 2 pairs of ugg boots. you don't need any tank tops. all you will do is cover it up. if you're going to be outside, you don't really even need "cute" items of clothing, because you're just going to be bundled up. the only thing that can be considerably cute is your scarf, your jacket, and a little hat (if you're a hat person)
**this just simply me yelling at myself for so many unneccesary tank tops, flats, tshirts, etc. and, a helpful little tip if you ever come to Germany or France in December.**

-freezers. i found that 90% of freezers, in fact, do their job too well. everytime i've taken the ice cream carton out of the freezer this week (4 times a day, at least), i've had to put the ice cream in the microwave for a minute, to just make it scoop-able. c'mon general electric, frigidare, keep it soft n' smooth.

-losing things. i hate it. i lose everything. i am the QUEEN of losing things. ask anyone who's ever lived with me, gone on a trip with me, been with me for more than 10 minutes...i lose my phone, my computer, my bible, my keys, my jacket, my debit card, my ipod, my chargers for most of these things, my favorite shoes. anything i own, i'll lose it. i'm going to work on that for next semester. either just getting velcro strips, and velcro-ing everything to my body, leaving myself notes (which i'll probably lose), or getting little radar beeping devices on every object i own with simultaneous clickers that i can use to FIND my things.

"no, i don't speak french"

today, we went to france. we got lost at least 6 times on the way there, and back. took the same roundabouts 5 times, and finally stopped listening to the little know-it-all GPS.

while in france, we wanted to find somethings. so, we asked.

1st asking location: Ilba Hotel-very nice man who speaks very good english, but didn't quite understand why we wanted to DRIVE somewhere that was only a 20 minute walk from where we were....in the 20 degree snowing weather.

2nd asking location: travel agency-very very nice lady who spoke "broken english" (she knew the word 300, and christmas tree-not quite broken)

i realized, when talking to both of these people, that, when listening to a language that is not english(or even a language that is english with an accent), i default respond in spanish. so when being asked, "ju vant to goo to zee cazeedral?" my response: "si, gracias"

also, here's a tip. whenever in germany, LAYER. (in the winter that is) today, i wore four layers on the top, 2 pairs of socks, ugg boots, a scarf, jeans, and gloves. I.FROZE.TO.DEATH.tomorrow, i will wear 9 pairs of pants, 13 sweaters, 15 pairs of socks, and at least 2 hats. as long as you gain 6 pounds just from your clothing, you're set!

several things i've learned

since being in germany, i've learned so many different things. not just about germany, but about europe, military life, etc.

1. the gym = all.the.time.man.pit.
you try working out surrounded by army men. it'll make ya feel scrawny. that's for sure.

2. the vacuums- my mom has two. each time i've used both of them, i've been convinced that they're going to suck the ground right out from under me. i have to use both hands, and all of my strength just to simply push it across the floor.

3. time change-no matter how much you do during the day, it's still possible to stay up until 3 in the morning, because it really only feels like 9pm.

4. water- ASK FOR IT FLAT. if you don't you'll get this overwhelming carbonation that will make you want to spit it all out.

5. americans.wear.fanny.packs. still don't know why. i think there should be a rule against it. like hello, jansport, QUIT THE MANUFACTURING.

6. no matter how many times you tell someone that the "Chaplain" is your step-dad, they're completely convinced that he's your real dad, and that's why you were raised in a Christian home.

7. if you're an army general, you get brick on the bottom of your house. if you're a colonel you get stucco. i guess if there are strong winds they want the generals to survive.

8. this has nothing to do with germany, europe, or the military, but we've discovered that i would have NEVER been accepted into Bob Jones University.

my reasons: i would die if i had to wear skirts all the time, chaperoned dates...where would they sit?, not allowed to listen to rap, rock, alternative, or country music...or religious music that stems from these genres...what do i listen to?

mom's reasons: "your daddy owns a bar, you wore a bikini before you were out of preschool, and i put you in gymnastics as a small child where you were slinging your long legs around for the world to see."

9. pete goes to bed at 10pm everynight. meaning, if we watch tv, the volume has to be on 16 or below. even through 3 rooms and various closed doors, he can STIIIIILL hear it?

10. everywhere i go in germany, i'm convinced that the von trapp family was here at one point, and i have no shame in bursting out into sound of music soundtracks at anytime.

11. the commissary is an american's haven. all american brands, all day long. you want sunbeam bread? they got sunbeam bread.

12. don't wear your hair up, because your ears will freeze. (day 5, still wearing my hair up. can't learn from my own mistakes.)

13. if you want to learn good jokes, go to the middle-aged single guy at the unit party. he's full of em.

14. don't ever accept anything from anyone named isabel. it could result in various fatalities. butterfly curtains, floor sucking vacuums, (in my own personal experience...lice) etc.

15. ALWAYS wear 2 pairs of socks.

hallo.

let me share with you about my last 48 hours.
1. faaaabulous time at Allie's-loved every second of it.
2. Mr. Jeff and Allie dropped me off at the Charlotte airport at 5:45 pm Sunday evening. I got checked in quickly, and through security with no glitches. Made my way through the airport to the USO. For those of you that don't know what the USO is, it's a nice little lounge for those of us with Military ID's. We can go in, enjoy a movie, eat some snacks, get online, etc. As I'm enjoying my stale turkey sandwich, and GChatting with some friends, I'm told that my friend Tyler is stranded in the Charlotte airport. I pick up my bags, and call him, make my way to the A concourse, and play for the next hour! I'm tellin ya, always, be aware of when people are travelling. Especially near the holidays. You never know what kind of fun you might have in airports when you run into people. So, Tyler leaves around 7:00, which I say, "to food!" So, I battle in and out of different lines, trying to decide where to eat, when all that sounds appealing is Fazoli's. Too bad. So, I go into one of those little convenience stores. Ya know, the ones that charge you 10x the amount that the product is actually worth? So, $20 later, I come out with, a protien "meal" bar, a bottle of water, 1 bag of gummy bears, and 1 "Shape" magazine. The protein "meal" bar. Let's be honest, just because you have enough calories to match that of one meal, YOU.ARE.NOT.A.MEAL. And Shape magazine...you're a really good influence, if only the "Pesto Pasta" and the "roll" aka rock, they served me on the plane would have held true to your meal guides.

At 7:50, I was at gate D3, ready to go. This is where the fun begins. Our boarding is delayed. At 8:15 they begin boarding us. So, as I'm waiting in line, I reach for my Passport, to which my carryon bag says "See ya!" and decides to fall over, causing the domino effect to 5 other people behind me. Of course, I scramble to pick it up, and after about a million "I'm sorry"s realize that none of these people speak English, but better yet, they're rolling their eyes and me, and I'm SURE talking about me in German. Wonderful.

8:25-I'm on the plane. Seat 20H. You are NOT middle seat like I expected (whew). My seat mate is a really nice man from Ohio who helped me lift my bag up into the overhead compartment. I really do think that the weight limit for carryon's should not be 40 lbs, but should be "If you cannot lift it over your head on your own, take some stuff out and move on."
Anyways- so grateful for Mark (my seatmate). Good thing he was nice and didn't smell bad, because we SAT. SAT. in the Charlotte airport for another 3 hours. We had mechanical problems, then computer problems, then we had to get de-iced, then wait on the runway to be clear. WOOF.

12am- We take off. Longest amount of time I've ever been scrunched up for in my life. We finally got our "dinner" around 1:30am-Pesto Pasta, Salad, and a roll. I promptly finished supper (midnight snack, really) and popped 2 Tylenol PM's. Before they cleared my tray from in front of me, I.WAS.DREAMIN.

Definitely not prime sleeping conditions, but the sleep aid helped that. Woke up around 8 my time, 12 Germany time, and we were approaching our initial descent. Ate a little warm danish, had a cup of orange juice, put on my boots and we were down!

The Frankfurt Airport is a very new place. I suppose I'll need to get accostomed to it, but as of yesterday, I just wasn't feelin it. I de-planed, and was shuffled to a little shuttle bus where I was yelled at in German again (no idea what for, none) so I just stood there and looked like a deer-in-the-headlights. We drove to the terminal, and were all shuffled inside, up and down and up and down stairs. (there should have been more of a direct route.) now, I know this is nothing to joke about, but when I saw all those Germans, ahead of me, being all led into the terminal, and being fussed at, all I could think about were the videos of the Holocaust when they were shuffling all the Jews into the Concentration Camps. It was kind of eerie.

Once I got through Passport Control (30 minute process), I was able to go claim my bag, and meet Mom and Sir. They were waiting for me at the door, and it was really nice to see familiar faces. We walked down the longest hall of my entire life, just to get "Out of Ordered" by the parking ticket pay machine, and have to wait because it ate our ticket. Got the problem solved, hopped in the car, and onto the AUTOBAHN!

People really do drive fast. No lie, I looked up one time and we were going 100MPH. That's fine...as long as Sir has control, I like fast things. The ride home was about 1 hour, and I can honestly say that I was in and out of it the whole time. Shuttle Fatigue.

Got back home last night, took a niceee hot shower, and mom had supper on the table! Steak, Grandma Taties, and Veggies. Such a delicious treat! I went to bed at 6:15 pm, and didn't wake back up until 9:00am this morning. Either jet-lag has hit me harder than I thought, or that sleep on the plane didn't do ANYTHING for me.

Trimming the Tree today! Ho ho ho!

reuniting.

exams are finished. last exam of my entire college career! there isn't a feeling like it. i feel like i'm getting really old and needing a job. do i have one? nope! have i been looking? yes! i've gotten some leads in Costa Rica and Guatemala as well. Clearly, i'm checking out central america :)
the BIGGEST news of all, is that Allie has returned from Australia! it's been 11 months since we've seen each other and what a glorious re-uniting it was! it seems like nothing ever changed. no time has passed, one bit!
i've been reminded of this scripture all day long,

Proverbs 18:24
"There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."

my friendship with allie has been blessed and tried through our time together and our times apart. she is one of the kindest, most loving, fun-filled, adventurous, Godly, women i know, and i'm proud to call her my best friend. these next 6 weeks will be filled with such joy and blessings for our time together!

i leave for my adventure in germany tomorrow, and i can't wait! it's going to be FREEZING (not quite ready) and snowy the whole time i'm there, but it will be such a european adventure!

Almost 4 Months Later....

Here's a quick catch-up of my last 4 months. I started my Senior year at Clemson, and was in a program called BLOCK. Block is basically death for Education majors. We spend our days either teaching at the local elementary school, or completing 19 hours worth of classes. KILLER.
Our professors stress us out, annoy us, and frankly drive.us.nuts. but, it's all the process of becoming a teacher!

I was placed in a 3rd grade classroom with Mrs. Gilstrap and 25 very.sweet. kiddos! LOVED.IT.
Seriously, I want to BE Mrs. Gilstrap. Ask anyone who lives with me.

I wanted to start over, and keep everyone up with traveling, student teaching, and the hunt for jobs that I'm currently taking on! It doesn't seem possible that I'm old enough to look for a "grown up job". NO WAY!

I want to keep everyone posted on the things that I'm learning, experiencing, and loving all throughout this journey!

Have a Thankful Thursday! (practicing my alliteration for the little ones)

two days leftttt.

i can't believe that my time here is literally so little! i have half of thursday left, and then friday, then i'm off!
wednesday was a fun day! school was just the basic day, teaching, teaching, teaching, and more teaching! after school, carlie and i had a little baking party! i wanted to bake a cake for each house at the Oasis as a little "going away" gift, so we took over the big kitchen, and began baking! we did two funfetti cakes, and two yellow cakes with chocolate icing. all the spoonfuls upon spoonfuls of batter that we ate, just made me want to bake things when i get home-so, who ever's there, get ready! it was so fun using that giant industrial kitchen and oven. here's a tip-you DON'T need the full 30 minutes on the cake when you're using an industrial sized oven. takes about 15. MAX. also, don't pull out the racks with just a towel either. the little blister on my finger is proof that theyre a taaaad hot. whoops.
after baking, we had devitionals in the salon, where Corbey spoke to the girls about the importance of reading God's Word. He challenged them all to read Philippians-and afterwards, I talked to some girls in my house, and we're going to even read it together after I leave!
after devotions, i delivered all my cakes. each one getting a "quee rrrriiiccoooo" or giant smile and giggle. i was pleased. :) i went to the gold house with their cake, and planned to stay for supper. we first devoured our pureed beans and cream, THEN moved on to the cake. holy cow. sooo delicious! they just really really loved it. we all had 1 and a half slices, which was just delightful for our beany stomachs. after the cake, i think everyone got a sugar rush, therefore, we all danced. they taught me about 4 pre-choreographed dances ( i don't learn quickly-it was hard) and then VIDEOED it all using my camera. totally ridiculous but soo fun!

today has been an interesting school day-the first one where i've had to be totally spontaneous. i got here a little extra early this morning so i could have a quiet time, and organize for the day, when i was beckoned to teach. one of the teachers was having an issue getting to work on time, and so i was to cover her class for about half an hour. that half an hour turned into 2 hours. also, her class, TEACHING.SPANISH. yes-even though they're native spanish speakers, they still need to learn grammar and writing, etc. don't worry, i don't have a clueeee what to teach them. after four classes of that, i thought that i was going to die. it almost became comical though because the girls knew that i didn't really know what i was doing, and so they helped me a long, or just told me that they would study on their own and i could go sit down. haha. thaaank you girls for your generosity.

the rest of the day has been kinda slow-since i couldn't take any of the younger girls for tutoring, i have just been organizing and slowing putting things together for packing tomorrow. i've made lists, and stuffed bags full of souveniers and books and notebooks.

i think i'm going to ask ya'll to pray for peace. i'm going to have a really hard time leaving this place in 48 hours. although its stressful, and can be exhausting at times, the girls really have just taken ahold of my heart, and i've grown so close to so many of them. i have a lot of fear for them, because every couple of months, they go back to court with their families and test the waters about whether they go home or not. MOST of the situations are not acceptable for them to go back to, but sometimes it happens. We're losing 3 sisters to their mother in November, so that means that if i come back anytime soon, I'll still miss seeing them-this really is goodbye for them. i pray that i'll be confident that the work i did here was all in the Lord's will and in His plan for me. That he guided my steps each and everyday, and that HE was in complete control always.

i'm so very excited to see where He takes me after this adventure. what kinds of things He leads me to, and where my next step on His path is. What a scary reality to totally not know your future, or have a clue of what you MIGHT do in 9 months!

see MOST of you in about 72 hours. sounds good, huh? :)

hotel receptionist/belly dancer/waitress. what a life.

tuesday was probably the most eventful day i've had thus far this week!
tutoring and math class went as normal. patricia and i have started doing math speed drills for multiplication with them, and so far they're getting a little better. i'm hoping for ASTOUNDING results by Friday. maybe its possible?
after school, i had to teach bible study. for some reason i got really really really nervous. maybe it was the 7 faces staring back at me while i tried my hand at speaking about the Bible in such broken spanish. i don't know. i got really disappointed with myself because i relied so much on fluent Melanie to help me out with spanish, and didn't just gut through it like i should have. all in all, the girls seemed really receptive to what i had to say, and were responsive to the questions we asked and the stories we told. at the end of the lesson, i had them each write a small note to all of the girls that live in their houses, just to simply encourage them, and say something nice about them. i remember when we had to do this in school i always really appreciated the kind comments from my classroom. as they wrote theirs, Melanie and I wrote some to them as well, and you could tell that they really liked to hear the kind words (as much as they blushed). so, i guess after all the crap i gave myself about speaking poorly, the lesson really did go over well!
after the bible study, we had GIRLS NIGHT! Melanie, Anna, Patricia, Janie, Carlie, Maggie and I all went to Antigua for supper together and a girls night out! We went to a restaurant called La Pena del Sol-this restaurant is owned by a Gringo, who moved to Guatemala after he retired, and opened a restaurant, all so that he could stand on stage each night and play his bongos. We got the pleasure of meeting him as he came around to each table and checked on our food and service. nice guy-real personality! after our STUFFED bellies of chicken, steak, salad, rice, and vegetables, we decided it would ABSOLUTELY be in our best interest to get dessert. luckily, Carlie, my dessert buddy was up for some triple chocolate brownie and ice cream, and let me tell you, it HIT.THE.SPOT. my stomach went to bed last night really happily.

i can't believe how quickly my time here is dwindling! i only have 2 more FULL days left at the Oasis. 3 if you count half of today, and then half of Saturday before I leave. In that time, I have to bake some cakes, write some notes, prep two grades for thier exams on monday, organize the library for my departure, wash all my clothes, and PACK. i've already started making lists of where i'm packing everything, and how to most conveniently stuff things in bags for immediate use once i get home!

i've really been able to see, especially in the last few days what the Lord has me here to learn. Not only so many times again and again patience-but also HIS PLAN. I know now that He is calling me to teach internationally. I have LOVED discovering this new culture, and really immersing myself in it. I am SO grateful for this experience. I've also learned what it means to be a teacher. This experience is going to help me so much with student teaching next year. I've learned heaps of new games and methods of teaching students, I've gotten the opportunity to work with the severely learning disabled all the way to the genius level smart ones! i'm so impressed more and more each day by all of these girls, and they continue to teach me new things each day as well!

today is school and cake baking! carlie and maggie are coming over to help me bake the 4 cakes-one for each house, that i'll deliver tonight! i can't imagine how excited they're going to be for a SURPRISE cake! :)

FOUR days????!!!

sorry that i didn't blog last night, in the past few days, there hasn't been too much to catch you up on. sunday was a very relaxing/funny day. i didn't go to church, because i wanted to have energy to really spend quality time playing with the girls afterwards. little did i know that they were not coming home from church until SEVEN at night. therefore, i sat, all day long, waiting. the good news was, that it was a BEAUTIFUL day outside, so i made the most of it by playing outside most of the day. the bad news is, that because it was so sunny, i have now an entertainingly red face and chest and arms. thank you sun, for being close to the equator.
because of this sunburn, i got made fun of at work today by all my co-workers. thanks. love them too. today was semi-typical at work. i didn't have to tutor because the teacher of the Prepa class really wanted to spend time with the kids in class to prepare for their exam coming up. so, i just found handy jobs to do around the school for the different teachers. after lunchtime, carlie, anna and i walked over to the tienda and got some cokes to give us a little more energy. today was AGAIN a really beautiful day and the girls were so lucky to be able to be outside for most of it! we had a team from Florida that came up after school was out and played soccer with them (in place of practice-jackpot!) and hosted some arts and crafts. they also donated a new pair of shoes to each girl. i've never seen such picky guatemalans in my life. they were so selective about the pair of shoes that they picked. i guess they are girls, and do want to be fashionable.
after playtime and until dinner, it was Tutor Betsy time because I sat with 5 of the girls in my house and helped them with math after math after math.

tomorrow i am leading bible study for the older girls. i'm REALLY nervous about it. i've been praying about what i wanted to teach them for about a week now, and i couldn't think of anything until i talked to Carolyn yesterday. I decided on Proverbs 16:24- "Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bone." I decided on this, because they live in a place with 40 girls all the time. ZERO distance or space from each other. And teenage girls are brutal. Talking behind each other's backs, being snappy, having attitudes, etc. I want them to remember how the Lord calls us to treat each other. Using pleasant words and encouraging words, to build each other up. I'm doing a little activity where we're going to talk about what kinds of things that we say about other girls, and how we judge them-how we can turn these things around and use them for good and to see the positive in others. Please pray for me tomorrow afternoon around 3:30. I'm super anxious that I won't do a good job, or my spanish will be really choppy, and hard to get the point across. I'm excited to see where their hearts are, and how they will react and respond to me. I just pray that it's not my words that speak, but truly the words of the Lord and His hopes and plans for this verse.

i can't believe that i only have four more days here! it seems like there is so much more that i have yet to enjoy and do with these girls! over the next few days, i'm going to be going out for a girl's night supper, baking four cakes, eating lots of beans, packing, washing clothes, and organizing my life! pray that i have the organization and energy for all these things, especially after working a full day's work!

so excited to see what the Lord has left to teach me here! i would think he's just about all "teached out" with me this summer! His word and will have been hard at work!

sleepy saturday!

today was definitely eventful! i woke up this morning, just in time to eat breakfast, chat with BOTH of my parents (not on the same continent i am sad to say.), get a shower, and get dressed for my last saturday at the oasis! carlie picked me up at about 10 to go to meet tiffany at miraflores (LOOK FLOWERS!)-that huge mall we went to the other day. i don't think we quite anticipated the amount of traffic we'd run into, so we were movin' pretty slow for the ride there. once we met tiffany, we wandered the mall for a yummy place to eat brunch. i know what you're thinking-mall? food court? brunch?. however, this mall has at least 6 full sized restaurants inside. we ended up at San Martin, a delicious little bakery with a cafe too! I chose an omlette with HAM AND BACON AND CHEESE (so american of me) on this homemade bread, and then a plate of plantains. deeee-lish. after breakfast, tiffany wanted to show us this yogurt place she discovered. oh my. sooo good. its like frozen yogurt, and then you can choose a fruit to mix in, and then a topping. of course, i wasn't very adventurous, so i chose strawberry and sprinkles. if anyone has ever gotten ice cream with me before, this should not come as a surprise! we ate our ice cream while walking around the mall and torturing ourselves because we're so broke and there are cuuute clothes just screaming at us from every sale rack in the place.
after being beat from the mall, carlie and i went back to her house for a little while to pick up her mom, sister, and grandmother. it's been so fun spending a lot of time with their family in the past few weeks! i just love 'em! grandmother is of course, very grandmotherly, and i think they're ready to be on their own again! we got to the oasis around 3, and i took the mother of all naps. ohhh it was good. seriously, needed it so bad or i wouldn't be sitting here typing right now.
the group from the other day, the worship group, was back here today to kind of do a worship "seminar" with the girls. they started around 4:15, and began with a skit, music, and a time of prayer. i was so grateful for them. it's been hard here because you are in such an environment that is CONSTANTLY challenged by Satan, and it's like a consistant battle inwardly to keep your head above water. This team just really took the time to individually pray for each girl in the room, as well as me, and the other staff. I was so touched by their prayers for me. it's really nice to see people who care enough about the girls not only to come and play with them, but to really pray over them and be specific, no matter if they can understand or not. i was so touched to see the love in these girls eyes for Christ, and the tears that filled them while they really felt loved and prayed for.
after the prayer time, they were split up into 3 groups: singing, dancing, and crafts. carlie and i were asked to translate for the singing portion, and i was soo happy that i actually COULD! it was fuuun-i think the girls just needed a little encouragement though. basically this whole thing was to teach them about music, and different ways through music that they could worship-it showed them that they are given so many different talents and can use them all to worship the Lord.

around 7, we all gathered in the salon to eat dinner with the team. chicken and rice. deeelish? negative. the chicken here is just always so...boney...bad description, but theres just not very much meat on the bone, and then there are little ones that just stab you in the cheek as you chew. after dinner the girls just played around and enjoyed some candy that the team passed out.

right now, i'm writing cards for each of the houses, to go along with the cakes that i'm going to make and deliver to them on wednesday. i'm hoping to just encourage the houses and the tias through this, and let it be an act of service and love. the verse i'm using is Joshua 24:15- "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."--"Pero yo y mi casa, serviremos al Senor."

it's a sad night for me, as this is my last saturday night in the oasis until i go back to the states. what a way to spend it though!
can't wait for my last entirely spanish church service tomorrow morning with the girls!

lalalalalalalalalaaaaaa

ANOTHER beautiful day at the oasis! seriously, loved it soo much! i found myself outside most of the day, just swinging and enjoying the sunshine! after work, Carlie and I went to the grocery store, where we literally pinched pennies to buy cake mix, frosting, and sandwich bags. i think the people at the store thought we were nuts. they were muttering things about gringas under their breath the whole time..haha. i'm almost used to that now though! after getting back to the oasis, i could think of nothing except sleep, so i curled up in my bed and slept for almost 2 hours. yet, i'm still exhausted. SO grateful for the opportunity to sleep in tomorrow!
my evening was spent playing games and eating supper with the girls, we had tostados with beans and salsa-explains why my stomach is EATING itself right now. after supper, i took about 7 of the girls from the Gold house and the Red house to watch a movie in my house. it was such a treat for them to get away from the other little ones, and feel like they had a place to go crash. we watched "The Last Song"-the new pirated movie choice. the entire movie was filled with little crying guatemalan girls behind me on the couch-they're so sentimental sometimes!

reeeally short update for a reeeeally boring day!
only 7 more days at the oasis now! it's such a bittersweet feeling knowing that i'm coming home so shortly!

ps. my latest music choice: redimi2-he is a spanish rapper. we LOVE him at the oasis. :)

windy wednesdayyy.

welllll, because i'm writing two blogs in one day, that means that i'm super blogger riiiight?
today was good. i was very slack in tutoring all morning, so i had to squeeze 3 little girls into an hour and a half this afternoon. after the rapid tutoring session, we had lunch, and then went and played out in the sunlight. it was GORGEOUS today, and the sun was just beaming the whole time! i didn't have teaching responsibilities this afternoon, so i was able to stay out in the sun and take a little nap while I waited for Lupita and Maria Christina to finish PE class, so I could teach them how to be librarians. i decided that the wooden swing would be the best place for my nap, and slept for almost an hour! when i woke up, i had little Thania with her head on my legs just pushing the swing gently, and saying my name over and over again. I'm not sure what hit me, but that's when i just started to cry. she climbed up onto the swing and curled up in my arms and just cuddled with me, until we were both crying. she told me, "no salir. no salir." (don't leave don't leave) i just wanted to sit there and hold her forever. i don't think i realized how sad i'm going to be to not see their little faces every single day, until this afternoon. i really just want to pray that i have the financial ability to come back here and teach them, and be with them several times a year.
after my little cry-fest, i went and helped two of the little ones with their math and lectura, because they have exams on monday. after that, lupita and I made it (finally) up to the library, where i taught her to shelve books, and use the accelerated reader program that we developed. we had a really good time listening to music, and talking while we worked. i have really enjoyed her company. she's very easy to talk to, and she is super interested in learning english, so we like to teach each other.
i was able to take a really great long shower tonight, and spent the majority of it praying for this upcoming weekend. i want to be completely devoted to the girls for the next 7 days, and again, just let the love of Christ shine through me!
when i went over for supper, it wasn't quite ready, so Aldi and I began putting together her most recent gift, a puzzle! she LOVES it. we had suchh a great time putting it together. she reminds me a lot of myself. she's very silly-we like to teach each other new sound effects and tease each other. we spend probably an hour doing this puzzle before and after dinner, and then post puzzle completion, we participated in a puzzle happy dance! i also burst into a room of dancing little girls to Justin Beiber (who else?) and completely exhausted myself just dancing around with them and showing each other our best moves!

needless to say, tonight was a really really fun night in my house. they all seem to be really happy right now, and everyone has been on great behavior for the last few days! i'm so proud of them!

however, as i type this, i'm literally falling asleep. the good news is that i can sleep in tomorrow. breakfast has been bumped back a half an hour! wahhooo!

vamos oasis!

and again, i am late writing about my lifeee. sorry! yesterday was wednesday. most fun day i've had in such awhile! school was just about the same. I tackled 3 of the 4 tutoring girls-trying to wean Wendy from tutoring because she doesn't need it. At lunchtime, there was PASTEL (cake) to celebrate all of the June and July birthdays! I don't know what kind of cake mix they use here, but it was delicious! Vanilla cake with chocolate icing, topped with peaches! The girls just devoured their slices, and the birthday girls loved getting their little presents!
After lunch, the whole soccer team put on their uniforms, got their practice balls, and jumped in the van to go to their FIRST GAME! I think that we took about 30 more people to watch them play too! Most of the other girls, all of the staff, and half of the Tias. The game was in the city, so it was about a half an hour drive. I'm not really sure why no one has taken me to the city before, because this whole "missing America" thing, would have been gone a LONG time ago. Seriously, it's great! Very urban-there are lots of little shopping centers with DELICIOUS restaurants-Guatemalan ones as well as American ones such as TGI Fridays, and Applebees! There is also a KFC that we discovered, and of course McDonalds, Taco Bell, and Wendy's.
Let me tell you about this game. WOW. The field was astroturf-something the girls didn't know how to handle. The were matched up with a team from the Global Soccer Ministries team. All of our girls were crazyyyyy nervous-none of them had ever played in a real game before, and had never faced people other than teams, or interns that they're familiar with. The game started really badly. The wouldn't be aggressive, and within the first 2 minutes, the other team scored. I could tell that they were getting really discouraged, and in fact, scared of this game that they loved. however, right before the half, Vicki scored!!!! HOOORAHHHH! She made the first goal for the Oasis, and the whole place rumbled with applause. (Granted, the only supporters that were there were from our team. whoops. we win.) That goal lifted their spirits a little and gave them more confidence, but you could tell that they were still really nervous. As the game went on, they got scored on one more time, and then two more times because of "hand-ball" penalties. 4-1 was the score. Finallyyyyy right towards the end Silvia scored another goal, making it 4-2. Again, the whole placed rumbled with screams and applause. The little girls that were there had even made homemade pom-poms and were cheering up a storm the whole time!! However, time ran out, and 9 very sweaty, tired girls were sad and disappointed because they had lost. There were numerous pep talks, and they have since decided to play more aggresively, with determination, and not give up! We told them that it was obvious that it was their first game, and they had every right to be a bit unnerved.
After the game, I jumped in the car with Carlie and Maggie, and they took me to MiraFlores, 1 of the 3 malls that Guatemala City has to offer! WOW. I must say that I didn't feel like I was in Guatemala the entire time we were there! They showed me their favorite stores, and I did a little shopping of my own! (3 shirts and a necklace!) Everything there is so much less expensive. I've fallen in love with this store called Pull and Bear. its perfect. oh my. so so so good. too bad america doesn't offer them. hmph. anyways, we saw about 5 million other stores in the mall, some american, some european, some guatemalan. We took a break from shopping and went to the mall version of Cafe Barista. We got some small cups of gelato, and a mocha frappe! suchh a good little break from walking, and got to sit on yummy couches with lots of things to talk about! By about 6, we decided it was time to head home!
Got home about 6:30, after stopping on the side of the road at world's most sketchy pirated DVD shop. Got 3 DVD's of PERFECT quality for like $8. Let me know if you want any good ones and I'll bring them back! :) For supper, Janie had read my mind basically! She made beef stew, sliced tomatoes, homemade biscuits, and SWEET TEA! It felt so good to have a genuinely home cooked meal! After devouring my supper like a starving street child, we all sat around the TV and watched the Colbert Report, and John Daily. Something I'd never experienced before, but now, have a genuine love for the comical approach to United States news. By the time the "news" was over, everyone was tired, except Carlie and I, so we popped in a DVD (new pirated of course). I've been DYING to see The Last Song-the Nicholas Sparks book turned movie with Miley Cyrus. we watched it. totally didn't live up to it's standards, and I was really kind of upset that i spent a whole TWO DOLLARS on it. good thing i didn't spend $10 plus popcorn and a drink in the states!! We went to bed around 11, and I can't tell you how THANKFUL i was for that bed! It was sooo comfortable, and had really soft sheets and several fluffy pillows. Oh my! Talk about being in heaven and being pampered! I woke up this morning at about 6:30, got dressed and went downstairs to a DELICIOUS breakfast of Honey Nut Cheerios, NOT boxed milk, cartoned milk, and a fresh banana.

what a wonderful 24 hours i had! as i was laying in bed last night, i began thinking about Proverbs 3:5.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding."

I really needed this reminder. About my future, about my days left here. I've been kind of sick these last few days, and I'm trying to understand why the Lord would let me be sick for my last week here. This is when I just really need to let go of my thoughts, and explanations for my life and my plans, and let Him take the reigns. I hate the cliche, "Let go, and Let God" but, it's ultimately true. I need to let my own heart just wander towards His heart and will for me.

tuesday. anything but snoozday.

sahhhry, i didn't write this last night. at the end of this blog, you'll understand why! yesterday morning was pretty uneventful. got up and did my same breakfast + morning nap routine. got to school ON.TIME. and began my tutoring session with the 4 little ones. I felt super productive because I just knocked 'em out like they were nothing! everyone seemed to be having a pretty "on" day, and really understood what i was trying to teach them. while i was tutoring, Doug came up to me and said, "umm how are you getting to my house tonight?" with the most confused look, i said, "umm...i didn't know i was..." he then explained how he and his wife Sarah were hosting a dinner for the KAG staff. i was REALLY excited to get to go and have this time with them. during 2nd grade math, i got a lot of attitude from the girls, and i had to be really hard on them. wasn't one of my favorite moments, but i think they will take me seriously now and work harder without complaining. by lunchtime, i was once again exhausted, but yet, pressed on to teach english with Patricia. i'm beginning to really like teaching that class-i don't think the girls know how much they're teaching me while i'm teaching them too! we got our soccer uniforms yesterday too! the girls have formed a legit team, and since i'm kind-of a "co-coach" i got one too! they are black and turquoise with our names on the back. My name is on there as Betzabe and i'm #11 (just for you mom!)
after school, a group of adults from VA Beach and California came to the Oasis for a fun afternoon treat for the girls. They had facepaint, hair-braiders, balls, balloon animals, and a giant parachute (you know, like the multicolored ones you hold and then run under). i can tell you that every girl had the most amazing time! all of the little ones had butterflies painted on their faces, and all of the older ones had their hair braided. i think that this group absolutely wore the girls out. they played and ran around for 3 hours with them. at supper time, the group had giant trays of lasagna ready for the girls, and they each got a large helping along with 2 giant slices of bread! right as they were serving dinner, we had to leave for Doug and Sarah's-i was sad that I had to miss out on the worship time that they were doing though!
i rode with Melanie and her boyfriend Alex, the whole time, Alex was introducing me to new worship music that i'd never heard before. He leads worship at their church, and is very talented, so I liked to hear his thoughts and taste in music! Doug and Sarah live in San Cristobal, which is about a 15 minute drive from the Oasis. They have a cute townhome in a gated neighborhood.
We got there and sat and chatted for a little while before supper was ready, but when it was ready, ohhh it was GOOD! Sarah had made two different types of lasagna (apparently it was lasagna night in guatemala)-chicken and spinach, and texas lasagna, which was made without noodles, but with flour tortillas instead. really really good-i want to get her recipie before i leave! we also had fresh salad with RANCH, and soft soft buttery bread! i was in heaven! i had two helpings of this supper, and then, they presented DESSERT! i can't even begin to tell you how much my sweet tooth has increased since i've been in guatemala, but it's like i NEED something sweet after every meal, just to top off my hunger. well, they had angel food bunt cake, hot blueberries, and vanilla ice cream. wow. don't worry, i had two helpings of that as well. i couldn't have been more full if i tried!!
after supper, we sat around as a group and talked about the most recent things going on at the Oasis. I can't really give details, but I really can't wait to see this program grow! Right now the prayer is for financial need. There are 40 girls here, and spots for 8 more, and 11 more after November. Kids Alive Guatemala is really in need of sponsors for their girls. There has been a lot of growth since last year this time, but we're at a stagnant point. It's so impressive to me that in the midst of all this stress financially, and legally with the girls, Corbey and the whole staff maintain such peace with this organization. They are really trusting the Lord with their every need, and know that He will provide, as it is His will. My eyes were really opened to the heart of Kids Alive last night, as I sat and listened to things be discussed for the future. After talking about all the girls, and the program, we had a time of prayer. I was really grateful for this, because it gave me the opportunity to feel the community that KAG really has. We didn't pray for the organization, or the girls, but we prayed for each other. The discernment that each of us would have with our futures, finances, patience, family, schooling, and the strength of our reliance on the Lord. I was so happy to see that each member of the KAG team really loves each other, and learns to care for these girls and this organization through caring for each other.

I hate to admit that amongst all the hustle and bustle of my daily life lately, I haven't been as fervent reading my Bible, or sharing my mornings with the Lord. As I took my post-breakfast nap this morning, I laid there and was reminded of the Fruits of the Spirit. I wish I had them just plastered all over my room everyday, to remind me of what a Godly young woman should be like, and represent to others.

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."

My prayer for the rest of my time here will be specifically that I can show in abundance these things to my co-workers, the girls, my friends, and my family. I know I only have about 10-ish days left here, but I just know that especially in these days, the Lord is going to show me, and teach me some amazing things about myself, Him, and the people I'm around. I pray that I'll be willing to accept whatever He is teaching me, and that I'll be at peace with His will for my life.

I hope that everyone is doing really well. I also hope that the sunshiney and hot Carolinas stay that way for at least another 2 weeks, so that I'm really able to enjoy that slice of heaven! Can't wait wait wait to see ya'll so very soon!

So much love, from my mountain top, to yours,
betsy

tia tia tia

i'm SO SO SO sorry that it's been THREE days since my last post! whatever did ya'll do??? i'll start with Friday and try to be brief!
i was so grateful that i could sleep in a little friday morning, because Janie wasn't coming to get me to go to the medical clinic until 8:45. i found out that the clinic was just down the hill in san lucas, and was in a plaza that is right next to my favorite Sarita! :) we got started and saw 4 patients. the first two patients were guatemalans with high blood sugar. we talked to them about their diets, and then Janie diagnosed them and wrote out a healthier meal plan for them. She plans to see them about twice a month and check up on them. then, we saw two american interns that are wanting to maintain a healthy diet while they're here in guatemala-not an easy task when you are given 2-3 tortillas per meal. i swear those things contain about 23948203984 calories. this clinic is hosted by one of Janie's friends who is a doctor-it's free or based on donations. if you have the money, 10Q is all they will accept, but if you don't have the money, they'll absolutely treat you for free. after the medical clinic, we rode over to the Dukes' house to grab some medicine that Janie forgot for some patients. their house is beautiful! i loved getting to see the whole thing. not typically guatemalan either-very spacious and organized! i love that they incorporated so many "southern" colors in their decorating scheme too ( a lot of lime green, red, yellow, and blue). at the house, we picked up Carlie and Maggie, and swung the medicine back by the clinic. after that, Janie took us all (including her 85 year old mother) into Antigua for lunch! We went to this place called Cafe Condesa-I hadn't been there thus far on this trip! It's a really good deli place with super super good desserts! Everyone got something very different, and it was so fun to try it all! I got a roasted turkey sandwich with potato salad. i think that we all were just really hungry or something, because after our full meals, we all got dessert! Carlie and I split a piece of blackberry-apple pie with homemade vanilla ice cream! ah! so stoked! after our incredibly delicious lunch, Carlie and I got dropped off at the Oasis, and spent the rest of the afternoon playing with the girls. I tried to call it a semi-early night Friday night because I wanted to be fully awake and attentive for my FIRST Tia Experience.

SATURDAY:
woke up, ate some cereal, and headed over to the red house to start my day! when i first got there all the girls were watching tv, and were about to eat breakfast. it was definitely a little awkward at first because I wasn't as close to these girls as some of the others, and everyone is groggy in the morning. as the day went on, all of the girls did their chores, listened to music and played outside! it was a GORGEOUS day! by lunchtime, i had been called inside to help cook! i had no idea what i was in for. first, we cooked hamburger meat, with carrots and this green vegetable in it. then, we set to making tortillas! i am not an experienced tortilla maker, and it showed! they got such a kick out of me making them and filling them with the meaty mix. at first i just over flowed the tortillas with the mix and then the tortillas broke. (way to go, i know) by the end of it, i had figured it out perfectly though, and it's definitely a dish i'd like to make at home sometime! the little girls had to eat first, because they were going to the movies during the afternoon! once they all left, the big girls (Keila, Patty, Doris, Celia) and I ate our lunch: meaty tortilla thingys, yellow rice, and salsa. I was so in heaven! it was really really good! Big pat on the back to those girls for their cooking skills. After lunch, Anna came to the Oasis to put in a little extra soccer practice for the girls (they have their first game on Wednesday!). Practice did NOT really go as planned, and the girls pretty much wimped out on us. After soccer, I took the older girls up the hill to the tienda. On our way, a little boy from a Guatemalan family looked at the 5 of us, and said "Ellas Gringitas" aka. Little White Girls-the girls almost died laughing, because they are NOT gringas, but I guess my blonde hair is just starting to rub off here! :) Once at the tienda, it took us foreverrrr to find what we wanted, but finally ended up with about the most perfect blend of snack food that 15Q can buy! we settled down on the couch with all of our food for the FIFTH movie of the day. just as the movie was about to end the POWER WENT OUT. i think i have never laughed so hard in my entire life. Celia was in the shower (so, lights went out, as well as water) and the other three were on the couch just screaming as loud as they could. it got so funny when Doris jumped on top of me and Patty and just screamed her little heart out. The rain was POURING. I haven't seen it rain that hard since my last SC hurricane season!! We didn't have any candles in their house, so all 4 of us ran across the yard to my house to get my candle. By the time we made it back to their house, not one centimeter of our bodies were dry, and we were slipping and laughing and falling all over the place! Luckily, within about 10 tries of lighting the candle, the lights came back on-just in time for the little girls to arrive back home! as soon as we all got as dry as we could, we ran across to the school where there was a Pajama Pizza Party being hosted by the most recent group to be here! The girls were in love with the Domino's Pizza they brought, and just as excited for the games. ALAS-the power went out AGAIN! we were all so bummed, but just decided to have the party anyways. This team brought a brand new pair of pajamas for each girl, and through our flashlight lit search, just loved picking them out and then putting them on! Throughout the night, we played about 5 games. In those 5 games, three girls got hurt. all three of them being from the house that I was tia-ing. We ended up with a stepped on really bruised could potentially be broken foot, a hit nose turned into nose bleed, and a fall on my knee and cry my little eyes out. HOW EXCITING riiiight? finally, at 9:30, i took all the little ones back through the rain into their house, and tucked them all into bed. all 10 of them were SO worn out, and ready to sleep. they had to be up at 7 for church, so we were all ready!

SUNDAY:
at 7 am, we arose, i came and woke them up, and they all got up like pop tarts and got ready! i was cooking the breakfast. scrambled eggs with the meaty-mix combo. i'm NOT meant to cook guatemalan scrambled eggs here. they were awful. the girls were super polite about it and ate it all, but you could tell from everyones faces that it wasn't quite enjoyable! all of the girls were out of the house by 10 and headed to church-i decided NOT to go to church for a few reasons. 1. i don't really understand all of it. 2. i was burnt out on spanish. 3. i needed the time to myself. so, because it was a BEAUTIFULLLL day, i put on a cotton skirt and a tank top, and took a little nap on the trampoline. woke up to little girls jumping all around me and a good little sunburn. good combo for sure. thus, started Tia, day 2. Began by cooking lunch (very easy, just warming up some meat soup thing and tortillas). After lunch, everyone got down to doing their chores. Once they were done, I made them go outside to play because it was so nice, and wait several hours before they could come back inside. Around 4, I let them back in, and we put in Aladdin. We cozied up on the couch as the sky got cloudy and watched Aladdin 1 & 2. By 6pm we were all starving, so I made fried eggs and tortillas and leftover meaty soup stuff for supper. After supper, they commenced on their after meal chores, and then did some homework and popped in another movie. All of them had to be in bed by 8:30-what.a.task. they were NOT feelin' bedtime in the least, and so it was a huge challenge to get them all to settle down. I found myself laying in the dark listening to them playing at like 10pm, and just not having the energy to do anything about it. At 4 am I heard a little tap tap tapping on my bedroom door, and Lupita was up for the day! The girl seriously just wanted to talk. As I fell back asleep, I think she just left the room because I wasn't responding anymore.

MONDAY:
At 5, my alarm went off to go wake up the other girls, and I went in and flipped on the lights and yelled "despiertaaaa!" By 5:30, they were all up and ready for breakfast, so I got started cooking scrambled eggs and tortillas. I felt bad that there wasn't more to eat, but that's all that the kitchen had left! After breakfast, they all commenced on their chores, and I started doing hair. The typical hairstyle is little baby pigtails really perky on the top of their heads. pretty easy task. the hardest task was getting Belen to stop crying because her older sister was cleaning the bathroom and she had to go so badly. seriously, worst temper tantrum i've ever seen about the BATHROOM. finally i just started ignoring her until she finally went. by 7:30, everyone was ready for school and out the door. and i was EXHAUSTED. i still had to wait for the Tia to come back, so I had 4 year old Thania with me. We colored and I started teaching her how to write her name. Tia came back around 8, and I went on to the school to start tutoring. I almost fell asleep with all the kids, and just couldnt hold it together. By 10am, I had to go get a quick power nap in. Best idea I've had in awhile. After nap, I came back to do more tutoring. By lunchtime, I wasn't feelin the bean soup, so I made my way through the, again, POURING rain to the snack room for my Easy Mac (thanks mom! it's comin' in handy!!) i must say that it was the best bowl of easy mac i've ever made in my life. i also had some bread and butter with jelly, and a granola bar for dessert! after lunch, melanie, anna, and i had a cup of tea and just hung out for awhile. we are all completely worn out from the weekend and needed a bit of a break. afterwards, i just kinda wandered around and talked to some of the girls. i made my way to the library for reading time where me, Doris, and Yoselin read some books. definitely fun when they're making fun of your spanish accent the whole time. but ohhh how i love them! it was sooo super rainy, that i decided to skip out on soccer and take a nap. BEST nap ever. i slept for an hour and then got up and took the shower of my life and went to supper. i got there before supper was ready, so i joined in the game of twister going on in the living room. i must say that with 11 girls on one twister board, things got interesting. i had the benefit because my limbs are a lot longer than any of theirs. i was the second to last one down, and Nancy beat me! we're going to have a re-match tomorrow night! supper was egg soup. yes, that is chicken broth with vegetables, and one hard boiled egg plopped in there. not exactly my favorite, but i am nice and full! i also avoided tortillas tonight too! hoorah! after supper, i played a few rounds of go fish and memory with the littles, and then dipped out pretty quickly! ( i'm in desperate need of away time from the spanish language!)
tonight i've gotten really lucky, and caught 3 of the best on skype! I got to meet Abby McDowell's new baby Alexis via skype! ohh what a precious little thing! i can't wait to actually meet her in august!

sorry sorry sorry for this obnoxiously long blog. i'll try to keep the rest this week to a little minimum so you don't get super tired of me!

11 more days in this beautiful place!

"you want gelato?...fries sound good"

today=typical school day. more tutoring and teaching. i know ya'll are thrilled to hear about all that. it's pretty boring, but i must say that i now count (alone or with the girls) in spanish. i also say my vowels as if they were from the spanish alphabet. perfect. i'll be worlds worst US teacher this semester. after lunchtime, i did Library duty for Patricia so that she could grade, and I really enjoyed reading all the children's books i used to love, except in the spanish form! little maribel had me read about 15 books to her, and let me tell you. my tongue is SORE from rolling so many R's. after re-shelving all the books, school was out, and i had to go to a meeting that Corbey was holding. he basically had been thinking about the Eclipse showing that we attended last night-and had some things he wanted to tell the girls. we've noticed a bit of an obsession with pop culture lately with these girls, and they needed to be reminded that the whole vampire fascination isn't real life. that it is just a fantasy made up for onscreen pleasure. and that there is more to life than the boy that the girl ends up with. they are more than fascinated with relationships, and it's beginning to be a struggle to explain to them that the only man they need to count on, and rely on is the Lord.
they were really receptive to this, and assured us that they knew it was all fiction. i'm really proud of Corbey for taking that step with them and confronting them. i'm sure some of them felt like they were 5 years old, but, i know that they need reminders constantly.
after the meeting, melanie and i took Maria Delfina to the dentist in Antigua. this dentist's office was pretty nice! it wasn't what i've seen before, and was pretty americanized. apparently, the dentist went to school and practiced in the states before opening a practice in guatemala. we got there for her 3:30 appt right on time, and then waited for an hour, before they finally called her back! while she was getting a filling, Melanie and I walked around Antigua and got some snacks. We started at the bank where she had to cash a check. while we were in line, we got to watch an American youth group exchange money. we both really were embarrassed for our country's reputation. we're just such a loud culture. with our talking, dressing, and attitudes. it was clear that there is a HUGE difference from us and guatemalans (not just in height and skin tone). after the bank, we went to this gelato place that's new in the central park-it was 16Q for a cone of gelato (kinda expensive for here). we both devoured it, and then while we were sitting talking, both just looked at each other and had the look of mcdonald's in our eyes. we hurried there and got a large fry and a cinnamon roll and split both. can we say PERFECT??! wowww. so delicious. while we were there, it began to pour rain, and of course, right in time for us to walk back to the dentist to get Maria. as we got soaked on the streets, we just had some good convo time and people watching. once we got Maria and all her fillings, we ran through the rain back to the car.
back at the Oasis, i was about 10 minutes late for supper, but luckily, my place was still set! beans and plantains tonight! once again, rewarded myself with the plantains after finishing all my beans! i hung out with the girlies a little after dinner, just dancing a bit. the newest trick that the girls play on Thania, is that they pretend there is an ambulance outside. they tell her that there is one, and then when she looks around, they make the noise really loud with their mouths. she runs screaming "bulanciaaaaa" and hides under the table. its hysterical, but not very nice. however. she's four and sometimes its just fun to tease ya know? i went over to casa roja after supper and watched the latest dance their house has choreographed. they are some talented little dancers. i took video footage, so be ready for fun!
after dance time, was math tutor time with Doris. whew. that girl. i just love her, but teaching someone who doesn't think that the metric system is important is a task. also, its hard teaching the metric system when i didn't quiteeee grow up using that. anyways. we had fun with it and laughed our way through again.

tomorrow i'm spending the majority of the day with Janie-we're going to a medical clinic to treat some patients, and to help the doctors a little! i'm really excited! doctoring hasn't ever been my thing, but i'm ready to try it out! I'm also really excited to spend some time with her! i haven't really gotten that opportunity yet, and i'm so ready to get to know her!

luckily, i get to sleep in a little bit more tomorrow, so i'm letting myself stay up a little later tonight :)

hope everyone's doing well! i hear that myrtle is bustlin' lately, so i hope you're all enjoying the traffic and touristy friends :)

see you in 2 weeks!

eclip-say.

welllll, today ended the 4 day streak of me sleeping in and eating cereal instead of beans. i decided it would be more polite to make myself go over there. turned out to be really good! i just spent the day teaching as usual. nothing out of the ordinary happened though. at lunchtime, i got there late (i don't know what my issue is lately with punctuality), so i ended up kinda sitting alone, but i was grateful for the eating in peace! we had this really yummy fried GIANT squash, and rice, salad, and watermelon!
after lunch, Doris and I sat down to re-take a test together. My job was to ease her into each section and then letting her complete the rest of it on her own. don't worry, we sat there for TWO HOURS doing this test. i was about all math-ed out by the time school was over!
at 3, we loaded up the van for the highlight of the week, MOVIE DATE TO SEE ECLIPSE! (eclipse is the newest twilight saga movie). we took 20 people to the city, and went to the movies! the theater is within the mall, so I got to see a REAL guatemalan mall. which, by the way, are AWESOME. they are huuuuge. i'm not sure that they exactly belong there, but i liked it! all the really yummy restaurants that are freee-standing in the city have kiosks in the mall. there is a MCFLURRY KIOSK. like, that's all the sell. when i spotted it, i just had this overwhelming urge to jump off the escalator and get one. (i didn't). i also got to experience what little girls who live in a tiny town within 4 walls do when they get to an escalator. if you've ever seen Elf, think back to that. they are verrrry timid and hold on to you so tightly you think you're going to break off. once, we got to the theater, we bought our tickets and all lined up for our snacks! Anna and I split a GIANTLY large popcorn and a sprite (all for 39Q...aka...$5.) the girls got a little kiddie snack with cookies, popcorn, and a drink. they were in HEAVEN. we put them in the stadium seating leather seats and you would have thought they were seriously happy enough to die. now this movie is very...physical. and these girls fastforward the kissing scenes in the little mermaid. they were sooo awkward about it. i loved watching their little eyes get big and then say, "ohhh waaaaooowww" and cover their eyes and giggle. i'm so grateful for their innocence.
let's talk about the amount of spanish i consumed during that movie. oof. thought my mind was going to explode. i decided that i could comprehend about 50% of it, and the rest had to be context clues. and between those two things, i totally understood the whole movie, and grasped the concept. i was really proud of myself. :) i plan to watch more movies in spanish i thiiiink.
after the movie, there was endless chatter about how guapooooo Jacob is, and what a super gringo Edward is because he is so white. i tried to explain to them that even Guatemalan vampires would be that white too. they didn't buy it. i think i was really just trying to de-gringa myself. we got back to the oasis, and warmed up the supper that we missed and just chatted about the movie and other random things.
i'm attempting to call it an early night tonight because i NEED to shower tomorrow after breakfast or that'll be going on 4 days showerless. (i'm trying to drive the lice out at all costs)

i read this last night before i went to bed. it makes me think about priorities right now, and once i get back to the states.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

i know that the things i have learned here and the things that the Lord has taught me here will really change the way i treat others, situations, and really just look at my life from now on. i can't wait to experience the "real world" outside these four walls with the new knowledge and direction the Lord has shown me in these past two months!

love always,
betzabeh

aburrrrrido

today MIGHT have been one of the most boring thus far. daily routine is the same as normal. get up, eat breakfast, go to school, teach.
Nothing eventful happened that I can think of! Janie returned from the States this past weekend, so she came by the Oasis for lunch! It was so fun seeing her, and catching up! I can tell she is so much more refreshed after her time there!
after school, Patricia, Anna, and I walked over to the tienda because we were craving something to satisfy our sweet tooth! We got chocolate bars, and I got a bag of Ring-o's again! SO glad i was introduced to this!
After snacking, I just played and played with the girls-soccer, trampoline, listened to music, helped with homework, rode bikes, etc. Again-nothing out of the ordinary!
I spent the majority of my afternoon in the house with the girls, and then helped make supper. Beans and eggs again-go figure!
After supper, I was supposed to help Doris with a test, BUT because she had devotions and a late supper, she didn't come over until almost 8:15, and that was only to tell me that she had to go to bed! I guess we'll work on it tomorrow!

I'm SUPER excited tonight, because tomorrow, we're all going to see the new Twilight movie-Eclipse! The girls LOVE that series, and I'm excited to experience a movie theater here! hopefully grab a snack while I'm there too! (McFlurries????) :)

Maaaybe tomorrow will be more eventful to write about?
Sorry for the lack of excitement in my days lately! It's gettin' down to the wire, and everything just is more routine now rather than THRILLING. :)

hope you're having a terrific tuesday and enjoy a whimsical wednesday!!

drive me crazyyy

don't worry. skipped breakfast again this morning, but started my day off right with a heaping bowl of granola-y cereal. got to school, and began by FULL day of academics with a tutoring session with Candy. As of now. I tutor Candy, Maribel, Maria, and Wendy. Then I teach Aldi and Isabel 2nd grade math. And then after that I teach Doris 5th grade math. We have a new married couple here this week, and so Sarah has been shadowing me a little kinda seeing what I do with the girls in school. (Hopefully she will take over a couple of the tutoring sessions-i'm a little overwhelmed)
right around lunchtime, Melanie was skyping with her mom and realized it was time to go get her boyfriend Alex (who is also a Guatemalan and works at the school) was waiting for her to come get him at the bus stop. well, she didn't want to give up her time with her mom (i wouldn't either if mine had internet and wasn't in GERMANY. a-HEM.) anywayyys...so she tossed me her keys and told me to go get him. Anna, the other teacher here grabbed her jacket, and I went on my first driving adventure here! it was so cool to drive around for the first time everrr! so.much.fun. wowwww. these roads don't really have rules, and they're all bumpy, and don't have lines. it was such an adventure that i would definitely care to take again! once, we got back it was "A comer!!!" and we all rushed to the salon to see what was on the menu for today. again, CLEANED.MY.PLATE. i think the kitchen staff is starting to know what i love, cause they've been doin' really well lately! we had puree, which is mashed potatoes; sausages, rice, salad, watermelon, and tea! yum yum! after lunch, Anna and I were craving sweets, so we went and raided the snackroom of Chiky's and hot tea. Once I got back, it was time to work on math with Doris. She can be verryyy challenging because she has just no desire to learn. and she is the only 5th grade student, so sometimes her work or needed attention gets overlooked. i love working with her though-i don't put up with her sass or sarcasm and just give it riiiight back.
after school today was soccer game #6 for me! until today, the Guatemaltecos have been undefeated. however, the GRINGOS united today and did some work on that field! i played goalie (getting better reflexes everytime) and blocked 3 shots. i am so excited because next week the girls have a REAL game against another girls team in the area. they have a real shot at winning and i can't wait to go cheer them on!! after soccer, headed over to the house to do homework with Aldi and Isabel-ended up washing the lice shampoo from Aldi's hair, and eating supper. Tia Deily is back in action, and she made fried tortillas with homemade salsa on them tonight. mmm que rico! after supper, i had to go over and get Doris to do math homework. i was a little nervous about it because i didn't want her to be hesitant to learn with me. so, i popped some popcorn and opened two cokes and sat down with her book with her. she was OVERJOYED at the snacks, and was actually really excited to learn with me. we took some breaks and talked and laughed a lot.
scenario 1:
betsy finds a HUGE dead bug on the shelf. (it's been there for days) i point it out to Doris, who gets really close to it, and then i scream. so, she screams. funniest thing ever. we were rolling.
scenario 2:
she wanted to get me back. so, in the middle of explaining decimals and percentages-she looks up at the window, HORRIFIED, and lets out a window breaking scream. to which i jump up, into her arms, and scream. whoops-she got me!
after stomach wrenching laughter, we cleaned up and she headed for bed.
i was able to skype with Brandi tonight, and it was so great! we talked for about an hour, and i am so grateful for her. she has kept up with me so well this summer!

can't believe tomorrow's TUESDAY! eek!
happy monday!
15 days til horry county see's me again :)

i'm carryin' your love with meeee

this morning i woke up earlier than expected. i went and ate some cereal again while having a quiet time and trying to decide if i really wanted to go to church or not. sometimes i just don't have any motivation because it's alllll in spanish, and i just can't really understand it. after about an hour, i decided it was best to go. even though i couldn't understand it, it is setting a good example for the girls in going, and being attentive. we loaded up and drove on to church, where Mirsa fell asleep on my lap during the drive, and was NOT easy to wake up when we got there. hardest little sleeper guatemala has ever manufactured. during church, i got the pleasure of watching Candy chase a feather with her hands the ENTIRE service. only to watch Carlie blow it out of her hands once she finally caught it. probably the most entertaining thing i have ever experienced. seriously. after sitting through church (for 2 hours) day dreaming about the laundry i had to do when i got home, we finally headed back to the Oasis. Tia Karen had lunch ready for us and might i say...most delicious meal thus far! she had made baked chicken in this homemade salsa, and yellow rice with tortillas. oh my. DEE-LICIOUS. i wanted seconds so bad, and was eyeing the one left over chicken leg in the pan. never got it. i still don't have the courage to ask for seconds. after lunch, we played music and danced around the room. i promise you-thania reached across the table and grabbed an already eaten, chicken-less, chicken bone, and began sucking on it. she has to have the biggest appetite of any 4 year old i've ever met in my life.
i got the privildge of skyping with Kendra for awhile today! it was really nice to just sit with a cup of hot tea and a granola bar and catch up with her!
tonight we just listened to more music and ate supper. the girls are just a little bad lately, and tia karen has had enough, so there were several sit-down talks. and tears. i think they think that just because there is a substitute tia they can act however they want and she won't notice. idk. weird.

today i was really struggling to find something to read for my quiet time. i just really had to sit back and ask the Lord to show me just exactly what He wanted me to read. I sat and ate my cereal for awhile thoughtless, as I just flipped through my bible. finally i ended at the book of Jonah. i had no idea why. i was thinking- "umm hello? didn't i learn about jonah and the whale when i was like...5?" but, i began reading anyways. i don't have my journal with me, but the specific verse that read, in part, "Jonah obeyed." came across my eye. i was just thinking about why the Lord would bring those specific words to me. i still am not completely sure, but, it's made me think...i NEED to obey. His calling, His word. everything that He asks me to do. and this obedience doesn't need to result in me gloating about "how well i'm serving" but obedience that results in His happiness with me. How well I am pleasing the Lord. If i need anything right now, I need prayer that I am really truly obeying the Lord. As many of you know, a big part of this internship was to help me decide if this is the place I want to spend the rest of my life. (or at least a large chunk of it). I need prayer that every decision and thought about this place, and this potential profession is in direct obedience to what Christ wants for my life. That i'm not taking my wants and needs into account, but that i'm just listening and willing to accept whatever His will is for my future!

anyways,
excited for a new week ahead! it will be my first week having all the academic responsibilities of four interns on my two little shoulders! so.ready! :)

happy sunday!

ps. watching my TENTH movie in spanish since friday right now. oof.

and then there was one...

today was just about the most uneventful day i've had so far! i slept til 9:30, missed breakfast at my house, ate cereal, went back to bed til 12, got caught in the POURING rain, and FINALLY made it over to the house to play around 2. i did get to talk on the PHONE with my mom for a little bit of that time, which was awesome!! it's expensive for her to call me, however, i'd rather it that way because SHE has an income. unlike my unpaid intern self. :)
once i finally got to the house, we made bracelets and watched a movie for the whole afternoon. it was FREEZING and raining (still raining) outside, so we all tried to cozy up as best as we could! we had lunch around 3-tia made this pasta dish that had noodles, potatoes, and chicken in it with a mayonnaisey sauce! really good and very non-typical of a guatemalan meal! after about 4 hours of solid playtime, i decided to take a little break from the girls and go have some "me" time. i ended up on the couch in the snack room with hot tea, warm bread and butter, and a book. there aren't many to choose from, but I started "This Present Darkness" by Frank Peretti. Not sure how I like it so far, but it's better than just sitting around twirling my thumbs! About an hour into reading, the married couple team came in the snack room. They're here from Chicago for the next two weeks, just doin' whatever needs to be done around here! I'm so grateful for them right now! We spent a little time just chattin' about how we got here, and what our hopes are. I like them a lot (Matt & Sarah). Soon enough, it was time to go back over to the house for dinner. Tia Karen is my tia for the weekend, and she likes to do things a little differently. There is NO schedule for meals, its kinda just when she's hungry. so, we watched Harry Potter, and made more bracelets while we waited. Here's some big news....i got a HAIR WRAP! hahahahah i still laugh when I think about the fact that they do these for $10 bucks at the Pavilion Arcade in Garden City, and I got mine for free sittin on the floor in Guatemala! It's cute & colorful! FINALLY after all our stomachs were practically eating themselves, Tia warmed up supper. We had leftover pasta from lunch and BEANS. It was really pretty good. Most of the little girls fell asleep around 8 so they missed out on supper. that's okay! more for us! after supper, the older girls, myself, and Tia stayed up and watched Dear John. I was ecstatic because the movie was in English and the Subtitles were in spanish. therefore, for ONCE i didn't have to do any thinking!! :) :) :)

I'm just doin' a little e-mailing and updating now, and then it's off to bed! We have church early tomorrow, and it will be all thinking all the time to try to grasp a little of that sermon!! Can't wait for 3 weeks from now when I am anxiously awaiting Pastor Shaw's southern accent reading me the word of God!

If you haven't read Psalm 139, check it out! I read it today for awhile, and it just is such a good chapter! I love being reassured that the Lord knows my every move, thought, qualm, and joy! It makes me so thrilled to know that there is someone who cares and knows that much about me and will forevermore love me unconditionally!

HAPPY SATURDAY!
xoxox
-Bets

un dia muy triste.

i woke up for the last time this summer with a roommate. real real sad. did the usual morning routine, except while i took my post-breakfast nap i had to listen to the sad sound of zippers zipping all over the house. today, rachael, rebecca, and sarah all left the Oasis. we all were in the school most of the morning (they weren't leaving til 12)-it was a gorgeous day outside, and i'm so glad it was beautiful outside for their last day! after tutoring all morning, i got asked to teach kindergarten for the afternoon. NOT as easy of a task as we all think! even with only 6 girls, they were talkative and just really wanted to play go fish the whole time! (i think that's because we play so much go fish while tutoring, they think that it's the 'NORM" with me) about 3/4 of the way into class, the girls walked in for our goodbyes. might have been the most tears i've shed in awhile, and we were all so hesitant to say goodbye! the only thing that keeps me goin' without them is knowing that we can skype and they are going to come visit the beachhhh! :) HOORAH!
after they left, i finished out class, and helped the girls do their daily school chores and had lunch! today, we had some sort of meat (i'm not quite able to identify it cause all meat here is called "carne" and that's about how specific anyone will get when i ask). the meat was covered in a tomatoey sauce and we had rice and papaya. they made this really yummy fresh squeezed juice too. i'm not sure what that was either, because when i asked, the response i got was "jugo de fruta" aka fruit juice. after lunch, the girls, me, and Carlie sat outside in the sun and fixed a bike chain, built things with legos, and just talked. it was really refreshing and nice to feel competent in this language, FINALLY! while we were just sitting there, Carlie
and I got the craving for cake. So, we hopped in the car and drove down to San Lucas to get some! We started at this little shop called Anfora where we walked in and were kinda turned off by the expense of the place. however, we were there just long enough to get DELICIOUS samples of carrot cake. After that we went to the glorious, Cafe San Lucas. We sat down and ordered strawberry smoothies and chocolate cake and apple pie! APPLE PIE! just a lil slice of america! (thought of you Daddy!!!)
After our pie, and getting back to the Oasis, it was PLAYTIME! It's Friday today, so homework isn't even thought of, and we just played so hard all day! I rode bikes, played in a refrigerator box, played cards, jumped on the trampoline, and re-discovered a love for jacks! i'm totally bringing that game back into the States. everyone needs to master the art of jacks before they die. i'm really terrible. it was quite humbling.
after all my games, it started to get cold, so i went over to the blue house and watched High School Musical 2 with Candy and some of the other girls in the house. I never realized how corny it was-until i was watching in spanish and having to really READ the words off of the english subtitles. they LOVED it though.
dinner was super super late tonight in my house. we have a substitute tia this weekend, who is REALLY sick of beans and eggs, so she spiced up the eggs with some peppers, tomatoes, ham, and onion. SO GOOD! i'm sure that that whole combination will hit me severely sometime really soon, but so far so good.
after supper, i talked to the tia a bit, and then walked over to our recently STOCKED snack room. so proud of Carlos for buying us some really really great food for the next little while! i made some good hot tea with the REAL SUGAR he gave us, instead of the Splenda I've been using. ewwph.
tonight, i've gotten the privilige to talk to a lot of people! i can stay up late because tomorrow is such a free day! i think i might even skip breakfast with the house and eat some cereal on my own!

hope everyone is having a really good start to their weekend!

hit that bump.

today was the intern father-daughter day with Corbey! we all got up at normal time and had breakfast with our houses, and then met him over at the school to start our adventure! we set off around 8:30, and headed straight to Zapote! this whole time, i've been believing that i've been to the school and whole village at Zapote. WRONG. i've been to Tabacal which is a nearby village, but very different. anyways-the ride to Zapote is about an hour and a half, and at least an hour of that is on the bumpiest, rockiest, dirt roads i've ever been on in my life.i was at least 2 inches out of my chair at all times and my head hit the ceiling of the truck almost every bump. we crossed two rivers in the car, and were almost parallel on our side at one point because that's just the way the road is built. once we trekked down there, we first went to the school. it is all concrete, with about 8 classrooms and a kitchen. the children that go to that school are selected from the town based on application of the true NEED of their education. there are close to 100 children currently attending. they were in classes while we were there, so we were only able to look around. afterwards, Corbey took us up to the church that has been planted by Iglesia Galilea. we got to walk around the grounds and talk to the pastor a little bit. He's such a cute and nice old man! after we visited the church, we went on a little walk to see the houses in the area. most of them are about the size of an average kitchen, and are made of wood or metal. NOT okay for hurricanes that tend to sweep the area. we also went to a little tienda, where Corbey bought us Ring-O's. These NEED to come to America. they are cheesepuffs in the shape of circles! can you imagine how many little elementary school kids would have cheesepuff rings??? thats better than Bugle nails!
after our little snack we began the bumpy journey back. we bumped along for about an hour before we saw a family of 7 carrying giant piles of wood on their backs. so, we asked them if they wanted a ride. i have never seen such excitement! all of them (and their dog) piled into the back of the truck! we took them for about 20 minutes, and it was really sad thinking about how FAR they would have actually had to walk if we hadn't picked them up! we FINALLY got to paved road, and made our way into Antigua where we ate lunch! Corbey took us to Cafe Sky-when all of you come to Monterrico to the beach, we will stop in Antigua and I will take you here to eat. Every one of us got something vastly different, and every one of us ate all of it! i got a REALLY GOOD club sandwich. wowww they know how to make 'em! and they have their own special sauce to replace mayonnaise. totally wayyyy better than mayo. this restaurant had the best best view of Antigua and we could even get some sun while we were sitting there too! once we left Antigua we had this incredible sweet tooth. but, we were a little hesitant to ask Corbey for ice cream because we had been gone all day and we all had to work. so. when he stopped to put minutes on his phone in San Lucas, we figured, why not? we hopped out of the car, and RAN to Sarita to get our last dose before the others have to leave tomorrow!
when we got back, we got ATTACKED physically attacked i tell you by the girlies for our ice cream. wendy, belen, and thania all got a running start from the other end of the place. i swear they have ice-cream-dar. so, we ate all of it rapidly, and finished up our work really quickly so we could go play with the girls. we jumped on the trampoline, played cards, pushed each other in a homemade go-cart, and THEN the rains came!
at 6, i went over for supper, and was able to have time playing cards with the little girls while the big girls helped get supper ready! we ended up having scrambled eggs (huevos revueltos) and pureed beans again. woop woop! after supper, i helped the girls get ready for bed, and then Lupita and Angelica came over to the office with me to listen to music and talk! they're reading over my shoulder right now, and Lupita is pretty much understanding the whole thing! She is so talented with English, it helps me learn a lot of spanish too!
I'm about to go help the other interns go pack for their departure tomorrow-veryyy sad that they're leaving and I'll be alone for the rest of my time, but I'm trying to be optimistic at the same time, and know that I'll enjoy the time alone with the girls too!

Happy Thursday/ALMOST WEEKEND!!!!

"umm...what's this?"

today was AWESOMEEE. the food was terrible, but the day was really good! woke up, went to breakfast. beans & eggs. 6 weeks in and i've started to notice a pattern. DIDN'T go back to sleep after breakfast, but got a nice hot shower and lotioned up to prevent this sunburn from peeling away, got dressed, and came over to the office to start work a little early. i think i wanted to be productive because i have been so slack in getting to work on time for the past 2 days. whoops. first of all, it was sunny outside. FINALLY. i started the day by taking wendy outside for her tutoring session. man, smart cookie. a little distracted today, but that's probably my fault for taking her outside. erk. but it was sooooo BEAUTIFUL!
the rest of the academic day was sort of touch & go, just doing random things here and there to help out. at break time, rebecca did another lice search on me. they're NOT gone. ughhh. trying to be patient with these little "friends" that are residing with me for awhile. so, i took off all my bedding, and washed it in hot hot water, and have been drying it all day long. i'm going to use another dose of lice shampoo tonight and just HOPE that it gets it all! that would be greeeeat! :)
around about 2, me, rebecca, rachael, sarah, and carlie decided to walk down into town and get some Sarita and yummy baked goods from the bakery! We were lucky enough to have Melanie drive us down and then we'd only have to walk back. too bad the walk back is the worst part!! we got there and wandered for a bit because everyone had little individual things to get done there. FINALLY we all got to Sarita. Everyone got something different, and everything was just real good. Of course, I got strawberry with sprinkles. which, in spanish, is cono wafle sencillo con fresa y anecillos. then, we walked over to the bakery. this place is called ISOPAN. it's ALWAYS such a task going there because every single thing on the shelves looks unbelieveably appealing and i have to limit myself to 2 or 3 things each time. this time, after much internal battle and discussion, i got a poppyseed muffin, a regular sweet muffin, and a piece of plain bread. you see, i'm DESPERATE for snacks. this snack room that is typically STOCKED for us has just dwindled, and there really isn't even anything left. we have no milk, about 1/6 of a jar of peanut butter, 1 slice of bread, half a box of cereal, and no water. MIZZZZZ. i bought the things at the bakery for my rationed nightly snacks this weekend!
once we got back, it was time to plan our devotional/skit for tonight for the girls. Corbey put us in charge for tonight, so of course, being very last minute, we waited until an hour before to plan and get organized. we ended up doing david & goliath. i was goliath. believe it. we used puppets that we found in the bodega and then created some of our own dialogue and stole some other stuff from the bible. i'm not sure Jesus will mind. it seemed to go well. because we were hidden behind the table puppeting, we couldn't see the girl's faces, but they were laughing so i hope that is a good thing! after devotions, i had some puppets and "stage curtain" to put away up in the bodega, so i enlisted some girls to help me out. among them were 12 year old Nancy, and 12 year old Angelica. after putting the things away, they were just exploring the place. they don't get to go up there very much, and when they do, it's like a Gold mine. they find new clothes and toys and games out the ying yang. NEXT PART CENSORING FOR GUYS READING THIS. JUST A FAIR WARNING.
while the girls were rummaging, Angelica comes upon some "female products". Now, both of these girls have their periods, and are aware of things. however, i think the oasis typically only gives the girls pads. well, now that Angelica stumbled upon some tampons. and very innocently asked me what they were. "que es eso?" i'm sure, as i got really awkward, not exactly knowing how to explain it, my face turned a bit pink, and i pointed to the pads next to them and said the same as those, except a little different. and as she continued to stare at me confused, Nancy walks up. Angelica tries to tell her what it is, so Nancy stuck it in her ear. as i am now laughing hysterically, i grab it from her hand and throw it away before any of the littler girls come up and get curious. i may or may not have laughed my entire way through supper everytime i looked at either of them. oof.

for supper, we had beans with cream on them. i am starving. i think this night may call for some easy mac while i get my head picked. ugh. sorry i keep saying that, i know it grosses ya'll out!

anyways. tomorrow's agenda includes NO SCHOOL and a trip to Zapote. Zapote is a little village about an hour away, that Kids Alive Guatemala is also very active in supporting. I'll have more details on what it's like tomorrow, but we're all really excited to go out there and meet those people!

Hope everything is well at home! I can't wait to see all of you in only 23 days! :)