4/22/09

Today was a little bit better. The kids had a tougher time getting up in the morning though. They have to get up at 6:30 to leave by 7:30 for school. It has been a huge rush every morning to get out the door on time! Since Chris had to take the van to Guatemala, I packed my bag and had Chris drop me off at the school with the kids.
It was take your mascota (pet) to school day for Laina's class. When we got to school there were several dogs tied up to the playground equipment. I thought maybe the parents brought them and would take them home but they stayed the entire day and went home with the kids after school. Laina went to class really well since there was a bird and a duck in her classroom. Since we don't have any pets, Laina took a stuffed animal! Morgan and Cole went to their class really well also. I got to go to Kindergarten again with Alysa. The Spanish teacher told the English teacher who told me that I was her best student!! Although Alysa is REALLY struggling with being here and with going to school, I was very proud of her today when she went to the front of the class to try to do one of the assignments on the board. Yes, I had to walk up with her, and yes, she chickened out and wouldn't talk but hey, she walked to the front of the classroom without me physically pulling her!! Baby steps!!
I spent the entire first half of the day with Alysa and then planned to go to the other building to observe the other English teachers. Unfortunately as I was trying to say good bye to Alysa and send her to her English class, Laina grabbed me. She had just come out for recess and saw me. She wouldn't let go of me and kept saying that I couldn't leave because I would loose her. I promised her that I wouldn't loose her and then left her screaming with her teachers. I later found out that the principal helped with her also and pretended to call me so that she would calm down. It worked and she was fine the rest of the day.
I wandered over to the other building where I couldn't read the sign on the buzzer to tell if it said to push the buzzer or to not touch the buzzer. I tried it anyway and nobody would answer. I was just starting to head back to the main building when I saw a lady coming from the main building so she let me in. I talked to Cole's teacher and to the English teacher for the 4th and 5th grade who is about to have a baby. (in a month or two??) They were both very nice and let me sit and "observe" their classes. The idea of teaching an English class is a little bit intimidating. English was NEVER my strong point. (As I'm sure most of you have noticed from reading this blog!!) The older kids seemed to understand a lot of English but the younger kids would still ask the teacher how to say something in English. If I were in the class I wouldn't know what the Spanish word meant to teach them the English word!! I'll probably observe the classes a little more and see how things play out.

At the end of school it was so nice to walk with Morgan and Cole to the main building to get Alysa and Laina. It was like a family reunion and such a relief that none of them were crying. (at least for that moment!! Alysa proudly told me that she had only cried once today!!) We waited for a few minutes for Lily to finish up her work and then she took us home. On the way home we had to make a little stop at the bishops storehouse. I had no idea there was one here. I'd only driven past it a bazillion times!! I got to go in and get a mini tour from another lady that I know from church. She speaks absolutely no English and is here on a mission with her husband from another Latin American country. (She is my Latin version of Betty Green for those of you who know her!!) Her husband was very excited to show me that the computer screen saver was the artist rendition of the Quetzaltenango temple! I was a little let down that they didn't have wheat there. I asked Lily about doing food storage here and if they have a cannery. She said that they are doing something in May with storing stuff in bags. I look forward to figuring that one out!! She also said she'd ask around the ward for me to find out where to get wheat. (Xela is where all the wheat for the country is grown!!)
Once home, we did massive homework again. Cole is really frustrated because he is used to being the "perfect" student that never misses anything. His Spanish teacher is VERY PICKY on his calligraphy (penmanship) and it is really getting to him. I finally had to have him do one row, take a break and ride his bike, do another row, take a break. It seemed to work out a little better and he did get it all done eventually!!
The day finished off with our "dad is gone" dinner (the kids favorite pasta/tomato soup stuff that Chris thinks is disgusting so we have it whenever he isn't home), baths, and bed. I was able to take about an hour to have a conference call with my entire family on Skype. It is great to hear peoples voices even though I am not there.

On Friday, Alysa has a field trip to the zoo. (The locals joke that you get to go see the squirrel - apparently it isn't the best of zoos!!) Anyway, they are having the parents caravan over to the zoo and they have asked that we decorate our cars like wild animals. Any suggestions? We have a silver minivan. My idea was to try to figure out how to make some ears on top, put pink circles on the front grill for nostril, put a tail on the back and call it a hippo!