Congrats Rich!

So Dan...I feel you have a knack for bringing reality to my blog! I never knew my life was so exciting! ;)

I do have exciting news to tell!! Rich is engaged!!!! CONGRATULATIONS MAN! ;) Rach gave me a call today to let me know, I feel special! :) If you'd like to hear the details, click on Rach's link.

Now, to the mundane telling of the past couple days - except not so much! Kristen, my student teacher, has left Pinares. She had a going away party that was put together by the grade 9s. We all met at Paseo Universitario, a Honduran eatery that specializes in pupusas (tortillas with cheese or meat in them). Most of the grade 9s came an hour late because of a volleyball game. They were so sweet (even though they made us wait). They had a marriachi band come and play for her, and gave her a GREAT send-off! ;)

Today, I must confess, I had an angry day (I don't have many of those, this is a momentous occasion). Here's the scene. The period after lunch, half of my grade 10 kids are late. They run outside to the window and peek in, I sternly tell them to return to the hall and wait. The other kids are given their assignment and I go out to discover why so many are late. As I am speaking to them, two kids inside the room throw cheetos into the fan causing a mess. I come back in and totally can tell who was responsible and tell them to clean it up (in quiet, serious tones). The kids are deathly quiet, but I know they will think they are safe in a few minutes (I don't usually stay angry for long), but I must let them know they've crossed the line (I mean...come on, it's fourth quarter, maturity is expected!). So, I go to the back of the room and there is Kristen's desk, close to the rows of chairs so I can't move past...I figure here's my opportunity to let the students know I'm not pleased. I push the desk back against the wall which causes a very LOUD, obnoxious sound. Oddly enough, this demonstration was enough to gain silence for the whole period. Doesn't seem like a big deal? You haven't met 10G! ;) On another rare occasion of the same nature, I was told that I made them nervous when I was mad. I find it strange...I'm so little! No worries though, I'm having a lovely relaxing evening, the anger left as soon as that class was over - and we just discovered that Ana made mora berry juice!

Photo of the day: My Grade 9 class being sweet! Notice Javier on the phone! ;)













In Him,
-Amy-

A week of Events!

We've had a few ups and downs this week. Both Heidi and I have been sick...though I would have to say that I had a mild case of whatever it was, whereas Heidi was violently ill! (that was for you Melodee!) :) But with a trip to the doctor and some good meds I think she's on the mend. Also, Mr. Matute is back! He's doing much better and back to his encouraging self in our halls!

Yesterday our group (Heidi, Melodee, Kyle, Joseph and I) went to John and Adrianna's place (they're a couple from church) for turkey dinner! What an excellent time! John made the BEST gravy I've ever tasted! And we had real stuffing...I was pretty excited! I also got kissed twice by their 5 year old son Steven. Once on the nose, it was so cute!

I have two other reasons to be excited today...I just heard that Shawn McDonald has a new CD out called Ripen! If you don't know who he is check out his space at http://www.myspace.com/shawnmcdonald and if you want to know why I like him click to hear the song 'Take My Hand' on that same site...it's a favourite of mine! The other reason was that I was able to talk to Rach - which hasn't happened in a long time! Good Times! :)

This upcoming week my student teacher will be heading back to the States. The kids have enjoyed having her here and so have I! Now I'll have to get back into the groove of teaching again...and prepare myself for one more fair and one more retreat! We're nearing the finish line!

Photo of the day: Another shot of Panama...our intimidating look - the mud makes us look fierce!














In Him,
-Amy-

The Result of a Tag!

I think I've been tagged! Alright, I shall do my best to make you proud Hilsy!

Four jobs I've have had in my life:
1. Teacher
2. Secretary
3. Print Shop worker
4. Cashier

Four movies I would watch over and over:
1. Conspiracy Theory
2. Pirates of the Caribbean
3. Chariots of Fire
4. The Italian Job

Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. Lost
2. Extreme Makeover Home Edition (that is a good one Hillary)
3. Gilmore Girls (it's become such a tradition!)
4. ?

Four places I have been on vacation:
1. Panama!
2. El Salvador
3. Honduras (other than where I live)
4. Vermont (...lol)

Four web sites I visit daily:
1.hotmail
2.yahoo
3.blogs & their links
4. and of course Dan Frew's site...it's fantastic and not at all like other blogs ;)

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Turkey Dinner (get it on Saturday! Yay!) :D
2. Greek Salad
3. I've really had a lot of good times with shrimp!
4. Cheese Cappelletti or Italian/German pasta
(and of course icecream!)

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Panama...on the shores of San Carlos with my new friends (or maybe on the waters)
2. Gotta love that old vision of sitting by a fireplace reading with snow falling outside!
3. Hiking by a beautiful waterfall (especially in Canada at fall)
4. The bleachers, watching the stars

Four friends who will try this out? I always hate mentioning names cause I don't like being wrong ;) So I'll just say four people who would like me to know this type of information! Is that cheating?

Ah well!

Photo of the day: One of the four places I mentioned...San Carlos, enjoying kayaking!















In Him,
-Amy-

Panama!

What an adventure! We left Honduras without knowing exactly what was in store for us, seeing as we had reserved a hotel for only 2 of our 9 day trip! But as we got off the plane there was a man waiting for us at the terminal with Heidi's name on a card, saying our 'chariot' was ready for us...it happened to be an old, beat up 70s van with zebra print inside...and that gave us a clue that this trip wasn't going to be regular!

We kept a log of events that happened during the day, since every day seemed like 3 (there was so much packed in!). I should mention that everyone we met was so nice and friendly, we had to learn to drop our 'Honduran' guard (which wasn't easy)! We did end up ignoring 3 policemen who honked at us (a regular thing in Honduras that doesn't mean anything). Once they realized that we weren't going to listen to them they called in reinforcements! We found out they were only trying to tell us to not go down the street we were on because it was dangerous for tourists! All told, we had 7 policemen take care of us, even having two on bikes escorting us to a safe area!

Our adventures are quite long and varied, but I will give a brief summary. We seemed to have a trend of meeting people twice. For instance, we were touring around Old Panama and bumped into a group of guy tourists from the States. They invited us out to lunch but we declined. We figured we'd never see them again, but when we got to the Panama Canal...there they were! So we ended up taking in one of the wonders of the world with our new friends! The Panama Canal was simply incredible...it may seem rather boring from the pictures, but watching the mechanics of this huge lock system was amazing! The museum let us know how much effort, time and money was spent on making it what it is today! What a beautiful experience for a History teacher! :)

We also got to check out some old ruins of Panama. In fact, the architecture of old and new Panama was amazing! There is a legend of one church we went into that says that Conquistadores came to take away all of the gold of Panama, so the people turned their gold into paint and used it to decorate the inside of the church, saving it from the Conquistadores. The picture is of us by a well in the earliest settlement ruins of Panama.

Another adventure: We ended up meeting a TV crew filming a tourist documentary of Panama City! They invited us to follow them into the Presidential Palace where we learned a little history of herons that live there with the President! Seriously, we don't even know how to tell you how that happened!


We heard that there was an international Kayak race taking place through the locks, so we left to see them...they were so delayed that we left without seeing the end result. But the next day we started fresh and early to go to Taboga, a beautiful Island. In line for the boat we met three kayakers from the race! We ended up spending the day with them on the Island with our lunch being paid for and good fellowship! The next day we were headed for a beach in San Carlos, they ended up going to the same beach and fulfilling the trend of us seeing them twice! They came at a very important point of our trip...when Heidi, Krystal and Kristi were learning how to surf! I was their photographer, catching all of those 'learning' moments (like Kristi looking all professional in this shot)! The sun was tremendously hot so Tony (one of the kayakers) came out to me with a pink umbrella and told me he would hold it for me so I wouldn't get sunstroke! Heidi told me later that she wished SHE had a camera, the picture of Tony (this large man) holding a pink umbrella over me (looking quite little) was a sight to behold! Later that day I went out Kayaking with Tim, another kayaker (I sort of kept up). He has very scientific thinking, so it was a great opportunity to talk to him about Christ. I'm amazed at the different thinking that is out there...everyone has their own 'personal' viewpoint that must be right because it's theirs...how obscure. The last kayaker, Kristy, I ended up having a deep conversation with at lunch (again they invited us out to it). It was neat getting to know these three, they are so different from each other, its amazing to me! From left to right in the picture...Tony, Tim, Kristy.

We also got to know the surfing instructors! What a set! We met with them at 11:30pm at the beach and talked until 2:30am! Jay (Heidi's instructor) was the only one that spoke English, he works for Survivor as one of the crew that goes into a location and makes sure it is safe! How crazy is that! Guillermo (Krystal's instructor) was hilarious, he would laugh for no reason and just enjoy his own little world! Marcos (Kristi's instructor) didn't know any English, but he wanted to give me personal surfing lessons the next day, it didn't happen (which was a good thing, the waves were tremendous!) but we all thought he was cute.

We left for a town called El Valle. Beautiful! But...I think a tourist trap...we had heard all these amazing things about golden frogs and square trees...yah...the golden frogs were in an aquarium and the square trees took us THREE tries to find! Not clearly marked, and not too exciting...but we were going to enjoy it! Oh yes! I LOVE square trees! ;) We also went to hot springs and got all muddied up! There was mud for relaxation and exfoliation...we tried both! Then went to a beautiful waterfall!

I'm going to end there, there are lots more adventures, but maybe they can be better explained with pictures. It was a wonderful time and a great escape from our bubble in Honduras! ;) And what was Heidi's highlights? She was able to enjoy a Dairy Queen Blizzard! :)

Photo of the day: Kristi, Krystal, Heidi and I enjoying the waterfall of El Valle.

In Him,
-Amy-

Prayer Items

A couple of prayer requests before the weekend!

First Mr. Matute, our band director, was in a car accident that left him with two fractured ribs. He's sorely missed, but in reality, this is the best time for his recovery, seeing as we have a week off for Easter.

Secondly, we are going to Panama! Heidi and I will be joining Krystal and Kristy on a great trip to Panama City where we'll enjoy checking out the Panama Canal, ruins, museums and beaches! I consider this research for my Geography class! ;) Please pray for our safety in traveling and security for when we are there. I'll get up some pictures as soon as I get back ;)

Also, I should mention that I've handed in my contract for next year. It's a big decision, but thankfully taken care of now. Heidi is also coming back one more year, so good times are in store! We'll see what the Lord has planned!

In Him,
-Amy-