ZACATECAS!!

Wow! It has been a very crazy week here in Guadalajara and at The American School. One thing I have loved about ASFG is that they make sure to educate the students in both the American and Mexican culture and to give them quality educational experiences to help them understand each one. That said, this short school week was one of those that is wasted in terms of teaching time. On Monday, we had our weekly Flag Assembly along with a special presentation on the Mexican Revolution by the 4th graders. On Tuesday, we had an earthquake drill which took quite a long time to get through. Wednesday was a short day for the students, complete with a classroom Thanksgiving feast! Our students made pilgrim hatrs and wore them to the feast. They really enjoyed learning about the history and traditions of Thanksgiving throughout the week and it was lots of fun to be able to help teach them these things!





Last weekend turned out to be quite an interesting one. I wont bore you with all the details, but I will tell you that my adventures in the nearby town of Tonala and downtown Guadalajara involved asking for directions to a certain place and being sent to the exact opposite end of the city, almost getting in trouble with the military for taking pictures of a building I wasnt supposed to be taking pictures of (standing in the middle of a public park... and there were NO SIGNS!), and a crazy lady on the city bus claiming to have a knife. At the ArtFest I saw some absolutely fabulous art! I was very impressed by the quality of the art that the students had produced and the number of people from the community that came. I am very happy that I got to experience the ArtFest, as it is such a huge part of the culture of the school.



Right now, I am actually writing from a small town called Zacatecas and it is very cold here! I decided to come to Zacatecas to spend my two day break from school after some of my own research, plus a recommendation from my brother. I had heard many good things about the town and they were all true. I am loving it here! When I first arrived at the hostal I am staying at, I began talking with the owner and she remembered my brother and sister in law from a few months ago when they came through the area. That was very cool! So far, I have been to several museums and to an old mine. The mine, which is no longer in use, was the workplace of many slaves, child and adult, for many centruries-- up until the 1970´s. Its main product was silver, although some quartz can be found. I have also been to the top of a great big hill by teleferico (cable car) called Cerro de la Bufa. Zacatecas was one of the first cities in the world to have this service available to its citizens and it has some amazing views! This famed hill is supposedly where Pancho Villa fought and defeated a large army. I am very glad I came here and am sad to have to leave tomorrow.


Just a few of the 3000 masks inside this amazing museum! (There are 7000 more masks in storage. WOW!)


A look at the mine as we start the descent to the 4th of the 7 floors.

Its hard to believe that I have so little time left in Mexico. I cant wait to see what adventures the next week and a half bring though!

Hello Hello From Mexico!!!

Hello again from Guadalajara!

I am still having a fabulous time here in Mexico and I am learning a lot!

I am continuing to teach lots of Guided Reading Groups in my class, as well as other math and reading lessons. This past week I taught a lesson on honeybees and then we made honeybee puppets out of paper bags. The students loved their puppets!



Also, last week we got to do Reading Buddies with a fourth grade class. It was amazing to see how much the kids loved reading with the older students. It was also really fun to hear the 4th graders giving the first graders reading tips!



Each year around this time, ASFG holds an ArtFest, in which the school displays student work, alongside the work of professional artists. Then, they have an auction and sell the artwork. I am excited to experience this and see all the artwork around the schoolgrounds. In addition, the students get to attend special art presentations all week long. So far, my class has been to a puppet show and another play.

Although Thanksgiving is not celebrated in Mexico, ASFG gives its students and staff a Thanksgiving break due to its affiliation with the US and the number of staff members that come from the US. So next week will be a very short week and we have all sorts of Thanksgiving lessons and festivities planned to teach the students about the holiday. I can't wait to see how it all turns out!

This past weekend was a long weekend for Mexico. Schools were closed Monday to celebrate the Mexican Revolution. So, I got to travel with my new friend, Clancy, and Danna, the teacher she lives with. We traveled about 4 hours south on a bus to a smaller town named Morelia. It was a beautiful colonial town. We spent some time walking around and exploring and had a great time! However, Morelia didnt give us quite the small town environment we had hoped for, so we decided to continue another hour south to an even smaller town named Patzcuaro. We absolutely loved it there! There were small shops and markets everywhere there, and the cobblestone streets were a nice touch too. I even made some pretty good bargains with the shop owners. We didnt want to leave!


The cathedral in the zocalo of Morelia. It took over a century to build!


A beautiful view of the street in Patzcuaro


Me hanging out with some leftover Day of the Dead decorations in Patzcuaro!!

I had hoped to continue travelling with Clancy while we are both in Guadalajara, but on Monday when we returned, Clancy had to go to the hospital. She has the dengue. I am still healthy, and I am hoping it stays that way.

One thing that I have to get used to here is that Guadalajara is not a very friendly city. Having traveled to many other destinations in Latin America, I am very used to everyone being friendly and treating you like family, no matter how much of a stranger you are. This is not the case here though and it makes for a very strange environment. It is a strange feeling to be in Latin America and to say that people aree not friendly.

Also, the weather here is crazy! In fact, it reminds me of Boone. Being that Guadalajara is the highlands of Mexico, it is very cold in the mornings, and then it is very hot in the afternoons. In fact, during the first days that I was here, it got down to about 4 derees Celsius every morning. That's not too cold for us, but for the Mexicans it's freezing! Its so funny to see everyone walking aroudn with their winter coats on. It's a good thing I brought my jacket!

Cant wait for the ArtFest this weekend!

Nos vemos amigos!

Saludos from Mexico!!

Hello again!
This past week has been great and full of adventure!

I am, however, completely surrounded by lots of disease and sickness. An outbreak of head lice is finally on the decline at ASFG. However, the dengue is starting to go rampant in the city, and the flu is a problem too. Teachers at the school have had to create a contingency plan in the case that schools have to close... which is highly likely. The Mexican Government has said that they will under no circumstances close schools, but apparently whenever they say they will not do something, that really means they are going to do it. It's only a matter of time, and most believe that it will happen in the next few weeks.

I am starting to do a little more teaching now and I am really enjoying my school and my students. This past week I continued to Guided Reading Lessons almost everyday, as well as teaching a math lesson on ordinal numbers. One thing I really like about the American School is how low stress it is compared to schools in the States. The teachers and students are held to high standards, but the school day itself is not quite so daunting. Students at ASFG, a unviersity prep and bilingual school, actually receive 14 years of education before graduating, as well as the option of preschool beforehand. Students must complete Pre 1st Grade before they go to 1st. The math curriculum is followed per normal, but the reading and language curriculum for 1st grade students in the states is split between Pre-1st and 1st, allowing more time for English Language Acquisition to take place effectively. So, although I am teaching 1st graders, they are the age of my 2nd graders at Fox Road! My daily schedule includes about 2.5 hours of teaching time in the morning. The students have a Special and two recesses. At 12:30, the Spanish teacher comes and teaches for the rest of the day, allowing the classroom teacher some extra time to plan and get things done. The students are all very intelligent and I love seeing the work that they do. One of the things I love the most about being here is coming to school each day and hearing the beautiful sound of English and Spanish being spoken in the same room. It is music to my ears!

Last week, we began a unit on insects, and one day was focused on ladybugs. This was lots of fun and reminded me of my time at Fox Road ES, since my cooperating teacher's favorite animal was a ladybug and has her room decorated with them! Here are a few pictures of my beautiful children and their ladybug creations.






Look at this clever continuation of "The Grouchy Ladybug" by Eric Carle that one of my students wrote!

I usually really enjoy travelling alone. However, this past weekend, I tried to travel around a little, and quickly discovered that it was going to be much more difficult than I had anticipated. On Sunday, I first rode the bus dowtown, walked and walked trying to find the right bus station. Once I finally found it, I took a bus to San Juan Chapala, Ajijic, and Chapala- three very small towns about an hour from Guadalajara. These town are all on the edge of Lake Chapala. The lake was beautiful! They also had some absolutely gourgeous colonial churches in the zocalos/ city centers. The towns were really pretty, also. However, the normally adventurous Maria was a little too scared to go exploring and get too far off the beaten path as a lone female traveler.


Lake Chapala from the town of San Juan Cosala


The beautiful church in the zocalo of Ajijic


A view of the street in Chapala

Lucky for me, I have met two really nice people in the past few days. One girl, Sofia, lives with me. She is a Mexican student studying at the university. Hopefully she will be able to show me around some. Also, yesterday I met another girl, Clancy, who just arrived in Guadalajara from Canada on Sunday night. She will be working at ASFG doing something similar to myself for the next month. We exchanged contact info and hop to be travel buddies while we are both here. I was super excited to meet Clancy! Hopefully we will have had some great adventures togther before the next time I write!

Hasta la semana proxima!! Til next week!!

A Mountaineer in Mexico!

Goodbye North Carolina!

Hello Guadalajara!

Things are going really well so far and I am liking it here, although I must admit that my time here has already been one adventure after the next. When I first arrived at my host home, Antonio, my host "father", asked me if I wanted to go to a party with him. This was at 12 pm. We got home at 8. Welcome to Mexican social life! I was very excited as this was a true Mexican fiesta. First, there was a mariachi band, then a belly dancer, and finally a banda, which played all night long while people danced and sang. There was also tons and tons of food-- peanuts, lots of meat, quesadillas, taquitos, beans, and lots of really yummy salsas. There was also lots of piña coladas, horchata, and agua de jamaica (hibiscus). That was Saturday.

What did I do on Sunday? I went to another party! This one began at 10 am and lasted until 8 pm. Lotas and lots of food and music were present once again. However, one of the foods we had at this party was menudo-- a soup of broth that has just about every pig part that someone in the United States wouldnt dare eat. It was interesting to say the least! At this party we played many hands of poker, as well as a game called Loteria. The fellowship and food was lots of fun to experience. Unfortunately, it was not an appropriate time to take pictures at either of these parties, although I would have LOVED to have had some. (I was able to sneak a few on Saturday, although they are not very good.)

On Monday, school was not in session, per a last minute decision by the Secretary of Education to give students a day to celebrate Day of the Dead. Although, this holiday is a dying tradition in some of the larger cities, it has been neat to see some of the altars people have set up outside their homes as I rode around town. Also, At ASFG, some of the students created two huge altares de muertos that were absolutely gorgeous, and people are still selling their leftover pan de muertos and sugar skulls on the streets.

Also, on Monday Antonio took me to figure out how to take the city bus to shool each day. It seemed really easy and I was pretty excited about getting to experience a huge part of the Latino culture in my everday life... until Tuesday morning came!

On Tuesday morning, I arrived at the bus stop a little before 7. I had to be at school between 730 and 8. Most of the buses come every 5 minutes or so... mine didnt. Ruta 24 only comes every 30 minutes. Also, if youve ever ridden a city bus in Central or South America, you know that there is always room for one more. Well, there is room for more in Guadalajara too... until the doors cant close anymore. So I waited, and the bus passed. I waited some more, and the bus passed again. And two more times this happened. I had been waitingfor almost two hours at this point, with a group of two other women and a man in the same situation. Each time we raced to the bus doors together, hoping to be one of the two or three that made it on. Finally, the man went and bought for us all to share, as we were headed in the same general direction. No, my mother would not approve, but I finally made it to school nonetheless.

There is tons more I could write about, but I´ll stop there for now!

I hope to be able to write about school and some of my experiences there next week. I have already started being in charge of some of the transition times in the classroom, and I have also taught some Guided Reading lessons. Also, once I have my credentials to enter the school, instead of wearing a visitor pass everyday, I will be able to take some pictures of the campus and the students!

(I would post more pictures, but this computer is being stubborn. Look at the ASU International Student Teaching Blog for more: http://blogs.rcoe.appstate.edu/projects/intstudteach_f09 )

Time Flies...

Sorry that I havent written in awhile... last week was so much busier than I ever anticipated that it could be. Let me just say, though, that God has been doing some really awesome stuff and I am so excited that I got to be a part of it this summer. I have loved being the leader of the 3rd and 4th graders over the past few weeks even though it has been very stressful at times. I have grown to love those kids in a way that I thought would never be possible and it has been so wonderful to see God working in their lives and changing them throughout the summer. I could write for hours and hours about the many ways I have seen this, but I just want to share with you one short example for now. I am sure more will come as I process all that God has allowed me to experience this summer.



Let's go back to the first few weeks of camp when Miss Maria was only known as the Lunch Lady and the Field Trip Lady... not as the leader of the Dolphins group. Each morning as the kids came into camp and got their breakfast, I always made to take time to have a short conversation with each child, hoping that this would help me build relationships with them even though I wasnt going to be around the kids very much. As relationships grew, many friendships were formed, trust was built, and some kids even let me them a hug before I handed their breakfast over. However, this was not the case with a young lady from the Dolphin group named Wilniya. Wilniya has lived a very difficult life thus far, and has a very hardened heart and personality. So on several occassions throughout the first three and a half weeks of camp, I would greet Wilniya with a pat on the back and say, "Good morning Wilniya! How are you today?" And each time, she would jerk her shoulder and in her raspy voice respond, "Don't touch me!" Sometimes I really began to think that there was no hope for this little. She was defiant and disrespectful in every way possible. When I became the Dolphins leader, things didnt get any better. She refused to do anything I asked and tried her hardest to make me lose my cool with her. If I got anywhere near her she would start yelling at me to get away from her and to quit following her around trying to get her in trouble. I was so frustrated with Wilniya. Im not sure words can even express how frustrated I was. I tried to let her know that I loved her very much just like all of the other children. That was hard to do though. Then, one day, I felt something squeezing me so hard around the waist that I could hardly breathe. I looked down and who was it? Wilniya. I think I just about went into shock when I saw her! This happened again several more times. Her behavior also began to really improve. She still had her days every now and then, but she really began to become a different child. One day during the last week of camp, she came up to me during breakfast and began to help me serve the other children. I simply couldnt believe what I was seeing: a once defiant and seemingly hopeless child who began to transfrm into a very sweet and respectful child full of hope. This wasnt just any hope my friends. I am convinced that God is doing huge things in Wilniya's life. He is forming her into a beautiful woman of God full of the hope that only He can offer. And I got to see and be a microscopic part of the process!

This past weekend I went on a trip with the TML Youth to Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay. We had a great time and it was so wonderful to get to spend some one on one time with them outside of the camp setting. They are an outstanding group of teens who are really learning what it means to live for Christ every day and becoming motivated to do their best in all that they do. I should mention that while in the park, I rode a roller coaster called the Sheikra, which goes 200 feet up in the air and has two 90 degree angle drops. So much fun! Before we left, one of the prayed a prayer which I thought was so simple, yet so profound... it has stuck with me ever since I heard it:

Dear God,
Thank you for waking us up today. Thank you for putting food on our table. Help keep us safe today. In Jesus' Name We Pray, Amen.

I am so sad yet so excited that I will be heading home tomorrow. I have loved Miami and Overtown. I also know that God has some awesome things in store for me this coming semester. I cant wait to find out what they are.

Please continue to pray for all of my fellow student missionaries as they finish out the summer and return to their college campuses to continue their ministry there.
Please continue to pray for the people of Overtown and for TML as they share the love of Christ with this needy community.

Get Up! Get Up! Get Your Praise On!

Hello there friends! Its been awhile since I have been able to update.

The past week has been quite an adventure. Things are finally starting to settle back down a little after the shooting in Overtown, but this tragedy definitely took its toll on our children. Immediately after this event, there was a marked difference in their behavior. There still is, and I am afraid that this is something that these kids will continue to deal with for quite awhile. Although it is hard to have that extra bit of patience, grace, and compassion sometimes, I have learned a lot from the experience of having to dig way down deep and rely on God to find the strength to deal with this situation. I began to think though... It was so hard for me to give even a little extra patience and compassion to these children who needed it so badly. But each one of us IS that child to God. We are the ones who need the "extra patience and compassion" from God. No matter how much extra we need from God, He never ever runs out of patience and compassion for His children. If we are truly to be like Christ, oru patience and compassion toward others should never run out. We should have a never ending supply of it, overflowing out of our hearts for others.

So as I said before this week has been filled with adventure and it's funny how things happens sometimes. Here's the story... On Monday last week I was filling out my mid summer evaluation. One of the questions was, If you could change one thing about your experience what would you change? My response was something to this effect: "I wish I could spend a little more time with the kids at camp." As the saying goes... You get what you ask for. The next day, one of our interns had to return home suddenly. Because I am the only person who is trained to run the food service, I had to continue my old job, as well as taking on the job of being the leader of the 3rd and 4th Grade group of campers. To those of you who I asked to pray, Thank you so much! Your prayers were definitely felt. This group of campers, who have a reputation of being the worst behaved group at camp, was as angelic as anyone could have asked them to be for the entire week. There is only one word I can think of to describe this: miraculous! Last week could have been so disastrous, hectic, and stressful for me. But instead, I was able to handle all of my jobs without going completely crazy. All I can say is, GOD IS AWESOME!! So now I have 20 absolutely beautiful children to take care of for the remainder of the summer... and I am PUMPED about it!

God is really working in the children and teenagers of Overtown right now. He is daily increasing their hunger for the Word and their passion and desire to worship Him through song. Last week, our Music time had a bit of a HipHop/Gospel feel to it. The kids learned dances and lyrics to the music and were given CD's with all the music at the end of the week. This past weekend when I had the chance to take some kids on a special outing, that CD was all they wanted to listen to. Not only did they remember the dances and lyris they had learned, they also knew which songs corresponded to which track numbers. My favorite song says this... Get up! Get up! Get your praise on! You got a reason to lift up your hands! Hearing my kids sing this song over and over and over again made me smile the biggest smile you have ever seen made my heart feel the warmest its ever been. I Cant even begin to explain the feeling to you. It was music to my ears, and I know, without a doubt, that God was overjoyed to hear those little voices singing joyfully!

A few other side notes about this past week:

--I got to take four awesome kids to some Marlins games over the weekend. We got 17th row seats behind home plate and reserved parking! We treated them really special and had a great time!!
--I am really excited that I got to write a thousand + dollar check last Thursday on our field trip to the Seaquarium!
--I cant believe that my time in Miami is almost up. Sad day.
--I am taking a day trip to Key West this Saturday. Wooo!
--In case you havent heard, I went out on a boat last Saturday. I got 3rd degree sunburns from head to toe (literally), despite the fact I put on SPF 50 suncreen 3x. I was so burnt that I couldnt even walk without limping. Ouch.
--Sorry I am such a slacker and dont put up pictures on here. Honestly, I dont know how to and am too lazy to try to figure it out. Maybe if I find some motivation in the next few days, I will put up some super cute videos for you to see. :) Get excited!!

Please pray for:

--My team and I as we continue our ministry in Overtown
--A smooth transition for me as I continue to juggle two job positions at camp
--My fellow summer missions friends who are also getting ready to come back to NC
--the TML staff who will remain after we have gone back home

Grace and Peace.

Joy Comes in the Morning

Words to describe this past week: rough, emotionally draining, sad, crazy, fun, awesome, awful, wonderful, devastating... REALLY??

Here is a short summary of the happenings:

On Monday morning, my team and I all got up, eager to start a new week with our kids. As I was driving the six of us to work, I noticed that there were police cars and crime scene tape ahead. We took a detour and wondered what in the world might have happened. The crime scene was about 5-6 blocks in area. We prayed. Not too long after that, the news came. Some folks had shot up a birthday party the night before. Twelve people were injured, but everyone seemed to be doing okay based on preliminary reports. Then, one victim died on Wednesday-- a 21 year female.

The week continued on and things started to get better... until this morning. The second shooting victim died.

(http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/breaking-news/story/1135777.html) He was a popular kid in the neighborhood, the boyfriend of an active TML teen, a star football player at the local high school. How much worse could things get?

Many of the teens who help run our day camp ended up going home for the day. The news was too much for them to swallow... too much for anyone to swallow. Many of the teens were at the party. Some were still there when the shooting happened. They are shaken. They are upset. They realize that any of the injured or dead just as easily could have been them.

This week has been a hard one for our kids, as well. Behavior problems and discipline issues were at an all time record high... during a week when my patience was already running low.

Its hard to make sense out of a tragedy like this. Its hard to make sense of it especially when it hits so close to home. Its hard to make sense of it when you look both to the left and straight ahead, and all you see is crime scene tape and people loooking on trying to figure out what just happened in their neighborhood.

Some people say that this is nothing new for Overtown. That everyone is used to stuff like this happening in the inner city. True. They are used to it, but that doesnt make it any easier to deal with. That doesnt make it any easier to lose a friend, a neighbor, a family member.

Thats why I am here though. I am here to be extra patient with children and teenagers, even when I dont think I have any patience left in me. I am here to give extra love to children and teenagers, even when I dont think I have any love left in me. I am here to encourage, support, and be the caring, kind, and compassionate face of Christ to the hurting, the grieving ,and the broken who surround. I am here to hurt, grieve, and be broken right along side those who are experiencing those emotions. And when someone rejoices or celebrates, I will rejoice and celebrate right along with them.

This is what the body of Christ does. We rejoice with one another in the good times, and we grieve with one another in the hard times.

Now is a time for grieving. But wait! Lets not forget... "Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS. I will say it again. Rejoice!"

So in the coming days, we will be grieving alongside the community of Overtown, but also ministering to and supporting them, reminding them that "joy will come in the morning", and reminding them of the healing power that can be found in Jesus Christ.

Please pray for the myself and the other TML staff members as we seek out an appropriate response to the events of this past week, and do our best to be Christ for those around us during a tough time.

(Still LOVING it here!!)

Grace and Peace.