Wow, I haven't written in a week! Yikes!!
Well...the end of last week was fine. The art museum tour was SO LONG and I got really tired of listening to the lady talk about the history of Puerto Rico and Campeche. But you know....it was worthwhile, I think. There was one REALLY interesting painting (I was the only one who thought so...ahaha) called GringOmatic (I think that's what it was called, I don't exactly remember)....other than that, whateverrr.
The rest of the week went by pretty uneventfully. JR asked me if I wanted to teach on Tuesday, I said yes (more on that later), and life was pretty grand. We were going to have Sunday free, so Maylyn and I asked J.R. what he thought we should do, and he offered to take Maylyn and I on a tour around the west coast! Oh my gosh, I loved it, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
So, Saturday was absolutely amazing. It was beautiful and sunny. We headed to...somewhere. Fajardo, maybe? Gosh, I get all of the places mixed up. Anyway, we went to a nature reserve and had a tour. It was the best tour by FAR for two reasons: one, the had little car things that we got to ride in instead of walking everywhere. two, the tourguide was YUMMY. Haha. It was also just a beautiful tour. I now know more about mangroves than I could ever care to know, but the rocky beaches were beautiful, and the view from the lighthouse was breathtaking. Then we went to a beach to read for a little while (haha, well, not to read, but that's what most of us did. There wasn't much sun left.), and then went kayaking in the bioluminescent bay!!!!!! Oh my gosh, it was so cool. They were little twinsie kayaks, and I went with Lori. Let me TELL you, we are such a good kayaking team. We didn't run into anybody, didn't run into the sides, didn't bicker, could read each other's body language...dang, we were good. Anyway, the bio bay was so cool! We kayaked out in the dark (so sketchy. Don't worry, mom, we were following a guide, but it was still creepy) and then after a while you look down and every time you put the paddle in the water, it glows! SO LEGIT! The stars were absolutely amazing out there, too. No lights=bright stars. I can handle that. On the way kayaking back, Lor and I got a little bit frustrated because people are stupid and don't know how to kayak, but whatever. Asi es la vida. Then we all had super wet butts on the way home. At least we for some reason had a legit charter bus...lol. Making memories.
On Sunday, J.R. and his wife (Martha? Barbara? Cara?) picked Maylyn and I up at about 9 a.m. We set off to another part of San Juan to this super legit bakery for breakfast...holy crap. Most tasty breakfast of my life. Also possibly the biggest breakfast of my life, but you know, when in Puerto Rico...
Then we headed out to Arecibo, made our way further west, and went to some of the most beautiful places everrrrr! We found one super awesome beach somewhere between Quebradillas and Isabella...I can't remember what it was called. Then we went a bit more south and stopped in Mayaguez? I think that's what it was called. It was a super cute little beach area. Then we went even more south to Cabo Rojo....HOLY WOW. If I ever come back, THAT is where I'm going. We went to this little beach called la Playa Sucia (I have absolutely no idea why it's called that), which was the most beautiful beach EVER. Tourists don't really know about it, so it was all Puerto Ricans and fine, fine white sand, clear water....oh man. If you climbed up from the beach a ways there were some cliffy type things overlooking the Caribbean...okay, beautiful, I see you. There was also a lighthouse up there....so much cool stuff! Probably my favorite place we've been. So, so amazing. Then we headed back east through Ponce and up to San Juan. We didn't get home until almost 8...such a long day. But TOTALLY worth it. Totally.
Yesterday was just your average day...and today I taught calculus, geometry, and algebra. It didn't go perfectly, but when does it ever?! Nancy came and watched me, which made me nervous, but you know...that happens. :P I just can't wait until I have my own classroom and I get to make up the rules and daily happenings! Ahhhhh
Only a couple of days left. Tomorrow we have to say goodbye to our students....that is not going to be fun. NO THANKS!
Loving it here...don't want to leave but can't wait to be home. Oh, life.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Sparkle.
JR wasn't at school today; Carmen told me that he has a fever. Hopefully he's back tomorrow, but I must say it's sort of fun when he's not around. The students have to go to substitutions, but Carmen (I think it's her doing, at least) gave each class an assignment to work on today. I followed all but one class to their substitutions today, and I'm glad I did, because the subs had absolutely no idea what they were doing. So basically I gave the assignment and was the only resource if they had questions. I really enjoyed it. Especially in the algebra class(s) :)
I'd say maybe 2/3 of my classes were actually on task and working...is it bad that my reaction to that is that if they don't want to put the work in and review, then it's their learning that's suffering? I can only do so much, especially as a sub. I really surprised myself with how firm I was with certain students, though, and how they really listened to me. I think I could get used to being in charge of a classroom full of students...
After school we went to Old San Juan, we being Lori and I. Some other people went, too, but I was really with Lori the whole time. We bought some souvenir-y things and gifts for people at home, then went to this yummy whole-in-the-wall place. We each got strawberry daiquiries and chicken mofongo (with rice and beans), MAN it was good (although the drink may have been a weee bit strong...oh well, with dinner we weren't soooooooooo bad. Just a warm tummy and extra giggles!).
Then we meandered our way home on the bus (amazing how fast we got used the the whole bus system) and enjoyed a quiet evening at home.
Tomorrow we're going to an art museum. I can't wait! :) Although I'll have to miss my ninth graders, which is terribly sad. I suuuuuure am going to miss those 8th and 9th graders...ouch.
<3
I'd say maybe 2/3 of my classes were actually on task and working...is it bad that my reaction to that is that if they don't want to put the work in and review, then it's their learning that's suffering? I can only do so much, especially as a sub. I really surprised myself with how firm I was with certain students, though, and how they really listened to me. I think I could get used to being in charge of a classroom full of students...
After school we went to Old San Juan, we being Lori and I. Some other people went, too, but I was really with Lori the whole time. We bought some souvenir-y things and gifts for people at home, then went to this yummy whole-in-the-wall place. We each got strawberry daiquiries and chicken mofongo (with rice and beans), MAN it was good (although the drink may have been a weee bit strong...oh well, with dinner we weren't soooooooooo bad. Just a warm tummy and extra giggles!).
Then we meandered our way home on the bus (amazing how fast we got used the the whole bus system) and enjoyed a quiet evening at home.
Tomorrow we're going to an art museum. I can't wait! :) Although I'll have to miss my ninth graders, which is terribly sad. I suuuuuure am going to miss those 8th and 9th graders...ouch.
<3
Monday, January 16, 2012
Lobster
Wow, what a weekend!
So, I guess the last time I posted was...Wednesday? Thursday and Friday were just normal days at school...I finally learned most of the students names (we'll see if I remember them by tomorrow), Robinson celebrated 110 years in an assembly that was shorter than the time it took to organize all the students in the gym, and Maylyn and I did tons of riddles with some of the 8th and 9th graders. All in all, I love being at the school. :)
This weekend was amazing, though. We went to El Yunque, a super sweet rainforest. We did a trail with a guide and stuff at first (and she showed us some gnarly snails...groooosssssss), and then all changed into our swimsuits and went on a hiked down to a really gorgeous waterfall....which of COURSE we all swam in! The water was pretty dang cold, and I thought I was going to die when I tried to swim under the waterfall (I couldn't find the ledge and was pretty sure I was either going to drown or suffocate...haha, I was in absolutely no danger though), and we all laughed more than I can even think about. Hahaha, it was such, such, such a good bonding experience. Great life memory, too.
After we hiked back up to the van, I was SUPER hungry (it was pretty late, like 130 or something, and I hadn't eaten breakfast. Good one, self). We went to this super gorgeous beach, had picnic sandwiches, swam(ish) in the water (which was suuuper clear and calm), and laid out in the sun. So beautiful, so relaxing.
Then we went to the bed and breakfast, a cute, clean little place. The frogs were super loud and the dog's name was Shakira. I really, really liked it there. Lori, Maylyn, Tori, Alex, and I played Nertz for a long time...so intense. Best game ever.
Our plans for Sunday didn't pan out, so we got to go horseback riding (part of the trail was on the beach!) which was AMAZING (but I'm still oober sore from, haha...) but I got pretty dang burnt. Lori and I had the dumb slow horses, but you know, it's okay. It was a beautiful trail and we got to enjoy it longer :P
Then we came home, had some more time in the sun (smart, I know), and hung out basically as the whole group. It was a really fun, relaxed day. I like these relaxing weekends. So weird that we don't have very many left.
Today we had Inservice at the school. We went to sessions about alternative assessment and bullying. I know, really riveting stuff. I felt like all of the teachers were little antsy students who didn't really want to pay attention, it was sort of cracking me up. Everyone was talking or not paying attention or using their phones (texting) or playing games or doodling. I was amused. There was still some participation on their part, but it just kind of made me chuckle. I think a lot of them have been there a while and have heard everyhting 89472934728u times, so they were sort of tired of it (and yes, that u should have been there in that number. It's a new number I invented).
Back to the grind tomorrow! Not looking forward to waking up early but you know....asi es la vida.
So, I guess the last time I posted was...Wednesday? Thursday and Friday were just normal days at school...I finally learned most of the students names (we'll see if I remember them by tomorrow), Robinson celebrated 110 years in an assembly that was shorter than the time it took to organize all the students in the gym, and Maylyn and I did tons of riddles with some of the 8th and 9th graders. All in all, I love being at the school. :)
This weekend was amazing, though. We went to El Yunque, a super sweet rainforest. We did a trail with a guide and stuff at first (and she showed us some gnarly snails...groooosssssss), and then all changed into our swimsuits and went on a hiked down to a really gorgeous waterfall....which of COURSE we all swam in! The water was pretty dang cold, and I thought I was going to die when I tried to swim under the waterfall (I couldn't find the ledge and was pretty sure I was either going to drown or suffocate...haha, I was in absolutely no danger though), and we all laughed more than I can even think about. Hahaha, it was such, such, such a good bonding experience. Great life memory, too.
After we hiked back up to the van, I was SUPER hungry (it was pretty late, like 130 or something, and I hadn't eaten breakfast. Good one, self). We went to this super gorgeous beach, had picnic sandwiches, swam(ish) in the water (which was suuuper clear and calm), and laid out in the sun. So beautiful, so relaxing.
Then we went to the bed and breakfast, a cute, clean little place. The frogs were super loud and the dog's name was Shakira. I really, really liked it there. Lori, Maylyn, Tori, Alex, and I played Nertz for a long time...so intense. Best game ever.
Our plans for Sunday didn't pan out, so we got to go horseback riding (part of the trail was on the beach!) which was AMAZING (but I'm still oober sore from, haha...) but I got pretty dang burnt. Lori and I had the dumb slow horses, but you know, it's okay. It was a beautiful trail and we got to enjoy it longer :P
Then we came home, had some more time in the sun (smart, I know), and hung out basically as the whole group. It was a really fun, relaxed day. I like these relaxing weekends. So weird that we don't have very many left.
Today we had Inservice at the school. We went to sessions about alternative assessment and bullying. I know, really riveting stuff. I felt like all of the teachers were little antsy students who didn't really want to pay attention, it was sort of cracking me up. Everyone was talking or not paying attention or using their phones (texting) or playing games or doodling. I was amused. There was still some participation on their part, but it just kind of made me chuckle. I think a lot of them have been there a while and have heard everyhting 89472934728u times, so they were sort of tired of it (and yes, that u should have been there in that number. It's a new number I invented).
Back to the grind tomorrow! Not looking forward to waking up early but you know....asi es la vida.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Roto
Wow, what a couple of days!!
Yesterday, JR was in the middle of a car accident (he wasn't actually in a car accident, the two cars in front of him got in an accident as well as the two cars behind him, but he and his car were completely fine. He just had to wait for the cops and had some anxiety/asthma stuff and a little whiplash I think) so he ended up not coming to school. Luckily, Carmen adopted me for the day, which was super sweet of her. Her class is a lot different than JR's but I really enjoyed seeing her in action. She runs a tight ship. Much different, but good too. I'm still deciding how I'm going to run my own classroom someday. Sometimes I think I might run a really strict class but usually I think I'll have a fun class where there is a lot of joking, as long as the work is getting done. We'll see. I'll find a good balance.
Today, JR was back and in action. We had chapel (I went two of the periods, Maylyn had to go 3 times! Poor thing) and it was reeeeally interesting. It was difficult to hear the chaplain and a lot of the students really couldn't care less to be there. There was a good message, though. And they were getting ready because on Friday there is going to be a camera crew there and stuff for the 110th anniversary of the school, so they're going to sing the school song. I think after 3 chapels, Maylyn has it memorized :P
I still don't know my 12th or 10th graders, but I memorized my 8th and 9th graders and most of the 11th graders today! Hopefully by the end of the month I'll know them all....
Tonight I went soooort of loca at dinner with Lori after we had our evening session (aka class...dumb). Then I completed the wonderfully entertaining (not at ALL) task of breaking up with B. It really wasn't fun, but it needed to happen. Change is hard, but change is good.
Now of to bed...more school tomorrow!! School never ends....hopefully they'll be doing activities and work time that I get to help with, otherwise I just sit there all day. I think I need to talk to Nancy soon about how I can get more involved. They don't really even turn in homework.... iiiiiiiiinteresante....
Kisses!
Yesterday, JR was in the middle of a car accident (he wasn't actually in a car accident, the two cars in front of him got in an accident as well as the two cars behind him, but he and his car were completely fine. He just had to wait for the cops and had some anxiety/asthma stuff and a little whiplash I think) so he ended up not coming to school. Luckily, Carmen adopted me for the day, which was super sweet of her. Her class is a lot different than JR's but I really enjoyed seeing her in action. She runs a tight ship. Much different, but good too. I'm still deciding how I'm going to run my own classroom someday. Sometimes I think I might run a really strict class but usually I think I'll have a fun class where there is a lot of joking, as long as the work is getting done. We'll see. I'll find a good balance.
Today, JR was back and in action. We had chapel (I went two of the periods, Maylyn had to go 3 times! Poor thing) and it was reeeeally interesting. It was difficult to hear the chaplain and a lot of the students really couldn't care less to be there. There was a good message, though. And they were getting ready because on Friday there is going to be a camera crew there and stuff for the 110th anniversary of the school, so they're going to sing the school song. I think after 3 chapels, Maylyn has it memorized :P
I still don't know my 12th or 10th graders, but I memorized my 8th and 9th graders and most of the 11th graders today! Hopefully by the end of the month I'll know them all....
Tonight I went soooort of loca at dinner with Lori after we had our evening session (aka class...dumb). Then I completed the wonderfully entertaining (not at ALL) task of breaking up with B. It really wasn't fun, but it needed to happen. Change is hard, but change is good.
Now of to bed...more school tomorrow!! School never ends....hopefully they'll be doing activities and work time that I get to help with, otherwise I just sit there all day. I think I need to talk to Nancy soon about how I can get more involved. They don't really even turn in homework.... iiiiiiiiinteresante....
Kisses!
Monday, January 9, 2012
La escuela!
Today was the first day at the school. It was so great! I loved it!!!
My teacher's name is J.R., and everyone calls him that (or teacher, which bugs the heck out of me. You know his name, why are you calling him "teacher"? He's not calling you "student," is he?). The first class of the day is 12th grade advanced calculus. They're so funny! I didn't talk to any of the students really too much today, but there are a few who I think I have the potential to get to know pretty well. :) After that class, there's a break. Then the second class is 11th grade pre-calculus., then 10th grade geometry, then 8th grade algebra 1 (my absolute favorite!! Those 8th graders just kill me. I like them a lot) and then lunch. After lunch there's 9th grade geometry (which is on a different section than the other geometry class, and also my second favorite class, though maybe tied with the seniors), and then a prep period and then...the pool! ;)
Robinson School is absoluuutely beautiful! It is about the size of Santiam studentwise, and the grounds are just gorgeous. The students speak English in the classroom but when they're not in class it's Spanish probably 90% of the time. I'm glad I can understand most of what's going on, whichever language it's in. The students are super funny. I'm just waiting for when some of them realize I can speak a little bit of Spanish and then they want to hear me try...yikes! :P
JR is super relaxed with his students and jokes around all the time. He must have done something at the beginning of the year to lay down the law, though, because the students do respect him (for the most part). He is pretty loose with discipline, but I sort of like it. It's up to the students to decide what they want to get out of the experience. He's giving them the tools and it's their choice whether or not they want to use them to learn.
I had another discussion (this time with J.R.) about the Spanish language. He told me that Puerto Ricans "eat their vowels", which is sort of silly. But it does make sense from what I've heard. He told me that most of them instead of saying "dedo" will say "de-o" ... the d just sort of disappears. It's so weird. It's also super weird hearing them say "bahtante" or "tu quiere algo?" haha. I do love it, though.
Another thing I'm super intrigued by is how diverse the students are! It's seriously a mixture from super dark skin, features, and hair, to blonde and blue eyes, to a green eyed red-head (I'm not kidding, she's one of the seniors) to Asian! Not joking on any of those. It's fascinating. And they all speak Spanish and English and they all hang out together and it's pretty stinking awesome. Way more diversity than I'm used to seeing. But really, they're all just people that God loves a lot and deserve the best. Well...I guess technically they deserve nothing, but it sure is great what grace can do for you. Okay, education blog getting ready to get all Jesus-y.
Oh well...it happens :)
I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring!!
My teacher's name is J.R., and everyone calls him that (or teacher, which bugs the heck out of me. You know his name, why are you calling him "teacher"? He's not calling you "student," is he?). The first class of the day is 12th grade advanced calculus. They're so funny! I didn't talk to any of the students really too much today, but there are a few who I think I have the potential to get to know pretty well. :) After that class, there's a break. Then the second class is 11th grade pre-calculus., then 10th grade geometry, then 8th grade algebra 1 (my absolute favorite!! Those 8th graders just kill me. I like them a lot) and then lunch. After lunch there's 9th grade geometry (which is on a different section than the other geometry class, and also my second favorite class, though maybe tied with the seniors), and then a prep period and then...the pool! ;)
Robinson School is absoluuutely beautiful! It is about the size of Santiam studentwise, and the grounds are just gorgeous. The students speak English in the classroom but when they're not in class it's Spanish probably 90% of the time. I'm glad I can understand most of what's going on, whichever language it's in. The students are super funny. I'm just waiting for when some of them realize I can speak a little bit of Spanish and then they want to hear me try...yikes! :P
JR is super relaxed with his students and jokes around all the time. He must have done something at the beginning of the year to lay down the law, though, because the students do respect him (for the most part). He is pretty loose with discipline, but I sort of like it. It's up to the students to decide what they want to get out of the experience. He's giving them the tools and it's their choice whether or not they want to use them to learn.
I had another discussion (this time with J.R.) about the Spanish language. He told me that Puerto Ricans "eat their vowels", which is sort of silly. But it does make sense from what I've heard. He told me that most of them instead of saying "dedo" will say "de-o" ... the d just sort of disappears. It's so weird. It's also super weird hearing them say "bahtante" or "tu quiere algo?" haha. I do love it, though.
Another thing I'm super intrigued by is how diverse the students are! It's seriously a mixture from super dark skin, features, and hair, to blonde and blue eyes, to a green eyed red-head (I'm not kidding, she's one of the seniors) to Asian! Not joking on any of those. It's fascinating. And they all speak Spanish and English and they all hang out together and it's pretty stinking awesome. Way more diversity than I'm used to seeing. But really, they're all just people that God loves a lot and deserve the best. Well...I guess technically they deserve nothing, but it sure is great what grace can do for you. Okay, education blog getting ready to get all Jesus-y.
Oh well...it happens :)
I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring!!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Feliz Cumpleaños a mi!
Well, not a whole lot to say today.
We went to Ponce, which was super nice! We visited some hacienda (I really hate that word. Especially when people pronounce the h. Ooooh, it boils my blood) which was ab-so-lute-ly gorgeous. We also went to a coffee plantation. I had some more really interesting talks with Ros about Spanish...I'm making a habit of it, apparently. I'm okay with that.
Then Nolan and Lori took me out to dinner tonight. And a yummy passion fruit margarita! Mm! I like that the people here are all raised bilingual. So, so, so cool. I need to find myself a Spanish man.
This wasn't much of a post. First day of school is tomorrow!! I'm so excited to be less of a tourist soon :D:D:D
We went to Ponce, which was super nice! We visited some hacienda (I really hate that word. Especially when people pronounce the h. Ooooh, it boils my blood) which was ab-so-lute-ly gorgeous. We also went to a coffee plantation. I had some more really interesting talks with Ros about Spanish...I'm making a habit of it, apparently. I'm okay with that.
Then Nolan and Lori took me out to dinner tonight. And a yummy passion fruit margarita! Mm! I like that the people here are all raised bilingual. So, so, so cool. I need to find myself a Spanish man.
This wasn't much of a post. First day of school is tomorrow!! I'm so excited to be less of a tourist soon :D:D:D
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Cavernas
Longest day of my life, and tomorrow may be just as long! :P
We rose early and were ready to go by 7:25 this morning...I seriously forgot such hours existed (but they were kind enough to remind me this morning). We headed out to Arecibo and went to some caves. I can't remember exactly what they were called, but it was pretty fun. Except for they said the bats were all asleep and they lied, and also they showed us a huge spider which freaked me the flip out. Some kind little Puerto Ricans were laughing at me, but when I explained to them in Spanish that I hate spiders, they warmed up to me (...gringos speak Spanish, what?) and the little girl kept smiling at me. Fun!
Then we went to lunch (yum yum yum! Seriously. So yummy). I had carne guisado and riiiice with those pigeon pea things, and I seriously thought I was going to die I was so full. But it was yummy!
Then we went to the observatory, which was interesting. Over all, I would rather have spent half of the day in the sun, BUT, you know, it was a lot of fun.
I talked to Ros today about the Spanish here, I am SO fascinated by it! They don't really pronounce most of their s's (only some...I haven't figured out yet if there's a rule to which ones they pronounce or not, but I'm just rollin' with it right now). It's not as obvious as it was in the Dominican Republic, they kind of have this soft s-ish, h-ish sound...I don't know, it's really interesting. But I am getting used to saying "gracia" which might be sort of annoying when I go home. :P
We came home and just sort of chilled. Off to Ponce tomorrow to do who knows what! I just hope we get to be outside and get some sun...Lord knows I need it.
Lord also knows I need some patience right now...haha. Pray for me, whoever reads this. :P (aka...mama and Miche. :D)
We rose early and were ready to go by 7:25 this morning...I seriously forgot such hours existed (but they were kind enough to remind me this morning). We headed out to Arecibo and went to some caves. I can't remember exactly what they were called, but it was pretty fun. Except for they said the bats were all asleep and they lied, and also they showed us a huge spider which freaked me the flip out. Some kind little Puerto Ricans were laughing at me, but when I explained to them in Spanish that I hate spiders, they warmed up to me (...gringos speak Spanish, what?) and the little girl kept smiling at me. Fun!
Then we went to lunch (yum yum yum! Seriously. So yummy). I had carne guisado and riiiice with those pigeon pea things, and I seriously thought I was going to die I was so full. But it was yummy!
Then we went to the observatory, which was interesting. Over all, I would rather have spent half of the day in the sun, BUT, you know, it was a lot of fun.
I talked to Ros today about the Spanish here, I am SO fascinated by it! They don't really pronounce most of their s's (only some...I haven't figured out yet if there's a rule to which ones they pronounce or not, but I'm just rollin' with it right now). It's not as obvious as it was in the Dominican Republic, they kind of have this soft s-ish, h-ish sound...I don't know, it's really interesting. But I am getting used to saying "gracia" which might be sort of annoying when I go home. :P
We came home and just sort of chilled. Off to Ponce tomorrow to do who knows what! I just hope we get to be outside and get some sun...Lord knows I need it.
Lord also knows I need some patience right now...haha. Pray for me, whoever reads this. :P (aka...mama and Miche. :D)
Friday, January 6, 2012
Tres Reyes
Happy Three Kings Day!!! :D
Today was super chill. We woke up late and headed down to the beach for a while, then we went to the pool on the roof. We didn't have a meeting until 2ish, and then they told us that we had the rest of the day off. So, we decided to go to the beach again, got some nachos and drinks at a place on the way back, and came back and just relaxed. It's nice to relax. Nolan, Lori, Maylyn, and I all played cards for a while. (Yes, we are cool.) Then we wandered out around town and found ourselves at a yummy little restaurant. I had rice and beans since I was still full from our snack earlier but the mofongo was really good, I think I might get it some time later, which is silly since I thought I didn't like green plantain but who knows! :D
We also planned the shenanigans that are going to go down on Sunday (my birthday) once we get back from Ponce. Dinner and salsa dancing, anyone? Yeah, I can dig it.
We have to be up at like 6:45 tomorrow...ouch...oh well, I better get used to it. :)
Also, I saw a man who had a snake around his neck and around his wrist. I honestly thought I was going to die.
One other also: SPF 15 makes sure I get absolutely NO color. Cool, SPF. I know you're doing your job and stuff but uh...could you do your job a little bit less?
Big day tomorrow, I should have more to say :)
Today was super chill. We woke up late and headed down to the beach for a while, then we went to the pool on the roof. We didn't have a meeting until 2ish, and then they told us that we had the rest of the day off. So, we decided to go to the beach again, got some nachos and drinks at a place on the way back, and came back and just relaxed. It's nice to relax. Nolan, Lori, Maylyn, and I all played cards for a while. (Yes, we are cool.) Then we wandered out around town and found ourselves at a yummy little restaurant. I had rice and beans since I was still full from our snack earlier but the mofongo was really good, I think I might get it some time later, which is silly since I thought I didn't like green plantain but who knows! :D
We also planned the shenanigans that are going to go down on Sunday (my birthday) once we get back from Ponce. Dinner and salsa dancing, anyone? Yeah, I can dig it.
We have to be up at like 6:45 tomorrow...ouch...oh well, I better get used to it. :)
Also, I saw a man who had a snake around his neck and around his wrist. I honestly thought I was going to die.
One other also: SPF 15 makes sure I get absolutely NO color. Cool, SPF. I know you're doing your job and stuff but uh...could you do your job a little bit less?
Big day tomorrow, I should have more to say :)
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Puerto Rico!
WELL, here I am, not wanting to write in a journal but figuring that it's pretty easy to type. Hello, blog.
Yesterday, January 4th, 2012, at 2:55 am, I set off for a super crazy journey to Puerto Rico for the month of January with a group of the most awesome people in the world! :D After a full 14 hours of travelling (including a photo scavenger hunt through the airport in Atlanta, Georgia...hello, ed department Jan term trip, I love you.) we finally arrived very tired and very hungry to the wonderfully beautiful island of Puerto Rico. We stayed up much too late...but we saw the pool on the roof. Yeah...pretty awesome.
Today we went into Old San Juan for the first time. We were literally on our feet for 12 hours straight with very few breaks, but hey, that's part of the fun, right? :) We visited el Castillo del Morro, which I think was the first fort built in the New World. Pretty cool. We also journeyed our way through Old San Juan and Lori, Nolan, and I split up from the group at one point and got some rice and beans for lunch instead of Subway. Best life choice of the day, right there. I'm pretty sure I will be spending a LOT of my time in Old San Juan as it is extremely beautiful and fun and I want to talk to people in Spanish (I need to get over how shy I am to speak in Spanish when most of them are capable of speaking in English).
After spending a couple of hours sitting around waiting for the circulation come back to our feet from so much walking around the city (with our awesome tourguide Papo), we went to the most fun dinner of my liiiiiiiiiife. Well, maybe not, but close. The dinner itself was rice and beans (yum), pulled pork (yum), and some yuca...which was good for the first few bites but then something about it really got to me and I couldn't eat any more. We ate it in the Dominican Republic too, and I didn't really like it there either. At least it reminded me of good times in the DR, though. :) Dessert was some flan that I, surprisingly, didn't really like either. Go figure?
THEN! They had free salsa dancing so you KNOW I was all over that. The instructor was super funny and nice, he had a hard time pronouncing my name at first (big surprise, no native Spanish speaker can ever say my name right, dumb...) but eventually he got it. Then he was like, yelling it, basically. "KIERSTEN! The number one name in the world! Kiersten! Kiersten!" haha, he was super nice though and introduced himself to all the group and then started the dancing. It was really simple steps, but still fun. The whole group did it. :) Then the lesson part ended (which I was sort of thankful for because everyone was just staring at us haha) and a live band started playing (YESSSS), so naturally Nolan and I took to the floor. I really need to learn some new moves, but it was super fun! The leader guy was super funny and a couple of times told the whole group "Kiersten! Do it like Kiersten!" but I'm 99.9% sure he was just saying that because 1) he was proud that he could finally pronounce my name and 2) because it was such a big deal to pronounce my name, it was the only one he remembered. Regardless, Nolan and I tore up the dance floor and loved every second of it. I deeeefinitely want to go back, at LEAST for my birthday. :) Some random dude asked Melany to dance with her...twice...hahaha funniest thing ever, seeing her dance with him. When we were leaving I went over and told the instructor gracias (with a few other people) and he gave me a big hug and pinched my cheek haha, I think I love him.
When we came back, we felt like our feet were going to fall off, so we soaked them in the bath tub. Well, that was our idea, anyway. First off, Lori filled the tub with the hottest water imaginable, so we had to go get about 5 buckets of ice and pour them in the tub before it was finally an acceptable (albeit still SUPER hot) temperature. Then, when the soaking started, the craziness ensued. All I can really say is that it involved platypus feet, sucker fish, farting bathtubs, foot water fights, magic natural socks, and Taylor Swift. Needless to say, I have THE best roommates in the world and this is going to be the best month of my life.
After that craziness, we showered, and when we went out to go to Nolan's room, we found cookies on our door that were from "los tres reyes!!" The note said "Lori, Maylyn ,and Kiersten: Que esta sea el mas magico dia de los reyes!" haha, so naturally we decided to get a cup of water and fill a box with grass to put outside Bob & Nancy's doors for their camels. At midnight. In Puerto Rico.
I love my life.
Yesterday, January 4th, 2012, at 2:55 am, I set off for a super crazy journey to Puerto Rico for the month of January with a group of the most awesome people in the world! :D After a full 14 hours of travelling (including a photo scavenger hunt through the airport in Atlanta, Georgia...hello, ed department Jan term trip, I love you.) we finally arrived very tired and very hungry to the wonderfully beautiful island of Puerto Rico. We stayed up much too late...but we saw the pool on the roof. Yeah...pretty awesome.
Today we went into Old San Juan for the first time. We were literally on our feet for 12 hours straight with very few breaks, but hey, that's part of the fun, right? :) We visited el Castillo del Morro, which I think was the first fort built in the New World. Pretty cool. We also journeyed our way through Old San Juan and Lori, Nolan, and I split up from the group at one point and got some rice and beans for lunch instead of Subway. Best life choice of the day, right there. I'm pretty sure I will be spending a LOT of my time in Old San Juan as it is extremely beautiful and fun and I want to talk to people in Spanish (I need to get over how shy I am to speak in Spanish when most of them are capable of speaking in English).
After spending a couple of hours sitting around waiting for the circulation come back to our feet from so much walking around the city (with our awesome tourguide Papo), we went to the most fun dinner of my liiiiiiiiiife. Well, maybe not, but close. The dinner itself was rice and beans (yum), pulled pork (yum), and some yuca...which was good for the first few bites but then something about it really got to me and I couldn't eat any more. We ate it in the Dominican Republic too, and I didn't really like it there either. At least it reminded me of good times in the DR, though. :) Dessert was some flan that I, surprisingly, didn't really like either. Go figure?
THEN! They had free salsa dancing so you KNOW I was all over that. The instructor was super funny and nice, he had a hard time pronouncing my name at first (big surprise, no native Spanish speaker can ever say my name right, dumb...) but eventually he got it. Then he was like, yelling it, basically. "KIERSTEN! The number one name in the world! Kiersten! Kiersten!" haha, he was super nice though and introduced himself to all the group and then started the dancing. It was really simple steps, but still fun. The whole group did it. :) Then the lesson part ended (which I was sort of thankful for because everyone was just staring at us haha) and a live band started playing (YESSSS), so naturally Nolan and I took to the floor. I really need to learn some new moves, but it was super fun! The leader guy was super funny and a couple of times told the whole group "Kiersten! Do it like Kiersten!" but I'm 99.9% sure he was just saying that because 1) he was proud that he could finally pronounce my name and 2) because it was such a big deal to pronounce my name, it was the only one he remembered. Regardless, Nolan and I tore up the dance floor and loved every second of it. I deeeefinitely want to go back, at LEAST for my birthday. :) Some random dude asked Melany to dance with her...twice...hahaha funniest thing ever, seeing her dance with him. When we were leaving I went over and told the instructor gracias (with a few other people) and he gave me a big hug and pinched my cheek haha, I think I love him.
When we came back, we felt like our feet were going to fall off, so we soaked them in the bath tub. Well, that was our idea, anyway. First off, Lori filled the tub with the hottest water imaginable, so we had to go get about 5 buckets of ice and pour them in the tub before it was finally an acceptable (albeit still SUPER hot) temperature. Then, when the soaking started, the craziness ensued. All I can really say is that it involved platypus feet, sucker fish, farting bathtubs, foot water fights, magic natural socks, and Taylor Swift. Needless to say, I have THE best roommates in the world and this is going to be the best month of my life.
After that craziness, we showered, and when we went out to go to Nolan's room, we found cookies on our door that were from "los tres reyes!!" The note said "Lori, Maylyn ,and Kiersten: Que esta sea el mas magico dia de los reyes!" haha, so naturally we decided to get a cup of water and fill a box with grass to put outside Bob & Nancy's doors for their camels. At midnight. In Puerto Rico.
I love my life.
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