I'm cringing because I haven't written any entry in over two months and so much has happened. So, I guess I'll just start with the most recent....
Monday was by 26th birthday. I keep asking myself where did the time go? It just seems like yesterday that I was a little girl with round glasses, sitting in Kindergarten. And now here I am, teaching five year olds English! It's amazing. But I also am in constant awe of how blessed I've been and how many opportunities I've been given. This year's birthday was also a time for me to realize how much I'm loved. Over this past year, I've lost relationships with lots of people, including former close friends. It really hit me when I didn't hear from a few of them on my birthday. But this year I had new(er) friends who were there and made me feel special on my day! I have great co-workers and friends from the university that helped me celebrate my birthday. I've come to a point in my life where I only surround myself with people who want to be around me. And the end result is that I have a great support system! It was one of the best ones that I can remember in years! My students also made my day - especially when my little first graders sand Happy Birthday to me in English! This past year has been full of learning experiences and everything has definitely made me wiser. (And a little older!)
It's been a rough semester. Part of the reason why I haven't blogged is because I've had to extra time this semester. I took two Spanish literature classes and they killed me. Last weekend was the first weekend that I really didn't have homework, and I didn't know what to do with myself. All I've been doing this semester is reading, reading, and reading. A week and a half ago I had to turn in four papers within a week's time, so that was definitely challenging for me. But I survived! And here we are - I'll be in Louisville in just two short weeks and I cannot wait!
Right after I wrote my last entry, a co-worker passed away. She had lung cancer and no one really knew how bad off she was. It hit the entire school hard. Even though I only worked with her for a year, I took her death hard, because she was my first friend at the school last year and really made me feel welcome. It was even harder to deal with because the adults had to hold it together in front of the kids. We had a beautiful prayer ceremony in the patio with the entire school.
At the end of October, I had a training for work. It was the first New Teacher training for all of the Teresiana schools in Spain. Some of you are thinking that I'm really not a new teacher, but the schools want us to go during our second year, after we've spent a year in the school. I met people from all over the country and learned lots of things about Saint Teresa and San Enrique de Osso, who founded the Teresiana schools. Next year we'll have another training that will be a follow-up to this year's training.
A few weeks ago I had Thanksgiving. Since it's not celebrated here, I had to have it on a Saturday. I fixed a turkey and all the fixings and it was a big hit! It was another moment in which I realized how lucky I am to have such great friends on this side of the world.
Monday was by 26th birthday. I keep asking myself where did the time go? It just seems like yesterday that I was a little girl with round glasses, sitting in Kindergarten. And now here I am, teaching five year olds English! It's amazing. But I also am in constant awe of how blessed I've been and how many opportunities I've been given. This year's birthday was also a time for me to realize how much I'm loved. Over this past year, I've lost relationships with lots of people, including former close friends. It really hit me when I didn't hear from a few of them on my birthday. But this year I had new(er) friends who were there and made me feel special on my day! I have great co-workers and friends from the university that helped me celebrate my birthday. I've come to a point in my life where I only surround myself with people who want to be around me. And the end result is that I have a great support system! It was one of the best ones that I can remember in years! My students also made my day - especially when my little first graders sand Happy Birthday to me in English! This past year has been full of learning experiences and everything has definitely made me wiser. (And a little older!)
It's been a rough semester. Part of the reason why I haven't blogged is because I've had to extra time this semester. I took two Spanish literature classes and they killed me. Last weekend was the first weekend that I really didn't have homework, and I didn't know what to do with myself. All I've been doing this semester is reading, reading, and reading. A week and a half ago I had to turn in four papers within a week's time, so that was definitely challenging for me. But I survived! And here we are - I'll be in Louisville in just two short weeks and I cannot wait!
Right after I wrote my last entry, a co-worker passed away. She had lung cancer and no one really knew how bad off she was. It hit the entire school hard. Even though I only worked with her for a year, I took her death hard, because she was my first friend at the school last year and really made me feel welcome. It was even harder to deal with because the adults had to hold it together in front of the kids. We had a beautiful prayer ceremony in the patio with the entire school.
At the end of October, I had a training for work. It was the first New Teacher training for all of the Teresiana schools in Spain. Some of you are thinking that I'm really not a new teacher, but the schools want us to go during our second year, after we've spent a year in the school. I met people from all over the country and learned lots of things about Saint Teresa and San Enrique de Osso, who founded the Teresiana schools. Next year we'll have another training that will be a follow-up to this year's training.
A few weeks ago I had Thanksgiving. Since it's not celebrated here, I had to have it on a Saturday. I fixed a turkey and all the fixings and it was a big hit! It was another moment in which I realized how lucky I am to have such great friends on this side of the world.
