Happy Birthday PAPI!

Today is my dad's birthday! So if you see him or even know him wish him a happy day!! I am not as cool as Tatum who makes collages for her family on their birthday (sorry fam), so this will have to do!

I have officially finished my first week of pre-planning at my new school here in Guate. I did not realize that it was going to be quite as intensive as it has been, but nevertheless I will learn everything in its time. We are definitely in the rainy season now and so I am sitting underneath my overhang in my apartment because for some reason, when it is cloudy, I can get the internet from the Universidad del Valle. Now I am not one for stealing internet without asking first (my neighbors last year laughed at me when I asked if they wanted me to pay them for the use of their internet), but because UVG is part of my school I feel like it is just a perk for living close!! So back to the school talk....
Things I have learned about my new life at CAG:
1. I have a planning period everyday! Not just one, but multiple depending on the day. There are days when I can plan for 90 minutes straight! Now that is incredible.
2. Some of my students have body guards. Now that is a HUGE change from Morgan County Elementary! The only sign outside of the school is a firearms sign because of this. The body guards will spend the whole day outside of the school just in case "something" were to happen.
3. The emergency manual includes what to do in the case of an earthquake. Now we don't have that many earthquakes in GA, but we seem to have quite a few tremors here (don't worry mom, I just feel like I am shaking a bit. Nothing to scary!)
4. I have never known so many cultural differences among people from the same country (and i am talking about from the US). I am the lone Southerner in the group of new teachers and it has been a culture shock to learn about my fellow colleagues. I am sure that I am a culture shock to them as well. Country Kelly (Brit, Al, Bridget- yall know what I mean) has not reared her head to much, but man do they laugh about me saying y'all. My Principal said I can use the word, but I can't allow the children to use it in their work! AHH!! That means I can't write it on the board!
5. Beth and James Mildren are the best! These are my new married couple friends from Kansas! They have been a God-send to me here! Although they are from the Midwest they are trying to understand me and my Southern ways. I love how they want to hang out and they will just ask me if they can come over. My roommie Rebeca loves them because they just make themselves at home. They even let me sit between them while we watched a movie (I did this so that I did not have to call a hand check in the middle of American History X). They are just fun to be around.

All in all, Guate is great!! I don't feel like I am as far away as I really am which is wonderful. I call home whenever I want to (mom likes that). And I have/had incredible roommates to keep me energized (A-Train, Josie- Enio called looking for you!). Please let me know how you are doing and comment if you have read this far. Sometimes I feel like I am writing to myself (which is good too).