you walk on waves

you run with clouds

you paint the sky for me to see

your majesty is why i sing.

and these are but the outer fringe of his works;
how faint the whisper we hear of him!

Spanish Fiestas, Surfing and Sunrises

...a perfect weekend in Hope Town.

ok so i take the anger back. in the end batelco probably really isn't sent from satan and wont be the biggest thorn that has ever been in my side. silly exaggerations really.

the good news:
1.we have a phone line connection.

2. the wireless gods have smiled upon us and we are set with internet in our house. this is really good for jessica because she has a man that is waiting to hear from her multiply times a day.

3. the headaches have stopped. turns out it was probably because of the water i was drinking. it would happen to me that i just got headaches and not the runs.

4. my kids favorite cd for class would be hilary duff (sorry grace) and there is nothing like looking around a classroom and seeing 2nd graders pump their fist in the air as they sing "let the rain fall down."

we had our school picnic yesterday. all week long the teachers had all been praying for rain. the night before there was a lightening storm and i thought that there might just be a chance that we got rained out but in the morning it was the clearest day yet. 6 hours of organizing sack races and tug - o - wars. what else would i want to do on saturday. ( and, in the end, this statement is actually true.)

picnic time - this is one of my favorite girls in k-3

the kids cheering us on during knockout - we felt like rock stars.

these are my housemates - laura and jessica. their pretty sweet.

tug-o-war. my boys are intense!




the arrow is pointing to our place. the beach by the boat harbor is only a five minute walk. we all got a good laugh when we saw how long the distance looked.

i talked to my family for the first time since i got here tonight. grace is for sure the athlete of the family now - don't worry joco your the looks.

batelco - the phone service of the island - is sent straight from satan himself and is a thorn in my side. i have been in there everyday this week trying to get our phone connected and still nothing. i have left batelco 3 days this week in tears of frustration.

i miss home. i feel silly saying that and no one usually believes me because i am living in "paradise" but i have come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as paradise. every place has it's own troubles and hardships. i guess in the same sense every place has it's own beauty and wonder. i guess i am just focusing on homes beauty right now and not here's. - that has to change. how can i be here when there is troubles at home that i can't do anything about.

forget the rain the sun is shinning and hasn't stopped. it is crazy hot. the kind of hot that makes you tired and head aches. speaking of head aches i have had them for the past 4 days - near migraines - i don't like them.

there is going to be a four mile swim race to a neighboring island - hope town girls - maybe shane will cheer us on. laura and i are going to do it for sure and most likely a few of the other teachers. don't think i am totally hardcore because we are going to break it up into teams of four. i have decided that swimming is one of the most relaxing things i can do.

things are picking up around here. it feels like i never left and with the new teachers here it feels like vacation when ever school is out.

here was our past weekend.

saturday = community breakfast at our place. eggs made by yours truly.




feast your eyes on the goodness.



beach time - blessed was the word that went through my head most of the day.




best way to end a day at the beach.




coins agian.




lost...




again.





again.

week one of teaching complete.

it has rained every day this week. not a weak sprinkle but the kind of rain that wakes me up at 6 a.m and doesn't let me fall back asleep because the thunder is so loud and the rain is hitting so hard. beautiful.

we are in a new apartment. a five minute walk to the ocean. i try to wake up early enough to go swim laps before school. two mornings it has been done but we have been rained out the other days.my favorite part of the apartment would the view from our back porch -




narissa would be my challenge of the year. i am embarrassed everyday at my lack of patience and gentleness and she would be the one that brings this all to my attention. my favorite part is when she really starts acting naughty her left eye starts to go cross - eyed...perfect.



we don't have television this year so most nights are spent finding productive things to do. we made chai cookies tonight (original recipe). laura lit two plastic bags on fire because she would throw them onto our candles. the last straw was when we noticed our sugar bag up in flames. in the end the cookies tasted just like christmas and the plastic burning fumes were worth it.

The Ragamuffin Gospel

Several years before his death a remarkable rabbi, Abraham Joshua Heschel, suffered a near – fatal heart attack. His closest friend was at his bedside. Heschel was so weak he was only able to whisper:

“Sam. I feel only gratitude for my life, for every moment I have lived.
I am ready to go. I have seen so many miracles during my lifetime.”

The old rabbi was exhausted by his effort to speak. After a long pause he said,

“Sam, never once in my life did I ask God for success or wisdom or
power or fame. I asked for wonder and he gave it to me.”

well...

i am here and even though it was so hard to leave now that i am here it seems like i never left - is that a good thing...i am not sure yet.

school starts tomorrow and after this little computer time - which is the first that i have really been able to have - i am going to go back to the classroom and get it ready.

i have only been to the beach twice and once i got a pretty back sting from...well i don't know what it was but it left whip marks across the back of my leg that still burn and itch to this day. besides that it has been raining which i don't mind all that bad because i have to be in the classroom anyway.

there are five new teachers here. nights have been full of cooking out, cards and a game called coins (which i am pretty sure is a drinking game but we just make the loser do a sick task that is decided before we even begin to play).

i miss home...my heart is still there. .

the teachers.