Hola mi amigos

First off, I am going to answer a few questions you guys have been asking:

Ellen - No, we do not have any earthquake drills. You would think we would seeing that they happen quite frequently here in Costa Rica, but no one seems to worry about them until they come. It's somewhat the attitude and lifestyle here. There is not a ton of thinking ahead. You get used to it for the most part...

Dan - I am jealous that you are continuing to lose weight! I think that I am finding all the weight that you are losing! haha. I am glad to have introduced you to halfzies and take at least partial credit for the healthier, thinner Dan!!!

Who won the ASU UofA game? Do I want to know?

This past week has been fairly normal. I didn't have classes on Tuesday because we had a meeting in Quepos with the other English teachers in the surrounding areas. It was a pretty interesting meeting, from what I could gather (it was all in Spanish). We made a SWOT chart (FODA in Spanish) which brought me back to my days in Hubbard meetings. I also found the granola bars that I really like considerably cheaper at the Pali in Quepos which was exciting.

Last Friday, the school had an assembly of sorts. My second graders and I sang a song in English which was pretty cute. We have been studying sea animals and had been practicing a song with hand motions and everything. They did a really good job, but as we were singing, I had to laugh because I knew that no one else (parents, aunts, uncles, etc) really knew what we were saying.

Next Monday we are having a field day at school. As all other "school events", it is sure to be an adventure! I will have to let you know how it goes next week!

Next week is also the start of "test week". The students are stressing out big time about their tests. They don't seem to take school seriously until test week comes along (not much different then students in the States I suppose) and then they freak! I am hoping my students do well just because it is what I want for them, but I am not stressing like I would be in the states. Nothing happens to me if my kids don't pass - much different! If the kids don't pass the test, then they have a hard time passing the class. If they don't pass the class, they do the grade over again the next year.

Well, I need to go a type up some rubrics - yuck - to get ready for next week. Hope everyone is doing well and I miss you all! Please continue to keep me updated on the happenings in your life! Paz.