Week 43: Day 300 and the Last Week of School

Day 295 May 29
I woke up to the lovely sound of children playing right outside my bedroom. I gave up on sleep and came downstairs. I talked with Sierra for a few minutes before she left and then I cooked up a big breakfast for myself. Megan called to see if I wanted to drop off clothes at the seamstress' place, which I did. We agreed to meet in 25 minutes to walk down. Cid also called to see if I'd be available to go to the bird park with him and Marc at 1.
I walked down with Megan, we showed Tonita what we want done and just like last time, I brought half my clothes. Mostly it's just because I've gotten smaller and they've gotten stretched out, but a few are just worn out and I'm not ready to throw them out. We then got a granita.
I went home and got ready to go to the bird park. I ran into Nash and Chris and they decided they didn't want to go to the bird park or hot springs because it's raining.
I got to Marc's as they were pulling out, so I hopped in and we had a lovely afternoon and lunch at the bird park in the rain. There are new flowers there I haven't seen before and a type of bird I hadn't noticed either. Apparently, in all of Marc's time here, he'd never made it up that way and tomorrow he's leaving town for good. This was basically our send off for him. I'll miss him.
Cid and I went home for a while and then he had to get back to work. I watched Coraline, which wasn't at all what I expected it to be. I liked it, though. I then cleaned up around the house and ate dinner.
Cid came a little later than usual, and we watched The Bodyguard, which is a movie apparently everyone knows and has seen. I had not. It was good. Shortly after, I went to sleep.

Day 296 May 30
I woke up and got ready to go to Rachel's to make crepes for church, but as I was finishing up she told me that she had just woken up and her company for the week was still sleeping. Maybe we had better cancel. I tried to go back to sleep, but instead played in my Where's Waldo book and ate slim jims. Eventually I got motivated enough to make coffee.
I headed to Victoria's to do some shopping with Abby and bought some food for the week and for church. I brought orange juice and made cinnamon toast.
At church, after I made my food, there was a lot of chatting and I met Kelley, Rachel's friend from San Pedro. We talked for a long time about life there and I started getting a better idea of what it would be like if I were to get a job there in the future.
We had no sermon, but the music was good and intense. We spent a long time on praying and prayer requests and took a form of communion. The idea behind it was that Christ declared bread and wine as his Blood and Body because they were the most common, basic of consumables that people would have every day. The idea was that people would take them together and always remember him.
When I got home, I did a lot of laundry and cleaning. Cid came for a while and we talked about the flooding problems and landslides around Central America. He left and I got to cooking empenadas. My empenadas were laughable by Honduran standards, but a starting point for me. They were more like tortillas with a cheesy center. I need to get better at spreading the filling out throughout the middle.
After dinner I met up with Cid at ViaVia for about half an hour. I left while he was talking with Josue and went to bed.

Day 297 May 31
When I get to sleep in, I always allow myself to sleep in more. I headed up around 7:15 and saw several students on my walk up. It was so light outside and there was so much activity.
I got the room ready and tried to get information about the tree planting day, which was today and the planting would begin shortly after the start of the school day, but no one knew anything about it. There wasn't supposed to be an assembly, but as the school day did start, I was informed there would be one. The assembly had more information about the planting, but still not enough.
When the planting started, it consisted of about 50 kids following around the vigilante, Ronnie, with their plants and him planting each one. It went into recess, and then the kids left the plants that were still not planted for him to haul and plant. I do not like it when a lack of organization means that the brunt of the work falls on our cleaning ladies or vigilantes.
At recess, which started and ended late, 6th graders were roaming around butting in line with the little kids. They had been allowed to plant their trees and then go to recess, 40 minutes early.
Once we got back to class, we wrote haikus. I was thoroughly impressed with my students. Some of them were profound, some wrote about the current events and the houses being swept away by the rains around CA. Some were as you would expect from 9 year old second language learners. “The wind makes music like flute/the air is music.” was just impressive to me.
We reviewed some more and I discovered a new motivational system for behavior that is more positive and effective. After school, I worked on their superlatives awards for the end of the year, gave my grades to Marisol, and organized my papers.
Once home, I did some more cleaning and laundry before reading on the roof, which was more a slapping at mosquitoes, than reading leisurely. There are so many more bugs since the rains have come. I showered and cooked up my dinner.
I went with Abby and Allan to Francisco's house. They were cooking there too, and I ended up paying 25 lemps for an absolutely delicious second dinner. We watched the Shawshank Redemption, and Cid came from work part way through. I hadn't seen it in a long time and it was nice to see.
After the movie I walked home and went to bed.

Day 298 June 1
In the morning, I just took a taxi to school. I didn't have a class for the first period, so I worked on my superlative awards some more. I know had the copies and started writing them out, except for two kids that I wanted to think of better awards for. In class, we finished out math packets and went to recess. Then then turned in all their books to the library and we had one class period left. We wrote letters to our future selves (two months from now, when we are in 4th grade).
Rachel and Blair came to the school for Camp Joy promotions. I ushered them to my room because going to Camp Joy is one of the things on my list of top ten things students can do to maintain or improve their English over the summer.
We then went to Sierra's room to have a sing off. The first graders sang a song they had learned during the year and we sang a song we had learned. We also taught and were taught some songs. It was fun.
After the kids left, I continued in the same vein of organizing papers and I colored the now complete superlative awards. I walked home and ran into Oscar who invited me into his house for a big. He was teaching a kid to play the drums and he showed me all of his instruments. It's a nice set up he has.
I also ran into Judy, and as I walked to the Casa de Cafe, Isaac saw me and had a rush of fear that he had tutoring. Cid was actually busy when I got there, and I chatted with some German tourists about the flooding, volcanoes, the Guatemala City sinkhole as they had just come from Guatemala. I had to leave shortly after they did to go meet Rachel. We went to Yat B'alam and I got a bagel, smoothie, and a wrap.
We had a long talk about everything that has been going on.After, I called Cid and we met up and talked for a long time also. Then I went to sleep.

Day 299 June 2
I woke up and cooked breakfast. I started walking up and tried to catch a bus, but it was full. Lucky for me, Alexis passed by shortly after the bus and I got to jump in with him. I set everything up at school and talked to Issella, who had just had another friend die.
I had no first class again, so I used that time to work. Then when I got back, we washed the desks and played with side walk chalk. I had my first instances of really intentionally mean kids. I was certainly not thrilled and tried to nip it in the bud, but it kept coming back all day. During our last class, we packed up almost everything from our desks and cubbies to take home. We cleaned the room and played telephone, then I sent them out. I kept the recup kids to talk to them about getting ready for Friday, and I had already given the study guides the week before.
I spent a good part of the afternoon organizing the awards and papers to give to the kids. I made piles for each kid and put them in the order I wanted to give out the awards. Then I went to Beth's room and we compiled the spelling worksheets and lists from the year to give to the third grade teachers of next year. I then turned in my library books and continued organizing other pepers. I wrote the year long science study guide and recup exam, since I'm sure one kid will need it and then walked home with Megan and Norma.
I went home to get Cid's phone, which he left yesterday, and saw Caroline and Chris on the way. I walked to Casa de Cafe and saw Oscar and Luis on the way. I stopped by the Correo, too, to see if I had mail and I had Dr. Horrible's Sing-along-blog with a return address in San Pedro. I was thrilled but confused. I contacted David when I got to Casa de Cafe to ask him about it and he took credit. Amazing. We chatted for a while, and that was really nice.
Cid took me up to see the new hotel, which is beautiful. It's also right next door to where I'll be living next year. I saw Luis and Hsuan on the way home. I showered and got ready to see Jenny, but as I got ready, Abby was telling horror stories of the weather. She said I would die if I went outside and that I wasn't going anywhere. “You'll see.” But, I did, and as I stepped in the current of the street, she told me I'd get swept away, but I didn't. I just got wet.
Jenny was in the shower when I got there, so Rachel chatted with me while I waited. When Jenny got out, we went to Villamil because it was closest and we talked for a good few hours. We had a fair amount in common. I am glad to be starting up this relationship before I leave the country not waiting until after.
Cid was in Picame when I got home. We watched Dr. Horrible's Sing-along-blog, and Cid liked it. As he should. Shortly after, I went to bed.

Day 300 June 3
This is my 300th day and the last day of school!
Though, the first two hours were pretty rough. I woke up well before my alarm feeling a big sick and continued in this for a while. We even ran out of water for half an hour during this time. It was not okay. I finally got around to walking up to school. The board was already ready, with a note telling them to sit where they want. Their first class was PE.
After, we made stencils and then used them. They had recess and Estudios. For the last class we drank coca-cola and I gave out the awards, each with a little speech about “this student” not giving away gender and building the suspense. The kids likes it and it reminded me of closing ceremony at camp.
I took some class photos, we had a group hug, and the tax to leave was to hug me. Only Isaac refused. Isaac, who I spent more time with than any other person on this Earth each week.
I wasn't sad at all, in fact, as soon as they left I began stripping the walls and had every sign, poster, and piece of tap off the walls within half an hour. I started organizing the rest of my papers and stayed until 3. I went home, got antibiotics, and got a smoothie. I went running with Tammi, showered, and met the crew at Twisted Tanyas. I saw my student Yoela on the way, she couldn't remember what her recup was in, so I told her and reminded her that I had given her a study guide a week ago.
Cid came up too, and the whole gang talked, celebrated, and remembered the school year past. At some point, Abby came and told me that Yoela was looking for me again, and very intently. I went by her house, but er neighbors said she had gone to my house, so I went and we sat on the side of the road and I dictated to her, and her cousin in the 7th grade, what the study guide said. Yoela is intelligent and there's no reason for her to fail. I went back to meet up with everyone again. I stuck around for a while and then the power went out, so Cid and I left to go sit on my roof and enjoy the view of the town, the sky, and the incoming storm. We left when the rain got heavy and then I went to bed.

Day 301 June 4
I walked up to school and ran into Tammi who was just getting done with a run. Nash was really sick and wouldn't be coming up to school today. I started organizing and filing, but my first recup arrived early. It was Yoela and she had studied her heart out and passed with flying colors. I kept working and then my second recup came. He had two tests to take and neither of them went well. It was sad when his family came to talk to me about it. I already had the study guide ready for him and I sent him with a book to read and a dictionary, which I taught him how to use before he left.
My third recup came and she passed well enough. I had to stop her in the middle because her mother was sitting outside, in view, watching her take the test and the girl was getting very uncomfortable about it. I told her to take a deep breath, relax, and not to worry about her mother. I think she did better after that.
I then inventoried the crap out of my room. I was so detailed it wasn't funny. I also organized everything into minute detail, including the things that were not organized for me. All I have to do on Monday is bag things so they don't get wet sitting in the room during the rainy season.
Around noon, about 5 hours after we got to school, someone came up and told Abby that water was coming out of our house. Our second flooding. There had been no water in the morning, and Abby hadn't realized that she hadn't turned her sink off. It's not good at draining. Abby and Allan went home to deal with it.
I followed my plans and hiked an hour and a half up the mountain to Yanatios. I had never been before but a lot of the teachers used to go regularly. They knew some of the people there and were going to miss them a lot. I wanted to get to know them before I left o I could bring next years crew up there. It's a steep walk, but we were a fast walking crew, so we made good time.
We got to look at her pottery, which visitors can make. She bakes them there and it's about a week long process so people take something that was made before and someone else will get to take what they made. She fixes up any imperfections. Doña Lucas made us tortillas, ground the corn, mashed it, made the rounds, and cooked them and we ate them with beans. It was delicious and filling. I got to take home a little milk pitcher and we gave them the gifts Chris brought, including a basil plant, a machete, olive oil, and a candle. We talked for a while and she was thrilled to meet me and glad to know I would be coming up with next years crew. Her motto is, I live to serve.
We hiked back down and I finished some things up at school. We walked back to town and I asked Abby about the flood. Apparently my room is the lucky anti-flood room because it was the only room not touched. I had one shirt wet and nothing else. The other rooms had about an inch of water standing in them.
I showered, got all dolled up, Sierra switched out my clothes for some of hers which were fancier. It was fun. On the way out the door, Jesse came by to pick up his computer, which we had not realized, in all the clean up, was under the stairs...standing in water. We made him promise not to turn it on for 2 days and to open it up and dry it out.
We headed up to Michael and Eileen's house and then walked up with a big group up to Nora's house for the big end of the year party.
I was highly amused when I got there because the Welchez house had no....coffee. Nora was embarrassed and sent someone to the farm to get some, which I didn't intend to happen. The food at the party was great and there was lots of great conversation to be had. With me, people just wanted to talk about my plans, my return, and my summer. I have no sadness here. It really isn't sinking it that many of my very good friends are leaving and my core community is shifting.
I headed back home around 10:30 and saw the daughter of one of my coworkers. She asked about her mom and said she was lonely. We talked for a while and I told her that her mom should be home before too long. I hope I was right.
I then met up with Cid at Tun Club. I met a few tourists who go to school in Phili he had met and befreinded. We talked for a long while and then around midnight we all dispersed. I had a pretty rough night of sleep because of the coffee, though.