el puente Teodoro Moscoso

Yesterday, I jogged/walked in the World’s Best 10K!  This is the most famous race in Puerto Rico.  It takes place in San Juan over the Moscoso Bridge.  Since I have no other 10K to compare it to, I will choose to believe it is, in fact, the world’s best.

There were 10,995 participants in the race from all over the world, and I can proudly say that I came in 6,233^rd place! 

I had planned on walking the whole thing, but adrenaline took over a bit.  Jen and I managed to run over the Moscoso Bridge one time before our lungs/legs needed a rest.  By the time we looped around and headed back over the bridge (about 5K) I never thought I would make it to the finish line.  But before we knew it, we were sprinting toward the bright lights and cheering fans. One hour and 29 minutes after we had started, we were receiving our Gatorades and medals. 

Here are some highlights from the race… the Kenyan men hit the 5K mark while we were somewhere between our first and second K’s… the Kenyan women followed shortly after …there was a man on a unicycle, another running backwards, and another dressed as Charlie Chaplin (I’m still not sure why!).  We were also able to see the last racer…a man using a walker.  That kind of determination is amazing to watch…it gave me goose bumps!

This was a fantastic experience.  I’m so glad I went, and I look forward to many more races to come.

¡divertido!

The father of one of our students has a boat, and he invited us to join his family for a day at the beach today.  Automatically, I declined the offer.  This has become somewhat of a habit for me because I haven’t felt well enough to do something fun and exciting for six months.  But, after some genuine thought, I realized that I actually am feeling better and would be up for the outing. 

I’m so glad I went!  We met the family at a beach in Ceiba.  First, Luis took us—Tess, Leo, Sam, and I—on a boat ride around the mangroves.  The water was beautiful.  

 We saw fish, crabs, turtles, and a manta ray.  At one point, Luis stopped the boat and dove into the water.  He came back with the biggest star fish I’ve ever seen!

We also saw some of the ruins of a military plane that crashed there years ago.  The area we were in is right next to an airport and a former navy base.

On our way back to the beach, Luis let go of the wheel and told me to take it since I was sitting in the driver’s seat.  So…I did, and I drove us part way back to the beach (with supervision!)

Then we had some more fun.  I’m not sure what it’s called in English, but it’s like wake boarding but you do it on your knees on something that looks like a boogie board.  First, Sam took a ride.  He made it look so easy.  Then Leo went out.  He made it look a little harder.  Then I, somewhat reluctantly, took a turn.  As I held on to the line from the boat for dear life, I realized that it wasn’t that easy.  But at least I didn’t wipe out!

So at the end of it all I was so glad I went, and perhaps I am ready for another adventure…

la familiaridad

I woke up to a familiar scent this morning.  In an instant I knew what it reminded me of…New Jersey.  (I know my dad, for one, will think I am referring to an offensive smell, but to the contrary it was a very pleasant and distinct aroma.)  It was the scent that is present on the mornings of the first few warm days of spring.  It is breezy and fresh and full of life.  This is a scent that I was never before aware I could identify.  But as I breathed in this morning, my nose was filled with the unmistakable fragrance of home. 

Perhaps it was because of this—or some other reason entirely—that I had a wonderfully energized day.  I am starting to resemble the person I was last year.  Almost every day I seem to feel a little stronger and more lively.

tinta invisible

This week, Leo has been teaching my students about Revolutionary War spies.  So to go with these lessons, I showed the boys how to make invisible ink on Friday.  One of the reasons that I love teaching older kids is that we learn about such interesting subjects and can do some pretty cool hands-on activities.  

This one was easy.  All you need is paper, lemon juice, and fire!

We decided to make secret messages to send to each class to call them to story time.  Some of them worked just as we'd planned...

 

...and others did not.

But that's all part of the fun!

Naturally, all the other kids wanted to get in on some of the action.

(Kids...don't try this at home!)