más

School has been out for a week, but we’ve certainly been busy here! 

Our last day of school was last Monday, but the wonderful work team from Pennsylvania was here for the rest of the week.  On Tuesday, they went to Orocovis (a secluded mountain town in the middle of the island) to work in the home of deaf family with whom we have been building relationships.  I did not go with them, but from what I have heard, they were all truly impacted by the experience and were able to get some good work done (replacing a door, cleaning, hanging curtains, organizing bags and piles of clothes, and more cleaning).

On Wednesday, Judy, Betsy, Jen, and I went to the annual Newcomer’s Club lunch where they give checks to their charities—that would be us.  Jen recognized the interesting juxtaposition of the events of Tuesday and Wednesday.  We were eating an expensive meal at a fancy hotel in San Juan just one day after doing home repairs in one of the poorest and neglected regions of the island.  But we need to keep our faces in the one scene to support the other.  The ladies of the Newcomer’s Club are very good to us, and we had a nice time catching up with them.

On Thursday, we hiked and trudged through rocks and mud to go to Charco Frío.  This is a cold (frío) pool (charco) of water in a river not far from us.  It is a well-known spot for locals to cool off on a hot day.  We made our way up the river to the fun spot.  There are big rocks to jump off of and a rope to swing into the water.  The last (and only other) time I had been there, I (unknowingly) had walking pneumonia, so it was not a very pleasant experience.  This time, I was feeling much better and even swung off the rope into the very cold water.  It was an exciting adventure, and I believe there are pictures on Facebook!

As I’m writing this, I can’t remember what we did on Friday, so maybe it wasn’t too exciting.

On Saturday, we took the group to the airport.  Then Jen and I rode a little further to Bayamón to pick up our race packets for the Relay for Life 5K that we would do on Sunday.

So on Sunday, we did the 5K.  Here’s the funny part (if you read my other recent 5K blog).  Jen registered for this race online last week.  I’m not sure why we haven’t learned our lesson about checking race times, but we did not look at the start time.  So I checked the page on Friday or something when I was getting directions to the park, and I saw that the race started at 7am!—and the park is at least an hour from home.  We debated about doing it, but since the race was for a good cause (raising money for cancer) we decided to do it and make a day of it.  So we got up bright (actually it was not so bright when we got up) and early and did the race.  We found out that we’re not so good at morning races!  The sun got stronger and hotter as we ran and walked the empty streets of Bayamón.  We finished the race, got our medals, bottles of water, and apples.  We practically bathed in the sinks of the bathroom, put on dresses, and went to Old San Juan.  Jen has been borrowing her fiancé’s fancy camera for a while, so we finally took it out and put it to good use.  We took hundreds of pictures of the beautiful doors and buildings, the fort and the ocean.  Then we went home, showered, rested, and went to church that evening.

On Monday, we went to Jen’s bridal shower in Humacao with ladies from her church here.  We had a nice time and laughed a lot.  That evening, we started our end-of-year staff retreat/debrief.  A missionary friend from San Juan came and led us (and one other missionary from Ponce) in a lovely two-day meeting.  We enjoyed the conversation and fellowship—and also laughed a lot—especially when the accordion came out!

So that brings me to now—I have recently taken Nyquil, so I hope this entry is still coherent.  Good night!

el fin

School is out for summer!  Woohoo!  I'm thankful that we got everything done in my class before the end.  I had my doubts for a while. 

So here’s what’s been going on…

We have a group here from Pennsylvania (from Betsy’s home church) for two weeks.  They've been working hard outside and inside. 

Here’s my favorite part…they brought classroom technology—and lots of it: 5 computers, an LCD projector, 4 or 5 webcams, a laptop, and---drum roll please---an ipad 2!  I think it goes without saying which piece I get in my classroom next year.  I am excited to learn all the cool things I can do with the ipad this summer. 

We had a nice end of year ceremony (no one graduated, so it was small).  I am so thankful that all of the students had at least one representative from their family who attended (the older kids often do not). 

Our biggest concern and prayer request for the summer is protection for the kids while they’re at home.  We also pray for clear lines of communication in the families and that our students will make wise decisions while they’re away. 

For a lot of our kids, summer means spending 2 months away from friends and anyone with whom they can communicate well.  This summer, we’re trying something new to help that situation. 

In June, a group is coming to put on a week-long summer camp for the kids.  Hopefully, some of the families that live far away will have the opportunity to stay in the dorms for the week so that their children can attend. 

In addition to that experience, we’ll have weekly activities for the kids—such as trips to a water park, children’s museum, and the zoo!

This is going to be an exciting summer for sure!

la carrera perdida

Now that Jen and I seem to be back in the racing swing of things, we planned to continue our succession with a 5K this past Sunday in Old San Juan.  Since this is our favorite place on the island (or at least mine), we were very excited. 

Much to our dismay, we tried to register for the run late last week and found that the registration was closed.  Rather than miss our opportunity, we decided to be rebels and run the race bandit style (without registering)!  We thought of various ways to avoid getting caught, and we psyched ourselves up for our chance to be outlaws!

We got to the park at 4:30 on the rainy Sunday afternoon and found a place to park.  We figured the race started at 5:00 like usual, but we walked around and didn’t see anything.  We figured we were just too early—this is Puerto Rico of course. 

We killed some time looking for a florist Jen thought she might use for her wedding and came back to the park a little before 5:00.  At this point we figured there should be signs of life—runners, tables, tents, something—but we didn’t see a trace of an event.  We concluded that even if the race started at 5:30 (which is really the latest it could start), there would be something set up by 5:00. 

Was it cancelled because of rain and we weren’t informed because we weren’t registered?  Did the online registration close so early because the race was cancelled due to low enrollment?

We left the park puzzled.  We drove into the city, parked, and walked up and down the Paseo Princesa.  At the end of the evening, we figured we walked at least a 4K.

So we got home later and checked the race website.  On the page, clear as day, it said: Start Time: 8:00am

OOPS!  So much for being rebels!