I’ll be honest, this week was definitely the most difficult week I’ve had. Yes, I am living in the most beautiful place on Earth, my host family is so wonderful, and I love my school and the teachers I work with. But…everyone is allowed to have tough weeks, right? Even though it was a hard week, there were still so many wonderful things about it!
Every morning starts with a school-wide assembly. Each week a different class is responsible for planning and leading the assembly. This week it was our turn! The girls are wearing their national dresses, and the three students in the front are dressed as the Queen, Prime Minister, and Dame Paulette (an important figure in St. Lucia). Seriously, just look at how adorable they all look!
Monday was also Brady’s senior night for basketball. I was very sad that I missed it; however, a wonderful family friend, captured this awesome picture! I wish I could have been there, but seeing this picture filled my heart with so much joy.
Every morning starts with a school-wide assembly. Each week a different class is responsible for planning and leading the assembly. This week it was our turn! The girls are wearing their national dresses, and the three students in the front are dressed as the Queen, Prime Minister, and Dame Paulette (an important figure in St. Lucia). Seriously, just look at how adorable they all look!
Monday was also Brady’s senior night for basketball. I was very sad that I missed it; however, a wonderful family friend, captured this awesome picture! I wish I could have been there, but seeing this picture filled my heart with so much joy.
Tuesday was an extremely long day. I had to have not one, but TWO in depth conversations with a few of my students about some pretty serious topics. After a long day at school, some of the teachers and I spent over 2 hours setting up for the Independence Rally. It was a long day, but the decorations looked fantastic! On Wednesday, we had an Independence Rally at school. Everyone wore the colors of the flag, and one of the teachers made me this skirt! Each grade put together a small performance about different parts of St. Lucia gaining independence. In total I would estimate we waited for the rain for about an hour. The school does not have an indoor space that could have been used for the rally, so we just had to wait patiently…the show must go on! The guest speaker at the rally gave an inspiring speech, but one piece that stuck out to me was her message about the importance of taking time to celebrate yourself. I definitely took this to heart! After school I decided to stop at the marina to treat myself to ice cream. I was reading a great book and totally lost track of time. It wasn’t until the sun started setting that I realized I had been there for 3 hours…talk about taking time to celebrate myself! |
Thursday and Friday I did not have school because we had midterm break. I still went in for a few hours on Thursday to clean the classroom and plan for the following week. I spent Friday writing my lessons for next week and relaxing. The days off were much needed!
On Saturday, Brittney and I decided to hit the beach. It was SO hot that we were only able to stay for about an hour. Not even the Sea could cool us off enough. This weekend I hit a stroke of bad luck. Thanks to customer service and my amazing parents, everything is all figured out now. Unfortunately, Brittney had some bad luck last weekend. To help take the stress away, my host mom treated us to dinner at Pigeon Point. Yum! After dinner Brittney and I treated ourselves to Sunny D and blueberry muffins while we played cards for a few hours. It felt like I was at my Grandma and Grandpa’s house!
Sunday was another beach day. It was still 94 degrees, but there was a nice breeze so we spent majority of the day soaking up the sun. After a full day at the beach, Brittney and I cooked dinner for our family. We made broccoli alfredo and garlic bread. I ate way more than I should have because it was so delicious. I felt like Veruca in Willy Wonka when she turned into a blueberry! After dinner we attempted to Skype with my other two roommates, but unfortunately it didn’t work. The wifi gets pretty bad whenever it rains which obviously made it difficult to Skype. One of my other roommates is currently student teaching in Costa Rica. It is strange that the four of us all currently in three different countries...we cannot wait until we are all reunited again! |
My parents are probably in a state of disbelief after that picture and last paragraph. Yes, Mom and Dad, I eat broccoli here! There are actually quite a few foods I have grown to love here that I never ate at home such as broccoli, cauliflower, onions, and I have even tried lentils! Prior to coming here I hated cucumbers, but I eat them so frequently here that I not only manage to eat them, but actually crave them!
Even though it was a bit of a tough week, my spirits are still high and I am looking forward to a great week!
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and
do not lean on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to Him and
He will make your paths straight."
—Proverbs 3:5-6--
do not lean on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to Him and
He will make your paths straight."
—Proverbs 3:5-6--