missionaryMAC

The last appointment on my calendar for day 224 was Poetry Teatime . I'm sure it's gotten a mention on here before: every other Tuesday afternoon, missionary kids and kids at heart gather at the Warren house; everyone either brings a poem or comes five minutes early to pick one from their many poetry books. We take turns reading our selections and then enjoy yummy treats.  Lizz was excited to use the ceramic teapot she got for her birthday. The hand painted design is inspired by a traditional campo  scene. The rest of my day was what I'd call spontaneous.  The biggest Poetry Teatime crowd we've had in some time migrated to the street for a Mother May I?-like game. I had flip-flops on so my first inclination was to stand on the sidelines and watch, but I made the snap decision to play barefoot instead.  Somehow, I found myself still around long after all the kids whose last name isn't Warren had been picked up. These days, I'm often at the Warrens' until curf...

Courtney, Kelsey, Jess, and I ended a morning hike by sitting here for a bit today - wondering if it'd work to record the sound of the rushing water, observing how quickly the clouds were moving, and wishing we knew more about geology.   Note that 1. a few months ago (June? July?), I hiked to this same spot with Courtney and Tirzah. At the time, we could walk all the way to the rock face in the background on dry ground; and 2. no, Courtney and I didn't plan on twinning! If you saw my Facebook post from Wednesday , you know I'll be plopping down elsewhere soon: back in the student chair. The screenshot of my registration confirmation for International TEFL & TESOL Training 's 170-hour TEFL Certificate (Specialization in Teaching Online) with tutor certainly bears a bit more explanation.  Finding myself increasingly involved in not only teaching ESL but in recruiting, placing, training, and hosting volunteers (currently online only) who support other missionaries usi...

¡Feliz día de la raza! Happy Columbus Day, observed here as "Indigenous Peoples Day." And by observed, I mean I watched day 209 go by like any other Monday of late, meaning it included English class in Licey.  How's teaching going, you ask? I continue to give mad props to people who do it voluntarily...with small children...everyday. Buuuuuuut at the same time, I'm pretty sure my face lights up under my mask when something clicks for one of our students, so there's that. Ideas for new ways to introduce or reinforce concepts come to me unbidden while I'm running at the garden or in the shower, and the rabbit hole of TeachersPayTeachers is ever more alluring. And be still, my teacher heart, when one of our students asked for help outside of class with two exercises in the workbook from a secular English course she's taking concurrently with the instruction Courtney & I are providing.  A few musings from the classroom that I've finally been able to s...

I explored some uncharted territory last weekend: the presa . My friend Kelsey talks about her boyfriend Franco's grandma's house there often; after having been invited along for a quick overnight, I finally know what she's talking about. Presa means "dam," and it turns out there's one on the Yaque del Norte River a little over an hour from Santiago. Five of us loaded my car to the gills and set out Saturday morning.  Photo op as we crossed the dam itself: the lake formed as a result of its construction in the 60's (?) is long and narrow - essentially a widened section of the river.  Locks control the flow of water that heads back toward Santiago.  A second, smaller dam nearby (that we also crossed) created a reservoir. This was taken out my drivers' side window, looking toward the lake; the reservoir would be opposite it, on the passenger side.  Stop #1: lunch at one of four lakeside restaurants. We brought a picnic and just bought an order of fries s...