Who says running isn't fun!?

Happy Easter!

I confess... I used to be one of these people.  Running (especially without especially without Christmas music or Justin Beiber blasting through my ears) can be a real bore.  All you do is run.  For no purpose. Usually with no destination.  You run just to run.  My mindset changed a little when I joined the Trinity International Women's Soccer team and running/ fitness was a "privilege."  But since then, its pretty much gone back to... why on earth do people enjoy running?  This past sunday however, my opinion changed... again.

As I've mentioned before, every Sunday, the Xiao (ee-shouw... a major highway right next to my house) is blocked off to all vehicles so that people can go running, biking, walking, long boarding, roller blading, rip-sticking, or basically whatever else they want to do.  Note: this is a prime people watching location.  I was out just doin one of my favorite Fartlek runs because I was missing my soccer team and these workouts always bring me back to the good old days.  Little did I know the surprises that I was in for:

My pops

1. About 3 minutes into my run, I saw a man running up ahead of me who looked almost exactly like my dad.  He ran the same way, he was about the same height, he had the same almost-mullet-looking-ducktail that my mom won't cut off.  I almost turned to look at his face, but he was an older guy and I passed him so quick that I didn't have the time. LOLZ. #SoFast

2. Over the span of this 35 minute run, I swallowed 5 bugs.  At first this might seem disgusting, but just think... Adam and Eve probably ate bugs all the time.  #SoHealthy

3. I found $1!!!  This is 100% true.  I found an US currency, one dollar bill on the ground.  (I'm aware that this is supposed to go at the end of a bad story, but this is actually a true event!!!) I look at it as a symbol of how much Americans throw their money away on dumb stuff. #SoUSA

4.  I had stopped between my run and my cool-down to do the classic "Core Stability Workout."  (this was also a summer favorite done by the trip guides on picnic tables at night during trips).  I walked over to a patch of grass on the side of the road and did my thing.  When I was done, I went to stand up and heard "RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP."  I'm not sure how I didn't feel it, but I guess I had sat on a piece of barbed wire looking wire.  Yep, I had a nice 2 inch tear right on my butt and about another kilometer to go until I was home.  #SoBreezy

So that's why people stare at me when I run...

  5. When I got home, the sweat stain on my shirt was perfect...
#SoStinks 

Needless to say, I've run everyday since then... nothing exciting has happened. #CouchToMarathon ??..... no thank you. 

Just snappin pics at church.

Nerd Alert

The high school youth group that I've been going to has their annual retreat this weekend.  One of the main events will be a "nerd prom."  No dates of course, just nerd attire and dance moves. :)  A few of the other teachers and I made this promo video to get the students excited!

Ch-ch-ch-check it out.
How to be a Nerd

Look at those stars!

I'm not sure why, but about 4 years ago, I really started to love stars.  Some think they're not quite as entertaining because "they're just stars" -cough cough- but there's something about just laying on the ground on a summer night and looking up at the stars that I LOVE.  Sometimes I look for constellations, or make up my own, or watch for shooting stars (not to be confused with lightning bugs... lolz), and other times I just like to lay on the ground, in silence.  I know, sounds glorious right? Laying in dirt getting eaten alive by mosquitoes... what's not to love!?

Anyway, last night the stars here were GLORIOUS! I couldn't stand it.  It was almost making me sick just looking at them because of how beautiful it was!  Last year whenever the stars were especially bright, I would try to take a picture of them.  I always imagined it looking something like this:


Unfortunately, my pictures always turned out like this:   

I even had a pal from good ol' TIU that would "take pictures of the stars" and send them to me..... they were all black screens. Sweet.

Anyway, its been an exciting couple of weeks!
I've been able to have "full responsibility" for teaching the 5th and 6th graders and its been great. I like to call it full "POWER" because it makes me feel like I'm real cool.

My cooperating teacher :)

Last weekend, after a little fender bender, a few other teachers and friends and I went out to Poco Azul (blue well).  After a B-E-A-UTIFUL hike/ walk/ stroll, we got to the waterfall.  We took turns jumping (only off the high cliff because the low cliff is for sissys), "grabbed" some lunch,  walked under the waterfall, practiced skipping rocks with human targets (yes, my friend Dawna actually hit the director of our school square in the forehead), and went exploring.  :)

Pose was my idea... lolz

The trail to the falls :)

Teacher friends after we chowed.

A few days later, all of the staff from school went out to a real-life Brazilian steak house. I don't think I've ever seen so much meat in my entire life.  About every 2 minutes (or less), a waiter would come by with a different type or cut of meat and you can take as much as your little heart desires! Speaking of hearts, yes, I ate chicken heart.  One other thing they had which I've learned to love since being here was sushi, sushi. sushi, out the wazoo! They even had sushi with fruit inside! Even KIWI! "Delicious and Nutritious!"  This was a highly controversial topic at the table because fruit sushi isn't "real sushi," but I still love it. 

Brazilians eat chicken hearts like popcorn... handfulls at a time. (Joking)

Since March is "Reading Month," we had a reading celebration on the last day of the month.  Top readers from each grade got prizes and there was a big celebration complete with water games.  After all the organized events were over, it turned into a mad dash to get every person who was anywhere on school property, drenched.  I lasted about 30 seconds.  This 2 hour water fight ended with an impromptu dance party complete with the electric slide, cupid shuffle and the classic YMCA!

dancing in action

This week we had parent-teacher conferences at school... our first three conferences consisted of four different languages!  

Also, this coming week the high school soccer team will be playing against parents and teachers.... can't wait to brush up on my street skillz. 

"oh yeaaaah!"

Today I was just sitting, grading my students' most recent assignment: how-to papers. Working with these students has been such a unique experience. They all have such different personalities, yet they are all such a joy to be around. Yes, they do test my patience, but I've found that it is hard to stay frustrated with any of them.

This past week I guess they had started to feel comfortable around me, because they started to point out things about my teaching style or personality that I do... "ALL THE TIME." One thing in particular that they like to laugh about is how much I say "oh yeaaa!" (Especially when they get a math problem correct). Anyway, I was reading one of the how-to papers written by one of our ESL students about how to play cricket (which is very popular in his home country). I was almost at the end of the paper and was starting to feel frustrated with the multiple grammar and mechanical writing mistakes. Then I read the next sentence where he described the feeling in cricket when you hit the ball, the "fieldsman" doesn't catch the ball and your teammates celebrate, "oh yesss!" (this was his version of my favorite celebration)

Times like this help me see how "a cheerful heart is good medicine..." (Prov. 17:22)