Life

Hello friends!

Tonight will be a short update, but I just wanted to fill you in on how life has been going.

Right now I am sitting in my apartment, (it's almost 9 Ohio time, but almost 10 Cochabamba time), listening to the soccer game that is going on at the stadium downtown. Don't be fooled - I don't live right next to the stadium, but... I can hear a play-by-play on the Bolivian radio that is travelling through my wall, coupled with the fireworks that go off every five minutes or so. Ha! Someone told me soon after I arrived that their family's first newsletter was about the noises that they had to learn. Well, I can certainly attest to that! It's probably a good thing most of it is in Spanish so I can't understand it all :).

Anyway, teaching is going well. For last week and this week I have been teaching Math (telling time), and today I started teaching a science unit on Weather. Next week I start teaching Bible (Moses and the Ten Commandments) and Reading: that means I will be teaching everything, "full time". Please pray that the transition goes smoothly, especially for the kids (which can drastically affect their behavior). I am now taking over the afternoons, and they keep asking me, "Where is Mrs. Steele?"

To provide a little glimpse into the joys and special moments of teaching, I will tell you about an event that occured today while I was reading them a story after lunch. A little boy (who is often making noises and can hardly ever sit still) passed some gas, rather loudly. Of course the little first graders all thought it was hilarious and burst into a fit of giggles. What could I do but let them laugh it out for a couple of minutes, and try to calm them down. We talked about how passing gas is something that we all do, especially when our body is digesting food and sendind it to where our body needs it. Thankfully, they had just finished a unit all about their bodies, so they understood. Oh they are so funny.

Well, I need to get to bed. See Meredith? Finally I manage to make it to bed before 11:00!! It just took me moving to another country and living by myself, ha.

I hope you all are doing well! Know that I am praying for you all back in the states, and not a day goes by that I don't think about the snow that you are having. I miss the snow a little, but the mountains make up for it :).

Here is a picture of the week: my students (minus one).

In His Grace,

KP