After two weeks at Centeno Guell, I have a much better grasp on what I will be doing this year. This week I visited most of the classes in the “Deficientes Visuales” (Visual Deficienciespartment. Every day I fell in love with the new students I met; their ranges of abilities and capacities is incredible, and each age group has a unique charm. Since I want to establish a more permanent relationship with students instead of floating around all the time,I have decided to work with the two oldest classes. I’m not quite sure if or how I’ll be splitting my time between the two rooms or if I’ll just be assigned to one, but I am content with the decision to work with the older students. (It will certainly be a change from chasing around my 6-year-olds from last year!) Plus, the teachers and aides in these rooms are wonderful, and I look forward to getting to know them better.

On Tuesday, all the students and staff at Centeno participated in a march for peace to celebrate International Day of Peace. We marched from the school to La Plaza de las Palomas, the central plaza in Guadalupe. It was the same march we did for Independence day, but a much simpler - and less stressful - affair.  Everyone wore white and adorable butterfly bracelets. All the students carried signs that said “Quiero paz en...” (I want peace in...”)  Some of the deseos for peace included peace at home, in my school, in my family, at the boarders, in my country, etc. Also, each class created a sign with a quote about peace that they left in the park. The march was led by the drum line, which consists of - get this! - all Deaf students! How cool is that? They’re great, too, especially considering they’re probably all about middle-school aged.

Outside of work, I’ve had a lot of free time on my hands. Since my department is dismissed at 1pm or earlier every day, I’m usually home before 2. Don’t get me wrong - a little bit of alone time in the house is nice. But having 3-4 hours to myself before my roommates get home makes a girl go a little crazy! Luckily, next week I will hopefully begin staying at school later in another department. (Fingers crossed!)  In this spare time, I’ve been able to chat with friends, read, and do the Jillian Michael’s workout DVD we found in the house. I’ll be so shredded when I get home you won’t even recognize me! ...On second thought, I’m pretty sure I said something similar at the beginning of JVC about using the gym, so don’t hold me to it ;)

Just for fun... Culture tips of the week: 

- To be on the safe side in CR, operate with a BYO TP mindset. That is, bring your own toilet paper! It’s not always easily found in the most obvious places (i.e. bathrooms) so it’s wise to travel with a bit in your purse.

- Don’t feed the ants. We have these little teeny tiny ants that appear out of nowhere in our house if even the remotest drop of food (especially sugary food) is left out. We’ve discovered safe storage places and practices, but these little guys flock like crazy! I guess when no windows or doors in the house have screens we can’t be all that surprised.

More of these to come, I’m sure! Thanks for following along. Also, a quick shoutout to the Foran Family...it was great to Skype with you all on Saturday night! Happy Anniversary Gramma and Hubba! Your marriage has been a wonderful example and has led to a beautiful family that I am beyond blessed to be part of :)