Thanksgiving

Some of my girls

Wow. It has been awhile. This is because I have been super busy. We have had partial (final) exams, recuperation exams, turning in grades and having them checked, and a reworking of the school system. To explain, the quarters are called partials here. At the end, there is final exam week when the kids are in school for 3 hours take their exams and leave. We are in school the full time because everybody is grading exams, tracking down copies of exams they have written, and waiting their turn to input grades on one of three computers that has the grading program. If the kids fail their classes, they take another exam the following week which counts for all of the tests they have had in the quarter. This process is called recuperation and gives them another chance to pass. If they still fail, they just have to get better grades next partial. This process occurs every partial. If they fail all year, they take another recuperation test in June. If they fail that, they come back and take another recuperation test in August. That is the point where if they fail, they fail the grade.

My Thanksgiving Dinner

          Anyways, the big news is really that thanksgiving has come and gone. Christmas season here we come. I am told that this can be the hardest time for an SM because usually, we are home with our families at this time of year. So far I am okay. Thanksgiving was very different from other ones I have had but it was really nice. I spent my morning in school. The kids have parties at school to celebrate thanksgiving. We ran around outside. 3-legged soccer was surprisingly unsuccessful because the boys tore the tape holding their legs together. We played a running game instead. I would just like to say that these are much more scary when you are the teacher because all of the kids try to catch you at once. Trampling them though inviting, is not advisable.
           After school, we went to eat dinner at the hogar in town run by the baptist missionaries. Of note, most of the teachers at the school are not adventist. There are 2 missionaries who are baptist. We brought vegetables and salad. I most definitely was not stuffed physically, but it was a blessing. After dinner we went around the table and the 40 or so of us shared something we were thankful for. The people there don't have much. There are girls with special needs and teen mothers who are victims of abuse. The youngest mother is twelve. They have experienced so much in life but they are so thankful for the good things that they have. It reminded me that I have so much to be thankful for. I get hot showers at least half the time, I have enough food, I have a nice house to live in, I don't have to go house to house picking through garbage bags for cans, and I have internet. I hope God will help me to remember as I spend my first christmas season away from my family.