My Scrapbook

It is still a work in progress, but this is what I have so far. These are some of the Events, the students are covering in their Scrapbooks. 

My Cover page

Class Schedule

Favorite Artist

Sports/Clubs

Hobbies

Autograph pages

God Works in Mysterious Ways

     I just wanted to say that today I experienced how "God works in mysterious ways." After a long day at school I was really tired during our 5 o'clock mass today. While Father Jaime was blessing the Body and Blood of Christ, I was standing up with my eyes closed listening to him speak. When he said, "Oremos" which means, "Let us pray" I began to pray. I asked God to please help me stay awake for the next 20 minutes so I can finish mass. I told God that I was really tired but I did not want to be disrespectful in his house and that I really wanted to be there. Still with my eyes closed, I began to feel as if I was falling and I quickly woke up! Ashley glanced over at me since she was the only one who noticed me standing and leaning towards my right and then waking up suddenly, if I was okay. I told her that I was falling asleep, but I was up now. I felt as if I had just woken up after sleeping 10 hours and was ready to start my day. I'm not sure if it was the adrenaline that rushed through my body for those slip seconds, but I was sure up for the next twenty minutes and all through dinner. Be careful what you wish for because you might just get it! I sure did, in an unexpected way. At least I know God answered my prayer.
     Aside from this very funny incident, I have been having a wonderful time at the Intermediate level. Mrs. Paizy is the teacher I am currently substituting for full time thought that yesterday Monday April 11 was going to be her last day of work. But she had her little bundle of joy last Wednesday. On Friday, April 1, I introduced the Scrapbook project to the students and on Monday, April 4, I began to instruct the class while Mrs. Paizy observed me.  So on Wednesday April 6, I felt pretty confident to continue working with the kids without her being there. before she left, she gave me some great advise for each class. Her most important advise so far would be: Don't mind the little things. If a student is talking, let them talk as long as they are working. This little piece of advice has saved me a headache or two. When I see students laughing or making jokes my first instinct tell me that they are probably not working, but after going and taking a look, these same students are working diligently. Don't mind the little things. I'm really enjoying the scrapbook project. Some of the students are really surprising me. Out of 5 classes only one is using magazines, which I thought everyone was going to want to use. They have used the magazine pages as backgrounds or they simply cut out the things they like.

And the Excitement Continues!

     Last Saturday I had the opportunity to visit one of the 6 Bioluminescent bays that glow all year round! Puerto Rico has 3 of the 6: one in Ponce, one in Vieques (one of the little islands that belongs to PR), and one in Fajardo. Luckily for us, the brightest Bioluminescent bay of the 6 is in Fajardo; which is the one we went to! Ashley and I went with Mrs. Turkovich and had an amazing time! Unfortunately we didn't take a camera because we were kayaking to this lagoon so if we flipped over, that would have been the end of our cameras and it was in the evening so a waterproof camera wouldn't have worked because they have no flash. It was amazing though. When you "disturb" the water with your hand or your paddle, there's a glow that follows the movement of your hand or paddle. It was really neat to see the effect of the water glowing.

     On Sunday, I ran my first 5K. I was really proud of myself for 1) completing the course and 2) for allowing myself to have the opportunity of experiencing such an event. I've always considered myself an athletic person, but I haven't been on a team for a while now, that I kind of forgot what it felt like on "game day." Having the adrenaline rush all over my body right before the gun went off, was a feeling I didn't realize how much I missed. After having the gun go off I started pushing through 1,000+ people to get myself in my running rhythm. Three minutes into the race, I began to incline for the next 1.5K. As I kept going, my muscles began to tighten, I started sweating, breathing a little hard and with the wonderful 94 degree weather we had that day, I started to get really really HOT! But i kept going pumping my arms and legs, controlling my breathing, and looking ahead. At one point I though about how nice it would be to stop for a couple of seconds, but every runner knows that once you stop, it is a lot harder to get started again. So I kept running telling myself that I've had harder practices and that it was all a mental game. The last 1K was a straight away so there were no hills or dips to run. I completed my race in 29 minutes and 30 seconds!  I was so happy when I received my pretty medal because I hadn't earned one in a while. All the hard work and practice paid off.

My first day as an Art Teacher!

     On a different note, I've already started substituting for Mrs. Paizy and have started their final project: Scrap booking!  Since the students only have about 15 class days left, I didn't really want to just give them substitutional work for three weeks so I designed a final project for them. They are going to create a scrapbook about school. The scrapbook is about 10-12 pages and each page has a different theme. I'm excited to work on this project with them, and I know they are excited too! Mrs. Paizy is still in the classroom with me but I'm the one doing all the talking and teaching. She gives me great advice and little pointers every now and then. I'm really excited that I was given the opportunity to work with the Intermediate students because now I can say that I pretty much worked "all over" the school.

     I've got 7 weeks left, and each one is getting better than the last.

Go, Go, GO!

     About two weeks ago S Ann Marie visited Ashley and I for four full days. She was able to attend Ashley's kindergarten classes, my fourth grade class, supervise the playground with me, eat lunch with us in the cafeteria, spend time in our "office" and of course tour the school! In addition to all of that, Ann Marie was able to see what our day to day was like in the monastery from prayers, to dinner, to our downtime. Everyday is different so it was really nice to have her here for almost a whole week to see how everyday unfolded. It was wonderful to see S Ann Marie because it was a familiar face that I was longing to see since August. I remember thinking that it was going to be a long time till I would see her again, and now she came and left. This is bitter sweet because it reminds me that the end is near.
  
     Well, since the end is near I have been trying to keep busy so I don't have to think about it too much. It has not been hard to stay busy because I have tons of work to do. I am in the process of transitioning out of Mrs. Morales' 4th grade Bilingual class and into a full-time Art teacher for 7th and 9th grade. Miss Paizy is the regular Art teacher for the Intermediate School but she will be going on maternity leave April 8th. I will begin substituting for her class full-time on April 1. Miss Paizy will be in the classroom with me for that first week to help me transition into that position. Last week I met with Miss Paizy to discuss the work that I would be doing with the students and she said that she was going to be giving me little projects to do with the students. She asked me if I had any ideas and I told her that I did. Scrap booking. She was trilled! I thought that I could have the students (7th and 9th grade because 8th grade doesn't take Art) make a small scrap book about their 2010-2011 school year. So we began to brainstorm and I quickly started working on a schedule, lesson plan, and presentation. I worked on that for four days straight! I was excited to show Miss Paizy my "draft" till I discovered that the 9th graders will have 18 class days beginning April 1st and not 26 class days like I thought. What a bummer! So I have to re-do my schedule, and my plans with them if I want then to finish the project on time. Scrap booking is really time consuming and I want them to do a great job. But other than that little bump on the road, I'm very excited to begin my new job.
  
     The month of March has been go, go, go since it started. Every week has had an event. The first weekend, Ashley and I participated in a walk to increase cancer awareness called "Revelo por Vida" with the Sisters from Santa Escolastica, which turned out to be lots of fun. The following week we spent with S Ann Marie and on Friday we were able to take her on a small tour of Viejo San Juan and to see El Morro. We finished that evening with the best dessert in town, Cold Stone Creamery. This weekend, Ashley and I were able to visit the Isla de Culebra through the courtesy of one of Ashley's kinder student's family. We spent the weekend with the student's family and had a great time. They are a wonderful family and I'm glad they found it in them to invite us out. Next weekend is also an exciting one for both, Ashley and I. We will be going on the Bioluminescent Bay Kayak tour with Mrs. Turkovich; the Religion teacher for third and fourth grade. I am extremely excited for that because that is one of the "touristy" things I wanted to do before I left Puerto Rico.  Then on Sunday, March 27th, I will be running my first 5K ever! It will be the St. Patrick's 5K where the funds go towards the Pro Hospital Society for kids. I have been running on a regular base here, so I am excited to actually run for something this time. I got a taste of what it feels like to walk/run for something meaningful when I participated with the Sisters in the Revelo por Vida walk. I felt very proud to be able to say that I participated.

     This has been a busy month so far and I know it is not going to slow down but that only fuels me. I'm looking forward to starting this week, continuing with Lent, and staying focused in school.

The Sisters ready to walk for life

Ashley and I participating in Revelo por Vida

S Ann Marie visits El Morro

Isla de Culebra

Cuaresma and Someone Waiting

     Blessings to all on this wonderful Lenten time! 

      For the past month, I have been breaking my head thinking about what I was going to "give up" or "sacrifice" during Lent. I really wanted it to be a meaningful sacrifice; something that would help me become a better person and strengthen my relationship with God. From my understanding, this thing I am sacrificing should not be:
    1) something I'm going to be thinking about for 40 days and counting down the days till Easter so I can eat/do again,
    2) something meaningless that is not going to help me become a better person,
    3) something that is going to interfere with my relationship with God.
Instead, my sacrifice should be something that is eventually going to help me become a better person, improve my relationship with God and hopefully along the way, my relationship with others. It should be something that I would like to continue (or at least be able to) after Lent if I feel it is really helping me become a better person...

     The theme for Lent here is "Al encuentro con el Resucitado" which means " The encounter with the Resurrected." The theme caught my attention because I couldn't quite find the "sacrifice" in it. Okay, I'm meeting with God or encountering with Jesus but how is that a sacrifice? I pondered about this for a few days and finally came to the conclusion that I was taking the theme too literal, so I kind of gave up on it. Yesterday morning I thought to myself, "Damn, I haven't figured out what I'm sacrificing and Lent starts tomorrow... I really don't want it to be something stupid... I guess I have till midnight to figure out what I'm going to be giving up for Lent." I know, not very inspiring, more like torture. I just couldn't believe that I hadn't found that one thing I want to work on for 40 days. So yesterday, I wasn't substituting for the penultimate period so I went back to the fourth grade class I help in and listened to the Religion teacher, Mrs. Turkovich's lecture on Lent. She shared a story with the students and at one point her voice became shaky and her eyes got watery. She took a pause and finished the story. It was a nice story, something about a guy on a train who talks to an older man about his problem and then it ended with something that had to do with a white ribbon. I didn't understand why Mrs. Turkovich wanted to cry but the moral of the story was about forgiveness and that in the end, there is someone waiting for you. So she then began to explain to the students that Lent isn't only about sacrificing. As a matter of fact, she became really upset when some of the students mentioned that they were giving up "chocolate" and "chips" for Lent. She asked them, "How is it possible that you are sacrificing food when there are millions of people in the world who are suffering from hunger?" She went on telling them that food, should not be sacrificed but instead, eaten in moderation. She told them that Lent was a time for forgiving, being generous, sharing, doing things that will help your relationship with God. Eating chocolate should not be given up because eating chocolate does not interfere with your spiritual life nor does it better your relationship with God. Not eating chocolate is not going to make you a better person. Maybe if you shared your chocolate or saved your money and donated it, then it can be purposeful for Lent. I really enjoyed her lecture because I didn't realize how caught up I had become in this "giving up" that I was only thinking about something physical. So after her class, I accepted that I had not found that one thing I was looking for to sacrifice and I was okay with that. I can better myself and my relationship with God by simply changing the way I do, think, feel and react to everyday situations.
     Today during mass Father Jaime didn't focus on sacrifice. His homily was about being generous and giving, and not seeking attention afterwards, but simply being happy with yourself and satisfied that only God and you knew what you had done. So, hearing that Lent wasn't just about sacrifice made me feel a lot better about my decision in not sacrificing anything in particular.
     When I went to Mrs. Turkovich's class again today, she gave me the story she had shared with the class. I read it to myself and I too, had to take a pause before I continued reading the story. It wasn't a nice story, it was a wonderful one. After class S Ann Marie asked me what I did in Religion class and I told her that Mrs. Turkovich had shared a story with the students yesterday and that today she had given me a copy. I translated the story as I told S Ann Marie and in the middle of it all, I started to cry. I tried to continue but my tears just kept on falling. I was surprised that I actually cried because I didn't cry when I read it by myself. When I was done with the story, S Ann Marie agreed that it was a wonderful story and she had watery eyes herself.

     I will share the story with you too.

Alguien Me Espera

(Someone is Wating for Me)

There was a young man sitting at the corner of a train, with his face buried in his hands and was quietly crying. After several stops an older man noticed the young man and approached him. The older man gently touched the young man on the shoulder and asked him what was the cause of his tears. The young man looked up and with tears in his eyes began to talk to the older man. He said, "When I was a teenager I was really rebellious and caused a lot of problems for my parents. My parents were always trying to keep me safe and trying to take care of me. But I never listened to them and always did what I wanted. One of those times I was looking for trouble, I got in a fight and unintentionally killed someone. I was trialed and sentenced for 10 years in prison. I wrote to my parents often but they never replied. Not once in ten years. So when I found the date of my release I wrote to my parents again. In that letter I gave them the date and told them that I was going to buy a one way train ticket to a place far from home. I asked my parents that if they forgave me, to please tie a white ribbon to the big tree in my hometown train station. If I saw the white ribbon, then I would exit there. But if I didn't, then I will continue on this train till the last stop." The younger man told the older man that he was crying because they were getting close to his hometown train station and he didn't have the courage to look outside the window to look for the white ribbon. The younger man asked the older man if he could do him the favor and look out the window and see if there was a white ribbon tied to the big tree and let him know if there was one. The older man agreed to look for him.

When they reached the young man's hometown train station his face was tilted down and covered by his hands. the older man looked outside the window and informed the young man that there was not one white ribbon tied to the big tree. The young man lifted his head and looked outside the window himself. When he did, he saw that all the trees had white ribbons tied to them. 

Someone was always waiting for him.

Mrs. Turkovich, coalesced this story with Lent by saying that sometimes we are afraid to talk to God and ask for forgiveness. But in the end God is always waiting for us. 

    

Be Careful What You Wish For

     As I continue to work with Robin I can see her enthusiasm towards school changing. She is now willing to participate in class, respond to questions and even go up and write on the chalk board. She had an English test and received a 90%, math test was 92%, and religion was 80%. She has improved a lot these past few weeks that I can't help but  be proud of her and the self-confidence she has gained. She smiles more, talks more, and laughs more. We are busy from the time school starts till the time school is out but working together and with Alexandra (the student who sits in front of Robin) makes it very enjoyable. When I am not helping Robin, I help Mrs. Morales staple work and correct a quizzes for her students. Working closely with Mrs. Morales has been a pleasure and really enjoyable too because she likes to have fun with her students while teaching. I have also learned a few things about what its like to teach at Colegio San Benito. As I've said before, Mrs. Morales is a 4th grade bilingual teacher. An example would be that Mrs. morales constantly has to remind her students to respond in English because even though they can read and write it, they hardly speak it. There are a few students who speak in all English, a few who speak Spanglish (Spanish and English together) and many who just speak Spanish. She stresses to them how important it is to speak English specially because 1) they are in the Bilingual program, 2) they can practice their Spanish in Religion and Spanish class and 3) It is extremely important that they speak it. Thinking back to my Elementary experience I don't think my teachers ever had that problem even though most of my classmates knew both languages; it was pretty clear that English was what we had to speak in the classroom.
     Now talking about fun on Friday, February 11th, Mrs. Morales had a pizza party with her students to celebrate Valentine's Day. The students danced, ate, and exchanged chocolates, baked goods, and cards. It was good to interact with the students outside the classroom setting. After spending an hour or so with them, I went over and stopped by Ashley's last Kinder class of the day, Mrs. Diaz's class. Mrs. Diaz's class was also celebrating Valentine's day and they had potato chips and cake! Who wouldn't want to spend a couple hours with 19 adorable kindergartners? They too shared their candy with me. It was so cute. After the party Ash and I were helping Mrs Diaz cleanup her classroom and I looked at Ashley and said, " I'm going to miss them." Before she could respond, Ashley's eyes turned red and watery so she just nodded back.
     It is so hard to think about May now because it seems so close. I can't imagine saying good-bye just yet. I've always heard "Be careful what you wish for" because you might just get it. So get this: sometime last week I was looking at Robin as she wrote in her notebook thinking to myself how hard it was going to be to stop working with her in April because I love this girl now. I wondered if there would be an "easy" way for saying good-bye and sort of wished that I wouldn't cry about it. She caught me staring at her and was like, "Oh, Daisy I'm going back to the Netherlands for my birthday" (her birthday is Feb. 28). I immediately asked for how long and she told me that she did not know. I ask her if she could figure this out so I could get all her work together for when she came back. So the following day, her parents came into the class before school starts and her mom informs us (Mrs. Morales and I) that they were going back to the Netherlands this weekend... to move back to the Netherlands. Wow! That ball came out of left field! I was surprised because I couldn't process the information I had just received. So I guess I don't have to worry about saying good-bye to Robin in April because she is going to say good-bye to me on Friday. This is very depressing news (on one end) because she was beginning to do so well and I was getting to know her so much. On the other hand, she experienced a different culture, lived in a different place, and will go back to the place she talks about everyday. I'm excited for her but sad that she is leaving. I am working on a little "memory book" she asked me to help her with. She wants a picture of every classmate with some information so she can remember who they are/were when she is back in the Netherlands. I have 4 days to complete this and I'm excited because I know she will really appreciate it. So even though I'm sad, I'm also happy because I helped a dear young child, made a new friend, and will try to keep in touch with her through Skype.  

New Beginnings

     I would like to inform everyone that my tooth extraction went well. I actually felt no pain and at one point I even began to think that everyone who frightened me with their stories were exaggerating or couldn't handle pain very well. I felt like this for about two hours before the anesthesia began to wear off. When that pain started kicking in, I was walking back and forth in my room waiting for the pain killers to kick in because I couldn't figure out if I wanted to cry or lay in bed for the pain to go away. But that was the most pain I felt. I don't do well with pain so as soon I started to feel the slightest pain I took a pain killer. I mean I bought pain killers just incase so why "take the pain" if I really don't have to? My cheek was swollen for a few days but nothing major; it was a successful extraction!

     So, because of my extraction I missed the first week of school and started working the second week on Tuesday (Monday was MLK). My new schedule goes like this: 8:10 a.m.-10:55 a.m. I tutor a student named Robin in Ms. Morales' 4th grade Bilingual class in English, Math and Science. At 10:55 a.m. I supervise the playground for First, Second, and Third grade students till 11:45 a.m. I take my lunch with Ashley  at 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. The last two periods I have open for substitutions if necessary but if I am not substituting then I go back and help Robin with Religion and Spanish. Needless to say, I am busy, busy, busy and I love it!

      Why Robin you ask? Well in S Mary Ruth's words "Robin (and her sister) is a special case." Robin and her family came from Holland last summer. Robin's first language is Dutch and was learning some English in Holland. Her family moved here on business related terms. From what I know, her parents were not planning on staying for more than a year but that might change because they liked Puerto Rico. Robin had a difficult time last semester because she didn't understand English very well and two of her classes were entirely in Spanish (Religion and Spanish) and her teachers didn't know enough English to translate everything for her. So this semester I am working side by side with Robin till the beginning of April. Personally, I think her English is great for the most part, Spanish well, let me ask this: Can you learn a new language when it's taught in that language? If you are like most people I would say no. So Spanish is a bit difficult for her. I've sat next to her for a few classes and I even don't know what she is learning in Spanish so I'm learning too, then teaching her. These past two weeks have been so fulfilling I cannot explain the joy I feel. I told her from the beginning that I am here to help her with her work so eventually she does all the work on her own. In the beginning of April I will start substituting full-time for an Art teacher that is going on maternity leave. So far, Robin has had an oral presentation for English and a pop-quiz on multiplication and got a 90%. I am so proud of her and am looking forward to see her improve. 

Let the Good Times begin! Or shall I say Continue?

S Annie T. baking cookies.

     This year was off to a great start. Thanks to my boyfriend Sean of almost 4 years, I was able to receive this New Year in his hometown of Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas with his family and him. It was so great to spend lots of time with his family and sight seeing around the island. Nassau may be 7 mi. X 21 mi. but driving around it sure makes it seem a lot bigger. On my last day there, we were able to make a quick stop by St. Martin's Monastery where the Benedictine Sisters live. I was received by a nice big warm hug and was given a tour of the monastery by S Mary Benedict. I told the Sisters I came across, that I was one of the three volunteers from the BWSC program and they seemed so excited and happy to have me stop by. I gave them all greetings and blessings on behalf of the Sisters from Puerto Rico (the Sisters in PR asked me to if I stopped by) and I brought greeting and blessings back. I had a wonderful time in Nassau but like every break one enjoys, it always feels too short.

Los Tres Reyes

     I returned on the 5th and on the 6th I was on the road again with S Carmen, S Mary Ruth, Yvonne, Caesar and Ashley on our way to Juana Diaz to celebrate El Dia De Los Reyes (Three Kings Day). We arrived at Juana Diaz to catch a glimpse of the last of the parade just as two of the three kings were passing by. Following the Kings were two separate groups that came in singing and dancing. This reminded me a bit of Junkanoo in the Bahamas where you have different groups rushing with costumes, playing music, dancing, and marching. Not to say that Junkanoo and this celebration are alike because they are extremely different and they cannot be compared but just the pattern was similar: costumes, dancing, singing, and a band. The parade ended in front of the Plaza in Juana Diaz. We had a two hour out door mass to complete the festival. We stayed around for a few hours after mass to eat and check out the tents that were selling things like natural soaps, candles, candy, hand made crafts, and anything having to do with Los Tres Reyes (the Three Kings). After the celebration we headed over to the Holiday Inn in Ponce and stayed the night there. It was really nice not to have anything planned for the evening since I (and I'm sure everyone else too) was drained from being out in the sun all day! The next day S Mary Ruth and Yvonne took Ashley and I for a small tour around the Plaza in Ponce. We were back in the monastery by 5p.m. that day that I was finally able to unpack from the Bahamas and this trip. It was a really really good Christmas break!

S Carmen and I during our trip to Juana Diaz.

     Spring semester started today at Colgio San Benito, but I won't be starting till Monday. Given that tomorrow I will be visiting the dentist to get my wisdom tooth removed, I was going to miss tomorrow and Friday (everyone I've talked to has told me that I will NOT be able to do anything the day after) so S Mary Ruth told me to stay home today.

     Last semester I spent most of my time at school assisting any teacher that needed my help in the Bilingual Computer lab. Everyday in the morning I helped Ashley with one of her three Kindergarten class as well. Ashley and I had a deep conversation about her confidence in the classroom and we agreed that it would be a good idea if Ashley began this semester by herself. She is so confident (at least from my point) that I feel Ashley is so ready to continue teaching on her own. As for me, I will begin to do something different too. S Mary Ruth is currently working on a new schedule for me to begin work on Monday once this whole tooth thing is taken cared of. As of right now, I am not sure what I will be doing though I might be a teacher's assistant for a 4th grade bilingual class and a teacher's assistant for an art teacher who teaches 7th-9th grade. I will be more certain of my new schedule once Mary Ruth comes home. But I am excited!

Church in Ponce, PR.

     Thinking about starting a new semester is a bit awkward. It is awkward because it means I have to acknowledge that one semester is done, one is beginning and I am at the half way mark. I can't even begin to explain all of the mixed feelings that are bottled up inside. I'm sure I will write about all my feelings later down the road and for now I just want to enjoy today and not worry that I have um, oh lets see, about 18 weeks left! I can freak myself out sometimes. I just have this thing for dates and counting down that I can sometimes upset those close to me (e.g. When I tell Ashley how much time we have left) if they aren't as excited as I am.  So, all in all I am well rested and ready to start this new second semester and see what's coming my way. 

Christmas Celebrtion

     Have you even been to Mass at 5 a.m.? How about to Mass at 5 a.m. for nine days straight leading up to Christmas? Well on December 15 the countdown till Christmas began in Humacao, PR with their Misas  de Aguinaldos that take place in different masses around the area and take place at 5 a.m. Though these masses are celebrated before sun rise they are very traditional, have a high turnout rate, and play very up beat music. Aguinaldo means to give or a gift, so close to the end of every mass a member of the choir group sings a solo as a gift for everyone present. After the mass, a group of people set up a table with sandwiches, fruit, bread, coffee, water and juice as a gift for everyone who attended.  I must admit that I am not a big fan of waking up at 4 a.m. but I did make an effort to attend the last two Misas de Aguinaldos. For the first one, I practically rolled out of bed, brushed my teeth, put my hair in a bun, drank some coffee and went to mass still half asleep. As soon as I walked in I noticed that everyone was well dressed, fully awake and singing very loud and proud. I was a bit shocked when I saw how many people were present and at how well they were dressed. I guess I thought that because mass was at an unpleasant hour people were going to roll out of bed and go just like me, but I was wrong. Any how, I was upset at how under dressed I was for about a minute before I forgot about it and joined everyone in singing. The mass was beautiful. Everyone was so awake and happy to be there and celebrating the anticipation of Jesus that I couldn't help to be excited myself. I made an effort to clear my heart (and head) of all grudges, guilty thoughts, sad memories, regrets and unhappiness in order to receive Jesus with an open and clean heart. I was excited for Jesus' Birthday!The second mass I attended was on Christmas Eve and it was just as enjoyable as the first one.
     Then for Visperas (evening prayer) on Christmas Eve the sisters who live in Santa Escolastica prepared something special for Ashley and I. I got to dress up as an Angel while S. Myriam read the story when the Angel appeared to Mary and Ashley placed baby Jesus next to Mary and Joseph. After prayers, we sang our way into the Prioress' living room and we all sat down. S Carmen gave all the sisters, Ashley and I a Christmas gift for us to open. This was different because normally the sisters wait till January 6, the day of The Three Kings to give and open any presents. After we opened our gifts, Ashley and I gave the Sisters the gifts we bought for them. We bought them a nativity set made with sea shells, a nativity set made on a star that they can hang on the wall, a nativity set with magnets that they can put on the fridge and the cutest gift: a picture of the community dogs with reindeer lanterns and us wearing elf hats. They really enjoyed all their gifts. They were so excited that we were able to place lanterns on the dogs but we explained that that wouldn't of been possible without the help of S Rufina because one of the dogs: Luna is vicious. I am not sure if it's me or the dog but after 4 months of living in the monastery I still have not been able to pet that dog.
     On Christmas day, we all had a lunch together and enjoyed each other's company. We talked and laughed just like any other lunch or dinner. Then around 3 p.m. S Vivian told Ashley and I to join her along with S Maria, S Mary Ruth, and Paul (S Mary Ruth's brother) as they went on a Parranda. A parranda is when a group of people go from house to house singing and the host of the house offers the group something to eat or/and drink in return. We went to three house and were fed at all three. The first house was the house of a man who used to be in the choir group with the sisters and he is now battling  Parkinson's disease. His wife offered us snacks and something to drink after we were done but since Ashley and I were still full from lunch we both declined the offer. S Vivian told us that it was rude not to accept so we ate something. The second stop was at Yvonne and Caesar's house and they fed us too. My stomach was hurting by then but I really needed the coffee by then because I was worn out and it was only  about 6 p.m and we still had one more stop. Finally we went to one of S Vivian's sister's house.  We didn't sing at that house because they were playing their own music but we still stayed for a while and conversed with the family. All in all it was a long tiring but enjoyable day. They did such a great job in keeping me busy that I did not have time to feel homesick. It was a great experience and I loved the fact that they took our Christmas traditions and incorporated them to their new experience. That really made me feel loved, and appreciated. It is hard to always see the bright side of things but I was able to see the light there. I felt as if I was celebrating Christmas with family; just not the same side of the family that I am used to.

Sleep over at Colegio San Benito

     Sister Margarita is one of the three sisters (the others are S Angela and S Esther) who live in Colegio San Benito. She works with Father Adrian for the parish in Ceiba, PR. She works long hours weekly because it is only her and the Father working in that parish along with volunteers from the community. For Thursday December 9th, Sister Margarita had asked Ashley and I if we could help her decorate a hall in Ceiba for Father Adrian's 20th anniversary of priesthood. Of course Ashley and I agreed to go. So the plan went as follows: Ash and I went to Ceiba on Thursday evening to help S Margarita decorate the hall along with some women from that community, we slept over Colegio San Benito Thursday night, woke up Friday and went to school, and after school we went to celebrate Father Adrian's anniversary. It was a full two days and at the time I had a toothache and a cold so it was a little hard to enjoy everything to the fullest but nevertheless I enjoyed it.
     The anniversary celebration was a huge success. 300+ people showed up to the hall. S Margarita said that the people of Ceiba really appreciate Father Adrian and love him dearly. The entire event was planned by S Margarita but all the funds for the event were given by the community. Some people paid for the hall, some for the food, some cooked, some helped decorate, some helped serve and some helped clean. This event was a perfect example of community effort. S Margarita said that everyone was very generous with their time and money when necessary.

     The following Monday when we spoke to S Esther and she asked why we didn't stay the whole weekend. Ash and I were a little surprised because we were never told that the Sisters from Colegio San Benito wanted us to stay for the weekend. It was unfortunate because I had a good time even though it was only one night but we are looking into rescheduling a full weekend with the Sisters from Colegio San Benito in the near future.

My Coconut Obsession

     Saying that I am in love with coconut is an understatement. If one were to ask my close friends, they will say that I am obsessed with coconut. I love everything that has to do with coconut. I love the way a coconut tastes, smells, looks, and feels. At one point in my college career I had coconut hair products, coconut body wash, coconut lotion, coconut body spray, and coconut candles. I am always willing to try new products or taste new foods that include coconut.  I've used coconut so much that my boyfriend once said that he associates me with the scent of coconut; to me that was a very good compliment. I love coconut. 

     With that said, when someone asked me if I wanted to try "tembleque" (a Puerto Rican coconut pudding) I was excited. The first time I heard this was  on Monday December 6. We had it for dessert in the monastery. S. Myriam explained that the name tembleque comes from "temblor" which is earthquake in Spanish because when you serve the pudding it shakes. The texture of a tembleque is  more  jello like than pudding. The tembleque that we had on Monday tasted very much like coconut water straight from the coconut. It wasn't too sweet and more water based. Since we slept over at Colegio San Benito last night (I will explain why in a different blog post) Ashley and I didn't pack our lunch so we ate at the cafeteria. Though we didn't tell anyone we were already planning on eating there, everyone kept telling us that we should eat there because they were going to have a very traditional Puerto Rican meal with dessert. The meal consisted of harbichuelas, arroz blanco, lechon, ensalada and tembleque (beans, white rice, roasted pig, salad and tembleque). It was a very tasty lunch but unfortunately since my wisdom tooth still hurts I wasn't able to enjoy most of it because the salt in the meat kept stinging the inside of my mouth. So I simply dove into the best part of my meal, the tembleque (in my opinion because I love dessert). One word: Heaven. This tembleque is what I imagine the food in Heaven tastes like. It was thick, rich in flavor, milk based, and smooth. You could taste the coconut in every single spoonful. It was just delicious! I even asked the cooks who was the one that made the tembleque because I wanted to tell her myself how great her dessert was and how much I enjoyed it. She was so happy. I hope she finds it in her heart to share her very own recipe with me before I leave in May (I'll keep my fingers crossed).If I had any doubt about me not being as obsessed with coconut as I thought I was, this dessert reassured me that I am still obsessed with coconut as I ever have been.

 God bless the hands that helped prepare this meal. Amen.    

Oh, tears

     As I was reading Megan's latest blog entries and listening to Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 In E Flat Major, a few tears ran down my face. I'm not sure if its because I can relate to some of the loneliness Megan described in her blog, or how she dislikes not doing anything, or being sick. Maybe its because listening to classical music reminds me of home and how I used to listen to it as I went to sleep every night or because I'm starting to get sick for the fourth time (yes, 4th!).  Or maybe because S. Vivian said that she considers Ashley and I a part of her family and because S. Mary Ruth said  that she treats Ashley and I as the blood sisters she never had. Or maybe it's a combination of all the above.
     Today, I helped S Rufina prepare dinner for tonight's celebration: S. Vivian and S. Mary Ruth's Birthday Party. I made a salad S. Rufina picked from a cookbook that S Mary Ruth got free at Cosco. It was a Walnut- Apple Spinach Salad. When I first saw the ingredients (spinach, walnuts, apples, olive oil, vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt, and pepper) I didn't think it was going to be a salad I was going to be eating; I've never been a fan of spinach or vinegar. But it was delicious! S. Rufina  made her amazing rice, steamed vegetables, grilled chicken with a special green sauce and baked a fruit cake. We prayed, ate, sang, and played games. In the end, S. Maria (the event planner in the monastery) asked S. Vivian and S. Mary Ruth to say a few "palabras de luz" (literally it means words of light, but basically to share a few things they are grateful for). S. Mary Ruth said that during mass she started to think about her two wonderful brothers and how God didn't give her a sister she could play with as a child, but that he had given her a community of Sisters she could live with. Then she added that that is why she is always joking with Ashley and I, because she sees us as her little sisters. S. Vivian said that going to the Holy Land gave her a lot of time to reflect and be grateful for everything she has and that she prayed for her community family, her blood family and Ashley and I because she considered us family too. After their little speeches, the rest of the Sisters gathered around them and blessed them both by lifting their hands above their heads and singing a song. I have to say that EVERY TIME the Sisters do this, I want to cry. I don't know why, but I do. I just get all teary and my eyes get filled with water and I'm scared of blinking because a tear might run down my cheek. Actually, I do know why I feel like this. I feel like this because I imagine myself being the one who is receiving the blessing in late May of 2011 and the Sisters are giving me their last blessing before leaving Puerto Rico and going back to Minnesota. Its amazing how far one's imagination can go if one doesn't control it. But in all honesty, I picture that. It's not that I want to leave or anything, but just thinking about how much the Sisters mean to me and how much I'm going to miss them that makes me want to cry. This little thought allows me to fall in love again with the Sisters and appreciate every single one for everything they have taught me, all the care they have given me, and the love they continuously show.  So by the time the blessing song is over, I'm happy again with my arms extended over the person who is actually being blessed and grateful that I am one of the people blessing her.
     As I mentioned above, I'm starting to catch a cold AGAIN. I've been taking vitamins, drinking Orange juice, taking Cold Snap when I feel the symptoms coming, I exercise, I eat right and I just don't know what else to do. I've been having a really bad tooth pain (wisdom tooth: top and bottom) that is quickly turning into sore tonsils  and cold. I'm trying to stay positive but it's getting a bit hard with this stuffy nose. But I'm not giving up.
    

Welcome December

     Oh my, I cannot believe November is over! I see the decorations for Advent and it makes me really excited to anticipate the birth of Jesus.  I am excited about the real meaning of Christmas and not just the presents which has been the "exciting" part for many years before. It's so easy to get caught up in the shopping, buying, giving, receiving, decorating, and all that and forget about the real meaning of Christmas. All these years I have been counting down the seconds till midnight when it goes from the 24th to the 25th to rip open my presents. Why do we open our presents on the 25th? Jesus didn't receive his gifts from the Three Kings till January 6th. Are we (people who open presents on the 25th) that impatient? I'm sure if I was anywhere but here I wouldn't be talking like this. But truth is, being here is giving me a different perspective on Christmas and I'm enjoying every piece of it.
     The Sisters here, celebrate Christmas but they also celebrate Three Kings Day. Some of the Sisters have told me that Three Kings Day is a bigger celebration than Christmas! I'm excited to see that happen. As of now, all I know is that we are having a Christmas dinner here that will be followed by lots of singing. I don't know any of the small details but I'll be sure to include them when the time comes.
    Thanksgiving was a very unique experience; non like before. First off, if I were with my family for Thanksgiving the day would have gone something like this: work in my sister's restaurant till 6 p.m., leave the restaurant by 7:30-ish p.m., go home and get ready, then all my siblings and family friends would meet at my parents house to begin our Thanksgiving celebration at about 9 p.m. Later on in the evening we would probably begin to put up the Christmas tree if we weren't too tired. Yup, exhausting.  In the monastery, we had noon prayers and a Thanksgiving lunch. We were done around 2:30 p.m. and had the rest of the day to ourselves. I felt a bit strange because I'm usually busy till evening so being done at 2:30 p.m. made my day feel really long. However, it worked out perfect because later on that evening I was able to Skype with my sisters, brother, nieces and nephews. It was so nice to see all of their faces excited because they could see me and because they were about to eat. I also received some great news about my new born niece and she will hopefully join the family by Christmas. Then on Saturday, Ashley and I put up and decorated the Christmas tree with the help of Sister Maria.  It's so beautiful. Sister Carmen is suppose to decorate the rest of the living room so I'm waiting till then to  post a before and after picture of the living room.
     Even at school, all the Christmas and Three Kings Day decorations are starting to go up and make the hallways look amazing. A couple teachers even have fully decorated Christmas trees in their classrooms. I can't remember ever seeing that! It is so nice to feel all this joy as we get closer to the 25th at school and in the monastery.

Keeping the mind occupied

      Wow! I feel awful for not posting in two weeks, but I have been busy at school and doing a lot of thinking while I'm at the monastery. At work, the computer lab has been picking up so there are a lot more classes going. Also, there is a group of three girls who are in seventh grade who have been making a PowerPoint Presentation on "Bullying" to classes in fifth, sixth, and seventh grade. In their presentation these young ladies talk about the different types of bullying (emotional, physical and mental), give examples of bullying, and suggest different methods to prevent bullying others and being a victim of bullying. I'm not sure how bad bullying is at Colegio San Benito but I imagine it's more or less the same as any other K-9 grade school. I just love that the computer lab is being used more and more every month. The first time this group of girls presented they were really shy and spoke very soft and could hardly be heard over the air conditioner. Having done many many presentations myself throughout my college career, I gave them some helpful tips on how to improve their presentation (make eye contact, don't read off the screen, don't write too much on the page, etc.). Thank you management department at CSB/SJU for drilling me on how to give a successful PowerPoint Presentation, I can now pass my knowledge to students in Puerto Rico!
     As for the kindergarten class, well they are something else. Everyday is a new adventure with them. Sometimes I tag-along with Ashley and see her with her other two classes because I cannot get enough of them somedays. I must say that sitting in with Ashley in her other classes is really interesting. Interesting because I see her adjust to every class. The way she teaches, talks, acts, and disciplines the students changes depending on the class she is teaching.  Impressive and cute to watch. Also, by discipline I mean how many times she calls a student's name before she writes it on the board. Continuing with the kindergartners, I am so proud of Ashley (and myself) for the test scores all three classes got on their second English test. The class I help Ashley with had an average score of 91%, her class for Miss Lopez had an average of 94% and her last class (if I recall correctly) had an average of 85%. I don't want to mention the test scores on the first test, but take my word that some of these students went from a very low grade to an A. Props to the parents as well because I'm sure they worked just as hard as we did.
      In the monastery, life just got better. Sister Miriam had an accident and was in the hospital for 10 days and finally came back on Tuesday. I really missed her jokes and her lively presence here. Sister Vivian got back last night from her trip to the Holy Land so we are complete again. Being in such a small community, one can really tell when a Sister is missing. It feels good to know that all the Sisters are back together and slowly but surely, we will be eating together again.
    As for me personally, I have purposely been trying keeping myself as busy as possible because it gives my mind less time to wander off and think. On November 6th, my oldest sister had an emergency C-section  to save her daughter Aliyah . I don't want to go into details about my sister and her new born but I will say that baby Aliyah has struggled to stay alive; she is having trouble breathing on her own. And that has had a toll on me emotionally. Though I pray for her health daily (and I know many people who are also praying for her; Thank You!) it's just so hard being so far. I wish I could go home for Thanksgiving to be with my family and meet my new niece. Thinking about not being home for Thanksgiving then makes me think about how I'm not going to spend Christmas with my family either. I knew this about the program and I was fine with it and I still am, but it's a harsh realization; my first Christmas without my family. Yes, the Sisters here are great and I'm sure I will have a wonderful time with them, but at the end of the day I just want to see my Mom and Dad (gosh, I'm getting teary as I'm typing). I am trying really really hard not to think this way and think about the positive in this: like experiencing a different Christmas, a new environment, a new culture, a new way of celebration overall. I have accepted that my honeymoon phase is literally over and now it's time to readjust. The most I've gone without seeing my family has been 5 months and knowing I won't see them for 9 months is... hard. When my mind wanders off like that, I usually quickly brush that thought off and think about the now and why I am here. I am here because I believe my service is helping the Benedictine community, the Sisters, and the school. I am here because I want to experience the Benedictine way of life with the Sisters of Monasterio Santa Escolastica. I am here because I believe I am making a difference.
    I am really grateful that Ashley is here with me. Not just because we can both cry together (it's a joke, we haven't cried... yet) but because its the two of us. We are both experiencing the same thing and can support each other. I know Megan is also going to spend Christmas away from her family too. But, we are all strong. I can just get really emotional sometimes. What doesn't kill me, makes me stronger.
    

My Schedule

          At times when I think about writing my blog I hit a slump because I get the "I have already written about this" feeling. I think about what I have done throughout the week that I would like to share or a particular point in time and it all seems pretty much the same to me, which isn't that exciting. But it wasn't till I mentioned my troubles to a dear Sister I was emailing back and forth who said "…just because it seems ordinary to you, doesn't mean it won't capture the interest of readers…” So this entry will be dedicated to everyone who wishes to know about my "ordinary week" here and how I feel my service is helping the people around me.

             The Sisters of the Monasterio Santa Escolastica have a K-9 elementary/intermediate school called Colegio San Benito. The Prioress, Sister Carmen is the Financial Controller of the school, the Sub Prioress, Sister Myriam is the Director, Sister Mary Ruth is the Principal, Sister Vivian is the Pastoral Coordinator of the school and a religion teacher for the intermediate students, Sister Flora is the Librarian, and Sister Esther is the school's registered nurse. There are two computer labs at school: one for the bilingual department and one for the Spanish department. I am the assistant for the bilingual computer lab. Depending on what day of the week and week of the month it is, my schedule varies daily. Mondays I have two kindergarten classes and Wednesdays I have the third class come and use the laboratory. In this early stage, my goals are to familiarize the kindergarteners with computer parts and control of the mouse. Their delicate little hands are too small right now to even teach them about right clicking with their index finger, but they do however right click with their thumbs. I set up learning games for the kindergarteners to play during their 40 minutes a week here. One of the three Kindergarten teachers will most often give me the topic they just learned or are learning about in their regular class that week and I find a game that relates to that topic. I try to use those 40 minutes here as additional practice for the kindergarteners without them knowing that. Having a computer in front of them, keeps most of them interested most of the time. 

         Aside from kindergarten, I also assist first through ninth grade bilingual teachers. The process here is that a teacher lets me know 1-2 days in advance the program and time their class will be using the computer lab. My job is to open the program on all 25 computers, make sure the program is running properly and that there are no malfunctions with the computer. If the teacher is going to be using sound, then I set up "group computers" (2-3 students to a computer and have them listen through a speaker instead of headphones) for the students. Most of the computers have sound, but not all the computers have headphones, so installing speakers makes it easier for all the students to participate. If a teacher is going to have a PowerPoint Presentation, then I set up the overhead projector in the computer lab. I believe my presence here has lifted a lot of pressure off Mr. De Jesus' shoulders. Mr. De Jesus is my mentor here and he is in charge of the computer lab in the Spanish department. Mr. De Jesus is also the technology director for the school. My being here has allowed Mr. De Jesus to focus on one department instead of two and gives him more time to work on technological repairs around the school. My being here has helped the teachers in the bilingual department maximize their time in the computer lab because they no longer spend 10 minutes getting all the programs started and I can help them and their students. Teachers don't come to the computer lab and drop off their students and expect me to teach them something; the teacher is still the teacher in the computer lab and I become their assistant. I also help Mr. De Jesus with miscellaneous tasks he needs help with.

         Besides the computer lab, I also help Ashley with one of her three kindergarten English classes. Why just one class you may ask? Well it is simple. For this particular class, there are a couple students who need closer attention because they are easily distracted and distract the other students. By having us both there, it is easier for us to do activities together, work in small groups, or work individually with those students who need the extra help. 

        I'm not sure if the sisters would have had to hire someone to assist Mr. De Jesus with the computer labs or if they would have gone on without a full-time assistant, but my presence here helps the bilingual department run a bit smoother. If Ashley wasn't here, a teacher who is already here might have had to teach the kindergarteners English aside from his/her own class. I think that my presence here has helped the sisters because we are now part of their staff. I am helping the teachers take full advantage of their time in the computer lab. I am helping the students by being a resource they can reach out to when they need help with computers. I am helping kindergarteners learn a new language that will hopefully benefit them for the rest of their lives. I am helping the Benedictine community of the Monasterio Santa Escolastica by being here and having them experience a different atmosphere in their community. However, even though I am here to assist others and share my knowledge, everyone has done a wonderful job at teaching me something new everyday. From living in a Monastery to the Kindergarteners, I am learning about the Puerto Rican culture and Benedictine way of life. But most importantly, I am learning more about myself. Living here has already started to change my perspective on life. 

Like A Prayer

"When do people pray?" asked Father Jaime during mass this past Sunday. Automatically I began to think about the times I pray and what I pray for if anything in specific.  If I backtracked to the beginning of this year, most of my prayers started off like, " Dear God, thank you for this day of life... Can u please help me... (what I needed help in) and I promise to..." or " Dear God, I'm sorry for... (what ever I was sorry for)" or my favorite " Dear God, I know I ask for a lot of things but can you please give me... ( patience, energy, or a positive mentality were usually what I asked for) and I promise to..." Most of the time when I prayed was in times of need or struggle, and I always felt like I had to do something in return for God for helping me. This was my way of not being selfish and only asking. I was blinded by the thought that "if God didn't help me the way I had prayed for, then he really wasn't helping me." Silly me. As if I could tell God how to help me. Just because God didn't help me the way I wanted him to, didn't mean he wasn't helping me. God only knows when the time is right and it took me a little while to realize that. God will not let me down, and God will help me get through everything because after all, "All things are possible  through Jesus Christ" Phillip 4:13.

     Father Jaime said that giving thanks is the second step in praying because one should not be selfish and forget to give thanks to the Lord just because times are better and you've been helped. Looking back at this summer I went on a streak of giving thanks for everything once I was finally happy with my life and didn't feel the need to ask for anything. I gave thanks for another day, a sunny day, a rainy day, a good day at work, a day with family, a day with friends, a good conversation with my boyfriend, making someone smile, someone making me smile; everything. It felt good to just be thankful. In my head I was pretty sure God, was glad I was just being thankful too.

 Finally, Father Jaime said that the last step in prayer people reach is when one prays for others. I noticed that lately I not only pray for me or give thanks for the things that I have gotten or are grateful for, but I also pray for others and give thanks for the things others have received. Yes, I would usually pray for my family but now I go beyond that. I ask God to help those who are less fortunate, those who are in a time of struggle, those who are sick, and for those who need his guidance. I ask God to help those who have recently lost someone and are sad, to see the light. I give thanks to God, for helping those who were struggling, for those who were sick, and for those whom he guided through a rough time. I'm not sure when I began to do this but now I say things like, " I'll pray for you" or "I'll keep you in my prayers" and really pray for them. I mean don't get me wrong, I wouldn't tell someone "I'll pray for you" and not do it but I would pray maybe once or twice for that person. Now, if I say "I'll pray for you" I do on a regular basis.

So listening to Father Jaime talk about prayer on Sunday put a smile on my face because without even realizing it, I have gone through the three steps he talked about. There's just this pleasure about realizing something after it has already happened. Kind of like an "Ahh" moment; a really good "Ahh" moment. What I find most interesting is that I don't know when the change in my prayer occurred, I don't believe its a coincidence because something had to happen to cause that change. What ever it was, I'm glad for it because now when I pray, I talk to God and not just at night before going to bed like I used to, but sporadically throughout the day. I can say that I have seen God everywhere and all around because I do believe God is everywhere all the time, but it has not been easy. It's hard to see God everyday because I'm not always walking on clouds and having the greatest time of my life, but being able to see God even when my smile is upside down let's me know that I am never truly alone and that I have worked hard to be able to feel God's presence even when times are bad. 

Maybe it's living in a monastery in Puerto Rico and volunteering that has helped me. Maybe it's going to prayers a few times a week, or maybe its praying everyday all the time that has caused the change in my prayers. Or maybe it's this entire experience that caused the change. What ever it was, I'm glad for it because this is something I will cherish and carry with me for as long as I pray.

3 Favorite Things About Today

    Today was an exciting day because we got to take Sister Mary Jane out for the day. We went to a Lechon grill (equivalent of  a pig roast) and sat by a little stream with great scenery. It was Caesar, Yvonne Sister Vivian, Sister Mary Jane, Ashley and myself. After spending a couple hours there, we headed over to Viejo San Juan. As we were driving there, surprise surprise, it began to pour! I thought we were going to look for plan B, but Yvonne insisted that we still go and Sister Vivian prayed to St. Scholastica to make the rain go away and sure enough by the time we reached El Morro in Viejo San Juan it'd stopped raining. We explored three levels of the fort and took lots of pictures. After that we took a walk down Calle del Christo and went into the Cathedral were a wedding was taking place. We also got to see the Plaza de las Palomas and to end our trip we went by The Raices (Roots) water fountain. It sure was a lovely day spent with great people.
    I'd like to mention a little piece of my conversation with Mary Jane yesterday that made me feel a whole lot better. I was talking to her about something along the lines of me finding it hard to see the bright side of things all the time or at least most of the time. So she said that a group of women she knows gets together every night and mentions the three favorite things about their day (I don't remember word for word but I'm sure it was something like that). She said that that helped her feel good about her day even when she thought her day wasn't so great. So I decided to adapt this evening practice for myself. Not that I had a bad day today but I'd still like to mention my three favorite things about today:
1) I really liked that we still went with our original plans and didn't change them because of the weather
2) I really liked that Sister Vivian went with us and had a great time; I really enjoyed all her historical information about everything we saw
3) I really enjoyed spending a full day with Mary Jane and getting to know her better than I did

S Vivian, S Mary Jane, Yvonne and Caesar @ the El Lechon Grill

Raices water fountain

In El Morro

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

Yesterday Ashley expressed how she felt about the kindergarteners, "I am in love I never thought you could be in love with more than one person but I am in love with 62 and they don't even reach my elbows. " I have to admit I feel the same way. Working in the computer lab has allowed me to meet students from k-9th grade. I feel closest to the kindergarten group because I also work with/for them when I help Ashley in Mrs. Velasques class and when I help her paste their work into their notebooks. I love those kindergartners.
      On a different note... Guess who is here? Yes! Sister Mary Jane! Oh, how good did it feel to see her in the airport and walking out of baggage claim. A part of MN is right here with us and it feels great. I am excited that she will be visiting the school tomorrow and supervising Ashley and myself. Thank you Sister Barbara for the cute picture and card, I will be sure to share them with Sister Myriam, Sister Rufina and Sister Flora.Sister Ruth, its unfortunate you couldn't come in Sister Mary Jane's checked luggage but thank you so much for the card that I received. It is still 85 degrees here with plenty of rain! Finally, thanks to all the Sisters who told Sister Mary Jane to say,"Hello" to us.  Really appreciate it. Thanks for the support, prayers, and love you are all constantly sending in my direction. It is greatly appreciated. When ever I start to get a little lonely or homesick I just remember that I am never alone (one: because God is always with me) because I have the support of a wonderful Benedictine Community. Miss and Love you all. 


                                                       ~Peace & Hugs, Laughs & Love~

Bless the hands that prepared this meal..

      After a full week of getting, having, and getting over the flu, I am proud to announce that my taste buds are back. Today just like  every Saturday I've been here Sister Flora has prepared lunch and boy, does she do a delicious job. Today's meal: Pollo en King (Chicken on King) was by far the best meal yet. Along with the chicken was rice, a carrot salad, homemade dressing and avocados. I am so glad the flu is gone and I was able to smell and taste the rice, chicken, mushrooms, bell peppers, and all the other magical ingredients that came together perfectly in order to complete the meal. Dessert was papaya (which I HATE fresh papaya) glazed with cinnamon and sugar. I didn't know it was papaya till I asked what I was eating. Mmm... Thanks to everyone who prayed for me to get well, it worked!
       On a equally exciting note, I am counting down the days (3 more days) till S Mary Jane comes to visit! S Mary Ruth has already mentioned a little place she'd like us to take S Mary Jane! Of course, I'm not going to say where, but I am excited to see a familiar face from Minnesota. I wonder if S Ruth is going to come along in S Mary Jane's check-in luggage? Well, you can't blame me for wondering.
    

Chef Nevarez

What an exciting weekend! To begin, Saturday was our day of cooking. We found out last Wednesday on our way to Longhorn Steakhouse when S Carmen casually mentioned that Ash and I were going to cook on Saturday for lunch. What a pleasant surprise right? Wrong! Ashley and I looked at each other with the expression of "What the..? What are we going to cook?" on our face. I quickly panicked as I tried to think of "meals" I can cook. (Quick note: all the sisters expressed how much they LOVED Mexican food upon our arrival three weeks ago and asked if we could cook anything). I thought, "Wow, they are really going to test us!" So after dinner that day, Ash and I taked about all the possible meals we could make without burning down the house, or at least the kitchen. We decided to make Green Chicken Enchiladas with traditional Mexican rice and beans, guacamole, chips and chocolate cake for dessert. On Friday when we went grocery shopping for all of the last minute ingredients, we discovered that Ralph's in Puerto Rico did not carry Enchilada sauce (who are we kidding, we weren't going to make it from scrach; I regrettably can't cook beans..yet) so we switched to plan B. Instead of Enchiladas, we were going to make Chicken tacos.

    Saturday morning, we started bright and early because in case anything happened, we had plenty of time to fix it. So as the sisters were starting their Chapter Meeting (thats the reason we were cooking) we started chopping in the kitchen. Ash startd with the cake and I started with the chips. I cut the tortillas in pretty little triangles and fried them up. Some were perfect, some were "tanned" and some a little roasted, but they were all delicious! Then I began the guacamole (my favorite). Ashley had already cut the cilantro, onions, tomato, and limes so my job was to smash the avocados, mix everything and add salt. MMMmmm (my mouth is watery just thinking about it!). Meanwhile Ashley is preparing the rice (which was AMAZING) and warming up the beans. Yeah, we didn't cook the beans from scrach; it takes too long. Any ways, finally we prepared the chicken and grilled it. We set up the table, fixed the food buffet style, and were done right at noon, just in time for lunch. Or so we thought. Usually, we eat lunch at noon but no one said we were having lunch at noon that Saturday. So we waited... and waited.... and waited. We wondered how long can a Chapter Meeting be? The sisters must be starving by now. So at 12:45 sharp, the sisters enter the kitchen. They compliment the smells and the looks of the food but, I just want them to taste the actual food. I was a bit nervous. When Ashley and I entered the dinning room, all the sisters began to compliment the actual food. We were extremely pleased by they compliments. They went something like, "It's so GOOOOD", "I've never had rice this delicious", "The chips are great", etc. Boy, was I happy. And then the unexpected happened. S Mary Ruth said she wanted us to cook for her birthday party. Since S Mary Ruth and S Vivian are born on the same month, S Vivian said we can cook for her too. And then, S Rufina (the sister who cooks most of the time) said that she didn't know who was going to cook on her birthday, but it wasn't going to be her. Wow! I was a bit shocked they liked it that much. Not that I expected the food to taste nasty or anything but I was really really happy they liked it so much. Some of the sisters even got up for seconds! So once again, Ash and I exchange that same look as we did when we found out we were cooking in the first place.  Last but not least, the Devil's Chocolate Cake! What a way to end a meal! I'll just say that some of the sisters took a nap after this lunch.

    Then Saturday evening, Ash and I went out with Yvone and her husband Ceasar (a couple that the sisters have know for almost a decate and are in the same choir group). They took us out to El Conquistador resort in Fajardo. I went to the casino for the first time and played on the slot machines. Those are the only machines I understood. All in all, it was a good evening of just being out and in a new enviroment. Then on Sunday, Ash and I went to mass in the morning and then spent the whole afternoon in Plaza Las Americas. Its like a smaller version of the Mall of America with a little over 300 stores. Walking around and seeing all the familiar stores made me feel as if I was 'home" for a bit. Again, it was nice to just be out and about, walking, people watching, and doing a little shopping. It was a great and enjoyable weekend and we found out that this weekend might be full of excitement as well.

       S Maria's nephew is getting married this weekend and S Mary Ruth told me that we might be going along with her.  The wedding is in Maria's hometown of Mayaguez. Mayaguez is located on the west side of the island and rumor has it that the best beaches are on the west! So i'll just wait and see what happens next... Till then, toodles!