Election Weekend

The day before our long break, 4 kids were out sick,
so we spent some time playing board games.

      This weekend was a very long weekend at school. Sunday, December 8, was local elections here (for mayor I think). Elections are held at local schools. While our school is not a school that the elections are held at, the school joining with ours is, so we had to be closed Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Monday. On Wednesday and Thursday, I had to give my class online school. That was something new and different for me. Overall, they've done a great job completing the assignments. I am actually quite glad to learn how to use this online system because the school's printer is out of toner, so I can't currently print their homework. I can't wait for the kids to be back tomorrow. It's so quiet being at school without them (the teachers came every day except Friday).

     I learned some interesting things about elections here in Venezuela. First, even though it was just a small election (in my mind), it was a big deal. Our school was closed for 4 days, and we were cautioned to be careful where we went this weekend for safety issues. Second, when Venezuelans vote, they had one of their fingers dipped into a purple stain so that they can't vote twice. At church on Sunday, we could spot who voted because they had a purple tip on one of their fingers. It takes a few days to wash off, so I can still walk around and see who voted. Third, voter turn out is a big deal here. Most people vote. For this election, only 60% of the people voted and that was considered a very poor turn-out (according to a coworker).

     Finally, fireworks are always necessary. Fireworks are common here, and I hear/see them often at my house. The night before the election, I could hear one go off every few minutes very far away. It seemed like they were trying to remind people that they need to vote. After the elections, there were several extremely loud fireworks close to my house. They are so loud that they are almost scary like cannons going off. It doesn't help that I live on a hill/mountain, so many of the fireworks only get to the height of my house, if that. I'm glad I won't be around for New Year's Eve because I have heard that there are so many fireworks that you can't even hear the person next to you. It would be cool to watch them all from my house though.

     I leave for Chicago in 10 days and only have 6 days of school left (one of them is a field trip!). While I am in Chicago-land area, I would love to meet with people to share about my time in Venezuela. If you are interested, let me know, and we can set up a time. I would also like to bring some supplies and things back for my classroom. If you are interested in helping, let me know. Right now, I've been keeping a list of things I want here.

Prayer Requests and Praises
-I finished a lot of work during this long weekend!
-Good end to second quarter
-Zoo field trip on Friday
-Christmas concert on Friday
-My class is leading the Christmas chapel. Pray that they will be ready.
-Safe travels (students are already beginning to leave for the holidays)
-Staying healthy