Getting Back to the Normal



Playing and learning about circuits. What can you build?

     I am so thankful that these past two weeks have finally been normal weeks of school. It's been great knowing that most of my students will be at school and that we can learn and actually work on some projects without too much disruption. The consistency is great for my students. When we were first starting back from our long Carnival break, it was like they forgot how to behave and act in school again. Now, they are finally getting back into routine.

     The marches and protests in Venezuela are on going but maybe not as strong as before. Some days are worse than others. Most days, I don't even realize how much is going on. Besides lots of posters everywhere, it doesn't come into the little cove between two hills that my home and school are in very much. My kids still see more. Everyday, it is their top pray request. They are so burdened for their country, the people they see getting hurt, and the worry that they can tell is affecting the people all around them (and consequently them). On Thursday, a mayor in another large city was arrested. This led to huge and loud protests going off around Caracas. While we were at school, we could hear and see fireworks (just the loud bomb like ones). One went off really close by while I was out at recess, and it made everyone jump. Kids came to school the next day with prayers for bombs that they heard, people they saw, and the insecurity that they all felt. Please continue praying for Venezuela, peace, students as they process what they are seeing, and safety.

 





Look Miss Loid! I made a simple circuit!

We got two lights to connect and both light up! A series circuit



What happens if we use two batteries?














          Our class had been learning about electricity. They loved discovering their own circuits and how they worked. Yesterday, we began looking at how electricity is made. They had some many deep thinking questions that it took longer than I had planned and I couldn't even answer all of them.

It gets brighter!

Prayer Requests and Praises
-School is finally seeming normal again! I can plan for the next week, and my students are getting back into the swing of things.
-The store has had most of what I've been looking for lately (if I'm willing to stand in line for it)!
-Pray that I will find oil and flour.

Three batteries makes it even brighter!

-Pray for March break next weekend. I am staying in Caracas, but many other teachers are leaving. Pray for safe travels for them and that they can reenter Venezuela without problems.
-Pray for me on March break that I would find ways to use my time well and connect with other teachers who are staying in town.
-Pray for safety.
-I've seen growth in my students with how the respect others! Pray that this continues.-Pray for students as they process what they see and hear.
-Having a long Carnival break was relaxing and gave me time to work and renew relationships with teammates!
-Pray for my students as we begin learning about Revelations.
-Pray as I continue working on sins in my own life that were revealed to me through a Bible study I attend with other women from school.
-Praise that my brother found a new job that he is excited for!



Four batteries? Brightest, but quickly burnt out the light bulb.



International Day and Venezuela Day

Fourth and Fifth Grade

     After our long Carnival break, we started back with school on March 5. Praise God that we have been able to have school every day since then (I'm actually writing this on March 22)! March 6 and 7 were already planned special days at our school: International Day and Venezuela Day. Since our school is an international school in Venezuela, we believe it is important for kids to learn and celebrate these things. Besides teaching them in class from this perspective, we also have these two days (which used to be a week I'm told) to emphasize it by learning as a whole school.

     For International Day, the elementary students took a flight and visited different countries (led by every teacher). At each country, they learned a little bit about it and did an activity. Then they flew off to another country. Some kids (even in my grades) were really into pretending that they were actually flying to these different countries. We started off the day by having them board a plane as we pretended to be stewardesses.

 

     I was the tour guide in Australia (thanks for the idea mom!). I enjoyed having the chance to teach each grade for a little while. First we learned about the animals in Australia and some new words. The older grades went on a "bus tour" via slideshow as we drove to the Outback. In the Outback, we learned about aboriginal dot paintings and made some of the animals we learned about. All of the students seemed to have a great time. All of the pictures are from my Australia station because that's where I stayed all day.

First Grade

Second Grade

 

Third Grade

     The students also flew to England, China, Egypt, and Japan before landing in Venezuela. In England, they had tea and learned their manners. Some of my girls said learning their manners was the favorite part of their day. In Egypt, they wrote their name in hieroglyphics and played African games. In China, they read a story. In Japan, they had to take off their shoes to enter the room and learned how to write their names in Japanese. Then, we ended the day by flying back to Venezuela and writing postcards to tell their friends or family where they went that day.

 

Third Grade

Preschool and Kindergarten

Flying Home

     March 7 was Venezuela Day. The students were divided into groups with someone from every grade level in the school. I walked around with one group most of the day. We had different stations where we learned games like trompo, how to dance salsa and merengue, and were quizzed on our knowledge of Venezuela. Then, we had to come up with a dance that the students were going to perform in front of the school in the afternoon. In the afternoon, we also decorated each door in the school with one state from Venezuela. My group decorated my door with the state Miranda, which is the only one with snow topped mountains. I learned just as much on Venezuela Day as my kids did!



My class, lined up to sing the national anthem

First grade girls in their beautiful Venezuelan dresses

Working on our door

Dance performance

Knock-out has been my kids' favorite recess game lately



A Very Long Carnival

     The marches and protests continue to some degree here in Venezuela. This week, there have been blockades being built to stop people from traveling or driving through the city. On Monday, school became online school because students were having difficulty getting to school and we were worried about them getting home due to the blockades. Tuesday and Wednesday continued with classes as usual. I even had all of my students in class on Wednesday! Then, President Maduro declared an early start to Carnival by saying that people could not work on Thursday and Friday. So now, our long weekend due to Carnival (we already had Monday and Tuesday off) became an extra long weekend that is really about a week long! There is also rumor that we may have Wednesday off for Chavez's death.

     From what I can understand, President Maduro declared these extra days off to help bring peace and rest. In the past, people have gone on vacation and forgotten about protests (or something like that). As a result, blockades have continued to be built and re-strengthened so that people can't leave for Carnival. I saw some of these blockades while I was out today. Some blockades are as simple as trash bags thrown in the streets. Others include palm branches, up righted metal grates from the streets, other metal, Christmas tress, more trash, and even mattresses. I also saw lots of signs while I was out saying, "I protest for..." There was even one that said, "We have shortages of everything except insecurity" with a picture of toilet paper. Protests seem to continue, but I don't know if they are worse, better, the same, or just different than before.

     What is Carnival? Carnival is a holiday that is linked to Easter and Ash Wednesday. It is always the celebrated the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. It was originally meant to be a time of feasting and partying before Lent. Most people (at least the ones I know) seem to celebrate it by going on vacation or to visit family or friends or to just relax since they have a four day weekend. I have also heard that people throw water balloons at each other. Today, I realized another thing about Carnival: kids dress up in costumes. In the states, kids dress in costumes on Halloween. Most kids don't do that for Halloween here, but they do for Carnival.

Can you see the monkeys? We also saw lots of birds, a sea otter,
crocodile, sloths, and turtles. Some were wild, and some were at a zoo.

     I'm enjoying this long weekend by relaxing, working on some school work, and doing different things with some of my friends and teammates. On Thursday, I relaxed at home, read, worked out with friends, and had people over for dinner. Yesterday some people from church and school came over for s'mores and worship. Today, I went to a huge park for the first time with some friends. Tomorrow I'm looking forward to church and lunch out.

Prayer Requests and Praises
-God continues to keep us safe!
-God provides relaxing time, working time, supplies, and everything in perfect timing!
-All fourteen of my students were at school on Wednesday!
-I went to a park that I've wanted to go to for months!
-Encouragement has been pouring down on me!
-Our director is back from the job fair and was able to interview several people!
-God continues to grow me at just the right times!
-I was able to go to the bank and get some checks deposited (this is difficult for me here)!
-We have several positions open for next year. Pray for our director as he continues to interview and chose who to give offers to. Also pray for the right people to hear and respond to God's calling.
-Pray for my students during this long break: safety, relaxation, and a desire to work when school starts again.
-Pray for my relationships with people here as they continue to grow.
-Pray for my continued growth in my relationship with God.
-Pray for my students as they continue to learn about respect, love, and friendship.
-Pray for us not to become bored or lazy during our break but to continue to find ways to use this time to serve God.


Here is a new favorite song: Hear Us from Heaven. We sing this song in Spanish at church. Last night, we sang it in English during our worship time. It fits perfectly with what has been going on.