Semana dos

Hola amigos!

I have just finished my first week as a student teacher, and it has been absolutely wonderful! I continue loving and enjoying every minute of my time here. I am learning more and more spanish every day, which makes it more fun to communicate with the ticos (natives to costa rica) and other spanish speaking individuals. I haven't felt any culture shock since arriving in CR, but I anticipate having it when I get back to the States. I think it will be challenging going back to "normal" life after speaking both English and Spanish every day, keeping my guard up every time I walk out of the door so someone doesn't snatch my bag, and adjusting from anything else like converting money or getting around by only public transportation.

The Country Day School has a beautiful campus and a wonderful staff who have warmly welcomed us to their team. My cooperating teacher, Harlet Channer, has been so helpful, and we get along very well. I have already learned a lot from her and can tell that she has a lot of experience and knowledge in physical education. She is also great with the students, and they all love and respect her. I plan to begin teaching her lesson plans towards the end of this week, then making my own lesson plans the beginning of the third week. I am also helping Harlet with the high school boys volleyball team that she coaches on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which has been very fun so far and gives me a chance to have fun exercising (as opposed to running which is probably at the bottom of my list for ways to exercise). I'll switch to teaching 9th and 10th graders the last week of February until I finish all together on March 30.

This weekend has been very relaxing and refreshing. Yesterday (Saturday) the 5 of us went to Oky's country club to chill by the pool. Now this country club was one of the nicest country clubs I've ever been to (not that I've been to very many, but still). It had 5 pools, 3 story building with libraries, billiard rooms, and who knows what else, locker rooms made for the rich and famous, restaurants, and I could go on, but I think you get the idea. Needless to say, we all felt like we were celebs being there. Then we went to a Peruvian restaurant at the Multi Plaza (very large mall), and after we finished eating some of the best meals some of us have had on this trip, we walked around the mall and grabbed some gelato to finish the night off (I know, we're just wild like that).

Today Erica, Lauren, and I went to the International Baptist Church (I think one of the very few English speaking churches in the San Jose area). We arrived at 9:00 not knowing exactly what we would be doing (service or Bible study), but as we met a guy from Pennsylvania who invited us to come to the Sunday School class he goes to, so we did! Let me tell you, it was one of the most refreshing experiences of this whole trip; just soaking in God's word and His presence and learning about His greatness from others is the most revitalizing thing, and I see now how I can take those times of fellowship for granted back in the States. In the class, we went through 1 Peter verse by verse, and we picked up where they had left off in chapter 1 verse 17. The Sunday School teacher made so many connections to other parts of scripture and went so in depth with all of the verses (which I absolutely love). We made it through verse 21, and this is what I learned from only those 5 verses: throughout our temporary time in this world, we must live in fear, because we know that we are REDEEMED--set free by a cost, the death of Jesus Christ-- with the PRECIOUS blood of Christ--the ULTIMATE, UNBLEMISHED, UNSPOTTED lamb. And because we are redeemed, we take off the old man, we are renewed in the SPIRIT OF MY MIND, and we put on our new selves--created by God in true RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HOLINESS! So God knew about Jesus before the foundation of the world, right? So did you also know that Jesus made the world? I didn't....Heb 1:2. He was appointed heir of all things, then sent to the Earth to taste death, then raised from the dead by God, who gave Him (Jesus glory), but so our faith and hope are in GOD! I'm still trying to wrap my mind around all of that, but I think those connections are so cool!! Sorry this has been a bit long, but it's hard to sum up an entire week in a blog.

Last thought...during my own quiet time this week, I read through 1 Corinthians, and in ch. 2 v. 12 it says, "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God." I challenge you, as I challenge myself, ask Him to reveal to you his thoughts, and to not be afraid to say "so what" when reading scripture or talking to God, so that he can give you a deeper understanding of who he is.

Thank you again for the prayers; God has certainly protected my thus far, and has given me a sense of security in Him.