Strange Habits

Thoughts on a Thursday night (because I haven't been very diligent about blogging....)

I sometimes wonder if, when I eventually move back to the states, I will be that weird person who lived overseas for a while. I wonder if I have developed certain odd habits that will stick with me for years to come.

--Will I always try to be in bed before 9pm, because that's when the air conditioner turns off and I want to fall asleep before it gets too hot?
--When I want to call my parents will I reach for my computer to Skype instead of my phone?
--Will I still spray bug spray on, even when I live in a less-mosquito infested area?
--Will I feel the need to always have a mosquito net canopy above my head and an oscillating fan blowing on me?
--Will I always have an unhealthy fear of accidentally drinking water from the tap?
--Will I always have an unhealthy lack of fear of rats, because they're just part of life?
--Will I end all of my plans with "if ______________ is working"?  (the _______ being the car, internet, electricity, etc)

Honestly, that's about all I can think of. I'm sure there are dozens of more weird habits I have picked up, that I don't even realize anymore because they are so ingrained into my every day routine. I'm settled in to life here. I've adjusted to the different routines and ways to do things, so much so that they are no longer "different" but are now normal.

Just some thoughts from today. This afternoon a few of us are getting out of town this weekend to go camping in the mountains. We haven't been out of the city at all this semester and it will be fabulous to get into the mountains with the fresh, cool air and relax for a bit.....if the car is working :)

Update

Yikes, I stink at this whole blogging thing lately. Here are the highlights from the past few weeks:

Teaching

I am in my fourth week as the sixth grade teacher hereat QCS. It is exhausting and quite a change from last year. I plan, teach, and grade all subjects (except Science, I switch with the 5^th grade teacher for Science and Social Studies). We are also responsible for our kids at lunch (yep, supervise lunch every day), recess once a week and irregular planning periods while our kids are at specials. We also plan chapel a few times a year in addition to the other responsibilities. I knew it would be a lot of work, but I didn’t realize how exhausting it would be! It made my year teaching in the states (with mandatory planning periods and student-free lunches daily) look a lot easier. 

However, depsite all that (which, really, isn’t that bad) I’m enjoying this year so far. The students are getting into their routines and I am too. We are doing a new reading and writing curriculum which I just LOVE and I enjoy getting to teach Bible to my class each day. That is definitely something I wouldn’t be able to do in an American public school. 

Weather

A few weeks ago Isaac made his run through the Caribbean. We avoided the worst of it here in our neighborhood. Friday night we all got together to hang out and just waited for Isaac to arrive. The day at school had been crazy. Kids on edge and everyone glancing up at the sky seeing if there was any difference from the last time they looked up. The wind picked up significantly around 2pm and that’s when parents came to pick up their kids early. The afternoon was a wash with no one really focused on anything but Isaac. 

Friday night the wind and rain came in and the temperature dropped. I actually had a sweatshirt and sweat pants on and opened the windows to let the cool air in. The wind howled all night long and the rain poured steadily throughout the night and morning. Our faithful gate guard, Pierre, was on duty all night in what we call the “guard-shack,” faithfully serving. Jill took him coffee and eggs the next morning to warm him up. Pierre deserves his own post. That Friday night marked 20 years that he had been working at Quisqueya. Talk about dedication!

Community

Over the summer we had several members of our community leave to other places and adventures and we had a couple of people join us here on campus. The dynamic in the community is different, but just as good. 

The other night our director, who grew up in Japan, had a few of us over for an authentic Japanese meal. Boy, did we feast! We even got to roll the sushi! When I return to Dallas this summer I will be hitting up one of the many Asian markets and attempting this on my own. 

Cats

The cats (Jasper and Max) survived the summer! Jasper is my cat and Max belongs to my roommate. Jasper has been very ill-behaved and might find himself sold on the street soon. He has the gift of being able to escape in a Houdini-like manner from a room with closed doors and windows. We haven’t figured out where and how he is able to get out, but we’re working on it. The cats are, however, exceptionally cute and we have not seen a single mouse, cockroach, or lizard in our house this year so they must be doing their job.

Volleyball

Volleyball is up and running again! I won’t be able to be as involved as last year, but I will hopefully still make it to a practice or two a week. I’m so excited to hang out with these girls and watch them grow as a team and individuals. 

I think that’s about all that is happening right now. Haiti is still Haiti with it’s pros and cons. Hopefully I can be a little more diligent in my blogging in the coming weeks. Thanks for following along!