Friday Faux Pas

Friday afternoon my students were taking their English test during the last period of the day. I was hoping that they'd be able to finish with enough time to get all the desks, chairs, and boards into my office before dismissal. About halfway through class an alarm went off. I noticed it, but then decided to ignore it thinking it was something out on the road (which is about 15 feet outside our classroom door). A few more seconds went past before one of my students said, "Miss Mapes, that's the fire alarm." Oh....I quickly told the students to get up and head outside. I grabbed my attendance book and headed for the door behind the students. I felt really embarrassed that I had "ignored" the fire alarm. I'd never heard it before and it wasn't very loud compared to the fire alarm at my previous school. Turns out that pastor wanted to have a surprise fire drill to see how quickly everyone could get out (it was a surprise alright!). Everyone was able to get out in less than 2 minutes. He congratulated everyone on the quick response and I just chuckled to myself! Despite the interruption my students finished their test and helped move everything before dismissal. Now I know what they fire alarm sounds like. If we have another drill I'll be prepared! :O)

Sintra Sights...and weekend happenings

Saturday my roommate Gina and I were taken on a tour of Sintra, Portugal! The Portuguese teacher along with his wife and daughter took us out for lunch - traditional chicken, salad, and french fries. The chicken was delicious and it was fun to experience some of the Portuguese culture. After lunch Danilo, Ava, and Sara took us through the center of Sintra. Sara is one of the students in my 8th grade class. There are a few pictures of from the town center. Lots of little shops were off the streets that twisted and turned around corners.

We got to walk through a fancy hotel that's part of the Tivoli chain. It was fun to see the ornate decorations and furniture. The walls were painted with different scenes and in some rooms the paintings went up onto the ceiling. There was a double staircase that reminded us all of a fairytale.

Our afternoon finished off with a drive over the mountains to the coast. Some of the roads were so narrow (they'd only pass for a one way road back home), but oncoming traffic would come barreling past us. Most Portuguese drivers are excellent at maneuvering in tight spots! The countryside was beautiful and fun to get some of the history from our tour guides. Two of the beaches were stopped at are considered some of the best for surfers. It was fun to see some surfers in the water catching waves in. At the last beach we drove by I saw some paragliders! That brought back fun memories of my paragliding experience in the Alps. It was fun to see more of Portugal and also get to know Danilo, Ava, and Sara better. Danilo and his wife don't speak much English so Sara was our translator and did a great job.

The sun shining on the water was beautiful and I snapped a few pictures along the road on our drive back.

Saturday night I got to babysit for Robb and Anna - the couple who teaches in the high school. They have 3 kids. The girls were so excited to have me come and didn't wan to go to bed. We were in the middle of a game so I let them stay up a few minutes later than their bedtime. It was fun to play with them and give their parents a chance to go out.

After church today the Pastor and his wife had lunch for some of us. It was a delicious traditional Portuguese dish with fish, potatoes, onions, and hard boiled eggs served over rice. I enjoyed the lunch and the fellowship too. It's been a busy weekend, but I've enjoyed having a chance to get out and see some more of this area and get to know people better.

January Happenings

Well...the time has slipped by and I've been bad about updating you on what's been going on. I've settled back into my routine at school. This past week the high school and middle school had midterm exams. I was busy getting those tests written and then graded this weekend. The tests are all graded and I'm just about finished with report cards! To celebrate the end of the 2nd quarter my class had a fun afternoon on Wednesday since Thursday and Friday were both half days with teacher in-service in the afternoons. I brought in some chocolate chip cookie dough and baked fresh chocolate chip cookies for my class. Some of my students had never had a chocolate chip cookie before! They were gobbled up quickly so I think they enjoyed them! My class also had a ping pong tournament (I came in 2nd place), played volleyball and the "bowl game", and enjoyed some time outside.

It seems we're getting a break from the cold, rainy winter season here. We went quite a few days without seeing much of the sun - but the weekend has been beautiful with lots of sunshine. When I'm out for a walk and end up taking off my coat - people just stare at me like I 'm crazy. I suppose the cold is relative. It still makes me smile to see people all bundled up in 50 degree temperatures!

Last night I enjoyed some time with the Santos family. Marcia made a delicious chili dinner. We had lots of fun playing some new games the boys had gotten for Christmas - Indiana Jones Life game and a Portuguese version of Monopoly with credit cards (much more high tech than what I grew up with!). Lucas and I were on a team for Monopoly and managed to beat the others!

My visa situation seems to be settled. I paid a visit to the SEF office again (on my birthday of all days!) and the lady we spoke with was very nice and helpful. She said there would be no problem to come back at the end of my 90 day tourist visa to get an extension till I leave at the end of June. I'll be able to keep using the tourist visa rather than apply for a long term visa between now and June. God is good and I'm thankful that that issue seems to be resolved.

There's No Place Like Home!

It's been a busy 2 weeks! I was so thankful for the opportunity to fly home during my Christmas break. My flight went smoothly and was not affected by the east coast snow storms since I flew in and out of Chicago. I left Rochester in the middle of a snow storm Sunday morning and am amazed at how the planes are able to cope with the snow, cold temps, and blizzard-like conditions. I arrived back in Portugal on Monday about noon without any problems. I still have to report in to the office in town and will get more information about the next steps to take with my visa.

My time in Rochester certainly went by quickly. What a blessing family and friends are. I had a great time celebrating Christmas with my family. We were ALL together including Grandma Managan from North Carolina. I enjoyed seeing my sister Kim and her husband Jason. I can't wait to meet my little nephew when he arrives in March. I was able to feel him moving and kicking - and can't wait to see pictures when he is born. Ellen and Allison made room for me at the apartment and it was great to be back with them. The string quartet played at Chapel Oaks, my grandparents senior living place and I also got the chance to play with the worship team at church. My mom outdid herself planning, preparing, and cooking for all of us. I enjoyed lots of favorite foods while I was home. Dad took me on a few tours to see the progress in the new worship center at church. It's exciting to see the progress since August and how it's all coming together! I was able to get together with many friends and catch up on what's been happening the past few months. I'm so thankful for friendships that bring me encouragement and those I was able to see! Another highlight of my visit home was getting to meet little Elijah VanHeukelum. He is the sweetest little baby and loved by his big brother and sister.

Spending time together with friends and family, laughing, and playing games were some of my highlights from the trip home. After looking through my pictures I realized that I didn't do a very good job of taking my camera everywhere I went - oops - Allison gets the credit for taking most of these (thanks Al)!

A new year has begun. God has seen me through many changes in 2009. I'm thankful for His faithfulness and strength each step of the way. I look forward to the new adventures that await in 2010. Happy New Year!

Christmas Program

In preparation for Christmas my class helped put up decorations in the chapel since that's my classroom during the week. It was a group effort to put up the tree last week and decorate it with 8 different opinions flying. :O) My class was also put in charge of building the stable for the Christmas program. We were able to use some branches that someone in the neighborhood had put out for the trash pick up. The stable came together nicely and added a great visual. We hung a green cloth behind the branches to cover up the piano - it was a nice finishing touch.

Friday night the Christmas program went well. There was a large crowd and the kids were excited. One student almost fainted toward the end of the performance. Another student had an upset stomach and threw up during the reception afterwords. Overall, the program went well and seemed to be well received by the parents. The teachers were pleased with the night and glad for the opportunity to have the gospel clearly presented.

Sickness continues to spread through the school. I had another 2 students out sick today. I think I've had almost every student out sick in the last 2 weeks. I'm very thankful that I continue to be healthy. Just 3 and half more days to go! Can't wait to be home with family and friends to celebrate Christmas!

Circus - Lisbon - Boca do Inferno

The past 3 days have been filled with lots of exciting outings. First of all Sunday night I was invited to go to the circus. My friends got free tickets and had an extra. The Victor Hugo Circus was in Lisbon. It didn't include lions, tigers and bears but I did see lions, elephants, and horses along with multiple acrobats, a trapeze artist, clowns, and motorcycle daredevils. My favorite act was one of the acrobat groups that did some amazing stunts!

Monday morning I got a phone call telling me that school was canceled because half of our teachers (4 out of 7 full time staff) were sick with the flu. I had to make phone calls to the students on my phone tree list to notify them that school was canceled. My roommate and I decided to do some exploring in downtown Lisbon. We rode the train in and spent a few hours window shopping and taking in the scenery.

Today was a National Holiday and another day off of school. Gina, my roommate took me to see Boca do Inferno which translates to "The Mouth of Hell". It's about a 3 mile walk from our apartment past downtown Cascais along the coast. The water crashes inland and has carved out some caves leaving a cliff of rocks. The water is a beautiful greenish blue color.

Tomorrow is back to school - it was nice to have an extra long weekend. So far I've managed to stay healthy - hoping that continues with all the sickness going around! Pray for the kids and teachers to be healthy for the Christmas program this Friday night!

Thankful Thoughts...

I had a nice Thanksgiving even though it didn't work out quite the way I had planned. I really enjoyed having the time off from school to rest my leg and be away from the normal day routine. It was quiet around the apartment, but I know that's what God had planned for me. I enjoyed spending my time reading, watching TV, eating, and of course sleeping!

I am thankful for many things even being in a different place away from family this year. I'm thankful for God, for my family, for friends (new and old), for how God provides, the gift of laughter, encouragement that comes in different ways, enjoying the beautiful sunshine, the gift of music, and for my health. Having to use crutches for the last 10 days made me realize just how much the ability to walk is something that I take for granted. Even though I've experienced so many new things in the last 5 months I know that God has been the one thing that hasn't changed and that gives me stability, confidence, and a rock to depend on.

I'm looking forward to celebrating Christmas with family and friends in Rochester. Two weeks from today I'll be flying home. There's a lot going on at school in the next 2 weeks. Our Christmas program is this coming Friday. The Christmas program is a great opportunity for us to share the Christmas story with unsaved parents. You could be praying for that to impact hearts and lives. There are other end of the year events the following week including the teachers vs. students soccer game. The kids still want me to play in the soccer game on Dec. 15th, I said I'd wait and see how my leg is doing. I've been off crutches for the last 2 days and trying to take it easy. So far so good - my leg is quite the rainbow of colors though (I decided not to put a picture of it up on my blog so I don't gross anyone out). :o) Happy December to everyone!