Sept. 3 - Friday

Oh, I am sooooooooo happy it is Friday and we have the weekend to "regroup"!!! We made it through the first week. This week was three days because we started on Wed. Next week is four days because Ramadan ends on Friday of next week, so the parties will start on Friday!! Then the following week we will actually go all five days! .....a nice way to ease into the year!

We were all bushed at the end of this week! But we had a meeting at the end of the day with the new Middle School/ Temporary Elementary Principal. She is just arriving now because she fell last month and broke BOTH ankles...shattered one of them! Ouch!!

I'm bummed that I can't include photos tonight. I left the cord to hook my camera to the computer at school today....rats! I'm bummed because Marcia and I took some GREAT photos on our way home tonight. Marcia had heard we had an actual grocery store here in our little village (not just a hunut - a small store to get a few things....bread, milk, sodas...), so we drove around our little place here (Dar Bouzza) and looked for it. Well....we never found it if it exits, but we did see a lot of other very cool stuff. I'll put the photos on my blog tomorrow for you! I'm sure you'll get a kick out of them.

School went well again. I like my class. I miss my small class of 12 in Steamboat. Twelve is just such a wonderful number to be able to really have one-on-one time with each child all day long. I have 24 this year and it is hard to touch base with each one. The Middle School kids seem to be giving those teachers a hard time. Marcia (my roommate) is the one that got the art job I had applied for and she really has her hands full. First of all, she is just starting the elementary art program at the school. They have had Middle and High School, but nothing for 6th and down. They hired her and then sort of "forgot" that the class might need some art supplies....she started out with nothing and is slowly gathering a few. She is a real trooper! Also, she has the three yr. old class, through the 8th grade, plus one high school drawing class! That's 12 grades and 24 classes to prepare for......I'm thinking God was looking out for me by giving me 2nd grade!! :)

Speaking of Marcia, we are the only two living in our place. We like our little villa quite well and we are doing great together! We do most things together and enjoy a lot of the same things, so that is wonderful. She just got off Skype with her Dad a little bit ago.....he says hi to me when he calls too! It kind of makes me miss my Mom and Dad, but nice to know he is back home and thinking of us!!

Well, I'll hang it up for tonight and include photos tomorrow or Sunday for you. I'm meeting my co-teacher (Gail Shen) to work on lesson plans sometime this weekend and will get my camera cord then.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! I LOVE hearing from you all...email, fb...however....soon we will get our phone hooked up and I will be able to call you that way too. Please know that I think of all of you often and miss you! xo Jill