These last couple of days have been very challenging in my classroom. I'm really struggling to get these students to abide by my classroom rules. It's difficult, and I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the fact that I didn't start the year with them, but that I just came in after Christmas break. I'm learning a lot, though, and look forward to having my own classroom in the future.
With those challenges, I am even more excited than ever to have Luke coming to visit. It will be so nice to have my two boys with me for a bit. Although it will feel like old times, my heart will still feel a bit empty without the rest of my family nearby. One thing this trip has taught me, for sure, is how much I love being around my family. Just the normalness of it all...the random boring life of a 40 something year old woman is pure heaven to me...and I really can't wait to get back to it.
Luke comes in tomorrow mid-day. We're picking him up from the airport and heading straight to the beach where both he and Layne will take surfing lessons! We're staying the night at the beach tomorrow night and will return to Escazu on Sunday afternoon. Stay tuned for upcoming adventure updates (and pics) from the Ponce-Zwolle family!
Friday, March 28, 2014
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Letting me go
OMG....I am crying...my husband is the most amazing man I have ever known. He sent me a text telling me to listen to a song. I didn't know the song by the title, but when I youtube'd it (I know that's not a word) and heard it start playing, I recognized it.
Even though I'd heard it on the radio before, I never really listened to the words...now I felt like I needed to really listen to it. It is so powerful to know that there are lyrics to a song that someone associates with me. I guess I never really felt that I mattered much to the men in my life before, but my husband makes sure I know how much he loves me....he loves me so much that he "let me go" to chase a dream.....Now, I can't wait to be back home with him....click this link listen to this song (and try not to cry)....
http://youtu.be/RBumgq5yVrA
Even though I'd heard it on the radio before, I never really listened to the words...now I felt like I needed to really listen to it. It is so powerful to know that there are lyrics to a song that someone associates with me. I guess I never really felt that I mattered much to the men in my life before, but my husband makes sure I know how much he loves me....he loves me so much that he "let me go" to chase a dream.....Now, I can't wait to be back home with him....click this link listen to this song (and try not to cry)....
http://youtu.be/RBumgq5yVrA
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Saturday, March 23
Layne and I decided to go back to Jaco beach today...It seemed a lot hotter this time and even though we used sunscreen like we did the last time, we ended up with sunburn today :-(
I only took one picture today...On our way home on the bus, I saw a truck that reminded me of home so I had to take a quick picture....I couldn't believe that all the way down here in Costa Rica, I saw this truck....look at where it's from (if you can't read it...zoom in)....
Also, my friend who took the pics of Layne ziplining in Nicaragua was finally able to send them to me....These pics were taken mid February when we went to Ometepe, Nicaragua....
And, last but certainly not least....I found this little guy at school the other day and had to pick him up. I just thought he was so cute and you can tell how small he is by looking at his size in relation to my ring....Here leezard leezard leezard :-)
I only took one picture today...On our way home on the bus, I saw a truck that reminded me of home so I had to take a quick picture....I couldn't believe that all the way down here in Costa Rica, I saw this truck....look at where it's from (if you can't read it...zoom in)....
Also, my friend who took the pics of Layne ziplining in Nicaragua was finally able to send them to me....These pics were taken mid February when we went to Ometepe, Nicaragua....
And, last but certainly not least....I found this little guy at school the other day and had to pick him up. I just thought he was so cute and you can tell how small he is by looking at his size in relation to my ring....Here leezard leezard leezard :-)
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Jaco Beach
On Saturday Layne and I decided to go to the beach. We left the house at 5:30 and caught the 6:30 bus from San Jose to Jaco. The fare was about $5 per person one way, so it cost us $20 for the both of us to go to the beach. Very cheap (except for the food once we got there...next time we'll take a picnic). It's only about 1 and a half hours to the beach, so we were there by 8 a.m. The sand is volcanic black sand (Layne and I decided we like the white sand beaches in Florida better), but the water was so refreshing and clean (a few crabs and pebbles, but no jellyfish, seaweed, or trash at all). It was a beautiful scene.... We just relaxed all day and played a little. It wasn't long before Layne made a friend and started kicking a ball back and forth. The friend didn't speak any English, but they made it work. I'm so mad at myself because I took a video of them playing, but I accidentally deleted it...I know I'll never get that moment back, but at least I took a still shot, too.
We also rented a boogie board and took turns riding it....
We were going to take surfing lessons, but decided to wait until Luke gets here to do that together.
Here are links to two videos of Layne riding waves on the boogie board....
Layne on boogie board 1..... http://youtu.be/NvHe222zuXM
Layne on boogie board 2..... http://youtu.be/sSxOvGdI6ZQ
(Just thinking....I wonder why it's called a "boogie board")
I took this picture of a really rocky area off to the side.....When I took the pic, I knew Layne would want to go explore over there.....
So, wouldn't you know it....just a short time later....here we are....
And, of course, just standing on the rocks wasn't enough....here's video of Layne being Layne....
Layne exploring - Video 1.... http://youtu.be/NGDVRpj4HEs
Layne exploring - Video 2.... http://youtu.be/Kf2zzfuQRuo
Layne exploring - Video 3.... http://youtu.be/UEpRZsjTy1w
He wanted to get a still shot of him acting like The Little Mermaid on a rock....so, that's what we were trying for....His comment is, "The resemblance is uncanny, don't you think?"
What a great day it was! We'll definitely be going back to Jaco Beach!
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Layne is so funny!
So, Layne's been having a little bit of trouble with his online classes. He has emailed his teacher several times, but has not heard back from her. I told him to try to email her one more time, and if she didn't reply in the next day or so, that I would try to contact her. This is the email he sent her.....
"Mrs. _______,
I've sent you several emails but have not heard back. I am worried that these emails might not be going through. Please email me back saying "tuna sandwich" if you receive this. Again thank you for your time and effort.
-Layne Ponce"
I laughed and laughed and laughed!!!! He's so funny!
(Incidentally, she did reply....she had drafted a response to him previously, but forgot to hit the "send" button)
(Incidentally, she did reply....she had drafted a response to him previously, but forgot to hit the "send" button)
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Random stuff
So, I've seen a lot of random things that don't deserve whole posts to themselves. I'll put them here.
FIRES
In Costa Rica, many people still cook over an open fire. I know that seems so antiquated to us, but it's true. We saw it in Tortuguero and when I was in Uvita, a lady came up to the guy we were visiting and asked if he had any firewood that she could use for that evening. I can't imagine trying to cook my family's meals over an open fire. I mean, I enjoy it every once in a while if we go camping or something, but that's really a luxury because we're doing it for the fun of it, not for necessity.
MEAT
I know I mentioned that meat is very expensive here. There's a local grocery story called Mas por Menos (More for less) where we sometimes get groceries. On Wednesday's, Mas por Menos has a sale one meat. One of the teachers at the school took us over there one day and the line was really long of people waiting in line for the meat. That day it was chicken, but I saw some beef on the side, too. Also, if you want to purchase an already cooked chicken (like the rotisserie kinds you find in the grocery store in the U.S.), it'll cost you about $12.00. No lie. When I wanted one, I split it with another girl. Incidentally, I've lost 20 lbs since I've been here. I don't know if it's because of eating less meat or walking so much, but I'm glad it has happened.
ZONING
There is no zoning here. Or, if there is, no one abides by the laws. Walking down the street you'll see a house (a residence, anyway), a little store, another house, a cow, a business, a vegetable cart, then another store. All in a row with no spaces in between. I couldn't believe when I saw the cow up in the middle of it. It was funny.
SAN JOSE
One day we were walking down a center common area in San Jose. There were vendors all spread out in the middle. They had their wares laid out on blankets and were calling to passers-by. A lot of the products were things like socks, clothing, pirated DVD's (things that are still in the movie theater), etc. So, we're walking along and we hear a little commotion. It wasn't much, but then we saw way ahead of us two police officers on bicycles heading our direction. It was AMAZING to watch, in a matter of 10 seconds MAX, there was not one vendor still on the street. They simply disappeared. We were looking around trying to find them, but they obviously have mastered the art of picking up the illegal products and disappearing into the crowd. I've never seen anything like that before.
BANANAS
Did you know that it takes about 12 months for a bunch of bananas to be mature? I had no idea it took that long! They put these plastic bags over them to make them ripen quicker, but that only brings it down to about 9 months.
FIRES
In Costa Rica, many people still cook over an open fire. I know that seems so antiquated to us, but it's true. We saw it in Tortuguero and when I was in Uvita, a lady came up to the guy we were visiting and asked if he had any firewood that she could use for that evening. I can't imagine trying to cook my family's meals over an open fire. I mean, I enjoy it every once in a while if we go camping or something, but that's really a luxury because we're doing it for the fun of it, not for necessity.
MEAT
I know I mentioned that meat is very expensive here. There's a local grocery story called Mas por Menos (More for less) where we sometimes get groceries. On Wednesday's, Mas por Menos has a sale one meat. One of the teachers at the school took us over there one day and the line was really long of people waiting in line for the meat. That day it was chicken, but I saw some beef on the side, too. Also, if you want to purchase an already cooked chicken (like the rotisserie kinds you find in the grocery store in the U.S.), it'll cost you about $12.00. No lie. When I wanted one, I split it with another girl. Incidentally, I've lost 20 lbs since I've been here. I don't know if it's because of eating less meat or walking so much, but I'm glad it has happened.
ZONING
There is no zoning here. Or, if there is, no one abides by the laws. Walking down the street you'll see a house (a residence, anyway), a little store, another house, a cow, a business, a vegetable cart, then another store. All in a row with no spaces in between. I couldn't believe when I saw the cow up in the middle of it. It was funny.
SAN JOSE
One day we were walking down a center common area in San Jose. There were vendors all spread out in the middle. They had their wares laid out on blankets and were calling to passers-by. A lot of the products were things like socks, clothing, pirated DVD's (things that are still in the movie theater), etc. So, we're walking along and we hear a little commotion. It wasn't much, but then we saw way ahead of us two police officers on bicycles heading our direction. It was AMAZING to watch, in a matter of 10 seconds MAX, there was not one vendor still on the street. They simply disappeared. We were looking around trying to find them, but they obviously have mastered the art of picking up the illegal products and disappearing into the crowd. I've never seen anything like that before.
BANANAS
Did you know that it takes about 12 months for a bunch of bananas to be mature? I had no idea it took that long! They put these plastic bags over them to make them ripen quicker, but that only brings it down to about 9 months.
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