Colegio Bethel

This is Colegio Bethel in Pifo. Colegio is the Spanish word for secondary school. I originally thought of it as high school...but discovered that there are 8th graders on the campus. This campus was originally an hacienda which is the Spanish word for ranch or farm. It was built in 1882. The mission team that I joined has been coming here to do various work projects for the past 9 years. This year there were two projects underway: building a basketball court and repairing and painting adobe walls.The little girl in the picture is named Shirley. She lives with her parents and sister on the campus of Colegio Bethel. Her parents are the caretakers of the place. Shirley's mother, Monica cooks for the students and staff. Shirley is named after the woman standing on the right. She has been coming down with her husband Rich (holding little Shirley) and leading the mission team for 9 years now.This is Monica cooking chicken for us in an oven that it is about 110 years old. The meal turned out to be fabulous!At every meal Ecuadorians serve this sauce called aji (pronounced Ah-hee). I guess it is their version of salsa. It is quite spicy. They pretty much put it on everything. I have put it on my rice here.On Tuesday of the first week, the students of the school gathered together to give us a welcome presentation. They played music and sang for us. They also wanted one of us to get up and share a testimony. I ended up being volunteered. I gave part of it in Spanish and part of it in English. Luckily I had George to help me out with translating. Although I did very well with my Spanish, I am hardly what you would call fluent. They must have liked it because they laughed at all of my jokes.Here is the beginning of our painting/scraping/repairing job of the adobe walls. This is Frank. Frank is a very special man of God. He has been coming to Ecuador for 9 years and all of the people love him. I will post more about him later.
Working with Ecuadorians on a major job can be quite interesting (and a little frustrating). They may not have any of the tools that you need...or they may see a job as "good enough" when it is not (by American standards). Their method of completing a job might be the most impractical way of doing it that can be imagined. We were warned of this before we even left the USA and told to just smile and do it their way. Enough said. I will say that the people I met in Ecuador must be some of the most cheerful and down to earth individuals around.

Mount Antisana

This is the view of the village of Papallacta. It was taken from the guest house in which we stayed. It rained almost the entire time that we were in Ecuador. Some of us started to joke that we would need to go back to Rochester in order to get some sun.Here is the guesthouse that we stayed in during most of our time in Ecuador.
Near the village of Papallacta is this huge volcano called Antisana. We were able to take a quick peek at only part of it one day while returning to Papallacta. Apparently it is quite a site to see when the clouds clear away and you can see it in it's entirety. What little I saw of it was quite breathtaking. George, our guide has used Antisana as an example of how God can seem in our lives. On most days, you cannot see Antisana. It is too cloudy. It is very easy to even forget that it exists. You can go about your daily life thinking that what you see is all there is...and you can even be mesmerized by the beauty of what is around you...sometimes thinking that is enough. The mountain range is beautiful, but when Antisana comes out...the mountains are dwarfed by it's majesty. God is the same way. He's is always there...although we cannot always see Him. Sometimes we forget that He is there, putting our attention on the things of this Earth and thinking that what we can see is all there is. The reality is is that God is so much more amazing than anything on this earth and He is always there...even on the cloudiest of days.This is a picture that I borrowed from Creative Commons. I traveled on this road every single day that I stayed in Ecuador...but never saw this mountain. I could only see the mountains in the foreground and didn't even know that Mt. Antisano was there until George told me. Don't forget that God is always there and to also remind others of His presence.
Photo by L.Marco_Ramahlo: Creative Commons.

Ecuador-4/3/11

I am back from my trip to Ecuador. I have so much to say. It was an amazing experience. I was unable to blog about it as it happened because we stayed in a very remote area that had no access to internet connection at all. During the day we worked in Pifo...but didn't have any time to sit in front of a computer...which I would have had to walk a few blocks to do anyway. I managed to speak to my family by telephone about four times during my two weeks in Ecuador. Each time I wanted to call them, I had to walk a few blocks to pay for the use of the telephone in a little store.
This is the house in Quito that we stayed in on our very first night. It is run by a missionary couple from the US. They host many short term missionaries or the family members of missionaries...or anyone who comes to visit HCJB radio in Quito. It was a beautiful place to stay. The couple fixed us breakfast in the morning and then we were on our way up into the Andes mountains to begin our adventure.
Before heading into the mountains, we stopped at HCJB Radio headquarters in Quito. We picked up some supplies that we needed and saw a bit of the complex. Click on the link to read about HCJB to learn about that amazing ministry.
Here is our team in front of the Buen Pastor Church in Pifo. The man to the far left is George, our missionary guide. He works for HCJB radio in Quito.
We went out to eat after church with the pastor and his family. Isn't this food absolutely gorgeous? It tasted delicious too.This is Pastor Romero. He is the pastor of the Buen Pastor church in Pifo. "Buen Pastor" means good shepherd in Spanish.A house in Pifo.A street in Pifo.Before heading to our home base in Papallacta, we went to Tumbaco to buy groceries. This was a fairly modern grocery store. We also purchased groceries for several families of Compassion children that are sponsored by people in our church. It was quite an undertaking loading the groceries onto the bus.That is our bus driver, Luis in the window as one of the grocery store workers hands him a box of groceries.
I will post more tomorrow with some specifics of what we did during the week.

Leaving...on aJet Plane

I'm not sure if I mentioned it before on this blog...but I'm going to Ecuador for 2 weeks on mission trip with my church. I'll be taking pictures and I hope to share a little here. I'm posting this in a hurry because I'm actually leaving for the airport in a about an hour and half. Adios!

Brings back sweet memories....

I got tired of seeing the same old post on my blog. I thought I'd post a new one. I decided I would use the first picture that came up in my file of pictures on my computer. I'm glad this one came up! That's my father playing one of his banjos and that is my son Allen standing behind him. I really miss my dad. Tonight I was singing "The Old Apple Tree" while I fixed dinner and of course I was thinking of him and how he sang that song...that one and many others. I miss hearing his music. This weekend he got to welcome my mother's Uncle Louie to heaven. Uncle Louie passed away Saturday morning. He was 101 years young.

More Reminders

Yesterday I subbed at a primary school. I subbed for an ESL/special ed teacher. It was an interesting day. Hats off to teachers who do this every day...because I couldn't do it. Among the children I interacted with yesterday were twin girls. They are in first grade and know almost no English. I believe they are new to the district by only a month or so. They came accompanied by a young man whose job it is to attend to them on a 1-2 basis, helping them do pretty much everything. He is fluent in Spanish so this helps teachers with communication barriers. It was painfully obvious that these little girls are not nurtured and cared for the way that everyone ought to be. They are dirty and unkempt. The ESL teacher told me that she has spent time brushing and fixing the girls' hair in the morning...as it is usually snarled and matted. What broke my heart also, was noticing that it is far more than a language barrier that these little girls face as a challenge every day. I had worked earlier in the day with a little girl from Puerto Rico. She had just moved to the USA over the summer. She is bright eyed and eager to learn and can already speak and write surprisingly well. She was a delight to work with. By contrast, the other two had dull eyes and seemed uninterested in interaction, barely making eye contact. Their aid told me that they seem barely able to even speak their own language. They were difficult to keep on task, they were frequently getting up and wandering about the room. They did not seem to understand boundaries-touching, picking up or opening things around the room. We had to keep saying thinks like, "No. Don't touch. That is not yours. Come sit down." They seemed like toddlers. I feel bad because they have been dealt such a bad hand in life. I wished that I could start it over for them with a better hand. I am thankful for people like Christine and John who have helped do this for so many. The aid and I tried to engage the little girls in play. We brought out some dolls for them to play with, trying to get them to interact with us verbally in either Spanish or English. We got almost nothing in return. I drew pictures for them of small animals. If they would repeat the English word for the animal, they were allowed to color it. I drew a frog and one little girl said, "coqui," which is the word for frog in Puerto Rico. (interestingly, the word "coqui" is not used in any other Spanish speaking country-"rana" is.) We allowed her to color it. This sad encounter made me think up a whole new list of things that I take for granted. I thank God for the following:
-a wonderful family
-a sharp mind.
-a nice home
-people who have loved and nurtured me all of my life.
-the ability to love and nurture others.
-clean hair and clothes
-nice clothes
-good shoes
-a warm coat
-gloves
-boots
-the ability to communicate and interact with others
-my shower
-smoke free and drug free environment
-an education
-stability in the home I grew up in
-church family
-good parents
-discipline, direction, guidance, instruction
-boundaries
-things to eat today
In light of my story, what can you think of to add? Please add to my list in the comments.

Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress

Seeking Joy

There probably is a reason that my sister gave me a copy of One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. I forget to be thankful and find joy. Today I Googled the word "encouragement" and ended up here. I suppose that this wasn't an accident either. I have been very discouraged lately. I often feel like I am running on a treadmill...not getting anywhere. Here is a list of gifts from God that I am thankful for.They are in no particular order. They are just in the order in which they came to my mind.

-My yellow lab leaning against my legs while I sit on the sofa
-A cup of coffee with a hint of vanilla
-My children laughing together
-My teenage son singing
-Recordings of my father's banjo, harmonica and singing
-friends coming to visit
-libraries
-an afghan that my mother crocheted
-the honking of Canada geese flying over the house
-the Finger Lakes region of NY state (I am blessed to live in so much beauty)
-wood burning stoves
-watching birds at the feeder
-the Adirondack Mountains
-the gentle and rhythmical clanking of a something with a zipper in my drier
-fresh air

Sneak Peek

My son has been working hard practicing for his high school musical. Last week they performed the opening scene in the food court of a local mall. It was a lot of fun. Come see the show at Canandaigua Academy!
Friday and Saturday, March 11 & 12th at 7:30, Sunday March 13th at 2:00.
Friday and Saturday, March 18 & 19th at 7:30, Saturday March 19th at 2:00.

Allen is wearing a striped hoodie sweatshirt with a red shirt underneath. He is on the right side of the video.

Where is my sketch journal?

I have been very busy substitute teaching every day. I have not been working on my art work much lately. I miss it. Feel free to visit my art blog with the flower painting link on the left. You won't find anything new...but you can enjoy the old.
I must admit that these apples almost look good enough to eat. I say almost since I outlined them in black ink. Kind of loses the realness (is that a word?) with the outline. Click on the picture to enlarge to take a look. Maybe I'll have to get those colored pencils out again!

Subbing Hats!

So I am finally subbing. Yesterday I was reading and discussing Hamlet with 12th graders...today I was supervising UPK students (mostly 4 year olds) while they glued hearts onto cardboard bracelets that they made. I wear many hats!

Trying to stay busy...I hate just sitting around

I have been a terrible blogger lately. I know...I'm letting hundreds of readers down by not being here more regularly. Ha ha... seriously...to all three of my regular readers, my regards for disappointing you.

Now that I have completed my master's degree in library science and do not have a job as of yet, I am finding new and creative ways to entertain myself. The first thing I have done is to volunteer to help with costumes for the middle school musical. Both of my daughters are in the show. I invite you all to attend it. They are doing "My Son, Pinocchio." Show times are as follows at Canandaigua middle School:

Friday 2/4, 7:30 pm
Saturday 2/5, 2:00 and 7:30 pm
Sunday 2/6, 2:00 pm

(If you come, pay close attention to the donkey ear hats...I spent a considerable amount of time sewing 12 of them. Also, one fox ear hat. And the creating of 9 animal nose t-shirts...don't ask.)

If that wasn't enough, I went to the parent meeting for the high school musical that my son is in. I had told myself that I was not going to volunteer for that one since I am up to my ears (no pun intended) with the Middle School musical...but I felt pity for the poor woman who stood up and said how they desperately need help with costumes. As soon as I am done working on the middle school show, I will begin participating in costume making for the high school. I must say that I really look up to my friend Kathy who is in charge of costumes for the middle school show. She makes all the important decisions and I just do what she asks (or tells) me to do.

This week I also attended my first school library conference. I really enjoyed myself, learned a lot and met many new people. Hopefully I will be employed by a school sometime within the next year and putting all of this knowledge to good use. Never mind my family's snide remarks about the conference. It was all said in jest of course and I can appreciate the humor. Here are some samples of what my husband and son have suggested goes on at one of these library conferences.

Husband (on a possible seminar title): "The Dewey Decimal System and You."
Son (his best stab at the same): "Should Bifocal Necklaces Be Allowed in School...or Do They Pose a Safety Threat?"
Son (his imagination of conversation during the conference...done in a falsetto voice): "I find that if I twist my hair first, it stays in a bun much better."

I have also been trying to get my name onto sub-lists for a few different school districts. One school district...which shall remain anonymous...told me that I am not qualified to sub in their district because I do not yet have my official certificate from NY state. (This was after filling out a ton of paperwork and being interviewed by a vice principal.) I told them that I have a written letter from my university stating that I have completed all requirements for certification and that I will be recommended for certification. Apparently this letter is not good enough for this school district. Who knows how long it will be before good old NY state gives me my certification? I told this story to the Naples School librarians who I ate lunch with during the conference, and they all suggested that I come down and put my name on their list because they are seriously short of subs. I will be doing that sometime this week.

Another thing I did this week was to read the book, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. This was a book that was banned from me in my past and I just had to read it since I was so curious about why it was so terrible. (especially since I plan on becoming a school librarian) I have to say that I really liked the book! I can see how it would generate a lot of good discussion in an English class and make the church lady mad. (P.S. I am not trying to be disrespectful...I was just picturing the church lady on Saturday Night Live from years ago.)

I guess that about wraps it up for me.

bitter cold NY weather

Yesterday it was -3°F...which is the equivalent of -19°C. Yep...it was pretty cold!

So this morning when I went out to drive my daughters to school, it was about 25°F and it felt downright balmy!

A new Friend

Hi everyone! I have been trying to brush up on my Spanish since I will be taking a trip to Ecuador in April. In order to help with that, I set up an account at busuu.com where you can practice speaking with native speakers of the language you are trying to learn. I have chatted online with someone from Venezuela, but we could not speak live because his microphone did not work. It was just as well, because I am not very good. Typing out the conversation gave me a chance to think out the language a little more slowly while conversing.

Last night while I was on the site, a young woman from China contacted me to help her with her English. Her name is Grace and she lives in Hunan Province. I think it was the city of Changsha (is that right, Grace?). I told her I would post in her honor today. We had a wonderful little chat over Skype. I enjoyed meeting her. She showed me a couple of pictures of the area in which she lives. Here they are.

I think it would be quite impressive to see these tall cliffs in person. This first picture reminds me a little of Chimney Bluffs here in New York State. Grace, here is a picture of Chimney Bluffs along the shore of Lake Ontario.
Here is the other picture she sent me.

It looks like a very peaceful place to be. If it were not for the snow, I could almost hear the gentle twittering of birds in the trees. Here is a comparable picture of the Japanese Garden at Sonnenberg Gardens here in Canandaigua, NY. It is very close to where I live, only a few blocks away.
While I know Grace is Chinese and not Japanese, I thought the pictures were pretty similar.
I hope I get another chance to talk with Grace again.
(photos: the Japanese Gardens-Jason Roberts, Chimney Bluffs-tooshy, China pictures-Grace)

Didn't Your Mother Read to You?

Another fun thing we did in Boston was to go over to the Public Garden and find the sculpture of the ducks that honors Robert McCloskey. His book, Make Way for Ducklings, won the Caldecott Medal in 1942.

I've been disappointed by a few people who have told me that they have never heard of this book! (including my husband!) Luckily all three of my children knew exactly what I was talking about when I mentioned the book. In fact, it was Allen who insisted that we go find the sculpture. Makes a librarian proud!

The Old State House

This is the Old State House in Boston. Right in front of it is where the Boston Massacre took place in March 5, 1770.
Here is Alicia standing next to a model of it. I should have thought these posts out better. I would have put the picture of me with John Hancock's outfit here because it was taken inside of this building.
This is Priscilla Melvill. She was married to Thomas Melvill, a participant in the Boston Tea party. He was present during the Boston Massacre.

Following the Freedom Trail

We went on a trip to Boston a few weeks ago. I highly recommend you visit the city if you haven't before. They have this really cool freedom trail that you follow through the city. It takes you to several places of significant U.S. history.
Here I am looking at an outfit that was once owned by John Hancock. He was quite a nice dresser I think!
This is Paul Revere's house. It is the oldest residence in Boston. It was slated for demolition in the early 1900's, but luckily a group of people worked to save it.
This is the Old North Church. It is the church where lanterns were lit from the church's steeple to warn the people of Boston that the British were coming.
A statue of Paul Revere.
Audra and Allen encounter a minute man.
More to come!

Rolling!

Here are my children rolling down Bunker Hill in Boston!

Desperately Seeking Order!

This is what happens when you must empty an entire bathroom of it's contents...plus that of another room into your living room. All this was done just prior to Thanksgiving in order to begin the gutting of an old bathroom and construction on a new full bathroom in it's place, along with a brand new half bathroom that never existed before. Was that a run-on sentence?
It reduces you to a much smaller living space and a pile of toiletries in your kitchen.

In the mean time, I really love my functional new tub and shower! I know it will all be worth it in the long run. I have waited 10 years for nice bathrooms...so I suppose I can endure this.

Today my job includes setting up a mini Christmas tree in the one room where we are able to gather together...and straighten and clean what I can.

Second Practicum

Like I said in my last post, I have not blogged in forever. I know I am letting countless people down lately! Seriously, for all four of my faithful readers, I shall do a recap of my life this fall beginning with my second practicum placement. This recap probably will take a few days.
I spent four weeks at this high school and absolutely loved it! I really enjoy working with high school students. The staff here is wonderful and I learned so much. During the majority of my time here, I worked with tenth grade students who were doing a research project on environmental issues. I helped teach them search techniques, how to evaluate sources (particularly websites) and how to cite their sources. I felt much more comfortable with this age group than with the younger children...although I know I could do that job well too.
The librarian I worked with has a wonderful sense of humor. You really must have a sense of humor to work everyday with students. She is a collector of amusing sayings and fun little toys that she has at her desk. Here is a picture of one of her favorites (and mine too)...the stress reduction kit that is necessary for every school librarian. Click on the image to read it. She has a great collection of toys at her desk that the kids enjoy playing with. She says it is a wonderful way to get kids to come to the desk and talk with her. They play with the toys (wind up toys, a shushing librarian action figure, bean bags with faces that talk upon impact, etc.) and stand at her desk and just chat with her. The kids really respond well to her sense of humor.
While I was working there, Halloween came and went. It is a tradition in this school for all the staff to dress up and parade before the student body on the morning of Halloween. Every year there is a theme. This year's theme was "fairy tales, folk tales or fables." Here we are dressed up as one of Aesop's fables: The Fox and the Crow. Click on the title of that fable if you are not familiar with the story. Jacquie (the librarian) is dressed as Aesop and is holding a fox puppet. Kathy who works in the library too is the crow. I am dressed as a piece of cheese...thanks to my second cousin, Kim who lent me the cheese hat. I wish I had a group picture of the rest of the teachers. We had Little Red Riding Hood, Granny, the Witch, Paul Bunyan, many of the seven dwarfs, Snow White, the troll for Billy Goats Gruff,...I can't even remember what else. It was a lot of fun.
Besides having fun and really loving coming to work each day, I learned so much. Jacquie has a wealth of knowledge after over 30 years of being a school librarian. I hope I managed to soak up at least some of it. I enjoyed working with the students and with the teachers. I just cannot wait until i get a job of my own one day. I have completed my studies in School Libraries...and am now eligible to get a job. I do know of a few possibilities for next fall. Please say a prayer for me that I will find just the right job for me.
I have technically finished this practicum, but next week I get to go back to this same library because the ninth graders are doing an interesting project that Jacquie thought I would benefit from seeing. I can't wait to go back there!

One woman's battle against dust and clutter

I have not blogged in forever and I thought of this great idea this morning. Post something! Let the world know you are still alive!
My brother-in-law has been redoing our one and only bathroom...and creating a new powder room besides. So to sum up my life in just a few sentences.

1. Jamie, the kids and I empty one entire room into the living room. We need room for boxes that house bathtubs, toilets and also room for bro-in-law to put his tools and work.
   
2. Next, we empty the bathroom of everything in it that is not nailed down-into the living room.
   
3. There is dust and grime everywhere in the house because old plaster and lath walls have been demolished.
   
4. A toilet...covered in grime sits alone in an empty shell of a room...TP in a zip lock freezer bag. Makeshift dusty curtain covers the window.
5. No internet connection.
   
6. Showers arranged at various homes of friends and the YMCA for two days.
7. Lowes becomes our second home. We are on a first name basis with the guys who work in the kitchen and bath department. (Thanks Ken and Jeff!)
   
8. I cannot find my favorite lotion anywhere.
   
9. There are many things that no longer have a home-like toothpaste and contact solution.
10. We take a family trip to Boston to "get away" for 4 days. Had a fantastic time!
    
11. We come back to a functional new shower and a half dry-walled room!!!!
12. Still washing our hands in the kitchen after using toilet, but I'm not complaining. I am so happy to see our old awful bathroom getting redone!!!!
13. There are boxes and piles all over the house...has anyone seen the dictionary?
    
14. Drywall dust is NOT the worst kind of dust in the world. (Dust from 150 year old plaster and lath IS)
15. Luckily I have had a high school library to escape to every day...until Tuesday, when it ends. (bwah ha!!!! I miss it very much!)
    
16. We have internet connection again!
    
17. Drywall is all up in downstairs bathroom.
18. We finally get a permit to start construction on the powder room.
19. Walls of PR are being framed.
20. I decide to download all the wonderful pictures I have taken of the school I have worked at, Allen's X-country sectionals and our trip to Boston...and then blog about my adventures.
    
21. I cannot find my camera anywhere in this cluttered house!
22. I settle for a pictureless blog entry instead.