I’m sorry it’s been so long since I’ve updated my blog!
Not much can top my Rurrenebaque story (see blog post
below!) but I will inform you of some happenings in my life in La Paz!
Let's see, last weekend we had a staff retreat (also in a jungly part of Bolivia) a few hours away from La Paz. It was really nice to get away and experience the warmth and humidity of a lower altitude, play and rest and talk by a pool, and especially worship together and be fed with truth. I appreciated it a lot and was really blessed by it! Unfortunately, the cold that I had turned into a nasty infection! (I'm blaming the maybe not-so-chlorinated pool that I chose to put my head in when I had a cold.) But really, it was so hard to resist. I'm not the kind of girl that's concerned about keeping her hair dry or something. My mom has referred to me as a "fish" before.
My first graders and I have had a pretty good start to the
quarter. I gained one more student, Anett,
just last week—making the girl count now higher than the boy count (9 girls and
8 boys). It’s always challenging having
a student come in the middle of the school year, especially with no English. I am trying my best to engage her and
encourage her, and right now that can really only be done in Spanish. I’m glad I am at the stage where I at least
can say most basic conversational/1st grade level words and we’re
able to communicate. She’s had what
seems like a pretty easy transition to Highlands since the other girls in my
class quickly befriended her. At least,
she hasn’t cried and smiles at me often! :)
It’s still challenging and exhausting teaching 1st
grade, but it definitely is a privilege that I often overlook. I’m becoming a better teacher and it’s nice
to hear from the lead elementary teacher that I’ve grown so much since last
year and am a great teacher. There are
always a million things to do outside of the actual teaching part of my job
too. I think those other areas (weekly planning,
grading, unit planning, preparing tests/worksheets/homework, and completing all
I’m supposed to leave behind for the next teacher) take the backburner a little
bit when I just want to use my 1 planning period a day recuperating from
teaching/disciplining/dealing with problems!
I wish there were more time in the day.
Don’t we all.
On that note, I am looking forward to this upcoming 4-day
weekend (for Carnaval) to fully rest and recuperate from this crazy nose/throat
infection I have, catch up and get ahead with some school work, hang out with
friends, read, and watch movies!
I wanted to go to the beach in Arica, Chile but I am feeling good about
my decision to rest and stay home especially after this sickness that has taken
over my body! I hope I will have another
chance to go to Chile—maybe once school ends.
And that brings me to my next subject! I am really looking forward to the end of May,
because my parents and probably my youngest brother (Paul) are coming!!!! And then school ends and I’ll be an emotional
wreck but I’ll have my parents there to comfort me! So once school is out and I’ve officially
said goodbye and turned in my key and have all my checklists checked off, my
family and I can enjoy some quality time in La Paz together. Then, they’ll go down to Cochabamba, Bolivia
with me and I will start my next adventure!
As I’ve mentioned before, I will be going to Cochabamba to
be involved in a program called “Sustainable Bolivia.” I am going to take 4 hours of Spanish a day,
live with a host family, and do some volunteering. I originally was planning on doing this for
about 5 months, until November. However,
my brother (Dan) is getting married at the end of July! He just proposed a few days after
Christmas. So, of course, that caused an
unexpected change of plans, and I’m going to have to change my flight from
November to mid-July. I thought about
coming back to Bolivia after the wedding, but I think it would be really hard
emotionally and financially to go back and then leave again.
My plan for what’s next is to live at home while I take
classes for an ESL/bilingual endorsement at National Louis University and work
part-time. I know 1st grade
is not my favorite, and while I’ve thought about upper elementary, I think what
I’d really love is to be an ESL teacher, still allowing me to teach (which I
really love) but not having to deal with so many kids at once and having all
the responsibilities that come with being a classroom teacher. I’ll take the paperwork and testing of kids
over the amount of planning and discipline that comes with my current job. As an introvert, it’s truly exhausting.
So that’s me. That’s
my life. I’m enjoying life now and am
also excited for what’s to come. It
surely will be a bittersweet goodbye when all of this is over. Bolivia will always be home in a way.
I appreciate prayer!
Big time! Right now I’m
struggling some with the fear that I’m making the wrong decision and I need to
stay in Bolivia. I felt at peace when I
decided to leave, and I need to keep remembering that, but change and big events
freak me out and make me so emotional. I
will have to grieve the loss of it, just like I did leaving Taylor, and I don’t
want to go through that. Please pray for
me in these upcoming months of transition.
Love from Bolivia,
Jules
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