Off the Radar

Hi friends.  Remember me?  I'm that girl who used to blog fairly regularly in Honduras... but has since lived a whirlwind of speedy, American life and hasn't had the time, or motivation... or something.... to keep people updated.  (I blame some of it on the Olympics).

economist.com

Here is what's on my mind at the moment.

Everyone asks me if I miss Honduras.  They've asked since, like, Day 2 of returning to Florida.  So, sometimes, my answer was, "no."  Do you miss something you only just left?

Now, however, it's different.  It's August now.  I thought that the incredible blur of job hunting and finding, apartment hunting and renting, moving and decorating would mask all thoughts of going abroad.  But things have slowed down this week and last.  I can't go work in my classroom and I don't have enough money to go out and buy the things I want/need for the apartment (or my classroom).  So, perhaps for that reason, I'm dwelling on the fact that many of my friends are packing their 2 suitcases in order to head back for another year.  Some of them are going to teach my very own babies.

I want to take my mind off it by working, but I'm mysteriously not permitted to go to my classroom early.  I had a dream last night (one I have often before a new school year) that it was the first day of school and I had NOTHING ready.  yikes. So I fill my time on Pinterest and teacher blogs, filling up my brain with all kinds of to-do lists... but that ends up making me even more stressed out.

I've been making pennant banners to decorate
my classroom.  Useless?  Maybe.  Cute?  For sure!

Tomorrow is my birthday.  My last birthday in Florida was in 2008.  It feels weird.

And that is... the end.
 Sorry if it's a downer.

image credits go to  economist.com, etsy.com, and gifttree.com 

Meltdowns and Promises

Something I should remember more often...

It has only been two days (and approximately four meltdowns) since we returned from our Tennessee-Kentucky-Pennsylvania-South Caroline-Georgia road trip, and already much has been accomplished.    Thursday and Friday were a whir of pre-employment orientation and apartment hunting.  As much as I'd like to say that all has been achieved in a calm, collected, and professional manner, it's simply untrue.  For easy reading, I decided to create a list of the meltdowns that took me through my Thursday and Friday as we began the process of establishing ourselves as Orlando residents. 

Tara's Meltdowns

listed chronologically

1.  PreEmployment Orientation meltdown (well... more like prolonged whining...) :
Did you know that some senate bill was passed recently which prohibits teachers with Masters degrees from earning more money unless her teaching certificate is specifically in what her Masters is in.  So, essentially this means that although my masters in Curriculum and Instruction (sp: Language Arts and Children's Literature) is directly related to teaching Elementary education, I will not be compensated for it.  I'm pretty furious, and expect to call everyone possible to see what can be done.  So, I actually did and learned a lot at the orientation meeting--but that's what stuck with me....

2.  "Oh-Lordy-Have-I-Acted-Too-Soon?: Meltdown :
Daniel and Mom came to Orlando with me on Thursday and spent my orientation time driving around apartment-hunting.  Afterwards, while waiting for Mom to finish up at a doctor's appointment, I got a call from another Orlando school asking if I wanted to interview; to which I had to respond that I'd already accepted another position.  The meltdown happened when I went home and realized that the school that called me was the technology rich, high ranking, dual-language (only 1 of 2 in the county), A school that I'd really hoped to work at.  When we got home that night I literally had a physical reaction to the anxiety I felt about having potentially accepted too soon and stuck myself into something I might regret. After my clamminess subsided and my jello legs firmed up, and I really gave in to prayer, I remembered that my God gave me peace about accepting my first offer.  He also gave me a passionate desire to serve those in need while living in the U.S., and the job I work at will give me daily opportunities to do so.  Oh how quickly I forget.



3. "I-Miss-My-Babies" Meltdown :
On Friday, Daniel and I drove back to Orlando to see an apartment we were interested in.  On the way there, a song came on the radio that my students from last year sang at the Father's Day program.  When I mentioned that to my Oh-So-Sensitive husband, he made what he thought was a funny remark about them being my "ex-students."  You should have seen me.  It was like he released a month of built up tears and pent up grief that I hadn't let flow.  I sobbed like a baby right there amidst the I-4 traffic, and I couldn't stop.  I actually want to cry right now, thinking about it.  I sometimes hate the idea of teaching third grade again this year because I know it won't be them.

Easier said than done, doc.

4.  "Oh-Lordy-Have-I-Acted-Too-Soon?: Meltdown Number Two :
Without going into all the details of our exhausting apartment search, I'll say that we ended up signing a lease with the very last place we visited.  We gave up our desire to have a first floor apartment (we had hoped to move in mom's piano), for a second-floor apartment with a much nicer interior than any we'd seen so far.  Having lost all of my checks to the black hole (i.e. the storage unit all of my belongings ended up in while I was in Honduras this past year), we had to leave to get a money order to pay the application fee.  Once I left, I freaked out and thought we'd made a terrible decision with the second floor unit.  All I could think about were the hundreds of other apartments we hadn't been able to see--what if there was some undiscovered gem out there?  I feared we had rushed into it.  I cried after the dumb 7-11 ATM rejected my card because I'd inserted it incorrectly three times.  And I was blessedly reminded that I've got a husband now and I don't have to make al the decisions alone.  He felt very comfortable and pleased with our choice, and his excitement helped me perk up a bit.

I can't believe how incredibly packed and non-stop my time in the States has been so far.  It's hard because when I get caught up in all of it, I forget to stop and breath and remember my God and all that he's promised me.  He promises that he knows the plans he has for me; he promises to stay with me, to strengthen me, to give me rest. He promises to satisfy my needs.  And, best of all, he promises to fill me with a divine peace that is beyond all understanding.  Enough with the meltdowns.  It's time I started clinging to the promises.

images found on http://skybambi.wordpress.com

homesick

Today I was watching a movie, with the Spanish subtitles (only because they came on and I didn't bother to remove them...), and I noticed that the word "homesick" was translated as nostalgia. It got me thinking about the word, and I looked in my dictionary. The only thing it listed under homesick were nostalgia and to miss. I must say, however, that the way I feel today... the day after leaving my family after a beautiful vacation, is not nostalgia and it's more than missing. It's the first time I can say that I truly feel sick about not being there and utter dread at the prospect of working in the morning. That can't be a good way to get started again. And yet, I know, deep down, that God is faithful. He is constant. And even though I feel like a leave being tossed in the wind, not even knowing what I feel, God knows it all and is in control.

I just looked up and saw this verse that I had posted over my desk, and it seems fitting. Acts 17:26-28:

From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28 'For in him we live and move and have our being.'

Semana Santa y Semana Pascua.

I have been a bad blogger this year. I haven't updated very much, and for that I am sorry. School has been forging ahead steadily. We had a fun ecology week, in which we took a field trip to the Bosque de los Niños, a place we went last year also. It really is a perfect field trip for these city kids who never get muddy and get the chance to really be among trees. We finished up ecology week with a brave endeavor. Four of us teachers brought our classes out and we set up six centers where the kids could do things like make recycled paper, create "creatures" out of garbage, make signs petitioning the school to stop using paper towels and paper cones (for drinking), and sort trash in a relay. The kids did very well amidst our craziness and I've got more than one of them boycotting styrofoam plates from the school store and one mom told me that her son now writes on the backs of old napkins at home because "Miss Peterson would like it".

This week we had mini olympics, another great chance for the city kids to roll in the grass and run around freely. After the two longest school days of all time, I am now enjoying the first day of my glorious two-week spring break! In Mexico, they always get the two weeks surrounding easter off for spring break, the first week is semana santa (holy week) and the second week is semana pascua (Easter week). For those who don't know, I will be coming back to Florida on Tuesday the 18th for the wedding of my best friend... which seems so surreal after living in my Mexican bubble for a year and a half...

In other news, I thought I should post something about what has occupied a lot of my time over the past few months. I found a master's program at the University of Florida that pretty much encompasses all of my favorite things about teaching. It is a specialization in Language Arts and Children's Literature, and it focuses a lot on writing, and language acquisition, and multicultural children's literature. I spent about one solid month studying for the GRE, preparing application essays, requesting letters of recommendation and transcripts, and marveling at how easy it was to do it all from another country. I sent the application at the end of February and am still waiting to hear.

Lately, though, I've been wondering about my decision to move back to the states and pursue this degree. Although at first I felt a definite peace about the decision, I've been thinking a lot about the Kingdom of God here on earth and what that means for me. I have been wondering if I should use my gift of singleness and freedom from debt (so far...) to continue working for God abroad, while I can do it easily. If I get my masters now it will mean doing it entirely on loans, something I haven't had to resort to yet, and something that would require a "normal job" to pay them off.
So, I would appreciate prayer for this situation. I just want to know where God would want to use me. Where ever that is, I'll go!

Family, Friends, Birthdays, and a Brother from Belgium

Florida's tax free week and “Back to School” sales have brought me out of my summer repose and back into the reality that is work and real life. I returned to Mexico last night to begin my second year of teaching.
Despite this being the shortest summer I can remember (about 5 1/2 weeks), it felt longer because I didn't have much planned. In fact, I think this is the first summer I've had without a trip to some place (although coming home was my trip, as Mallory pointed out). However, I did manage to have some mini vacations.
Some of the events of my summer included:
1. A visit from the Caligiuris—close family friends. Well, ok. Basically family.
2. A wedding.
3. A morning helping an organization talk to the Spanish speakers of Deland.
4. A couple of trips to see friends (Vero, Sebastian, St. Augustine, Jacksonville)
5. A mini vacation to Orlando with Mom, including Arabian Nights and Epcot.
6. Some knitting.
7. Back-to-school shopping (as a teacher this time, not a student)
8. Dress fitting for my upcoming appearance in Jess Albright’s wedding.
9. Turning 23 on August 8th.
10. The arrival of Nathan from Belgium, Mom’s foreign exchange student until January.

It is always a little hard to say goodbye and leave everyone back home, but this time I knew what I was returning to. I am excited about my new roommates this year—Jacque and Charla—who are joining me in my same house as last year. I have a new group of students for whom I will begin planning and preparing tomorrow.
I think I’m ready.
I DO really love summer. But I love all of this more.
Hasta Luego. ;)

Me, Mallory, and the birthday cake she made me.

Home for the Holidays

Some highlights from home.

I was in the states for almost three weeks at Christmastime. It was a nice relaxing/recharging time. Now it's back to work. Here are a few memories.