The new normal

These last two days we have been super busy preparing for our future classrooms. We have been lesson planning and working on paperwork to prepare for the year. One of the topics we have been covering is an emergency plan. Never did I think that carrying a life jacket around would become a normal for my life. I also have to carry a little tracker every time that I go out onto a boat. In the case that a storm would come or that we would get lost in the open water we wear trackers that tell the coast guard where our location is. I almost feel like I am in a movie because I have seen many movies that talk about this but I never really thought I would ever have to deal with it.

Since I arrived on this island we have been constantly doing things. I have yet to have an afternoon off to just sit around and relax. In a sense I really like this because it helps distract me from overthinking everything that is going to happen in the next year. I am also getting very excited to move out of the school and have a house to live in. I have been living out of my suitcase for about two weeks and have absolutely no idea where anything is. I also have not had a chance to do laundry in two weeks! I also am ready to have my own bathroom sharing a bathroom brings me back to my college days when I lived in the dorms. On the bright side I am finally getting used to the fact that all my showers are cold. It helps if I workout and then take a shower because then its not so cold! (:

Yesterday we got the opportunity to speak to a previous World Teach volunteer who came back and will be teaching again this school year. She gave us so many helpful tips to prepare for this upcoming year. She was talking about all the supplies that we should purchase before moving into our house. She highly advised that we purchase Tupperware containers to store everything. Last year she said that she put clothes in her closet over night and by morning her clothes were covered in mold. I can’t wait until I have to deal with the humidity! Everyone back home will be complaining about the cold whereas I will be complaining about the heat.

Shivaun our field director gave us a sneak peek of what our housing is going to be looking like for the next year. Let’s just say a few of you guys may be a little jealous of what I saw. The front porch of my house literally opens up to a sandy beach. Like I can step out my front porch and be on the beach! I can’t wait. I can officially say that I have lived on the ocean for a year. The inside of the house is fairly nice considering that we are living on a remote island. We have three bedrooms, attic, open concept kitchen that leads into a living room. I can’t wait to move in and have a permanent spot to live in! We also found out we won’t have air-conditioning or wifi in the house. So in January when its 95 degrees in and 100% humidity will be a test for me!

Last night we were sitting in the kitchen waiting for the supper crew to make supper. All the sudden we heard a three girls screaming. We all got up and ran to the kitchen thinking that it started on fire or something. Kate looks at us and goes a rat just ran across my foot! This is very common out here to have rats in your kitchens. Shivaun last week had caught six in her trap at her house. I am really hoping that we don’t have any in our house but I have a feeling its going to happen. We also have a lot of cockroaches in our kitchens. They crawl so fast across the counter and its not really comforting seeing them next to your food!

With love,

Abby