Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Preparing for Christmas

Getting ready for Christmas is a little different on a tropical island than it would be in the states. Back home the temperatures would be dropping and the snow would be falling outside. Here the temperature is rising and not a snowflake is in sight. I am used to driving around at home and seeing houses covered in Christmas lights. I have seen two houses on the island that have Christmas lights and it has made us so happy. Christmas trees are also rare to find around the island. I have seen a few inside people’s houses. It’s so weird because in our house around Christmas I can find Christmas trees scattered all around our house.  The island has started getting into the Christmas spirit by playing Christmas music at the volleyball games. I have also started playing some Christmas music in the classroom to help get students excited for the Christmas season. I had also given my students a Christmas spelling list week. It was interesting hearing them talk about all of the different words because most of the time my students had no idea what I was talking about and I ended up going on Google and searching the images to show my students. For instance my students had no idea what an icicle was or a toboggan. I had a few students tell me that they were going to come visit me in Minnesota next and I had to take them for a ride on my toboggan.
At school we have also been getting into the Christmas spirit. We are currently preparing for our Christmas program, which will take place this Thursday. Unfortunately our flight for New Zealand leaves early Thursday so we will be missing the program. My class has been preparing a special dance with Level 4 &5 for the concert. They also will be singing a song. Everyday for the last couple of weeks we having been preparing for the concert. I have had the songs stuck in my head all the time and I wont miss hearing the songs on repeat all the time.
Lately, I have been catching myself going to the beach more and more. I always told myself that if I ever lived on the ocean I would be at the beach all the time. Well with everything that goes on throughout the day I sometimes forget to go to the beach and enjoy the natural beauty of it. One of my favorite things about going to the beaches here and is that I have yet to see a person on the beach with me. Sometimes one of my kids will spot me sitting on the beach and come chill for a little bit and make sure everything is okay. I love just sitting in the sand and letting the waves crash against my legs.
I can’t believe how close that Christmas is getting for us! It is still weird to think that back home is in colder temperatures. Whenever I talk to my parents they also talk about how much it is cooling off. Meanwhile they also comment about the fact that they can see sweat dripping off my face while face timing them. 
Last week I was awarded the MVT at the school. It pretty much means that I got teacher of the month. Upon receiving that I also got two cases of tuna and some soda. So if anyone has some recipes on how to make tuna I would more than love some new ideas! J
With love,
Abby


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