Hi all,
Just hanging out at my internet/copy place right now, made my copies, and actually the fan is on and it has been raining and I am actually cold!!  Never thought I would write and say that!!  It is great when the days/nights are cool here, until I have to take a shower and never want to get under the ice cold water.  There has been LOTS of rain lately.  Last night I stayed working at school til after dark and didn´t realize I didn´t have a flashlight and walked back through puddles in pitch black. I probably would have looked pretty hilarious feeling the fence as I stepped and taking huge steps as not to step on or encounter any animals. Anyways, things here have been going good.  Spent a lot of time this weekend just hanging out at the orphanage, working on my classroom, but also got to see Tim and Paola on Saturday, we had pizza, and also got to spend about an hour swimming at the beach too.  The kids did a beach clean-up Saturday which was a great learning experience for them.  Things are going good at school.  I started a new system last week where I give out tickets to kids being good (my afternoon kids) and then if they are also good in their regular class they get it signed by their other teacher and can cash it on Friday for cookies, game time, listening to music, etc. (for the Central people out there, I´m totally Sue Odell every Friday=)  So it was really funny, a boy Id never seen before came Friday afternoon with a ticket, slid it through my window, and it had numbers and like codes written all over it in the teacher signature section, and was screaming desperately I have a ticket, I have a ticket, and wanted to get in so bad.  I tried to explain it was something I just did for my own students, and he was so upset, like he had the golden ticket for the chocolate factory and just HAD to get in.  It was pretty cute, and pretty innovative.  Today I had an exciting moment with Jose Martin, who I taught Touch Math, and in three weeks I have been teaching him, has learned not only his numbers but is adding up to 7 with no help and no touch points even anymore, just hitting the spots with his pencil in the right places, I was amazed and excited, he learned SO fast, when he is in 3rd grade, and they have been trying to teach him for 3 years and he couldn´t add 1 plus 1.  I think those are my favorite moments.  I decided we had to celebrate.  I gave him a big lollipop and a huge star student sticker on his shirt and we put on the cha cha slide.  Somehow he didn´t seem to LOVE it quite as much as my kiddos did at Central (i.e. Jordan in his costume) and I struggled to translate as I danced, but we had lots of fun celebrating either way and it was a GREAT moment.  I have been getting more and more and more kids referred to me.  The referral process is a bit different than the states... usually here a teacher just grabs me in the hallway, tells me the kid who has problems and asks when I can start working with him.  I am really trying hard to get my tia (aide) Maria who helps in the morning to be full-time so I can not be spread so thin and help more kids, and also she can have a teacher schedule so she can study teaching, which is her dream and also see her 9 year old daughter every night, rather than every 6 days like she is now that she has to live at the orphanage.  Say your prayers that it will work out for her.  Well, seems I´m writing lots again, so I will be off, I will try to attach some pictures, but you can always look on facebook too cause I am trying to put them on there.  Also, my project should be up on the website any day now www.nph.org - go to DR and projects (and you have to click in the bottom left corner to switch the language to English too)  They told me it would be up by now, so keep a look out for it.  Oh also, I want to apologize if anything in my last emails were offensive to anyone...  when I write these I don´t always think of how they will be interpreted.  Sometimes I say things that might be misinterpreted the wrong way, but just to clarify in case there was misunderstanding, I LOVE this country and absolutely LOVE the people here too.  Sometimes I get frustrated with the cultural clashes and especially the slow-paced way of life and how long it takes to get things done... like copies... but I LOVE the people here and of course the kids especially, but just wanted to make that clear.  Well, again love and miss everyone SOOOO much, and thanks for the mail, I love snail mail, it is so exciting to get here, so keep it coming. 
Love and prayers,
Kristin

Jose Martin and his lollypop, love him!