Chai, Coffee and Cocoa

I have a new favorite spot in Almaty...Gloria Jeans :). It's always been around, but once I discovered I could get on my blog here, it became a favorite :).

So....Term 2 is about to start, and I feel so much more prepared for this term. I'm looking forward to this short term, and to not having so much on my plate. I got the planning of Fall Fun Day out of the way, so no more planning big events for me this year :). My online class will be over in 2 weeks. My salsa lessons are over. Today is my last day to be tutoring a young boy outside of school. SO.....I will be so freed up to really focus on my students and on teaching! I had to tell the lady whose son I tutor that I would no longer be able to do it. I did not feel that I was doing any job well! I hate that feeling!!! As much as I want to be superwoman and do it all...I'm not, so I can't. Therefore, I end up feeling like a failure when I don't do a good job. SO....I'm really glad about this decision! So relieved that I really can focus just on school and on my students :)!

Well we have a fun filled Halloween weekend coming up....pumpkin carving with friends tonight. Costume party tomorrow night. So as strange as it sounds to say....Happy Halloween:).

Sunrise, Snow and Spooks

Every morning I get a ride to school on a "teacher bus". I'm the first stop, then we pick up two more staff members and their kids. We usually end up waiting a few minutes at stop number 2 since they do have kids to get ready and out the door. I have become very fond of this little wait because of the magnificent view that I get to behold every morning.......................

Yep....that's it. Every morning for the past month I've gotten to watch the sunrise over those mountains. I finally thought it would be a good idea to take a picture :)...I was hoping the next day there would be no clouds...but instead....this is the view I got........

Beautiful snow capped mountains. A sure sign that winter would be right around the corner. By the end of the week the mountains were no longer visible through the curtain of snow covering the city for the first time of the season.......

After driving into school with this as the backdrop I arrived to ghosts and goblins, vampires and rock stars. Since it was the last day of school before Fall Break we celebrated Halloween a little early. The kids loved getting to dress up...even us teachers got a little carried away ;) (I was Golidlocks).

However, unfortunately I didn't last long. I was really sick and so I went home to stay in bed for two full days! Not the most fun thing to be bed ridden for any significant amount of time, but with the cold weather descending and the snow silently falling I was content to be cozy under my quilt:).

This upcoming week is Fall Break! I fear it won't be too much of a break as I have to move my classroom for the 3rd time, and write narrative reports. But at least I can do those things after sleeping in a little :).

The snow is all gone for now. The cold weather is still here. But I got my boots, got my coat, and got my scarves :)!!! I'm ready!

The sound of rain; the silence of snow

YEP....today I saw the first snowfall of the season! It only lasted about 5 minutes, but there is supposed to be some more tonight.

It has been raining, non-stop for the past two days...the sound of rain was lovely yesterday when I was stuck in bed trying to rest and get over some sickness. Today, however, being at school, and still being a little sick, was not the best day for dreariness and indoor recess:). However, I survived, and as I was going to a friend's house after school to tutor her son, it started snowing. In one brief, tiny moment, the patter of the rain disappeared; the rhythm of the rain was silenced....by snow. It was lovely! It was magical :)! And now i'm sitting in my favorite coffee shop, not drinking coffee, but some hot chocolate, listening to instrumental music through my head phones. Sigh.....a lovely end to a day, don't you think?

Tomorrow is the last day of term #1 at KIS! Then a week of fall break!!!!!! WOOHOO!!!!!! Even thought my fall break will be filled with planning for next term, writing narrative reports, and moving my classroom for the third time....I'm still very much looking forward to it. Tomorrow is also Halloween dress up day. So there will be plenty of pictures to be posted soon!

One term down, 3 more to go:). I'm thanking God for how far He has brought me in the past year!!!

Stuck like glue, you and me baby we're stuck like glue :)

Wow...two blog updates in two days. That's unheard of:).

I wanted to introduce you to my newest friends. These are some of my coworkers and the people I have gotten closest to since being here. I am very thankful that God has given me people my own age that I can hang out with. I want to glorify God in my relationships with these people!

From the left, Khalmurat, is the 6/7 grade science, math and computer teacher. He is from Kazakhstan.

Aliya is from Kazakhstan, but studied at Arizona State and is the 4th grade co-teacher. She is always very hospitable and keeps everyone laughing.

Aizhan the beautiful :). She is our stylish one. Also from Kazakhstan. She is the 2nd grade teaching assistant.

Mushtaq is the IT guy at school. He teaches computer and runs around fixing all the computer problems. He is from all over, really.

Aliya, Aizhan and I have gotten to be really close! We always laugh together! Occasionally we'll invite the guys to tag along as well :). I'm thankful that God has given me these friends and I pray that I will be a true friend to them.

Salsa, Samba, Cha-Cha-Cha

I've found a fun place where I can come and update my blog :)...a coffee shop in the middle of our MEGA center (yes that is what it's called, and yes it's big). There is hustle and bustle all around me and I'm quite and comfortable in my zone, in my world.

I've been taking a dance class, mostly for fitness/exercise purposes, with 3 other teachers that I work with. We started out doing just salsa, and then we got a new dance instructor who is a professional ballroom dancer! She is expanding out dance abilities to other styles :). We spend most of the time laughing at ourselves as we try to move gracefully, only to end up looking like spastic amoeba, without resembling of any form of dance. HAHA! But we have such a good time! Yes, I think of "Strictly Ballroom" every single class period, especially since "Love is in the Air" is one of the songs we dance to!!! :) My newest Russian word is "byoordree" which means "hips". If I had 50 tenge for every time the instructor told me to move my byoordree more...I would be quite wealthy :)

The past two weeks have been pretty busy. Today we had our Fall Family Fun Day at the school (a fall festival) and I was overseeing the planning of this first school event. I'm thankful to say that it went splendidly!!! I'm also tutoring a student after school two days a week in English. I have my dance class two days a week. I've started an online class that the school is paying for in order for me to be PYP certified (Primary Years Program, is the system we use at KIS). It is quite interesting, but also a lot of work. On top of trying to be a full time teacher with the end of first term arriving in a week with progress reports to go out.....whew....I think I just got even more tired reading all that I'm doing. HA! Thankfully, we have Fall Break the last week of October. So just ONE MORE WEEK to get through and I get a little rest :)!

God has continued to be so sweet to me...as always!!! Even when I feel like a failure in just about every way possible, He still comes through. He still comforts me, He still loves me, He always forgives me! Oh ho undeserving I am of a Father who loves me so completely! This week I was also hit with a lot of sorrow as 3 people in my life lost loved ones! It makes me long to be removed from this suffering all the more!!!

Please continue to pray that I would be (as we would say in PYP) BALANCED! I don't want to be spread too thin, and I want to be giving things my best....and lately that has been hard. "But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 1Cor.12:9