Ya me voy

Wow...it's Christmas vacation! Crazy how time flies; crazy how in some ways I feel like I just got here, and in some ways like I've been here forever; crazy how in 2 days I'll be stepping off a plane in Grand Rapids, smelling familiar air, shivering, hugging, crying and laughing with familiar faces, familiar hearts. Please pray that I don't experience too much culture shock as I head back to the States, pray that my time is relaxing and refreshing, and that the time I share with the people I love is FULL.

Last weekend, Amanda, Shelly and I got to go to the beach one last time before I head to the freezing Mid-west (yes...I will be tanner than you). Thank goodness last weekend was relaxing because...

the past week has been nuts, from visiting families to attending Christmas parties; from doing report cards and parent-teacher conferences to staff observations and evaluations...I am seriously ready for a break! Last night we had our Christmas Program...my kids did such a great job singing their song (check out the video), they are so darn cute :), I'm going to miss them a ton!

Here's a picture of me at one of my students, Isabela's house for dinner. The mom is Brazilian and the dad is Mexican so we had some AMAZING food...probably the best meal I've had since I've been here :). The time was sweet, just sharing stories and time, it made my week!

Yesterday was our last day teaching the monks for a month...we celebrated Christmas with them, we sang (check out the video of Lauro), we gave gifts and we ate lots of sweets. I'll miss them so much, too! Here's a picture of us sporting our new Monastery T-shirts :).

So, some of you I'll be seeing soon...I think my cell phone still works in the States, so call if you want to get together. I'll update from Ada as soon as I can! Ya me voy y que bueno sera!