April 26th I’m lying in a bed in a house that sleeps thirty.  The sounds of evening are all around me and the memories of the day vivid yet somehow indescribable. We left for a horseback ride in the early afternoon and I am still astounded by it all, the tenacity of young girls astride […]

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A friend asked me a couple of days ago: Is work just work there? Or do you wake up everyday and think “dang, i’m going to work today in Colombia!”  I’ve always thought it would be so neat to live/work in an exotic place but wondered if it gets mundane, too. I read over it […]

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There just never seems to be enough of it. I feel stretched and pulled at the seams and like I’ll never accomplish it all. The reports. The paper work. The stack of books on my nightstand. The before I’m thirty list that I started before I was twenty. And then there seems to be too […]

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I love Alexander. He’s helped me through some pretty tough days.  Seriously.  I read this book to my kids today for about the fifth time this year.  We love it and it was one of those days.  You know the kind. At recess, (because I’m internet obsessed and not cool) I checked my email (for […]

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Martin (mar-teen) caught me lying on my tummy in our classroom reading center this morning.  That little angel saw me when he snuck back into the room for his recess snack.   “Miss, what you are reading?” “A story about a very special man,” I told him.  “It is beautiful?” “Yes, Martin.  It is beautiful.” Who has […]

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I treasure my weekends and guard them as though they were King Tut’s wealth boxed into two measly days.  This weekend a friend asked me if I’d like to see the real Colombia and believe it or not, I said yes. We met early on Saturday in Villa Maria, a small town that shouts simplicity.  […]

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There’s this kid in one of my extra curriculars that I adore.  He’s cool, has band hair, a great sense of humor, and super English.  He plays the guitar and rules the recess ping pong tables.  He’s smart, athletic, creative, a total heart breaker in the making.  His name’s Jacobo and I heard this story […]

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I like to think of lesson planning as a sort of guide, a map even, but never anything set in stone.  I’m open to change.  I do, after all, live in Colombia.  Today we didn’t follow the map at all.  We made an adventure of our own and where we ended up was, well, beautiful. […]

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There’s just something about the USPS symbol that toys with my emotions in a way that you wouldn’t believe. Honestly, my students are a little obsessed, too. That could be my fault. Still, the highlight of our day is afternoon recess. We take turns running up to the Red House to check the mail. And […]

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