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I decided to surprise my parents and return to Oregon for Christmas unannounced. It worked and I made it, but it wasn't the surprise I had envisioned. Part way through my journey, I developed an unrelenting stabbing pain in my back that continued until my arrival in Portland and a subsequent trip to the emergency room. As it turned out, the leftovers of a head cold had developed into a nasty case of pneumonia. So when I finally got home, all I could manage was a weak wave to my dad before crashing on the couch, where I remained for 3 or 4 days before I gradually regained some strength. Though my break turned out very different than I had anticipated, I was thankful to be in a warm, comfortable place with easily accessible health care and a mom to make me chicken soup! Plus, our family was together for Christmas, which hasn't happened for a few years and I enjoyed seeing friends who weren't expecting me.

Teaching With My Mittens On

Winter officially started today, as we woke to a shallow dusting of white snow that attempted to cover the brown of this place. It melted quickly but not before my kids were able to enjoy making a miniture snowman and catching a few flakes on their tongues at recess. Oddly enough though, they got more excited about the rain we had last week then about the snow. The air here has turned cold. Everyday I wear about four layers and keep them on all day. I have two heaters in my classroom that work about as well as a little space heater you might buy in the States. Its not bad yet though, just a different way of functioning... learning to teach with my mittens on. It makes getting dressed in the morning easier because I whatever I wear, my coat will cover all day! Winter here makes life rough for everyone. All year, some of our workers have been collecting cardboard which will be their main source of heat through the winter. Many people here just do what they have to to literaly keep from freezing. My blankets, heaters and warm clothes, inadequate as they may seem when compared to what I'm used to, are a great luxury compared to the average person on the street. I'm blessed beyond measure.