Day 62 - A Change of Plans

A Change of Plans

Today, Tuesday, August 30, I had normal plans for the day.  I was going to teach my three classes, stay an extra class period to work on grades, and then go look for the Mariposario, the Butterfly Garden.  But plans changed.

The morning started cold, very cold.  I know you guys in the States laugh when I say it is cold when the temperatures are only in the low 50s, but there are some differences here.  When it is this cold it is often wet, and it is always windy.  Houses and buildings are built differently.  They are basically cement and trap in the cold.  It is nice in the summer heat, because it is always cooler in doors even without the air conditioning.  But in the winter it feels like the temperature drops by another ten degrees.  And houses are not heated here.  So a cold, windy, wet 50 feels like the 30s in Texas.  I love this weather, though I am complaining about the cold.

On Tuesdays, the teachers start the day with prayer time.  It was good to get together with people who care enough about their students to pray for them.  I learned something about one boy who was already on my heart.  Now I can pray for him better.

First period, British Literature, went well taking notes on the Anglo-Saxons and working on vocabulary.  All seemed normal until the end of the period when my phone was ringing.  I missed the call, but saw a message from Tabitha, the girl who is getting her immigration papers done with me.  She asked why I wasn’t at Migración, Immigration.  I didn’t know I was supposed to be there, was my response.  A moment later, literally, the high school principal called and said I was supposed to be in Migración an hour ago. 

So quickly I am explaining what I am doing in class to the high school principal, who was taking my 10^th grade class, and the school director, who was taking my 9^th grade class.  My plans were mostly written for me, so I don’t know what my director thought of my plans for 9^th grade.  I had a lot more for 10^th, so I am not worried about that.  The good thing about this is how my 10^th grade started class.  They had listened to me and came in ready to work.

Now I am in a taxi rushing back home to get my passport, then rushing from there to the lawyer’s office.  As I walk in, Francis, who is both my lawyer’s wife and a lawyer herself, takes my passport and we walk across the street to Migración.  Tabitha is there seated waiting for the next steps to be done.  She is frustrated because today was supposed to be a busy day for her and now she found herself waiting.  About 5 minutes later I am called to the desk.  Francis stays for a few minutes, but then leaves me to go back to her office.  So I struggle through a few questions and am done in about ten minutes.

I go back to the lawyer’s office and now have to wait for Dr. Z to return from the bank.  I spend the next 30 minutes talking to a lady from Colombia.  While I am here in South America, I hope to visit a few other places, not just Santa Cruz.  She is from Medellin, Colombia, whose nickname is the City of Flowers.  She told me it is higher in the mountains and is always cooler, temperatures in the 70s and low 80s during the day and a little chilly at night.  Because of that, she said, it is in perpetual springtime and the flowers are always blooming.  She also told me to go to Tarija, Bolivia, because the food is so good and the plazas are filled with roses.  Yes, I want to go to both.

The lawyer was back soon and both Tabitha and I were back at Migración.  We didn’t have to wait long this time.  This time we were getting a picture taken and giving our thumb prints, and leaving our passports with Migracion.  We are supposed to go back in about three weeks, but for today, that was it.  For Tabitha, it was a long day.  She got there around 8:00.  For me it was just an hour. 

The temperature had changed.  It was still cool, but upper 60s and it was sunny.  Where to go?  What to do?  Come back tomorrow and find out.

Day 61 - Smoke and Two Churches

Smoke and Two Churches

I awoke thinking the house was on fire.  There was that acrid burning taste in the back of my throat and panic.  What is happening?

Well, it is the weather for August.  Spring is about to begin in Bolivia and farmers are burning their fields.  The slash and burn method is still used in this part of the world.  The last few days the air has smelled of smoke.  This morning it was extra heavy; heavy enough it looked like fog.  So a scratchy throat and runny nose all morning.

At least my house wasn’t on fire.

I was ready for church kinda early, so I walked over to Starbucks.  It costs only $4 to get a coffee and something sweet.  Today I had a hot cuñapé.  Except for a bit of smoke, sitting outside having a white chocolate mocha was heavenly.

My taxi ride was kinda crazy. I have relearned something I forgot from the 80s.  Ask how much the ride will be.  Even better, quote what you think is correct.  Ninety percent of the time they agree that the price is good.  There is a recent law passed in Santa Cruz to curb traffic jams; on the Second Ring (Segundo Anillo) you can’t make a left turn.  My friend, Carlos, said this has made going to work quicker for him, almost cutting the time in half.  For those needing to turn on the Second Ring, an interesting path is taken.  My driver was planning on turning left, but on Grigota there were police giving out tickets, so he went a bit farther, had to turn to the right, the opposite direction we were going, then got himself lost between the Second and Third Rings.  Well, you can’t really get lost, because the city is laid out so well, but half of this trip was going every direction imaginable.  So it was good I asked the price beforehand, or who knows what I would have paid.

I love Berea Church.  My pictures of it are a little dark, because they are redoing the interior.  I know more faces now, but still not a lot of names.  Always the worship is energetic.  It was getting warm when I arrived.  During the worship service I was sweating.  Two things we do here I like.  One, instead of passing the plate, people go to the front with their offering.  Two, we stand together to read God’s Word.  Pastor Percy preached on the Anti-Christ from Revelation 13.  Our response to the sermon is to live like we have 100 more years here on Earth and to live like we only have seconds until we are called home.

When I stepped out of church it was much cooler.  It felt like the temperature had dropped 15 degrees.  For a while I had been wanting to get a look at a Catholic church near my church and my school.  Once I walked all around it, discovering it was closed.  Today I decided to try again.  But it was beginning to sprinkle, so I was afraid I wouldn’t get to see it today, but the rain waited.

Paroquia Sagrada Familia is a wooden church.  When I first saw it, I was reminded of some of the churches I have seen pictures of in the smaller towns of Santa Cruz province.  You can see the church itself is rounded and has a thatched roof.  The bell tower is what first caught my eye coming to school so many different mornings.  I don’t really know what to compare it to, but you can see how interesting it is.

My taxi ride was wet, not because it was raining, but because it had rained in the back seat before he picked me up.  I moved to the front and had a nice conversation about how much Santa Cruz has changed.  It seems the regular conversation when I meet a taxi driver around my age.  We have both seen this beautiful city change a lot.

I stopped at Chicken Kingdom for lunch.  I usually buy a four piece, eat the two smallest pieces first and have the other two for other meals.  As I left, the rain started.  By the time I walked into my apartment, two blocks later, it was pouring. 

It is now cooler than when I awoke and the smoke has been cleared out. 

Day 60 - A Tour of the Plaza

A Tour of the Plaza 24 de Septiembre

Today, Friday August 26, while coming home from school at 11:00 in the morning, I felt really energetic.  I did not feel tired at all.  I took some things home with me to work on this weekend, but today I wanted to get out of the house and away from the school.  So I went to the Plaza in the center of Santa Cruz.

One of the reasons I chose to live where I am now is because of the closeness of the Plaza.  I am only 9 blocks away, about a 15-minute walk.

The first thing you encounter at the Plaza is of course the Cathedral, the Basilica of San Lorenzo.  I searched online to find out how old the church is, but I still don’t know for sure.  It was repaired in 1770 and then rebuilt in 1838.  So you get the idea that it is old.

Going counter-clockwise from the Cathedral, you encounter La Pascana restaurant.  It is now part of the Senses Boutique Hotel, as is the Nice Cream (Nitrogen chilled Ice Cream).  What can I say about this place?  Modern, funky chic, in keeping with the Spanish Colonial theme.

Along Calle Rene Moreno/24 de Septiembre, you can still see the Spanish Colonial colonnades, whose stores are filled in with money changers, banks, tourist shops, and the opening of a small mall.

Bolivar/Junin is now a pedestrian extension to the Plaza.  All over the plaza you see men shining shoes, friends meeting to play chess, or people just chatting.  Along this part of the Plaza are government buildings and guys changing money on the street corner.  I discovered they will cheat you, so I have found honest alternatives.

Along Independencia/Libertad are more government buildings and a theater for cultural events.

Next to the Cathedral is another government building that used to be the city jail.  I don’t know where that is now.  The front is now in cheerful colors.  Behind this building is a new Plaza that has been built since I was here in the 80s, called Manzana 1 (Apple 1).  This is a complement to the funky chic of the Senses Boutique Hotel.  It is a little open-air art gallery, and includes an art gallery that changes the art every few weeks.

The Plaza itself is a beautiful little Garden of Eden in the middle of Santa Cruz.  Beautiful flowers are blooming year-round.  There is the statue of General Warnes in the very center.  Of course there are plenty of places to sit and enjoy time with your friends, or to feed the hundreds of pigeons that call it home.

Day 57 - The First Days of School

First Days of School

I admit it, I don’t sleep very well the first day of school.  I am lucky to sleep 5 hours because I am rethinking everything I need to do, things I need to say, how I will come across to the students, and other junk like that.  Except for the year I woke up with my eyes almost swollen shut because of poison ivy and the day Nash had no electricity, my first days have all been pretty good.

Today started off with my taxi driver arriving late.  Well, not really late, but later than he has been coming.  Most mornings I am setting three alarms, 5:00, 6:00, and 6:45.  The first is to get me started and sometimes I hit the snooze a time or two.  Usually I am on my iPad reading my bible, or checking social media.  I also admit to being addicted to social media.  The second alarm is to warn me it is time to take a shower and prepare a bite to eat.  The third one is to tell me it is time to go.  Usually my taxi driver arrives about the same time as the 6:45 alarm.  Today he arrived at 7:00.  So that caused a little twinge of panic.

Soon though, I was at school being greeted by the cats and discovering that the night cleaning crew had not cleaned the dusty desks.  I asked the day cleaning lady to clean the desks.  She did, but complained that the night crew was getting lazy.  I made sure everything was ready for my classes and then looked over my first day spiel.  And nervously I awaited my students.

Before my first class started I discovered that my class list for British Literature had changed since I left school the day before.  Several names were gone from my list and a few added.  For British Literature I had only 6 students, one of whom is in the States for another week, and later in the day, another boy transferred to that class.  I like the class, though today they were kinda quiet.  I asked a few questions and not one said “I don’t know.”  They all gave the best answer they could think of for the first day of school.  They seem to be an intelligent group, so I will have to be on my toes to give them a quality education.

My second class kinda exploded into the room.  It is my biggest class with 17 10^th graders and 2/3rds boys.  Several of the boys aren’t shy at all and I had to be forceful to get them to not talk so much.  I discovered right away that it will take a little more work with them and they won’t get as much accomplished as the other two classes.  I did not finish what I planned for that class.  But this I know about this group, because I have had lots of kids like them in the past, once I win their hearts I will also have their minds.  I am looking forward to many good days with them.

The third class started off a bit confused.  My schedule showed there was a 10-minute break before the class, so I let them go buy a snack.  While half the class was gone, one student showed me his schedule and I realized theirs was different from mine.  I lost a few minutes at the beginning of class, but they cooperated well and we did everything that was required.  I am really going to like this class.  They participated well and seemed interested in everything I had to say.  If they stay like this, and I was told that is their personality, I expect it will be a good year.

That class starting earlier meant it ended earlier.  This year I am only part time, so my school day ends at 10:28!  I can’t imagine that now, even though I was home a few minutes after 11:00 today, had lunch by 12:00, and enjoyed a nap till 1:30.  Once the routine is settled, I will have lots of time to write and to explore Santa Cruz.

Day 2 was even better.  The students seemed relaxed, but the talkative ones were less so.  I did a getting to know you essay.  That meant that most of the period they were writing.  I have just started reading them, but am discovering I have an impressive group of students. 

The light is not good in my classroom, but you can get an idea of a few of my students.  All of these pictures are from day 2, when most were writing essays for me.

Day 56 - Orientation Day

Orientation Day, Tuesday, August 23

The SCCLC has a day for students and their families to visit the school.  It is a day to meet teachers, get schedules, decide on electives, and a million other things.  As the name says, it is to get them oriented.

We began the day with a parent meeting for all the students in grades 7, 9, and 12 and their parents in the Chapel.  That might seem like a strange mix together, but the idea behind it is these three grades are in transition.  Seventh graders are becoming junior high schoolers.  Ninth graders are becoming high schoolers.  And twelfth graders are about to leave high school for college.

Mr. HAuse (yes that is how he spells it) opened the session with prayer and a few words about the year, then introduced Miss Barlow, the high school principal.  Miss Barlow’s job was to introduce all the high school teachers.  There are quite a few, most teaching 3 or 4 classes, and a few are elementary teachers that are teaching maybe one high school class. 

After the introduction, the teachers went down to the Eagle’s Nest.  This is the lunch room and has other purposes, which I am still learning.  Matilde, Melissa, and I were handing out locker assignments.  Melissa and Matilde are the other secondary English teachers, like me.  From my little time with them, I can see how much they love these kids.  Melissa loves the tough ones.  I like that about her.  Kurt was getting kids to sign up for various sports.  Keith was taking pictures.  Jessica and Debbie were working on schedules with the kids.  Craig, the PE teacher, and Mary, the science teacher, both so young they could have been students of mine, hung around with us while we did those various jobs.  Both of them have a heart for these kids.  They will do just fine.

After a few minutes the kids began to pour in.  Honestly, this week I had begun to wonder what I had gotten myself into.  The school is a lot more complicated that it was back in the 80s and I retired here to take it easy.  But when the kids began to come in, and I listened to them talk, and saw their interactions with other teachers, I began to feel more at ease.

These are the same kinds of kids I taught in the 80s.  Some are kids from American families, mostly missionaries, and the rest are Bolivians.  I had seen the names of many and realized a lot were Asian, but until I saw them it had not made much of an effect on me.  I think I will be teaching more Asians this year than in all my years of teaching combined.  How cool is that?

And I have a lot of boys.  A lot!  I mean about two-thirds of all three classes are boys. 

As I am watching them, I notice personalities.  Some are shy.  They will need special care to be included and not embarrassed.  Some bold and bright-eyed.  They will take some work.  There are friendships that are already strong and new ones being made.  I saw some that have the light of Jesus in their eyes.  I can’t wait to learn about their testimonies.  And there are those that will need prayer.  I believe God brought them to this place for a reason. 

So if you are reading this, say a prayer for me this school year, that I may be a witness for Christ and a quality teacher of literature.  Say a prayer for those students who have Christ in their hearts, that they may grow and become strong witnesses for Christ.  And especially pray for those who don’t know Jesus.  I want this to be their year.

! John 5:14 says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask according to His will, He hears us.”

Day 55 - A Picture Tour of the SCCLC

A Picture Tour of the SCCLC

The Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center, SCCLC, is the school I worked at in the 1980s.  It was my first job after college.  Now that I am retired, I am back.

Many things have changed.  In the 1980s it was primarily a missionary kid school, with 50% of the students being Bolivian.  Now there are fewer missionaries in Bolivia because of political reasons, but the school is still here.  It is now considered to be an international school, with close to 80% of the student population being Bolivian, and more than half the staff Bolivian.  Now all the rooms are air-conditioned and computers are in every room.  I can show YouTube videos or PowerPoints from my computer ad project them on a screen in my room.  Very different from the blackboard world of the 80s. 

So when you enter campus, you see the office entrance.

Here are the lower elementary classrooms.  Not much has changed since the 80s.

My class was here in the 80s.

Here is the library designed by my student, Jason.

Here is the two story high school wing.  I’m in the room on the lower left. 

This is the lunch room, with the gym behind it.

All the rooms open to the out-of-doors and the campus with beautiful flowers.  Besides the beautiful physical environment, the SCCLC has a beautiful spiritual environment.  Imagine working at a place where they expect you to share the Gospel message!