Henna Hands!

Wow, it really has been awhile since I've written anything for this blog... life has been coming at me fast and furiously and I think that's a good thing, but it doesn't leave much time for reflection or for writing either.  And then again, sometimes I just get lazy or tired.  I'm in the process of putting together a portfolio of the work I've done in my classroom this year and this is the image I've been saving since the fall when I captured it with Aisha, one of my second grade girls.   Henna is a very traditional art here and the girls often come in with their hands all decorated with beautiful designs.

Now I'm with two new classes and the school year is 2/3 of the way over and what have we accomplished so far?  Well, we speak and read a little bit of English here and there, we sing songs in English, we practice our handwriting in English, we've planted bean seeds and watched them grow, we play with puzzles, etc. We constantly work on behavior and we're getting better all the time.  In general, we are a productive, busy bunch!  Although I must admit, sometimes it seems to me like we're not doing "enough."  My centers aren't complete, the room is still quite bare and I have not gotten my computer to work since I came back from the Holidays at Christmas... a source of great frustration for me as there are so many great activities online and that I have on my DVD's that would be engaging and fun for my class.  

Today I am at the tail end of some time off, two glorious weeks for spring break which was extended when I went to see the doctor this week and found out my left elbow really was fractured and not just sprained when I slipped and fell on wet tiles in the bathroom at school two days before the break... he recommended I stay home for the past three days and frankly, I've needed the time off.  Sunday it's back to work again and hopefully we'll finish the third trimester with a bang!  I do feel overwhelmed by the amount of work that  needs to get done between now and June when the kids stop coming.  Praying that I can stay positive and that we'll make a lot of progress during that time.    

In the meantime, I have wonderful memories from my recent trip to Kopan Monastery in Nepal and my apartment has finally come together for the most part (the photo above shows the custom made curtains from one of the local furniture stores in Madinat Zayed - I was thrilled with the results!).  Home is a comfortable refuge nights and weekends (maybe too comfortable as I sometimes don't want to go out at all) and Trixie, my dog is adjusting well to desert life.   Plans for the summer are starting to shape up and I'll be happy to be in the U.S. when the real summer heat starts here and Ramadan is in full swing.... until then... wish me luck with my girls!