Here it is... the pre-tech problem post

After 5 months in site I have finally adjusted to the point of contentment. I no longer wake up in the morning wishing I was somewhere else, dreading the hoards of kids and ungrateful adults and listing the things I could be doing in the States. I am actually quite happy to hop on my bike and hear my name called out at least 10 times. I look forward to the puzzled faces and the excitement they exude each and every time they do something right. I can´t even imagine the possibility of never having come here. This is my life and I am going to enjoy it! I have always had trouble living in the present, I feel like I always have to be concentrated on planning the next step, where will I go from here? I finally feel like I have achieved the ability to live in the here and the now. Not to say that I don´t think about the future and what it holds for me, but I am much more conscious of what is going on today.

So what is going on today? Well work as usual… my “Vegetarian/American” cooking class met for the final time last week. After 3 months of cooking dishes without meat the class dwindled from about 10 to 2. But the two who did participate were extremely enthusiastic and asked if I can do it again next year! I am continuing with computer classes, teaching about 300 kids ranging in age from preschool to 9^th grade the basics. I am also assisting with a theater group at a colegio where we plan to put on a play at the end of the school year in November. A woman in my community came to me asking for assistance with a Women´s Group recently so we are in the beginning stages of forming a committee. I have also begun to work with an 8^th grade class doing activities relating to self-esteem and leadership. The kids love doing something out of the ordinary in class. They are used to just copying form the board, but we do actual activities, I hope to expand to work with more classes next year. I do similar activities with my youth group, but they are slightly more difficult to work with. My weeks are pretty busy when I factor in all the planning that goes into classes and activities as well as my marathon training and of course some time to relax!

The marathon is coming up soon. I will be traveling to Buenos Aires at the end of next week and running on Sunday the 12^th! I am looking forward to the run but I am still a little nervous. 26.2 miles seems never ending! After the marathon I will be traveling to San Carlos de Bariloche which is in the northern part of the Patagonia region in Argentina. Although the skiing season is likely to have ended before our arrival we hope to engage in other outdoor fun activities like hiking, white water rafting and biking and just relaxing and having a good time. The prospect of going on vacation may also be what has led to my happiness in site, but I am hoping that it is more because I have adjusted and not just the idea of getting away for awhile!