Dear Folks,
I've been saving up some of your questions. #1. What is the weather like there? On my blog it seems like it stays around 76 - 82 F. Rebecca wrote and said they were having the same weather in Iowa - chilly and rainy. I had to laugh because it is not chilly and rainy here. It just seems hot and dry here. It has only rained once since I got here and everyone seemed surprised because it doesn't usually rain in September. I usually get through the school day without the air conditioner, but if I had my druthers I would have it on all day. The first thing I do when I get home is turn on the air. It is starting to get darker and chilly at 6:45 AM when I walk to school, but on the way home I get very heated up.
#2. What is the sea like? I haven't taken any pictures yet, because everytime I have gone I'm in my swimming gear and don't want my camera hanging out on the beach while I am in the water. People say that the water is too cold to go swimming, but I think it is perfect. I went back to buy that $20 floater that I found. I was definitely on a mission to buy that floater. I walked into the store and the whole wall display had been changed and the floater was nowhere to be found. I tried not to panic. I took out my little Russian-English dictionary and looked up the word for floater. It didn't have the word floater. That is the most important word in the English language and it wasn't in the book !!!!!!! I then found water - asked the girl and pointed to where the floater had been a few days before. She caught on and brought out the deluxe model for $25. I really wanted the other one, but couldn't get her to understand so bought the deluxe model. I went down to the sea and found the water and beach almost empty. Lots of people were hanging out on the pier and I'm sure they got their entertainment for the day. First, it took me forever to blow that thing up. I was trying to stand in the water, but the waves kept crashing around me and I had to go sit on the beach. The first time I swam in the sea it was nice and calm, but the last two times it has been windy and choppy. I couldn't get on the floater for the life of me. I tried to get on before the next wave hit, but it always swept me right off of it. Several times the floater flew right out of my hands and I had to chase it to the beach. Finally I just laid over it and went surfing the waves. I was having so much fun! I did finally get on it, but it wasn't a very peaceful ride. I kept getting thrown onto the beach. I'm glad I couldn't hear what people were saying about the crazy lady in the water.
People at work tell me there is glass in the Sea and that the city empties the sewage in the Sea. However, I have found it very clean. I try not to drink any of it though.
#3 Has anyone smiled at you yet?
Yes, I have gotten some smiles. I realized that maybe I just don't look that foreign to them, so they might think I'm just a crazy local smiling at everyone. Maybe I'm kidding myself. Maybe I really look foreign. There are just lots of people here that look American or Caucasion and many others that look Asian. There is such a mix. I need to start taking pictures of the people here.
#4. Are the kids cute and happy? I love my preschool class! They are adorable and well behaved for what I was expecting. They call me Ms. Rachel and it sounds so cute. Their favorite thing to say is, "I'm finished. I'm finished. I'm finished" and that usually means that they got their name written on their work. Today one little girl told me that her stomach was tired. I'd give anything to have more of my school stuff with me. I spend alot of time making things and going on the internet for ideas! We are now doing color days where we all wear a certain color to school. I went out and bought a yellow shirt just to have something to wear for Yellow Day! It was so cute when they all dressed in red yesterday. Not one person forgot to wear red!
My 11 children are from the following countries: Turkey, Russian Federation, Italy, Kazakhstan, Canada, Portugal, Hungary, USA, and Lao Peoples Democrat. I have some beautiful skin colors in my room.
That's all for now! Love, Rachel