More Happy Birthdays!

The first thing Ashley and I did on Saturday was went shopping. We had no food in the house, even our peanut butter and jam stores were out and our ramen noodles were gone. It was kind of depressing. We went to the store and decided that we were going to stock up on things we knew we were going to use for the rest of the semester. We spent $2000 pesos and had two carts full of food by the time we were done. I think everyone kept looking at us and tried to figure out what the heck these two skinny white girls were going to use all of this food for. Mexicans usually go grocery shopping everyday so I'm sure people thought we were crazy. I don't really care, now I won't go hungry. We made sure to take a picture when we got back to the house to prove to some worrying people back home that we had food.

Ashley and I threw a big birthday party for everyone on Saturday afternoon and it was super fun. We had everyone over here at the apartment and we just hung out, played cards, ate pizza (which was really good) and took pictures. I think this was the first time we had everyone together for something other than to teaching. It was fun.

Yes you are correct, those candles are in a bucket of ice cream. We did make cake but it was possibly the most disgusting thing I have ever tasted. On the instructions we were supposed to make the cake in a pot on the stove. It ended up tasting like burnt metal with chemicals leaking into it. It was so gross. The best part was that after I tasted it and told everyone how gross it was everyone else insisted on going and trying it. It was pretty terrible!

Everyone sang Happy Birthday to us and then attempted to sing the Mexican chant everyone does for birthdays. It didn't go that well and was much harder when you had to yell four names.

Savannah, Sarah Kelsey, Adri... Ra Ra Ra!

Happy Birthday Adri!

Kathy, Chelsea, Dusty and Adri

Discussing the Spanish directions on the back of the box... its a team effort!

The whole gang, together at last!

Ryan, Brooke, Dusty, Kathy, Kami, Kelsey, Chelsea

Savannah, Adri, Bethany, Ashley and I

I did have one more adventure that ended up in an injury. Cooking pizza in an oven and having no pan for it to sit on and also only having one hot pad made it kind of hard to get the pizza out of the oven. In the process of getting the last pizza out of the oven, with one hand holding the pizza and the other trying to push it up from underneath the rack I burnt my arm pretty bad. The rack fell onto my arm and it took me several seconds to get my arm away from the hot metal. These first two pictures were taken right after I got the burn so it doesn't even look that bad. It has progressively gotten worse and now it looks gross and is starting to scab. It hurts way more now too. If I took a picture now all you would see is a band-aid because I had to cover it up... maybe when it gets a bit better I'll post another picture.

The only injury I have received thus far in Mexico has been burns. I burnt my ear with my straightening iron and it had a nasty blister on it for a while, now its just a nice scab. Then this one and then last night I burnt my arm on a pot of hot water trying to protect my other arm from the steam. I think I'm kind of stupid sometimes.

I am healing and I kind of hope that this one on my left arm scars so that I have a sweet memory from Mexico!

My Best Birthday Ever!!

Well I have decided that I am going to give you guys a play by play de mi cumpleanoz. It was a great day and I was surrounded by awesome friends who spoiled me rotten!

So #1)

I woke up at 7:00 like I always do (at least since I've been here) and went for a run with Adri. It feels so good to exercise in the morning, most definitely something that I will continue to do after I get home. Plus it will keep me skinny and hopefully keep me in shape for soccer!

Stretching... my legs were super sore that day!

Adri was commenting on how ironic this pictures is... tank top, henna tattoo and studying the scriptures.

I couldn't possibly have asked for better roommates this week... I got chocolate milk from Ashley and Adri made me a delicious breakfast of fruit!

#2)

The afternoon was full of fun at discovery where we played a huge game of Lovers Leap and then at ILP where the girls threw me a birthday party. I spent the afternoon on skype and the phone with a few people who wished me a Happy Birthday! I got to talk to my daddy which was wonderful. I hadn't been able to talk to him one on one since I had left and I missed it a lot. I don't think he saw it but I cried a little bit while I was talking to him. I miss him a lot. I miss my entire family a lot but I have missed talking to my Dad, he's kind of an awesome father!

The girls surprised me. Andie brought the cake and they decorated the room. It was so sweet!

It was 'Tres Leches' Cake... so delicious!

These are all my sweet girls. Me, Katya, Zaloa, Marity, Idalia, Noelia, Andie

My eyes look a little bit swollen, I think I cried a little bit

Who couldn't love them?

One tradition in Mexico is to shove the person's face in the cake... I was the only one who didn't know it was coming. Good thing this was one of the most amazing cakes I have ever had.

Not the most attractive picture...

To add to how wonderful the surprise already was Katya brought her guitar because she knew I missed being able to play it.

I taught them the words to "When You Say Nothing At All"

Savannah and Ashley joined us... pretty sure it wasn't for the cake... actually who am I kidding of course it was!

Zaloa is very good at the guitar, she played a song for us also!

#3)

Ashley didn't have to get me anything more than that chocolate milk I had for breakfast but she showed up after lunch with flowers and another chocolate milk for me to enjoy!

Teo took Adri, Ashley and I out for dinner which was delicious. We call this place "Teo's Tacos Number 2)

Could it have gotten any better? I highly doubt it but then Adri gave me the gift she had gotten me, what a sweetheart!

I totally look like I've been crying in this picture, probably because I cried a lot that day. People were so sweet to me.

I don't think there is anyway I could have asked for a better birthday. People were there for me in every way and I felt totally spoiled. I got to talk on skype and on the phone to my family and to some friends as well as hang out with some of the coolest girls in the country of Mexico. There isn't much else to tell you about my birthday except for that it was an awesome day only because of the people that were involved. My family and my friends back home who sent me messages put a smile on my face as well as the friends I have here that are so kind. I am so blessed and yet it seems like the Lord continues to bless me though I possibly can't get more. One day I'm sure he will stop but right now I am so grateful for each and everyone one of my blessings!

I miss you all! Thank you for the Birthday Wishes and making my experience here better with the support of all my friends and family back home!

Lovers Leap

The last few days of classes have been super fun and we have had a great time playing some hilarious games. On Monday we started our week out talking about traveling and going on trips. We all talked about taking trips to other countries and stuff like that but also taking day trips to places like the zoo and the museum. We had to read one story in our textbook about a mouse family who went to a museum, it was a good one. Well there were a whole bunch of pictures in the book of the sculptures and paintings in the museum. To get language out of the kids I had them explain to the other kids in the class how to act out that painting or sculpture. It was hilarious and the kids had to think really hard in order to actually speak. They would have all preferred to just show the other kids what to do but I wouldn't let them. It was fun!

At Discovery at the beginning of class I told them that we had to do some reading and some spelling and then I had a fun game planned. Santi looked at me all seriously and he says "Teacher Sarah, sometimes you say you have fun games planned, and they are not fun! Is this one fun at all?" In my defense, at least I try.... but I told him I thought this one would be really fun. "We will see!" was all he said to me. Apparently I'm not as cool of a teacher as I thought.

In case you can't tell Maryfer is supposed to be a cowboy... actually because we were reading a book about a mouse museum Marity is a cat and Maryfer is a cowboy mouse! So funny! Katya did a good job of explaining this one to them!

Maryfer - Sculpture of a ballerina

Katya = Mona Lisa... can't you see it?

All the girls trying to replicate a painting of a whole bunch of cats.

Zaloa, Noelia, Idalia, Andie, Katya, Marity

Noelia and Marity... who knows what they are trying to be? Serious faces was hard for them but I kind of got it on this one.

Not in this one though

Daniela and Pepe are twins and were perfect for this picture. The kids laughed so hard at them trying to be serious.

A sculpture of three cat friends at at a party. We just had a good time

Santi chose Pepe to be the dancer... he didn't even have to explain to him what to do. When he only chose one person Pepe automatically knew that he was going to make him be the dancer. I laughed pretty hard especially because he did a whole bunch of spins for us afterwards.

Anaisabel and Santi were the cat and mouse/cowboy horse team at Discovery.

The kids at Discovery trying to do the painting.

The best part was that none of the kids wanted to stop playing this game. In fact I had to take the books and the camera away and tell them they had to leave because all of them wanted another team. Santi even admitted to me that "That was a fun game Teacher Sarah!" YES! That's all I wanted was for him to admit that I can make fun games!

Alright, the funniest game in the world is called Lovers Leap... I think. The girls in my ILP class taught it to me and I think that is what they said but that is hard thing for them to pronounce so I'm not actually 100% sure.

This is how we walk in circles in opposite directions

I'm Bossy!

I got as low as I thought I should need to but Richard still didn't jump and just destroyed me

Richard just totally took me out instead of jumping on my back... Andi is even pointing and laughing. It was possibly one of the funniest things that has happened thus far

Richard trying to explain to me why it didn't work... it was all my fault apparently.

Jesus and Isai were in the final but they did the wrong thing... they were supposed to do Lovers Leap, not exactly sure what Isai was doing but Jesus got smoked in the face

Andi and Noelia were the winners!

The first video is of Monkey on the Back... we played this game again yesterday and I didn't fall over this time but it was hard with dense little Richard. We had so much fun though. Not sure what Teacher Kelsey was thinking... maybe that Jesus was way stronger but she jumped on his back and it was pretty hilarious.

Second video is one of the most embarrassing videos ever taken of me other than the videos that were taken in our hotel in Switzerland. The difference being this one I'm posting on my blog and the others will never be seen by anyone except for Samantha and Kristine.

We had to do the action Dog in the House. I obviously had the wrong shoes on for that activity because it doesn't even look like I attempted to stop at all. I literally just fell right on top of Richard and I look absolutely ridiculous. He hurt his knee pretty bad and I smoked my knee on the ground too and I was so busy laughing I couldn't even pay attention to Richard. I'm a terrible teacher. (will be posted soon)