Wednesday, May 28, 2008
our tour of the northwestern hemisphere's airports
I just sent the itinerary of our summer vacation to my mom and noticed a few things:
1) We're going to see the inside of a lot of airplanes and airports, poor Brad, he hates flying
2) Somehow Nicaragua and New York City got added to our list of stops
3) We have 13 flights
4) We leave on Friday the 13th
5) We're doomed
Bogota
Barranquilla to Bogota:
June 13th, 1:20 pm
flight # 9539
Avianca Airlines
Coffee Region
Bogota to Armenia:
June 16th, 3:38 pm
flight # 9943
Avianca Airlines
Armenia to Bogota:
June 21st, 7:30 am
flight # 8540
Avianca Airlines
Guatemala
Bogota to Panama City:
June 21st, 4:16 pm
flight # CM 302
Copa Airlines
Panama City to Manaugua, Nicaragua:
June 21st, 6:48 pm
flight # CM 711
Copa Airlines
Manaugua to Guatemala City:
June 21st, 7:51 pm
flight # CM 711
Copa Airlines
Home
Guatemala City to Miami:
July 15th, 7:15 am
flight # 928
American Airlines
Miami to New York:
July 15th, 1:30 pm
flight # 809
American Airlines
New York to Des Moines:
July 15th, 5:50 pm
flight # 4822
American Airlines
Barranquilla:
Des Moines to Dallas
August 10th, 11:55 am
flight # 3840
American Airlines
Dallas to Guatemala City
August 10th, 6:00 pm
flight # 2195
American Airlines
Guatemala City to Panama City
August 11th, 5:52 am
flight # CM497
Copa Airlines
Panama City to Barranquilla
August 11th, 11:56 am
flight # CM875
Copa Airlines
1) We're going to see the inside of a lot of airplanes and airports, poor Brad, he hates flying
2) Somehow Nicaragua and New York City got added to our list of stops
3) We have 13 flights
4) We leave on Friday the 13th
5) We're doomed
Bogota
Barranquilla to Bogota:
June 13th, 1:20 pm
flight # 9539
Avianca Airlines
Coffee Region
Bogota to Armenia:
June 16th, 3:38 pm
flight # 9943
Avianca Airlines
Armenia to Bogota:
June 21st, 7:30 am
flight # 8540
Avianca Airlines
Guatemala
Bogota to Panama City:
June 21st, 4:16 pm
flight # CM 302
Copa Airlines
Panama City to Manaugua, Nicaragua:
June 21st, 6:48 pm
flight # CM 711
Copa Airlines
Manaugua to Guatemala City:
June 21st, 7:51 pm
flight # CM 711
Copa Airlines
Home
Guatemala City to Miami:
July 15th, 7:15 am
flight # 928
American Airlines
Miami to New York:
July 15th, 1:30 pm
flight # 809
American Airlines
New York to Des Moines:
July 15th, 5:50 pm
flight # 4822
American Airlines
Barranquilla:
Des Moines to Dallas
August 10th, 11:55 am
flight # 3840
American Airlines
Dallas to Guatemala City
August 10th, 6:00 pm
flight # 2195
American Airlines
Guatemala City to Panama City
August 11th, 5:52 am
flight # CM497
Copa Airlines
Panama City to Barranquilla
August 11th, 11:56 am
flight # CM875
Copa Airlines
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Beachin'
Photo compliments of Galita (far right)
We went to Rodadero over the weekend for a beach vacation. We had yesterday off too, but I'm not sure what the holiday was. We stayed with teachers who work at the American school in Santa Marta. We had a good time, but those people are hard to keep up with party-wise.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
chiva
I'm home sick today. Got a little fever, sore throat, but I'm pretty sure I'll live. So now that I have all day I have time to post the chiva pictures from two weekends ago.
A chiva is a party bus complete with a live band. For 25,000 pesos we got a bus ticket, a bottle of rum and transportation to four different bars.
The best part about the chiva was the drive to the first bar. They took us on a little tour around town and people on the street just went crazy when they heard/saw the chiva coming, it helped that our friend Chris was hanging out the window passing out rum shots.
The last bar we went to was on the beach, about a twenty minute drive from our apartment. By that time I was thinking about getting a cab home, but we didn't end up staying all that long anyway. The bus dropped everyone off at La Troja, a salsa bar, where we hear the party lasted until 6 am, but Brad and I went home early, 4 am.
A chiva is a party bus complete with a live band. For 25,000 pesos we got a bus ticket, a bottle of rum and transportation to four different bars.
The best part about the chiva was the drive to the first bar. They took us on a little tour around town and people on the street just went crazy when they heard/saw the chiva coming, it helped that our friend Chris was hanging out the window passing out rum shots.
The last bar we went to was on the beach, about a twenty minute drive from our apartment. By that time I was thinking about getting a cab home, but we didn't end up staying all that long anyway. The bus dropped everyone off at La Troja, a salsa bar, where we hear the party lasted until 6 am, but Brad and I went home early, 4 am.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Likes and dislikes
This list exists for no good reason except that I was thinking of these while I was swimming laps today and thought I ought to just write them down
Likes:
Murder mysteries
Puzzles, especially of the crossword and jigsaw variety, and to be specific, the Monday New York Times crossword because it's the only one I know I can solve without cheating
Swimming pools
Kids (most of the time)
Geckos
Ceiling fans, I was going to say air conditioners, but I'm thinking about trying to be more environmentally friendly, even if it's just in writing
Peppermint tea
Blue cheese
Wine, but not in a snobby way, I'm happy with even a top-quality boxed wine
Chocolate, I'm a little snobbier about chocolate, but I come by it naturally, my grandma taught me to taste for the waxiness, like in Hershey's for example, WAY too waxy, but of course, I'll eat it if it's around
Run-on sentences
Blogging
Iowa
Traveling
Christmas
Couches
Being under water, so calm, so quiet
Rain
Working out, I have to say this repeatedly, "I like working out, I like working out," the alternative is having complete strangers tell me I'm gordita
Ugly Betty
The guy at the pool who looks like an obese Mark Twain, not because I like him in a like-like sort of way but because he really boosted my ego by asking me if I'd ever swum in the Olympics, and I'm pretty sure he was almost totally serious
Baseball games
Libraries
Dislikes:
Pigeons, especially when they're living in my windowsill
The constant, relentless, sticky, stinky heat of the tropics
People who cut in line
Dried saltwater on my skin
Bugbites
People who call me naive
nebraska
Expert grammarians, but only because I find you intimidating
Catcalls, or maybe I secretly like them and start to wonder when a week has gone by and someone hasn't leaned precariously far out of a moving bus to shout, "Gringa, I love you!"
Car alarms
Car horns
The sound of a car backfiring, it always scares me
Dirty dishes
Sunburns
Slippery brick on the sidewalk
Thieves
Likes:
Murder mysteries
Puzzles, especially of the crossword and jigsaw variety, and to be specific, the Monday New York Times crossword because it's the only one I know I can solve without cheating
Swimming pools
Kids (most of the time)
Geckos
Ceiling fans, I was going to say air conditioners, but I'm thinking about trying to be more environmentally friendly, even if it's just in writing
Peppermint tea
Blue cheese
Wine, but not in a snobby way, I'm happy with even a top-quality boxed wine
Chocolate, I'm a little snobbier about chocolate, but I come by it naturally, my grandma taught me to taste for the waxiness, like in Hershey's for example, WAY too waxy, but of course, I'll eat it if it's around
Run-on sentences
Blogging
Iowa
Traveling
Christmas
Couches
Being under water, so calm, so quiet
Rain
Working out, I have to say this repeatedly, "I like working out, I like working out," the alternative is having complete strangers tell me I'm gordita
Ugly Betty
The guy at the pool who looks like an obese Mark Twain, not because I like him in a like-like sort of way but because he really boosted my ego by asking me if I'd ever swum in the Olympics, and I'm pretty sure he was almost totally serious
Baseball games
Libraries
Dislikes:
Pigeons, especially when they're living in my windowsill
The constant, relentless, sticky, stinky heat of the tropics
People who cut in line
Dried saltwater on my skin
Bugbites
People who call me naive
nebraska
Expert grammarians, but only because I find you intimidating
Catcalls, or maybe I secretly like them and start to wonder when a week has gone by and someone hasn't leaned precariously far out of a moving bus to shout, "Gringa, I love you!"
Car alarms
Car horns
The sound of a car backfiring, it always scares me
Dirty dishes
Sunburns
Slippery brick on the sidewalk
Thieves
Hacked
A student hacked into my facebook profile and found the blog. Even though he pinky promised not to tell his classmates, I have the feeling word is going to get out anyway. So, to my students: this is my private life and I will not discuss it with you. Ever.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Napping at work
I just fell asleep at my desk. I figure this happened for a couple of reasons:
1) Grading Anne Frank essays is really boring
2) It's the end of the year
3) I'm still recovering from Saturday night's chiva...pictures to come
Our summer vacation starts exactly one month from today. It couldn't come any sooner. Right now the kids are acting like total butt heads, the eighth graders were a little slow in developing their rotten teenage attitudes, but now they're full-blown. They've been rolling their eyes at me a lot. At this time of the year it's hard to be the adult in the situation.
It's also really hot in Barranquilla, which doesn't help my crankiness one bit, as you can probably tell.
1) Grading Anne Frank essays is really boring
2) It's the end of the year
3) I'm still recovering from Saturday night's chiva...pictures to come
Our summer vacation starts exactly one month from today. It couldn't come any sooner. Right now the kids are acting like total butt heads, the eighth graders were a little slow in developing their rotten teenage attitudes, but now they're full-blown. They've been rolling their eyes at me a lot. At this time of the year it's hard to be the adult in the situation.
It's also really hot in Barranquilla, which doesn't help my crankiness one bit, as you can probably tell.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Mother's Day
Last year I was the 3rd and 4th grade teacher at Puertas Abiertas, an after-school program for underprivileged kids. The Friday before Mother's Day I had them write acrostic poems for their moms. Some of them were so hilarious that I don't think I'll ever forget:
From Dashia:
Mmm yeah my mom got skills
Ohh yeah my mom raw like meat
My mom is the best
One of the other teachers hesitantly asked, "Raw like meat? Do you think your mom is going to like that?"
And she replied, "Ooh yeah, she gonna LOVE it."
From Jose:
Madre
(h)Acadera
De
Ricas
Enchiladas
The rough translation is:
Mom
Maker
Of
Tasty
Enchiladas
From Dashia:
Mmm yeah my mom got skills
Ohh yeah my mom raw like meat
My mom is the best
One of the other teachers hesitantly asked, "Raw like meat? Do you think your mom is going to like that?"
And she replied, "Ooh yeah, she gonna LOVE it."
From Jose:
Madre
(h)Acadera
De
Ricas
Enchiladas
The rough translation is:
Mom
Maker
Of
Tasty
Enchiladas
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
