Sorry that it has been a few days.

You will all be happy to know I have been barf free for about 3 days now, and as of today I can actually think about food without feeling like I'm gonna relive the other night. I did however attain a new injury on Friday- a giant (well.. ok maybe not GIANT) 3 degree (according to me...) burn on my right hand. I was cooking chicken for Lauren and I... (i cook, we sit at the dinner table with a lit candle and discuss our day.. she kills the bugs...ect.) and right when I wasnt expecting it I got a big old splatter of hot butter all over the back of my hand. I didn't even scream or say impolite words... just pressed my lips together and whipped the spatula across the room ( then ran as fast as I could to Lauren's room so she could baby me...hah). Anyways- it has gone past the big bubbly blister stage and now just looks like a nasty wound. I had to tell the story to about 10 appalled children today.

Lauren left for home on Saturday. Her brother Matt is getting married this coming Saturday and she is in the wedding. While that is super exciting and fun... it does leave me here in the middle of the desert... by myself in the house... with a very small supply of DVD's, and many many oreos. I have now watched all of Seinfeld season 9 and all four seasons of the Office. I have now resorted to rewashing dishes and belting Celine Dion in our very echoey house. This could be a very sad 11 days. I actually dreamt that I heard Lauren whistling the other morning, woke up and thought "What are me and Lauren gonna do today?...... oh wait... she's not here..." and went back to sleep. I know, poor poor Courtney.

I taught third grade today. Let me just say this. I had to teach a lesson on problem solving and never felt so stupid in my whole life. A child fell asleep as I tried to figure out what the heck i was talking about. asleep... like drooling.

A few little things I've been noticing with the kids:

I wear alot of necklaces. The kids come from a culture that is very aware of jewlery and such so I often get compliments on my necklaces. However I am left feeling very dumb when they ask me if my necklace that I bought on clearance from Target is made of the stones from my homeland, and I never know what to say when they ask "Who made that for you.." i think they wouldn't really like it if I said a machine in Columbia.

They are also very confused about my heritage. They have figured out I am not Hopi. And today they figured out that I am not Navajo. And whenever I try and tell them I'm mostly German... they start asking me how to say things in german and whether my grandparents were nazis and when my family settled in Indiana... I'm really starting to wish that I knew/cared as much about my heritage as they do. It's definately not as fun to say that "my people" like tony's pizza and wal mart as it would be to say that my grandmother is in the moth clan (I'll explain the clan thing later... i think I might finally have figured it out) and that she has passed down the art of basket weaving.

Well it's 9:39... and I am usually in bed by now on "school nights" seeing that I have been having anger issues with my alarm clock every single morning.

Please continue to pray for good health and that we ( or I.. until next Tuesday when Lo gets back) can clearly notice opportunities to be more involved with the students parents and the rest of the community. Also (more on this later) Betty, the 67 year old principal who I LOOOOVE just went through her first of four chemo treatments and is still working hard as ever. Please just pray for continued strength and healing for her.

Thanks!


Love,
Court