Bye Bye BAICA

Well, it's hard to believe, but my three and a half weeks at BAICA are actually over!! :( After the initial shock of needing to do so much in so little a time - and the sleep deprivation that accompanied it - I fell right into the routine of teaching and truly enjoyed it! The kids were wonderful and I was happy to get to share that time with them and get to know them better. Here's a few shots from my time there. And on my last day there, the kids threw a surprise party for me! They planned everything and even involved the principal to help pull off their surprise. I will definitely miss them! Later on that night, the teachers of BAICA got together for a farewell dinner for me...though I thought it was funny that I was the newest person there. We ate at Embers, not like the one in the States, but it is known as the "First American Restaurant in Argentina," so I had a bacon-cheeseburger with onion rings and a milk shake! :)
Nathan had a little too much fun with his milk shake!And here's Dana y Cathy. Dana's classroom was right next to mine, so we helped each other out from time to time with classroom control...though mostly she was helping me stay on top of how the school ran and what happened when. Cathy is the school principal and did an absolutely amazing job of organizing EVERYTHING about that school...from high schooler's elective schedules to how to fit in time for all the Argentine students to take their Spanish subject classes. She's absolutely amazing!!
Here's Craig, Diego and Diane...and it's very lucky for all of you that I did not get a picture of Diego's freaky face!! Wow, scary! Here I am with Sarah...she is the Kindergarten teacher. What's really fun is how much we have in common, from having kitchen aids to enjoying the smell of photography developing chemicals, we've decided that being a little crazy (so says Craig) is the most fun! :)
I am so thankful for the friends I made while teaching at BAICA and I plan on staying in touch with them during my time here.
Above everything, I am so thankful that God brought about this opportunity to work at BAICA and expand my experience as a teacher as well as getting to know so many more people. Even though my official time of teaching there is over, I know that the friendships will not end! And seeing how much I grew in the few weeks there encourages me in where God will take me now that I am beginning to prepare for my new teaching experience. The Martinez Christian School is all nationals and will be like culture shock after being in BAICA, but I look forward to really getting to be a big help there with their English program, as well as getting to know more of the Argentine people.
Whatever comes, I know that God is leading me and that he's got my future right in his hands! :) So, no worries. Todo va a salir muy bien!! :)