Settling In

It has been just over a month since I arrived back in Nebraska and some days I feel like I'm settling in, while other days I still feel like I'm on an extended vacation back home. Normal is starting to take shape though, and while there are definitely days that I'm homesick for Denver, it is good to be back in The Good Life :)

Job - My job is still changing every day! While the bank building is not completed just yet, it will be in a few weeks and you bet your dollas that it is going to be one awesome grand opening! Watch the mail for your invite :) I've started to make connections in the business world and build relationships which usually start with "So you're with [insert company]?  Do you know [insert name]? I know him/her from school/dance/church/gym/beer garden at the College World Series! Yup. True stories. I'm loving thinking of new ideas to help launch this bank, and now my challenge is convincing my boss I'm not completely insane. Watch for the "No Stale Tootsie Rolls" movement, coming soon!

Fam/Friends - It is great to be close to the family and my girls and all the kiddos that come with. I got to see Alex's first basketball game and have taken a couple of laps around Zorinsky Lake with various babies in strollers (and their moms, too). Living with Briana is AWESOME! She has every kitchen gadget know to man and keeps two candy jars stocked. Two. She knows the way to my  heart. And I'm grateful to my Ash for integrating me in to her social life - yay for more built-in friends! 

The new Homaha - A LOT has changed in Omaha over the past five years! So many areas of town have been revitalized with restaurants, shopping, and yes, breweries. Apparently Omaha also knows the way to my heart. Now if only the weather would warm up enough to sample said brews on a patio... I've spent some time exploring different neighborhoods trying to decide where I want to live. Jury is still out on that one - stay tuned. 

Single life - According to Marie Claire magazine, Omaha is one of the top 5 cities for single people, apparently because most people want to get married and settle down. But what does that mean for those who live here and aren't married when everyone else is? Hmm. Well, over a month and I'm still not married, so I'm not sure I believe the hype. Decide for yourself HERE. I did delve in to the online dating scene already and it is noticeably smaller that the pool in Denver. (Uh-oh) Two dates in, and the first date met me out for sushi and then revealed that he had a severe shellfish allergy (-10 points), and the second date took me to the zoo (+1000 points). Again, stay tuned. 

Much love from o-town! 

26.2 miles... CHECK!

Well now I see why people brag about completing a marathon! It. Was. Tough. Approximately twice as hard as completing a 1/2 marathon, which in itself is not an easy walk in the park.

But we did it! While we didn't set any records, we did all three stay together and finish together. We all kept each other motivated which was key as we each inevitably hit that "wall", but luckily we each hit it at different times so the rest of Team Nebraska could keep our morale up.

26.2 miles is a long way to run, and it took us from Epcot to Magic Kingdom (and through Cinderella's castle), around the Disney raceway, and through Animal Kingdom (where they had the Expedition Everest roller coaster open just for the marathoners! It was right at mile 13, though, and none of us trusted our stomachs enough to ride a roller coaster and then run another 13 miles...). From there we ran through Disney's ESPN Zone, up and through Hollywood Studios, and finally back to Epcot. Phew.

Enjoying a 3:30 a.m. breakfast on the monorail!

 Waiting in our corral for the start

 We made it to Magic Kingdom!

 Hard-earned medal and only one ice pack needed at the end of the race. Not too shabby!

I was impressed that we finished in one piece, and even MORE impressed that we managed to spend the rest of the day in Epcot without so much as a trip back to the hotel to shower. A quick change of clothes, some lunch, and we were off for the rest of the day! Granted we were moving very slowly, but you can't waste a day in Disney World, after all. Later that evening we annihilated that all you can eat dinner, though!

My Brazilian pants were quite the conversation topic. Paired with a race medal and a triple-layer margarita - the ultimate fashion combo :)

And of course, we all had a great time at Disney!!
 

 

Have a magical day :)

And we're off!

Yes, I have been slacking and I have lots of blog catch-up to do about the new year, settling in with my lovely new roomie, and the first days of the new job. BUT those will have to wait as tonight I'm packing my bags (again) - this time to head to Florida with Lori and her fam! That's right, the dreaded, I mean, anticipated marathon weekend is coming up. Will we all survive??? Stay tuned!

And until then, I leave you with this. Marathoners, or at least most of then that I've come across in Colorado, are known for bragging about their races. And you bet your hiney that I will do the exact same thing :)




Wish us luck on Sunday - we'll need it!

A day in Macapa

Brazil seems so far away now (in terms of both time and distance!), but the new year brought with it a flood of Facebook messages from my students wishing me a Happy New Year, which triggered some homesickness (if you can call it that?) for my city on the equator. So here is a day in the life of a USBC fellow in Macapa...

There were 11 fellows from the US on this particular trip, all from different walks of life who'd happened to find themselves with three weeks to spend in Brazil. A couple of college students, a returning Peace Corps volunteer, a retired engineer, and a few people (such as myself) in a transitional period. It was the first time in Brazil for most of us and the first time in Macapa for all of us!

The students we were going to meet were ages 12-19 and from three different schools in Macapa. This program is sponsored in part by the Brazilian government and is considered a prestigious, competitive program for students. The students had all applied and interviewed to be accepted to this program and they were coming to learn English over their Christmas break. And man, were they excited!!

After a couple days of opening ceremonies and festivities we settled in to our normal day-to-day schedule for the remainder of the time. We all stayed at a hotel near the school and I found some running buddies to jog with me in the mornings before school to keep up with my marathon training. Each morning at 7:30 we would jog from the hotel down to the bank of the river (yes, the Amazon river!), and then either jog down the pier or along the boardwalk. Lovely views in the morning!

Each morning starting at 9 a.m. we would have a team meeting to talk about plans for the day, work our our lesson plans, etc. We met each morning on the rooftop terrace of the hotel which had great views such as these:

After lunch at the hotel we would all pile in to a van for the short drive to the school.

I had a class of 15 students, all 12-15 years old. We had two hours of class each day and the lesson plan for each day was completely up to me! There were very different levels of English among my students, which made it a bit challenging at times. Because all of these students are taking English classes regularly at school, luckily it wasn't my job to teach grammar, sentence structure, and all of the irregular verbs that make English so fun. It was my job to give them full English immersion and practice speaking with a native English speaker.

Which meant we played lots and lots of games!

First day of class!

 Alphabet race game

 One of my students is quite artistic :)

 Alphabet scavenger hunt competition!

 Girls vs. Boys... Both teams did awesome!

The last day of class - We are the Champions!

After our class time came a quick break for snack, and then on to elective activities. Each day we had a list of 4-5 activities and the students could pick which one to participate in that day. We did everything from basketball and American football to UNO and double-dutch jump rope to creative writing and poetry. And yes, I taught a few line dances :) By the time we left all of the students loved Alan Jackson and Zac Brown Band. Success! 

Each day we ended with an hour of music assembly where students could perform songs, dances, etc. and we usually taught them some songs, too. They do love to sing and dance! And their very favorite dance of all? 

The wobble. 

We wobbled every day. Sometimes more than once. They just couldn't get enough. I'll be wobbling in my sleep for weeks. 

More to come!