When you first start out on this journey of being a missionary teacher you are given all kinds of advice of what to do and what not to do. Good ideas and bad ideas. Ideas and advice about fundraising, about sending letters, about keeping up with social media and about keeping connected with those that support and send you. I have been warned not to post too many pictures of my adventures with the implication that people may think I am on a glorified vacation. I have been reminded that people also don't solely want to hear about just what is going on in the classroom. Frankly how many pictures of kids reading and everyday discoveries do I write about? There is this fine line between being real about what my life is about and painting this picture of what people think it should be. Ultimately I remind myself that the Lord has called me here to serve. This however does not mean that I am chained to my desk and that I do not get to experience this wonderful world and its people that God has created.
Part of being overseas is having the opportunity to see other countries, visit and encourage other missionaries and enjoy the rich culture that surrounds us. Another part is all that happens outside of our ministry this is the ministry we have to our friends and our family.
I have had a very busy October and November where I got to spend some time outside of Prague visiting friends and family in other countries. In October we have a fall break where I was able to join my flatmate in visiting our sister school in Budapest and stay with some of the girls from the school. It was great to share and encourage one another with stories of our lives and experiences as missionary teachers.
I debated sharing any pictures of my trips on the possible interpretation that all I have been doing is going on vacation. However, I will let you in on the teacher's world; taking a day off is much, much harder than staying at work! I avoid sick days as much as possible and unless I am physically unable to leave my home I do not call in sick. Planning for a substitute is 10x's harder than just showing up and battling through the day. So you can imagine what it takes for me to plan to take days off. It takes 2 days of planning, photocopying and prepping for every day you are away. So missing 7 days of school requires 2 weeks to prepare for it! Not to mention the toll it takes on the kids and that often not much gets accomplished when the teacher is away.
All this said I do not miss school unless there is a very good reason. This reason came in the form of my older brother's wedding, to happen in Mexico. I was very blessed to have family help pay for my travels and a very supportive administration to make it possible for me to go and celebrate in this joyous occasion. I had some wonderful volunteers to sub for my classes and the kids faired quite well and accomplished more than I expected. The trip was a memorable time where I got to meet my nephew for the first time, and spend a week with my family welcoming my newest sister.
So with all this said I have decided to share a few shots of the highlights of my adventures.
Budapest, Hungary
Since I moved to Prague I have been invited to visit this glorious city by some missionary friends serving with TeachBeyond at the International Christian school of Budapest. It was great to visit with the girls and see this beautiful city.
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| Amanda (left) was our tour guide and she did a fabulous job. Thanks for the wonderful time Amanda! |
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| Have made it a goal to find chocolate bars wherever I go! Hot melted chocolate: basically chocolate soup YUM |
Since our hosts didn't have spare keys to the gate we had to climb it on our morning outing. Lucky that it wasn't very big :)Thanks to our hostess with the mostess! They went out of their way to accommodate us and it was lovely!
Rose ice cream. They scoop it to look like a rose. Tasty and pretty.
Puerto Aventuras, Mexico
We stayed at a resort about an hour from Cancun and about 25 minutes from Playa del Carmen. It was the first time I got to see my nephew Benjamin since he was born in January. It was a wonderful week of celebrating and enjoying the beauty that is Mexico. The wedding was attended by just over 30 guests and was simply beautiful. Like every wedding there were some bumps and snags but we rolled through them and had a marvellous time. Congrats Dale and Rolandia on a wonderful day!
The one benefit to jet lag is that you are awake to see the sunrise!
Took AirFrance for the first time. Bonus three seats to myself! Brilliant!
Had a lot of fun getting to know my lil' nephew Benjamin
So this is my Aunty brag book of photos
He is a moose! So big for his age and so much like his Daddy!
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| Our family attempted to play volleyball. Let's just say there is no volley in our ball ;) |
Merry Christmas! Since I won't be around we had a little mini Christmas with gift exchanges and goodies. Ben's first time tearing through the Christmas wrap. Found the wrapping more exciting than the gifts.
We did some of the touristy stuff too. Went snorkelling, wandered some Mayan ruins in Tulum and went out on a catamaran.
Overall a grand adventure! Thanks family for making this trip possible for me!
