Happy Valentine's Day!

We are just sitting down to drink hot chocolate (brought back from Saipan) after riding all the way around the island! It took us 2.5 hours, and I can't say I didn't get off and walk up the big hills. The back side of the island is dirt/rock road and very steep. Luckily what goes up must come down, and the ride from Sinapalu back to Songsong is a breeze. (The picture to the right shows the path we took, following the red dots, counter clockwise around the island, starting on the peninsula at Songsong Village.)

My trip to Saipan was a doozy - had to be at the airport at 1am. We got to Saipan at 3:30, and PSS wasn't paying for a hotel for us that night. So, we went straight to the supermarket, where the other Rota teachers stocked up with boxes of food and snacks. Then we headed to breakfast, and by 6:30 were able to go to the hotel just to change our clothes, but not check in. We got to the high school by 7:30 and had trainings from 8:30-4:00. After that, just sleep and eat pizza. Early the next morning, we flew back home. It's funny to see all the locals with boxes of food, beer, bags of rice, etc. checking into the flights. And you wouldn't believe the carry-on items they get onto the plane! Luckily there is only a security check from Rota to Saipan and not the other way around. All in all, it was a pretty tiresome trip. At least the trainings were done by professionals hired from Minnesota, so that was nice. Like being back at Seattle U teaching program.

School's going well - we made Spanish valentines on Thursday. I also have organized a Guitar Club, which sang to 20 different students on Thursday throughout the day (serenading). They did a great job and it was fun to see who they were singing to and handing out valentines. This was the first time they've done that at Rota High.

Up and coming - just teaching until school gets out. We've decided to both go to El Salvador this summer after the wedding, as we've calculated the cost to just $330 while using our mileage (and purchasing the miles we're missing) for the both of us. We'll be solidifying those plans this week, hopefully.

I've been chatting with the Amigos de las Americas volunteers, sounds like they're holding their annual comedy club event on February 23rd for $12. Check out their website for more info: Seattle Amigos
I'm still helping out to plan Spanish language activities, and hopefully can see the board members this summer. I've also been using my Amigos calendar, which I designed back in November. My students love it.

Well, have a happy Valentine's Day and a happy anniversary, mom and dad!

See you all in June,

Tara