Overview of Week 1

I don't have any pictures this time around, next post I'll try to have some.  The trip here was long and exhausting.  I was up at 4:30EST on Wednesday morning, and arrived at the airport by 6:30EST.  The flight to Chicago was nice enough, but the layover was tiring and left me fairly scatterbrained.  After a four hour flight to Mexico City, I realized how rusty my Spanish had become.  I managed to get through baggage check and customs with all of my stuff.  Cireno met me almost as soon as I made it to the main area of the airport, so I didn't have a chance to become hopelessly lost.  From Mexico City to Refuge Ranch is probably an hour's drive when there's no traffic.  It took us a good hour and a half I'd guesstimate, all the while I was able to watch the city turn into rural areas.
Upon arriving at the Ranch, either Anna or Carol greeted me immediately (they look a lot alike and I was fairly overwhelmed when I first got out of the car).  Then I met Josiah and Ruth, along with Dave, Julie's dad.  I was shown a brief glimpse of the main floor of the house before we made our way up to the basement (the school/dining room/warehouse).  I met Julie and her mom and aunt, before I was shown my new room and the school itself.  That first night was so odd, because I didn't help with school so I had tons of time at the house to meet the kids.  I learned to play Risk, I got to know Josiah well, along with Fidel and Leo, all of whom I played a game of Risk with (it's the favorite evening pastime for the older boys it seems).

To provide a brief idea of the daily schedule (for this week at least):
7:10-7:30--Wake up, get ready
7:30-8:30--Personal Devo time (I'm still trying to get these first two set)
8:30-9:00/9:30--Breakfast and morning family devo
9:30-10:00--Kids complete morning chores
10:00-1:00--School, I help with questions and supervisor checks
1:00-2:00(?)--Time starts to fade at this point; lunch, lunchtime chores
2:00(?)-6:00--School continues
6:00-7:00(?)--Dinner and evening family devo
After dinner--Some kids finish school work, after dinner chores, hang out and play
9:00/9:30--Bedtime for most kids, I usually head back to my room for computer/Kindle
By 11:00--Lights out

 My Spanish has already recovered, if not improved, and I'm able to understand a lot of the kids now.  Just yesterday I had to explain a math lesson to Ale (the newest son) in Spanish because he understands minimal English.  If you've ever tried teaching a kid about money, you know how difficult it can be.  Now imagine a language barrier, plus a cultural barrier for that same lesson!  These children won't use US currency anytime soon, but with a US curriculum, Ale has to learn about the penny, nickel, dime, quarter, and dollar.  What fun!
Saturdays seem fairly laid back.  The kids have chores, but the staff can sleep in and relax more than on any other day.  Since my roomie's sick, I'm sorta keeping her company while enjoying the peace in our room.  More to come next week on the classes I teach, as well as cute anecdotes that I keep becoming a part of!