Welcome to the Show

This week was rather unusual, what with a recital, a challenging "good-bye," and a teacher workday on Friday.  A couple of months ago it was decided that the children would get to showcase what they'd learned in the last 3 months of piano lessons.  Krista and Jorge got together and arranged a formal recital that took place Wednesday night.  They did a great job, and the recital hall (the school room) was a beautiful area that fit all of our guests comfortably (we had nearly 40 people in the audience!)  Each child played a piece that they'd learned with Krista, and we had some special acts as well.  Julie played a violin piece, Krista played a couple of pieces, Jorge sang for us, Diann (Grandma) even played a song.

This is what our table looked like at first...

Krista had the brilliant idea to use Christmas lights.

After the recital, each child received a medal.

Julie and Diann performed a mother-daughter duet.

  After the recital we had refreshments which included Polish doughnuts that Krista and I managed to make that morning (before breakfast even, so it was an early morning.)  It was really fun to see the turn-out, and afterwards everyone stuck around to help with clean-up which was a great help! Krista, Vicky, and I finally got some shots of the three of us, and I think they turned out really well.

 

After a hamburger supper, Krista and I went back to our room, accompanied by Joce, Fati, and Miguel.  To celebrate her last night, the five of us somehow ended up holding a photo shoot, and when we ran out of poses, we went dancing, had some chair races, and sang along with Krista's piano skills.  As if that wasn't enough excitement for one night, Vicky, Krista, and I had our last movie night together, our movie choice? "Pride and Prejudice"

Thursday morning was hard on us all.  After about 30 minutes of classes, we were all dismissed to go say our final good-byes and to pray over Krista. I was right in thinking that saying good-bye to Krista would be difficult, all three of us were in tears. Entering our room since she's left has been really hard on Vicky and I.  Whenever we open the door, there's that bare mattress and the empty shelves that remind us all too well that Krista's left us.  However, we do have Skype to help us keep in touch, and just earlier today I got to speak with Krista briefly.

The kids didn't have school Friday, but the teachers did. At 9:30 we met in the school, and we started to work. We accomplished quite a bit, and nearly 12 hours later we finally finished. A group of four young women somehow managed to clear the school room of some 30+ crate-like boxes filled with books, after organizing the books of course. After finishing the morning's task, we sat down to address some new changes and what would happen with the schedule now that Krista had left. As if that weren't enough, we set to work on one final task that never seemed would end. We went through score keys, replaced binders that were in pieces, created folders for score keys that were being used (which included labeling each folder, hole-punching it, and then tying the key into the folder). Not to mention, as it was Friday, we opened the store so that the kids could buy their rewards for the week.

It's been a long week, and I hardly even remember Monday.  However, this week marked the end of one way of living, and a start to the rest of my stay here on the ranch. 

Mezcla

I know, I know... I skipped a week. Sorry, we got pretty preoccupied last Saturday, and I never made it to an entry.
A basic overview of last week would likely focus on Thursday through Sunday.  Julie's best friend from college came to visit along with her parents and children.  We had a good time getting to know the family and spending time with everyone.  Thursday, when they arrived, the kindergarten class had a project to tackle.  If you have much experience baking with a child, then you know that making bread with three young children can be extremely difficult!  Somehow, David, Ana, Daniel, and I managed to make rolls to be shared Friday morning at breakfast.  We even had enough flour to make 18 decently sized rolls, after half of it seemed to attach itself to David's pants, shirt, and hands.  It seems we were just in the kitchen last week.  Friday, Krista decided to treat the kids to a favorite creation back home.  We came out for recess and snack, and there on the table were mugs filled with... PUPPY CHOW! The kids had never tried puppy chow before, but it certainly became a quick favorite.  On Saturday, Krista and I continued our baking week by spending 4 hours or so taking charge of pizza production.  We spread the dough, baked it, shredded chicken for BBQ chicken pizzas, prepared the four different types of pizzas, baked each one, set it out and cut it into proper slices.

One pizza down...

Trying to spread the dough...

One of Krista's mishaps...

Krista's other mishap...

In addition to baking, we kept busy socializing.  Friday night we set up a home theater in the school, including speakers, a large computer screen, 2 full sized mattresses, and various chairs.  The "theater" held 14 people, all eagerly watching The Avengers in Spanish.  The night went over great, and the kids seemed to enjoy being able to finally watch the movie.  A couple of weeks is just too much to wait to see a movie it would seem!  On Sunday, we said goodbye to our guests on our way to church.  It was a good visit, and really nice to hear what others thought about life here.  It's so easy to forget about the ease of life back in Indiana, where there are microwaves, electric stoves, unlimited water and electricity, and where you don't have to check your laundry every 10-15 minutes.
Moving on, this past week has been fairly "normal," whatever you may label that to be around here.  Diane, Grandma, came back to the Ranch on Tuesday, and it's been nice to see her again.  Another English speaker is always a plus, and since Grandma was here when I first arrived, it's been great to explain how things have changed and to realize how much has happened in a mere 3 months.
However, this week has been bittersweet.  With Grandma's return, Krista's departure became all too real.  For awhile we've had a joke about hiding Krista's passport so she can't go home, and throughout this past week, the comments about a missing passport have certainly increased.  I can't quite imagine life here without Krista.  She was here when I arrived, and we've become more than close friends over the past few months.  Krista will be more than dearly missed, and while I understand her desire to go home, I also know that it's going to be harder watching her go than when I left my family behind in the airport on August 22.
This week has definitely been a challenge, but I also realize it's just the beginning of a new change.  Life can never stay the same, and we're constantly reminded of this fact here.