Preparation Fades to Performance

Hello from a rainy mountain day in VZ!

I think it's been my first gray day since I got here (reminds me of Iowa).  Great day to watch movies and mentally prep for tomorrow.  

Lazy day with no football.

I know many of you teachers are heading in for meetings and such this week.  I hope those go as painless as possible.  Notice I didn't say back to work, as many districts have multiple weeks of summer work, training, and extra-curricular activities (aka work) that really erode the thought of "summers off" as many think.  

Here's to your upcoming state of the union (district) depicting data and firing up the ole motivation machine!

Not for an update...

Staff Development Day

This past Friday we took part in a CIC tradition of heading to the beach with our whole staff (anyone teachers/associates can attend, but some stay and work).  We met at the school at 5:45 and hit the road by 6am sharp.  The ride there was a little over and hour due to some traffic issues and a few cars that had accidents.

Naturally, after about ten minutes of getting the coolers and people off the bus, the skies opened up and the rains came.  It didn't last long, but the worries of an overcast, rainy beach day were seeping into conversations.

The waiting (for the beach) is the hardest part.

From there we took a 15min boat ride out to the a series of keys that held the beach that was our destination.  The ride out was eventful.  The scenery was beautiful, like something from a travel pamphlet.  There was heavy boat traffic out to the beach, so the waters were rough (which added a sort of white water aspect to it).  We bounced around the waves that concealed the various shades of blue bellow.

Finally, the horizon rose and the clouds opened up and revealed the beach.  That site alone made the early wake up call worth it.

Palm trees and white beaches are cool, but clouds are not.  

I know what your thinking, "Kellen, that beach doesn't look that nice.  In fact, the "Riv" crew back home would claim Coney Island to be cooler."  To each there own, but I'll take this:

This is a real picture that I took.  

Yep.  I will say that the beach "attire" was much different than I have seen in the states, and that goes for both genders.  Some things that I thought should be used for jazzercise classes (ladies) or swimmers (gents) littered the beach front.  A few times, I had to hide my raised eyebrow.  To each their own I suppose.  

We hung out the beach, threw a football, had some beverages, ate some great traditional and local food, while enjoying the company of our staff, principals, and their families.  

Morris, David, and I embracing the umbrellas from the rum drinks. 

After a few hours it is tradition that all of the new hires (both foreign and local) go to this section of water in the center of several islands (about 15mins away) that is shallow enough to stand up in.  I'm told it goes back many years and our crew was no different. 

This is what we floated up on.  I don't even know how you describe it. A mini floating festival?

We spent about a half hour there taking in the scene, capture a few photos, exchanged pleasantries with some vendors, and then had another fun boat ride back to the beach.  If we would have brought some Bs we could have purchased some food, drink, or goods, but no one remembered so we just hung out in awe.  To think a year ago this week I was about 6K miles away on a football field for camp, and now I'm in Latin America.  Crazy. 

The boat with the flower sells fruity cocktails.  You'd never would have guessed would you?

Here is where the magic happens.

Hungry? Try some lobster..fresh with lime. 

Another lobster vendor. 

Notice the back left where the color darkens and the waves break. 

Yours truly with bunny ears (and white tank), Christie, and David.  He carried her all the way out to the island.  The dude can swim. 

After getting made fun of the umbrella, Frank joined us for some street cred.  Here we are doing the opposite of the duck/deuces combo that the young people do these days.  

After we returned to the main beach, we did more of the same.  I didn't apply sunscreen once...rather three times (I bet my mom got nervous) and still got a little red.  Hot, hot, hot.  They call the place the best kept secret in Latin America (it's a state park which eliminates hotels and too many tourists) and it was a very calming and restful place to spend a day after eight days of training, meetings, iPad 3 initiation (every teacher got one to use in his or her classroom with an app allowance), and planning.  

Around mid-afternoon we rounded up the troops, reloaded the boats, and journeyed back to the mainland.  We then funneled to our buses and hit the dusty trail.  

People were making plans to meet for dinner and hangout, but by the time everyone got home and showered that was it.  I watched a movie and fell asleep.  The sun took it out of me, but it was worth it.  

I can say with all honesty that this has been a great few weeks.  I have never felt more apart of a teaching family and a school community then here.  Now don't get me wrong, I felt a part of a school community at my last school, but this school is smaller and international, so it has a natural advantage and wants to insure our success (and stay all year, as we are an investment).  Again, I am constantly reminded about how outgoing and nice teachers, staff, and administration are here.  They have made this "country" (not in the Jason Aldean sense of the word, rather location) boy feel at home in a new city, in a foreign country, and on a different continent.  

I am definitely nervous for tomorrow, and the unknowns that lurk in my first day of my international education experience.  I'll just be me and try to do my best, all I can do right?

I'm going to try and rock the shirt and tie (nearly) every day [props to Halac].  I just hope I don't get caught in a downpour like we had today, because being soaking wet on the first day would not be cool.

We don't start our sports season until next week, but I'll talk more about that tomorrow when I try to give you a better insight to the school and differences in the states/international school settings.  However, I hope all of you starting your respective seasons have been blessed with healthy athletes, good weather, and the motivation the preseason brings (everyone is undefeated!).

If you have some comments about anything I've written, things you want to hear about, or just want to say hello, use kellencobain@yahoo.com and I'll try to do my best to respond quickly.  I should have more time (weird huh?) with school starting, so I hope to increase the quantity of the postings.

That's all from down here in VZ.  Hope your Sunday was restful, I'll see you on down the trail.

Thanks,

KRS