So far...

Things I have learnt so far while in Trinidad....

• A little more Spanish - I am definitely not fluent but my guesses at what people are saying are more likely to be correct now!
• To not just say yes to everything a child asks me when I have no idea what they are saying - generally I realise that I should have said no when I see what they go and do
• That tarmac is a genius invention - on Good Friday we had the day off so we took a trip to the countryside and drove to San Loreto, about an hour away. Unfortunately the road there was mainly just stones and holes so it was a very bumpy journey! Definitely flew off our seats a few times and when we got there it felt good to be on unmoving ground. Crazily Caleb (KC and Maicol's 3 month old son) managed to sleep for most of the journey despite the bumps! San Loreto was very peaceful and tranquil - the Catholic church had loud speakers and was playing music and there were not many people around so it gave it a very calm atmosphere. I could not imagine living there though - way too isolated!
• I should be grateful that when I went to school it started at 8.45am. Here, if you go to school in the morning, it can start at 7.30am! (Kids either go to school in the morning or afternoon). The school that I help teach at is not far from the Foundation, thankfully we take the last lesson of the morning at 11am. There is no way I would be awake enough if we had the earliest lesson of the day! Craig teaches 3 different classes a week, ages 12-15. At the moment we are going through a study book on the general message of the Bible and salvation through Jesus. I have taught Noah escaping the judgement of man by the flood and the story of Moses leading the people out of Egypt and the Passover being a symbol of Jesus as the Lamb of God. It seemed to go well with all the classes, though trying to understand the kids when they answer a question does not always work - I just make a noncommittal response and repeat my own answer!
• You cannot escape the bugs! Grasshoppers are always there to leap out at me and get stuck in my hair, mosquitos still love my blood and I am left with scars from the bites, and I think I ate a few ants that got into the biscuits at kids club last week!
• Alligator tastes a bit like pork - I know my family will be shocked to know that I eat here! Gone are the days when I only ate chicken and chocolate! But yes I have missed Easter Eggs, I am sure Cadburys have noticed a drop in sales as I was not there to buy one every few days like usual - I will just have to make up for it next year!
• I chose a great time to come somewhere hot. I have been told that I have missed the coldest March for 50 years! Unlucky for everyone at home in the cold! Here is gets down to 25C and I feel cold, putting on jeans and long sleeves and the kids are layered up with woolly hats and everything!
• How awkward the English language is. In some ways it is simple but it is not consistent - helping at the English class has made me realise that! Also as Craig is from Scotland he pronounces some words different to me so that adds to the students confusion! Obv as I am from London I have the neutral non accent, but it has been strange to not be around anyone with an English accent
• Our life is a witness of what we believe - and so my faith should be evident in every part of my life, not just the church parts
• God does not change, but maybe sometimes our own change in perspective of him makes us think that he has