mmmm.... Vacacion!!

So, we're on break for another month and while I've had some time to reflect and rest, and do some planning, I have another few weeks of good work to do yet before I am ready for the kids to come back next semester. It amazes me how exhausting this job is, not in the physical sense entirely, but also very much in a mental/psychological one. I am finding that I had forgotten what it felt like to regularly get 8 hours of sleep a night and wake without stress. It is a beautiful thing.

First impressions, retrospectively... All those beautiful lessons we learned in ed classes about structuring units and using various forms of evaluation throughout... whoah... novel idea. I feel like I'm learning them like a middle schooler learns bagpipes... yeah... I watched braveheart... I know what it's supposed to sound like... but holy cow... what are those ghastly honks and screeches... Still... I trust that even those honks and screeches become music in time. The struggle ensuing from my coached efforts to plan for next semester's classes with still 5 weeks of vacation ahead of me has been interesting. I simultaneously feel the excitement of creating something I know I'll be glad to have later (no sarcasm here... I really do feel it), and exasperating disdain towards the monotony of the task (less the hotfoot of imminent purpose) and fear under the self-given accusation of futility. This struggle is part of my buisiness in this cocoon however, and I prayerfully step forwards, hoping that tomorrow can be both more enjoyable and more productive than was yesterday.

I finally got around to making a flute yesterday. Makes me happy. I'll have to post video of my canopy-level porch and hammock where I read and play music in the evenings. Mmmmm.... It's a beautiful thing. Sounds like some resort or something somewhere... it's not exactly that... but it's nice. You'll see.

I bought a wok. boo yah. Cooking excursions just got that much more exciting. On today's menu... fried noodles... with ginger chicken, green peppers and onions in a peanut-orange sauce... it... was... amazing... here's to google searches in a connected world. Dan (English teacher) and I discovered a great chinese grocery-esque store near the mercado here in town.

It's been a blessing hearing from those of you at home via skype these past few days. I'm usually connected, so even if I'm not there, feel free to drop a line. In one of those conversations, it came up that very few of you have my mailing addy so... here it is:

Regular ole' city mail

Hans Burkholder
c/o Asuncion Christian Academy
Casilla 1562 - C.P. 1209
Asuncion - Paraguay

Courier (Faster and Safer, but pricey on my end)

Asuncion Christian Academy
Attn: Hans Burkholder
7331 Nw 35th St.
Suite MC 30063
Miami FL 33122

Use the courier if you want to send something particularly valuable, perishable, or both
Otherwise, just use the normal one.

... or just ask me and I'll advise.

Peace, love, and petals,

-That Hans