"I love technology..."

Well, Kip loved it... but I'm not so sure... After being without internet for nearly two weeks, I have become less dependent on it. (and I was a bit dependent...) Let's just say that when I was a Cedarville, the first thing I did in the morning after getting out of bed was check my e-mail... and the last thing I did before going to bed was... yep, you guessed it... check my e-mail... So God has been teaching me that HE is all I need! :)


As you can imagine, LOTS of things have happened since the last post... I will do my best to fill you in on the important parts....



1. We went on a field trip to Mangal das Gracas. This had a butterfly exhibit, an aviary, and beautiful flowers. Beacause we had recently studied butterflies, this fit in well. I had been there once before with AUNT KATHY and enjoyed it. However, I wasn't sure if it was "kid friendly". The students ended up enjoying it a lot. I don't know how much they listened to the guide, but they had fun. Unfortunately, however, the highlight of their day may have been eating lunch at McDonald's.... :)

2. I got my nails done! Ha! I'm sure you're thinking, "Wow, thanks for sharing..." It was a little something special I did after a stressful day of teaching. This is the exciting part: it was only 17 reals! That means it was only about $9-$10! I got a manicure AND pedicure... you couldn't do either for $10 in the States! What a treat! :)

3. Field Day was another highlight. This is an annual event in which all of the students, K-12, are split into two teams for various competitions. Each team, led by two seniors, comes up with a team name, creates a cheer, and makes a flag. They then compete in various races and activities. A track is drawn around the soccer field for running events. All of the students participate in hurdles, a dash of some length (50, 100, or 200 m) and at least one relay. They then compete against their age group in a frisbee toss, long jump, jump rope, and "shot put" (with tennis balls for young students). The high schoolers also do a basketball shoot-out, golf, and javelin. (the picture at the left shows my first and second grade girls ready for the 50 meter dash! Laura even has her "game face" on :)

It is quite the day! Parents are encouraged to come and cheer on their students. After each event, the students receive a colored ribbon depending on how they finish. Here, the first and second grade boys show off their ribbons (which they pin on after each event :)

Before the high school girls' 100 m dash, I noticed a father giving his daughter some last minute tips. It took me back to high school when my dad would give me last minute tips before my races! I actually had to fight back some tears... I MISS YOU, DAD!

It was a fun day in the sun!

4. Right when the day was wrapping up, another teacher and I left for the BEACH. At the end of the quarter, they have two days off for an extended weekend. We took advantage of the opportunity! On my way out of the school property, I had at least 6 kids come up and frantically ask, "Miss Herbst! Miss Herbst! Are you going back to the UNITED STATES?!!" It was so precious! I guess the bag that I was pulling made them fear of my departure... After I reassured them that I would be back on Monday, they allowed me to go. Whew! :)

After a long bus trip (which was quite interesting in itself...) we arrived at our hotel which was located RIGHT ON THE BEACH! We could see it from our window! SWEET! The interesting thing about the beach in Brazil is that people drive their cars right onto the sand. As this picture attempts to show, people park their cars and sit at tables. No one sits on a towel - they either stand by their cars or swim in the ocean. Quite a sight. Corinne and I felt slightly awkward being the only ones on towels... and we even felt a bit in danger of being run over by a speeding car... quite the experience.

On a walk down the beach one afternoon, we found some sand dunes. While climbing up them, I couldn't help but think of the last time I had been on some dunes... probably the best day of my life up to this point! :) (for those of you who are completely confused, Dan proposed on sand dunes in Michigan! :)

Life on the equator is nice, let me tell you. I actaully even spent time in the shade! Imagine that! I returned back to school looking a little more Brazilian. Well, my skin that is.... my hair was even more blond than before... :) Thanks to the ladies at ProVest for providing the reading material: a recent issue of The Knot Ohio! :) I truly enjoyed it. :) (and Mom, I'm ready to get back to the planning!)

I will be teaching the remainder of this week and observing all next week. It is so hard to believe my time is coming to a close!

Thanks for your continued prayers! Right now, you can specifically pray that I stay focused and finish strong!

Serving HIM in the Brazilian Sun,

Brittany