On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving our school held its "Turkey Bowl."  It was basically a night of soccer and food.  Sarah and I had to referee a soccer game, which was pretty scary given our limited knowledge of the rules.  Luckily they were only Kindergarteners, and we had to give only 3 yellow cards.  The best thing about it was that it gave Kati and Paul a chance to see the campus and our classrooms.  When we were getting in a cab to go home, I noticed something right away.  The cab driver had a leprechaun on the shoulder of his navy sweatshirt.  I told him right away he was wearing the right team, and we talked ND and American sports all the way home.  We often times see ND clothing, but he really knew what it was about.  He was a Colts fan too, so I said they might meet the Bears in the Super Bowl and I held out my hand to bet him "100 Quetzales."  Later on, he asked about baseball and he was a Braves fan.  When I said next year was the Cubs year, he held out his hand, laughed, and said, "100 Quetzales!"  ... So even from central america:  admiration for the Irish, and jokes about the Cubs.



We had our last day of school today and start our Christmas break tomorrow.  First we are taking another adventure trip in Guatemala - this time a 4-day kayaking/hiking trip to Rio Dulce.  We will be paddling down a river through the rainforest before reaching a town called Livingston in the Caribbean near Belize.  Next will be 4 days of beach time (Sarah) and scuba diving (Ryan) in Roatan, which is a Bay Island off the coast of Honduras.  From there we are headed to Costa Rica for more jungle hiking and beach time on the Pacific. 

I know, life as an international teacher is rough...

After all this, we will still look forward to 12 days of Christmas at home with our families. 

We wish you a blessed Christmas.  May the Christ child's bright YELLOW light bring joy and peace to your life.