since it's been a while....

So, I realize it's been a while since my last post so there's lots to write about. Since the last time I've written, we've been to a few birthday parties and a wedding, and done a little traveling. It was fun to see how weddings are celebrated here, and found lots of similarities to the weddings I've been to in the US. The ceremony was held in the cathedral in downtown Maturin, and the reception was at a nearby hotel.


















Last weekend, Cesar and I took a short trip to Puerto Ordaz to have lunch with his grandparents and visit La Llovizna National Park. It was really interesting to see such a growing, industrial city right next to a little piece of tropical rain forest. Unfortunately it was a little rainy the day we went, but that meant we pretty much had the park to ourselves. I got to see some wildlife, including a couple of poison dart frogs.














There is a river that runs through the park, and just before the park, a dam that produces power that's even sold to other countries. While we were there, the door of the dam were shut, so you can just imagine what the waterfall is like when the doors are open.













Other than that, work has been going well and I now have an exciting opportunity to start an after-school program for the students whose parents work at the school. I will spend the next week planning activities and start the first week in December providing an extra hour and a half of supervision three days a week. I look forward to the chance to work independently and provide structure for the kids - a couple of them are in first grade and they could really use some extra attention. All the teachers that interact with the first grade comment on how difficult of a group it is to work with, and we've really worked the whole school year to try and get a functioning classroom where the kids can learn. It's been quite an experience, and I am somewhat relieved to hear that not all groups are so hard to work with.
In other news, elections are this weekend, so it should be interesting to see what changes take place, and how people react to those changes.
Well, more updates to come soon.
(more pics can be found on Cesar's facebook)