Happy Students

Today, I took my kindergarteners to Quisqueya Chapel to have recess on the playground.  We usually do this once a week, and the kids look forward to it all week long.  During our walk back to the school, we passed by a parked police truck with four officers sitting inside.

As we were approaching the police truck, I overheard a couple of the girls saying, "I'm not afraid of police!"  When we passed the truck, the officers smiled at the students and my kids did not miss a beat.  They happily smiled back at the police officers and said in English, "Good morning!!!  How are you?  I'm fine.  Thank you, and you?"  Now, please understand they didn't wait for a response from the officers.  They just said all of that in one long phrase.  Both the police officers and I got a good laugh out of it.  It was adorable and the kids were so proud of their English!

Haitian Freezer Section

There are just some things that I don't expect to see in the freezer section of my local grocery store.  I am used to seeing goat parts and cow tongues, but I was a little surprised last week when I noticed this....

Yes, you read that correctly...it says Pigeon!

I admit I was relieved to read the label and see that the following "meat" was lapen (rabbit).  At first glance I thought it was a rat!

Christmas Fever

I realize that it is not even Thanksgiving yet, but I've started to get Christmas fever.  I am a little annoyed at myself for wanting to listen to Christmas music already.  I've been trying to hold out until after Thanksgiving, but it is hard to do when I hear the kids at school practicing Christmas songs everyday.

Today, the kids worked hard all day and we had some extra time at the end of the day.  I decided to reward them by showing them how to make paper chains to decorate our classroom for Christmas.  I even put on Christmas music while they worked.  They LOVED it!

They always get very excited to do any type of craft.  They especially liked seeing how long our chain was after we put them all together.  Our classroom is very colorful now!

In the U.S. we have the tooth fairy....

...but, in Haiti we have rats!  This week one of my students, Laniese, lost a tooth.  It has been loose since the beginning of the school year, and her new tooth actually came in behind the baby tooth.  So, it has been causing her some pain, but she would not let me pull it out for her.

During recess, another student accidentally bumped her and her tooth popped right out!  After a few tears, Laniese happily put the tooth in her pocket to take home.  The next day, I asked her what she did with her tooth.  She informed me that she and her mama threw it on the roof of her house and said, "Here you go rat! Take my old tooth and give me a new pretty one!"

I was a little confused until Miss Kattiana confirmed that throwing your baby teeth onto the roof of your house is perfectly normal.  Apparently instead of the tooth fairy, in Haiti you give your tooth to the "rats" on the roof and ask them for a new tooth.  When I stopped and thought about it, I realized that its really not that crazy.  I mean we Americans put our teeth under a pillow and wait for a "fairy" to give us money for it.  We are pretty strange, too.  :)

TLC Students 2011-12 School Year

This week we were able to get the entire school together to take a photo!