Maya Ruins and Cave tubing!

Our first day of adventures began with a gorgeous sunrise.

After an early breakfast and two cups of coffee, we (and several other guests) piled into a van and drove two hours to Xunantunich, a Mayan archeological site with stunning views of Belize and Guatemala.

We also got our exercise! Howler monkeys called in the jungle, but unfortunately, they wanted to be heard and not seen. Valerie and I had been exercising each day, including a fitness challenge to build up to doing 100 squats in a day. After all of these steps, we decided that we had earned a day without squats!

After a delightful lunch at a local cafe, we began the second part of our day. We arrived at St. Herman's and suited up for a short jungle walk, and then descended into a cave system for some river tubing. Although we had headlamps, we all turned them off and tubed in the dark for a little while! 

It was an amazing experience. The water was cold and in some places, very deep. The pitch black can be a little scary, but we survived :)

The Azores

The last year has been a whirlwind. In November, I decided to leave my position at MC. While I enjoyed parts of working there, it wasn't a good fit for me. I was feeling very stressed and my migraines were increasing as a result. More than anything, I really missed teaching. I had some limited opportunities to teach at MC, and it was becoming clear to me that it would be an outlying part of my job.

Shortly after finishing my final semester at MC, I left for a week of holiday with a friend. We had planned the holiday over the summer, and scheduled for school holidays. Sara and I packed our bags and headed to the Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal. We spent a week on São Miguel Island, the largest of the islands in this archipelago. The weather wasn't great by Azores standards, but for those of us escaping winter in Pennsylvania, it was a nice break! It was incredibly humid though! My swimsuit didn't try for the entire week. (I ended up using a hairdryer on it to draw some moisture out before packing it in my backpack!)

Despite some stormy days and incredible wind, we managed to do quite a lot. We went whalewatching, during which we didn't see any whales, but we saw a gorgeous double rainbow over the water!

We booked a few jeep tours, which let us go off the beaten path and enabled a wonderful combination of education and adventure. We had amazing tour guides, who knew their history and biology well.

As you can imagine, I literally took hundreds of pictures, and selecting a few for this post has been difficult! The Azores are volcanic islands, and the volcanic rock in some areas contributes to the green appearance of some of the lakes. Others are the most amazing shades of blue. 

The picture above is overlooking Sete Cidades, which is a gorgeous spot where two lakes, one blue and one green, meet. This picture doesn't do it justice! It is stunning to see.

We rented a tiny little car for one terrifying day. I was the driver. Between the fog and the steep inclines of every narrow road, it was an experience I will never forget! We wove our way from one end of the island to the other, determined to make the most of the experience. Sara and I both realized we are very dependent on Google Maps! Reading a traditional map while zipping around sharp turns is an art form we have not learnt! 

On one of our last days, we tasted fofa, a sweet treat that resembles an eclair. Warm from the kitchen, it was delicious with a coffee!

With each day, Sara and I continued to be amazed at the beauty of this island. The roads are lined with hydrangeas, many of the roads wind around stunning cliffs by the ocean, and the vivid green of the land is almost overwhelming, even in winter. I can only imagine how magnificent this must look in the bright light of summer.

I seldom revisit vacation destinations, but I can see myself returning to the Azores, to explore other islands. It was truly beautiful, and my first taste of Portugal, although it wasn't continental Portugal! It was wonderful to hear Portuguese being spoken. It rekindled my interest in Portuguese, which was first sparked when visiting my parents in Moz in 2012. 

My vacation ended in a flash. Our return was extended by one day due to a missed connection. We arrived back and two days later, I resumed my teaching job with CC, teaching English as a Second Language to adults. Walking into my makeshift classrooms felt like taking a deep breath of fresh air. Despite the uncertainty of what would come next in terms of a permanent job, I knew I had made the right choice.

My mother has slowly won me over. I now love plants. It fascinates me to see the variety of flora in different locales but also the similarities. I was surprised to see plants that I knew from Zimbabwe in Brazil. Arizona offered a wonderful array of plant life in its many landscapes. I particularly liked this pink-tipped grass, which I've learned is called muhlenbergia.

In Sedona, we saw prickly pear cacti, a familiar sight for this Zimbabwean.  We also saw century plants, agave americana. 

Prickly Pear

Century Plants

Near the end of the century plant's lifecycle (which is about thirty years, not a century as the American Pioneers thought), the plant grows a really tall stalk, which looks like a giant stalk of asparagus. This stalk can be up to 30 feet tall! That tall stalk you see in the picture below? Yep, that's a century plant!

Of course, one can't be near the Sonoran desert without noticing the incredible Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea).  I did not expect to see hills covered with Saguaros, nor did I realize that they are so tall!!!

Apparently, the tallest recorded Saguaro was 87 feet tall before it was blown over in a storm. They don't grow arms until they are least 75 years old, and some never do! Most live about 150 years. Saguaros have expandable ribs to help them store water. A large Saguaro can store up to 6 tons of water, accommodated by expanding its ribs, but it can also lose up to 2/3 of its water and still live. I also learned from the Phoenix Botanical Gardens that Saguaros have "rain roots", which are additional roots that grow within an hour after rainfall to allow the Saguaro to absorb as much rainwater as possible. 

Val and I also learned about the relationship between the Palo Verde tree and the Saguaro cactus. Apparently (I wouldn't know), it was observed that a Saguaro often grew under a Palo Verde tree. Birds might have been feeding baby birds in the branches of the Palo Verde tree, and seeds dropped. The Palo Verde tree then acted as a "nurse plant" for the Saguaro. Eventually, the Saguaro might outlive the Palo Verde, because the Saguaro has a shallower root system and the Palo Verde will not get enough water. 

Palo Verde and Saguaro

Sometimes, noticing the plants had additional benefits...we saw a jack rabbit! 

Bay of Fundy

My father really wants to see the Bay of Fundy, which is known for its high tidal range. Although he thought pictures were taken to show him that I made it there before him, I promise that was not my intent! Dad, don't go in March.

Just another pretty street...

There is something incredible about blending functionality with beauty. When on the vespa tour in rome, which I mentioned in my last post, our guide Valentino showed us a beautiful neighborhood of Rome. He told us that this was socialized housing. It was gorgeous. Homes were unique, well-built, beautiful. He told us that this came about during a period when politicians realized that residents would take better care of something that was beautiful, even if they didn't own it. It also sends a message that everyone deserves a clean, safe, and even beautiful place to live. 

I love that message. I think of it when I'm walking around cities now. In so many of our cities, the economic status of the neighborhood can be inferred from the exterior of the homes and the condition of the streets. There is a supposition that renters will damage a property and owners will improve it. Why is this?  I'm a renter, with no desire to buy an apartment or a house at this point in my life. But I have a desire to make my living space as beautiful as possible, in the same way that any home owner might!

Well, that was a bit of a tangent! I started thinking about all this on Sunday as I walked around the Old City of Philadelphia. Trees shade beautiful brick homes and small side streets. I love this part of the city, but I also know just by looking at the neighborhood that I can't afford to live there. It prompted the above thoughts, making me wonder why we think a higher income bracket should correlate with the beauty of one's home. 

This is just one pretty little street in Old City. I loved the raised brick flowerbeds on either side of the doorway and the contrast of the blue shutters and door with the red brick. As I walked by another alleyway, my senses were suddenly overwhelmed with the sweet smell of honeysuckle. (It was certainly one of the typical smells I have learned to associated with urban side-streets!) Still, it was a wonderful reminder to savor the moments of beauty that our Creator slips into our days. 

First days in a new place

And I'm back in a city. The second half of May was a flurry of decisions and changes. A friend contacted about a vacant room in a three-person flat in Philadelphia, I began applying to jobs, and resigned from my teaching position. 

Saying goodbye to my class was very difficult, but there were many factors outside of the classroom that were making it more stressful. My manager was incredibly understanding and supportive. One of my students nearly made me cry. When I informed the class that I would be leaving, several students responded by saying, "No! We will miss you." Ana looked at me and said, "Will it be better for you, Hope?" I didn't want to diminish the importance of my life in Harrisburg, but I felt it was important to be honest. I told her it would mean chances for a better job and the opportunity to live in a big city again. She smiled, nodded, and said, "Then we will be happy for you." 

I had an interview on Friday for a teaching position, but after the interview, I felt it wasn't the right job for me. It seemed completely irrational to turn it down on Monday when they called to offer it to me, but it was the decision that gave me peace. I have been blessed by friends and family who have kept reminding that my Provider will bring about a job at the right time. 

This past Sunday was moving day. I've been attempted to reduce my belongings for several months now and that eased the packing process tremendously. Mom, Dad and I packed my things into my brother-in-law's pick-up truck, and off we went. Despite my father's jokes, we didn't resemble the Beverly Hillbillies...much. 

Most of this week has been rainy and cold. As a result, I haven't been out exploring very much. My apartment is on the tenth floor, and it has offered beautiful views of the city with shelter from the rain.

I made my way to one of several local coffeeshops today. (I felt I was in danger of becoming a hermit if I didn't leave the apartment!) The coffee wasn't fantastic, so I likely won't be returning. Given that it could have just been an off day, maybe I'll have to go at least once more! It has a nice atmosphere. Thankfully, I've got several choices in a several block radius around me, including an Ethiopian cafe and a Lebanese bakery (baklava, basboosa, and kanafe a few blocks away...oh my!) I'll keep you posted on my explorations and opportunities in the coming weeks! 

Job, Homework, Job, Lesson Plan, Eat, Sleep, Repeat

Today is my day to breathe.  I have a lot of homework to do and a meeting for my teaching job, but other than that, it's a slow day!

Teaching last week was amazing.  I love my students.  I had seven students for the week.  It was so exciting to see them start to understand what I was teaching!  The job at the fitness center is also going well.  I had an intense 5 days/30 hours of training and Tuesday night will be my first night working solo.  I think it will be ok.

I have to do one project for Linguistics, and one more week of class, and then I will be my second class!  I can't believe how quickly this is going!

In a fun twist of events, I met a South African girl at the fitness center.  We started talking and now we are meeting for coffee on Wednesday because she has been thinking about doing a Masters in Education!  Life is fun.

Adult ESL

I can tell that ESL (English as a Second Language) is going to keep me on my toes.  All last week, I only had three students (the same three students) turn up to class.  Considering I had ten on the register, that was a little surprising.

One student told me she wouldn't be at class today because she had a doctor's appointment.  So, I planned my lesson, expecting two students.  On the way to class, another student's husband called, telling me that his wife wouldn't be at ESL class due to a hospital appointment.  I got to my location thinking I would have one, perhaps zero, students.

By nine, I had four new students who had not been in class last week, one new student added to my register because the night class wasn't fitting her work schedule, and also my one returning student from last week.  My lesson plan went out the window.  I'm not sure what is going on with the three students I have yet to meet.  I suppose that tomorrow I might have eleven students!

I sent a text to my school advisor, telling her what happened.  Her response: "Welcome to adult ESL!  It's a good thing you are flexible!" :)

In other news, tomorrow (Wednesday) will be my first day at Job #3.  I'll be working a few afternoons and evenings a week at the welcome desk of a local gym.  I have a lot of hours my first week because of orientation, so I better get back to my homework now!  I will teach from 9-11 tomorrow morning, and then work at the gym from 5-9 p.m.

Grow Where You Are Planted!

I've always appreciated gardens, but it has only been in the last few years that I have had a interest in being a gardener.  I didn't really have the freedom to indulge this in the UK.  However, I have a lovely little patio now, and I want to take advantage of the space and the gorgeous spring.

After I finished teaching for today (which is an entire story also), Martha and I headed to Lowes to start Project Beautiful.

When reaching for a pot, Martha inadvertently dumped some very chilly rainwater on me.  We both started howling with laughter.  I don't think the other patrons knew what to make of us.

Neither of us have gardened much, but we are both from gardening families.  You might say the gardening urge has been dormant until now.  It is only recently starting to bloom.  We are budding horticulturalists.  (Haha...the plant puns have been "sprouting" all day!)  Just please don't call us "blooming idiots!"  

We made our difficult decisions (so many flowers!) and went home with our starter garden.  I had Martha take some pictures, because my Mother will be so amazed!  

I also purchased two large pots and some seeds.  Hopefully, I will be showing you some sprouts in a few weeks!  I've planted carrots in one and spring onions in the other.  

Moving Martha

This weekend was moving weekend!  For a change, I wasn't the one moving.  Martha, my roommate from junior year of college, moved from New England and into my apartment.  Friday, two other friends and I drove up to Massachusetts to help her move her belongings down to Pennsylvania.

Meet Martha:

We arrived at about midnight and promptly went to bed.  The next morning, Martha rented a U-Haul and we packed up!

By 1 p.m., we were ready to get on the road!  We drove to Charlestown and stopped to let Martha say goodbye to her favorite beach and to have a picnic lunch on the beach.

We left the pizza on the rocks when we went to take some pictures by the water's edge.  Imagine our surprise when we came back to empty boxes!  We lost our leftovers to a hungry seagull!

Refreshed by our break, we got back on the road and drove the rest of the way to Pennsylvania.  

We arrived at my apartment at about 11 p.m.  I figured out that the three of us who left Pennsylvania on Friday had travelled about 800 miles in a 29 hour period.  I don't recommend it!  Bed felt very, very good!