I have returned

So I am back and finally have some time to post. I got back July 17th and Jose was there to pick me up. It was so wonderful to see him! We got in the car and instead of driving back to the complejo, we came to our apartment. It felt very strange to go a different way once we came into the city after always returning to the complejo for the past 2 years. When coming in to the apartment, it felt like I already lived here. Jose and his dad had moved all of the boxes and then Antonia (my maid) had unpacked everything and put things where she knows they belong :) (please insert laughs and rolling of eyes here) haha Yes, my life is pretty ridiculous. Needless to say, unpacking and settling in was pretty painless. I had a few days of relaxing before starting to prepare for the new teachers. The new teachers arrived on July 23rd and the weekend before was busy, busy setting up their houses, buying things for their welcoming baskets and making sure all the houses were in order. I made 2 trips to the airport that day to pick up 2 different groups and everyone arrived with no problems. This was a miracle with 20 people flying in with numerous pets. No bags were lost and no delayed flights, WOW! To say that the welcoming week was busy is an understatement. With 18 teachers to settle in, take shopping, make breakfast for, take to meetings, and answer thousands of questions....the 2 other welcoming committee members and I were pretty well exhausted by the end of each day. VERY few of them speak any spanish at all so there was a lot of translating and assisting necessary also. Once that craziness was done, I had a week to rest and recover before starting work this past Wednesday. Jose and I went to a lodge in the mountains for a night and then to the beach with his family for another night. By Wednesday, I was ready to get started and get back into my classroom. On Wednesday, Jose and I walked to work in the morning which was fun to get ready and have breakfast together. He was so excited for the first day. It was nice to see everyone again and was very easy to slip back into old routines. The last few days have been spend in meetings, setting up, and planning the first week or os. I'm feeling very ready and have my class list. I've heard positive things from most teachers from last year that it's a good group. I'm hoping that is true. This weekend I might go into my classroom for a bit tomorrow but mostly just relaxing and mentally preparing for Monday. I always like the first week of school because it's so fun to figure out who the kids are and still feel fresh and excited about things. Hope everyone is doing well at home. Love and miss you all!