The Dog Days of Summer.....

Greetings! I am back in the office after a successful trip to Mexico. I also brought back a wonderful stomach virus as a souvenir. It was an interesting few weeks. We were able to build two houses in three days for two families. The family for the house that I lead was a woman named Leida and her daughter, Leidi. One of the girls brought markers for Leidi and she promptly used them to color everything including her face and clothes. It was amazing to me that she had never seen anything that produced color. I also brought a ton of old clothes for them and each morning Leida was wearing one of my old tshirts. All in all, despite the stomach issues, it was a wonderful trip. I can't wait to go back and do it again!

Summer school wraps up this week and it has been great to meet the teachers and students. I feel like I have been in school this month, as well. I have been doing LOTS and LOTS of reading to get ready for this school year. Ms. McCarty and I are very excited to hit the ground running.

I kicked off my training for the Philadelphia Marathon this fall with a really fun 5k in Crystal City last weekend. It was, however, very hot and humid and definitely not my best run. I did really have a blast, though, and it got me into racing mode. Now, I just have to get through the Saturday morning long runs in the brutal humidity of August.

My dogs, Hudson and Elway, have been thoroughly enjoying themselves this summer. They have been taking really long walks around south Arlington and have been swimming and running around. They really love being able to take long walks in the evenings when it cools down, but is still light outside. I have to admit, I love that, too. I hope that everyone is also enjoying the last few dog days of summer!

Hola y Adios!

Hola from the Assistant Principal's office at MEHMS! Mr. Baxter and I have been working very hard over the past few days to transition me into this office and him to the principal's office at TJ. I know that I have big blog shoes to fill and hope that I can live up to the Deputy Head's precedent. I am very, very excited to be at MEHMS. I have already met many teachers, families, and all around important people during the past three days. I can't wait for the school year to start!

Tomorrow, I am off to lead my fifth trip in three years to the colonias of Tijuana, Mexico. I go there to lead groups of youth and adults in building small, sturdy homes for Mexican families that are living in makeshift shelters built with tarps and scraps. It is a humbling experience as these families are grateful for even the smallest gifts. Each time I bring down old clothes, kitchenware, and things I would otherwise get rid of.....and the look on the faces of the families makes you feel like you've just given them millions of dollars. It always makes me think of everything that I take forgranted. These families live without running water, electricity, and all the comforts we're used to, like indoor plumbing. This week we will be building two houses and two latrines in three days in the Rojo Gomez colonia. The children of this community go to school in a small shack without windows. The wind is constantly ripping the roof off and they have no books. The teachers work very hard, but without electricity and running water, I am sure that it is very difficult. This week, we are also going to visit the school and draw up plans to return in the fall to build a new school house. We are so very lucky in this country to have such amazing places like MEHMS to educate our children.

This is an exhausting trip, but so worth it. Whenever I go back to visit these families it's amazing how much their lives have changed just by providing them with a sturdy roof over their heads.

I will be back in time to meet all the faces of summer school next week and I look forward to sharing my adventures and pictures from this trip! At the top of this post is a picture (Ms. Lovette is in the first row, second from the left) of the house we built last summer for a woman named Elvira and her family. They had been living without an outhouse and in a shack made of old doors. When I went back to visit Elvira this winter, she was so excited to have windows for the first time in her life (windows!) that she had hand-sewn beautiful curtains for each one.

Adios, amigos!