Church, Home, School.

Well, let me give you the run down. On Friday morning, I rose and shined (shone?) at 8 after an exceptionally long night waiting at the airport. Don't remember if I posted. I think no. Anyhow, I missed the big Celebration of Cultures dinner because the super-shuttle seemed to think I needed to leave Alexandria at 5:20 for my 9:25 flight. That's right, and no there was no time change...
Of course my flight was delayed over an hour, so I sat in the Maryland airport for FOUR HOURS (caps needed) waiting on my flight, wishing I was seeing Yuri et al dancing and singing.
Oh, well. Es la vida.
So I dragged myself from peaceful slumber to look at two duplexes. Returned home to shower, clean up, unpack, do laundry, and pick Yuri up from the airport at 12:45. Check. We went straight to the duplexes and decided on a 3 bedroom, newly bought and flipped (if it's still flipping when you rent it), 1.5 miles away duplex. It's conveniently just around the corner from a teacher as well as an amazing family who has already tended to so many needs.
I paid the deposit since she had no bank account yet and not enough cash. We went from there to school which caused butterflies in the stomach. Not for me, obviously; I was excited to be "home."
We walked into the last few minutes of the meeting and then went around the building seeing where everything was.
Then we had Open House/Preview Night from 4-6. It was intense. Many Kindergarten families were unaware of the exchange so had lots of questions and comments. veteran families were surprised and happy to see me and meet Yuri. I used that time to beg for furniture, etc since we finally had a place to call her home!
After the Preview, we had a faculty welcome/goodbye dinner in the library even though I would be there another two weeks, well three days in the building.
Then Yuri and Megan talked since this was their first meeting.
We got home and had plenty to talk about. Ashley was excited to meet her and thought she was as precious as I did. There truly is no other word...she's adorable! Okay, there's one other word, but you know...
We had to get to bed because Saturday brought another busy day.
I knew she needed sleep; she stayed up until 4am Friday before flying to Nashville (SO upset I missed all that), so I decided to go to 9:30 yoga and then come get her to open her bank account. Yoga was amazing...really going to miss that. We got to Suntrust and waited patiently and then were helped by a nice gentleman. Yuri suggested that he be my "honey" which is a popular word with these Mexican girls. I declined.
From there, we went to East Nashville to work at school for an hour or two after lunch as well as see the Tomato Festival. Man was it ever a festival! We drove around for 15 minutes looking for an open space on the street or a parking lot. We finally found one and put in reservations for a table for two at Batter'd and Fried. After 45 minutes (2pm), we were seated. It was well worth the wait. I treated Yuri and she promised to buy the ice cream later.
We went by school, but I didn't have my keys, so while we could get into the building (thanks Megan), we couldn't get into my classroom.
We headed home to do her laundry, rest, and prepare for the Titans! on Ashley's new tv. I could see their names, I could see their colors (to keep the teams separate), and I could even see the ball! I may actually understand this stinkin' sport next season!
There was plenty of chatter during the game. Yuri and I also looked through my English supplies and materials. She was wowed. She promised me she would talk to her principal to see if it would be possible for me to have a classroom (share the library) since my teaching style works best not floating.
This would be a good time to inform/remind you that my teaching day will be from 8-12:30. Let's not forget, however, that I will have 40 kids at a time in unairconditioned classrooms! And also that I will likely be working other places in the afternoons, evenings or weekends. English is so valued in Mexico, that I will be a rock-star! Looking forward to that celebrity.
Right.
So that brings us to Sunday.
Sunday morning, I wanted to take Yuri to Harpeth Hills. She is a Christian, not Catholic (like most of Latin America) and she was saying in DC how much she missed going to church. She had been in the States almost a month and no church. She was telling her husband how she felt far away from God, and he told her that God was in the US, too! Hilarious.
I'm thinking their church at home is most like a Community Church. But I needed HH, so she went with us. We also had a lunch invitation to la Casa Smith after church.
Of course, being on Mexican time, we were late getting there. I had sent Ashley a few minutes ahead, but unfortunately, the only seats in the house were balcony (which I will never do again), or row 2. You can figure out where we sat (see previous parentheses).
So we sang, we heard the announcements, we did all the pre-sermon things.
Then Chris (Ashley's dad) gets up to speak. He speaks using a "Garth Brooks"(his terminology)/"Brittney Spears"(mine) mic, so when I saw the handheld on the pew beside him (directly in front of me...), I wondered whose anniversary it was or birthday, or which missionary was leaving or fill in the blank.
As he spins around from walking up to the pulpit area, I hear, "Laura Klapheke." Any of you reading this know me well enough to imagine the shades of red in my face as well as the expression on it. He said, "I'm so glad to see you there on the second row. It makes it so much easier to come on up here and talk to me." Wow.
So I go up and say that I don't sit that close because I don't like the preaching, to which he responds, "Well, at least you won't have to come far at the invitation."
He asked me what I was doing and I replied, "Right now I'm getting embarrassed, but in two weeks I'm moving to Mexico to teach English for a year." He asked lots of questions, gave me good press, made me use the word Fulbright, and even helped me beg for furniture and other goodies from the congregation for Yuri's new empty-ish house.
AMAZING. This made lots of connections, including a Spanish speaker from Puerto Rico who gave her number and said to call for anything, she'd been in the same position in a new city and would like to help any way she could.
We then went to the Smith Fort for a typically incredible lunch (brisket, twice-baked potatoes, baked beans, squash casserole, etc)-thanks Vick! Yuri was the center of attention, which was nice. It was a great afternoon. We ended lunch with German Chocolate Cake and homemade Butterfinger Ice Cream.
From there, Pastor Chris loaded Bertha (the Smith family van- don't worry Klaphekes, it can't hold a candle to Big Red Clifford) with the table and chairs on loan for the year. We traipsed over to East Nashville and unloaded the table and chairs while the landlord finished painting. Then a parent met me and followed me to my house to get my mattresses. I left Yuri there to pack up while Ashley traded out the van for her car (and coincidentally went to Best Buy to remedy a double charge on her tv causing an unnecessary overdraft). I unloaded the mattresses and waited alone, bored in the empty house while they made the same trek.
From there, we went to the airport to pick up her husband from his 5:40 arrival. After checking with the extra-rude, just awakened (and inconvenienced), nasty, totally-unhelpful Continental lady in the baggage office, she ripped off a sheet of old printer paper (you know the kind from 6th grade with holes on the sides?) and thrust it in our faces. Well, I was confused, so I asked (mistake number 1) what it meant. He was actually on the flight that left Houston at 5:40. I kinda expected that after we had walked all over creation looking for him. Nada. No luggage, no husband.
So we left the airport, got the essentials at Kroger, unpacked them at the house, and returned to the airport. He was there! He had missed his flight because of immigration and customs.
We took them to their house, he approved, and we left.
This morning, I picked Yuri up at 7 so we could get to work and get settled (I like to be there around 7:15 always, but I wanted to especially be there on time/early on the first day). She yawned the whole way, but bless her, she was ready when I got there.
We did some work in my room (and crossed off the 5 things on my list. she thinks my lists are hilarious-how much I try to do and how much I accomplish in a short period of time) and then got to visit every class that she'll be teaching. That was helpful.
Here's a funny: on the way to school, she told me they got cold the night before. The utilities are included, so the heat and air are set between 68 and 72 year-round. I asked her if she needed more winter things or blankets (Ashley and I had given her stuff from our Goodwill piles) and she said no, that she had slept in the sweatshirt I had given her. I was cracking up.
Today was a half-day, so we were out at 12. We went to pick her husband up (After wonderful Senor Streeter dropped off the couch from Senorita Allen's room) and went to lunch at Batter'd and Fried again. She loves it and wanted him to experience it. This time she treated me. It was delicious. She and I both ordered what we'd had on Saturday. Samhir ordered chicken alfredo: neither batter'd nor fried...
I dropped them off, did some more things at school, and then went to yoga. Again, wonderful.
Megan took them shopping for more groceries and household things.
Tomorrow is another day, a full day as a matter of fact, but we won't have students until Wednesday. Thank goodness!