carnaval and school pictures

this past tuesday (well...it was celebrated all weekend) was called Carnaval...or better known in the states as Mardi Gras...it is celebrated here with the constant throwing of water...either balloons or buckets...and spraying foam at you...or smashing eggs over your head and covering you with flour...or car oil...mud...coal mixed with water...whatever your pleasure :)

here in shell..the missionaries talk...and they have tall tales about everything...some is true..and some you just have to experience for yourself...to set everyone straight of course :) so...missionary rumor has it that being in Banos on Carnaval is the worst place to be...because the people are the craziest....so...Amy and I went to Banos...expecting the worst...we figured if we were going to experience Carnaval ...we should do it in style...so we arrived in Banos very cautiously...come to find out...nothing was really happening! it was crazier in Shell (where i live) than in Banos (the craziest place!)...we did see the occasoinal foam spraying...and while amy and i were walking along the road...we did get sprayed (you can see the foam on the right side of my face :)) not a lot....but it still was funny to be walking down the road and getting sprayed by noone you know :)
i did experience a little carnaval action myself...by smashing eggs on some american teens here...but proud to say they never got me back and i was hiding in my house for 2 days to escape their wrath :) heheeh



ahhh..memories of school pictures! how i cherish the days of waiting to get my school pictures back...were they going to be good...bad...did i blink? who would i trade them with...and who would give me thiers? i still have most, if not all, of my school pictures that i have traded with people since elementary school...precious :)
so...here is my school picture...AS A TEACHER :) wow..pretty crazy...and yet...no one to trade it with!











here is a picture of my class...i am on the left and miss hahn (david's aide) is on the right...the picture is not the best..but it will do...here are the names of my 8 children who call me crazy and funny miss clayton...or as David would say, "funny teacher"

back row (L to R) Lydia, Jacob, Tim, Caleb, Philip
front row (L to R) David, Jem, and Jeremy

we have a great time together..and am excited to say that i am planning on teaching all of them again next year...with a few more additions to our class!

i just watched the movie, Proof of Life with russel crow and meg ryan..and it is a great movie...and was filmed in ecuador..right in the area that i am living! to get a highly accurate picture of ecuador and the area where i am living..see it! (exept things are a little different in the town of shell...but youll get the picture of the breathtaking creation here that i get the opportuinty to experience on a daily basis) today i was able to see the volcanoes! wow!