Updates

You may have noticed that the header picture has changed. Sadly it's not as great of a picture, but seeing as it was a picture of Vejlefjord and not the current trip to Denmark I decided to change it. This is the street on which my new school resides. Høngaardsvej, my new home.

Lets start with the most important things first: The Super Bowl. Everything that can be said has already been said by the 700,000 people in Seattle for the Seahawks welcome back parade, but I would like to summarize by saying: BOOM!
I was fortunate enough to be able to have Monday off of teaching so that I could travel down to VFS and watch the game with the other American Student Missionaries and some students.  Of course it was streamed live so it started at 12:30 on Monday morning and ended at 5:00.  In our midst their were only two rooting for the Broncos (and one was a pity fan).  It was an excellent time of bonding and probably one of the best Super Bowl parties I've attended.  I'm sure it has nothing to do with my team playing in it.  Although until about half-time I couldn't let go of the feeling that the refs might... have issues... like they did last time. But by the start of 3rd quarter I was able to put that fear behind me. Like 29-0 behind me.

Starting around 9:00 Melissa and I (she is one of the missionaries at VFS from Walla Walla) started making things for the game.  I made guacamole and deviled eggs while she made cookies and some amazing brownies.  And of course on Sunday afternoon we hit up the supermarket to load up on more than our fair share of processed junk food.  Here is a picture of our great Super Bowl party.

The guy in the blue T-shirt that looks depressed was our main Broncos fan

So at 5:00 we went our separate ways to sleep a bit and at 2:00 I woke up and drove back to Østervrå.

During the week classes went well.  Each day I'm getting more used to working with the resources I have and making the best of it.  Biology is the hardest to work with since I can't understand their textbook, so I have resorted to a project based curriculum for them.  It actually works out pretty well because they only have Biology once a week, just enough time to get a nice project finished.  If anyone reading this remembers a cool project they did in middle school or high school relating to Biology please feel free to describe it in a comment.

Then a wonderful present came in the mail on Thursday with all kinds of goodies to help supplement the schools resources.  My wonderful mother went to an education store in Bellevue and sent a huge variety of curriculum books and experiments, and phonics stuff.  Even a bag of Valentine's gummy candy. Priceless :)

This weekend has been very relaxing.  It is the first weekend I have been in Østervrå since I first arrived.  All other weekends worked out so that I was down at VFS.  Saturday night was the New Years Party (Nytårsfest), and no, I don't know why it was in February.  But many church members, community members and kids showed up to a great party.  The food was traditional Danish Smørebrød.  Or as it has been so endearingly translated Smorgasbord in English.  It literally means bread and butter, but it means so much more.  Traditionally you take a small, dense piece of rye bread, smear some butter on it, and I learned it has to be ALL the way out to the sides.  Then put pretty much whatever you want on top of it. Try: fruit salad, cheese, red pepper, pickles, various meats, veggie or otherwise; not all together of course, unless that sounds good to you.

Here are some examples.

Here are some other pictures from the party.