Whale watching and snorkeling

Saturday morning we all got on a boat and tried to get to the first island we were going to however we were stopped because of the whales. We watched whales for about half an hour before finally getting to the first island. I just sat in the water looking for shells before grabbing snorkeling gear. I snorkeled with Mrs. Stevens for a while and saw a school of fish swimming by us. I saw a really cool shell and asked Mrs. Stevens to grab it for me. We got back on the boat and rode o another island that had a coral reef surrounding it. In the coral reef we saw all kinds of fish: clown fish, puffer fish, rainbow fish and many more that I don't know the names of. We got back on the boat and drove back to Saboga.

Our last Panmanian hurrah at Los Diabolicos

                                         

Whale watching and snorkeling!

 Today was a very fun day. We went on a boat to go snorkeling in very beautiful places. While we were on our way to go snorkeling in the best spots we saw some whales again. These whales today weren’t as active as yesterday’s, but still super cool to watch! There was a mama whale, baby whale, and an aunt whale! They were super interesting to watch because the mother was teaching the baby how to survive! Every time the mother would come to the surface a few seconds later the baby would try to do the same thing! The first place we went to go snorkeling was super clear water and super calm waters. That was the best snorkeling experience I’ve had in my entire life! After snorkeling in that area we were in we went to a beautiful coral reef! There I saw multiple types of pretty fish including parrot fish, trumpet fish, and other small little fish!

Contadora

Friday afternoon we got on a boat that would take us to Contadora. On the way to the island we stopped because we saw whales. The whales were super close to us and started circling us. On whale got really really close to our boat and we had to back up. When we eventually got to Contadora we went to a store and got snacks. We walked for a while and then found a cute restaurant to get lunch at.  We then got back in the boat to go back to Saboga. 

Later in the evening Mrs Stevens and everyone came over with a cake to wish Mrs Silvanna a Happy Birthday. She had told my mom not to do anything for her birthday so Mrs Silvanna stood awkwardly the whole time.

My moms birthday day and Contadora!

On the 26 we went to another island called Contadora. The island is called Contadora because it was where they used to count pearls. On the way to Contadora we saw about 7 humongous whales. Instead of the whales getting away from the boat the whales started coming towards the  oat and circled us. This experience was super cool especially for the people who had never seen whales before bed]cause they had put on quite a show. I was super glad this happened because my mother loves watching whales and they put on a show on her birthday! In Contadora we just walked around and had empanadas as a snack in a restaurant before we got back on the boat! We returned from the boat and went straight to the house! While my mother, Mrs.Leanne, Abby, and I were just hanging out, all the people in the other house were making a surprise card and birthday cake for my mom! I thought this was a super nice surprise for my mother! After a long day my mother and I went to bed and I fell asleep happily knowing that my mother had a very great day on her birthday!

Last Day of Teaching + Contadora

For the last two days we finished teaching the kids, and we went to a nearby island called 'Contadora'! Here are a few pictures from our latest adventures: 

On the boat, heading to Contadora!

Going over flash cards with one of the students.

Picture time with two of the students!

This girl was so sweet and an amazing artist!

Eating empanadas in Contadora!

All of the students lined up for a photo.

Teaching american phrases to the class!

  

Video of teaching the alphabet to half of the class. 

Playing hand games with one of the students!

Near Contadora, whales started to circle our boat. This video was taken by Ella's mom. It was the best video of the bunch!

Whale-watching and Isla Contadora

This is a Russian ferry that was the first boat to run trips back and forth from Panama  City to  Contadora.  It has been beached here for many years.

This is where the tribal council was held for the Survivor, Pearl Island .

Teaching in Saboga

Tuesday morning we rode the ferry to get to Saboga only having an hour rest before going to teach. The first thing Gabi and I did was introduce ourselves and give out name tags. We then went around the classroom and had them all say " hello my name is" before giving them a worksheet to do that would help us get to know them better. Gabi and I separated into small groups I got the young r kids and they were a little wild but extremely fun to hang out with.

On the second morning we started to walk towards the school on the hiking trail when someone with a golf cart offered to give us a ride. We got there early and the kids immediately ran to us and dragged us into the classroom. We still had a few minutes before we had to start teaching so I played games with them. When there break was over the first thing I did was teach them numbers but they already knew one through ten so I taught them up to twenty. I handed out the number erasers I had and before they got there's they had to tell me what number I was giving them. We then moved into colors, we had a sheet with a few colors on it and decided to teach them a song to help them remember some of the colors. We then gave them a color by numbers coloring sheet that took them a while to complete. A few of the kids finished early so I decided to teach them a hand game called avocado. I was super sad when I had to leave. We got back to the house and took a walk along the beach, climbed rocks and went swimming.

The third morning of teaching we had to leave at eight so we could see them put on a performance for us. The drums for the performance got stuck on Contudora an island near by. We eent do to there class and taught them how to do crafts and taught and played games with the kids. They took us down to the soccer area and we played soccer for a while. Finally the drums arrived and they performed for us. I thought it was really fun and every time they made two mistakes they had to run up a hill and back. We got home and chilled for the rest of the day.

3rd day teaching!!!

The 3rd day teaching was super fun because we had some arts and crafts for them to do. Once we explained the arts and crafts activity all my kids got straight to it and all of them enjoyed making the arts and crafts. When we got to the classroom we decided to go play with them first thing because it was cooler than in the afternoon! When class ended, my mother and I were going to go take a rest but most of the kids wanted to keep on doing arts and crafts so my mother and I stayed to help them. Around noon two officers from the navy came (which had been teaching some of the kids to play instruments) and conducted a little performance. The kids were playing the drums and other instruments followed the officers lead and performed very nice parts of songs! I am super happy that I got this opportunity!!!! Her are some photos and videos!

Can we bring them home with us?