This is Fernando. He's even cuter and funnier in real life.

Wednesday turned out to be my favorite day of teacher appreciation week... chocolates and candy.

Wednesday night two friends and I boarded an airplane and flew to Guayaquil for Easter break. Our final destination was Montañita, a beautiful beach about 3 hours northwest of Guayaquil. We took the bus early Thursday morning to beat the Semana Santa rush and arrived on the beach at 9am. Then followed four perfect days of sun, sand, waves, and relaxation. I don´t realize how much I loathe living in the city until I´m out of it. Which is probably a huge blessing. I was dreading coming back to the city Monday night, but now here I feel content. But being outside in fresh, open air, with the only sound being the crashing of waves, I was able to find the self-reflection I typically don't have in the city.

Although I wasn't looking forward to returning to the city, I was ready to come back to school. I was surprised how much I found myself missing my students over the 6 days of break.

Enter April. Enter Teacher Appreciation Week. Monday brings cards and notes, Tuesday brings flowers, and Wednesday... yet to be discovered. We also have received cake and a mariachi performance. But my favorite is a card from my aforementioned new second grader... Created out of green construction paper with a brown heart drawn on the front and the words "From Fernando". The inside reads "Dear Miss Peaterson: Thenk you four loving me so much. I never had a teacher like you."