The In-Between Time: Whats' missing?

Me and a few of the girls going into Primer curso (7th grade)

Sunday, the 16 new internas arrived! The parents and girls arrived and we went through and checked off all the stuff they brought to make sure they had everything they needed for the year, and then the parents left. About seven of them won't get to go home until Easter, and this is their first time away from home. Everything is new for them, pobrecitas!. The first few days they recieved some kind of meat and rice, and salad and white bread, and one of the girls wouldn't eat because she was only used to eating beans and tortillas at home. Then you get to chores, its a big deal trying to teach them to clean things. Imagine looking at tile floor, when you are used to living with dirt floors, they already look clean, so why should we mop them! About twelve of them had never used a computer and had only seen one from a distance. It is not easy trying to explain how to use a mouse to someone who doesn't even know what it does! On top of that, I've been teaching them English--a new language!

Sor Karla and the girls at merienda (snack-time)

Basically its been a hard adjustment for them. A few of them will start crying randomly in the middle of something. So to keep spirits up, along with the usual work, I've been extra busy playing lots of futbol in free time, telling jokes at meal times, and hugging crying girls in the in-between scheduled activities. Its actually been really fun, this group of girls are really great, they are really light-hearted and all of them want to learn, its just a little overwhelming at first for them. In talking to the girls I just realized that no one who lives at this school is with their blood family. Thus at this school, we have all been placed together, away from our homes and our comfort zones. Together we share this small part of our lives in our own sort of little family- its pretty cool. I also realized that new relationships don't heal or stop the heartbreaks. Leaving our family and friends always hurts, but only these little cracks in our heart leave room to squeeze in a few more people to love on. New people never replace old friends, they even make you appreciate old friends all the more! So my advice is to keep your heart open to new people, its sometimes painful because it only means saying goodbye to more people, but its what we live for! I love you all back home soo much, Muah!
--Dos Besos!

and

The prayer request now is for the new Internas, that they can learn enough in the next couple of weeks so that they don't feel put-down when school starts with the externas bringing their laptops, makeup, and money to waste on junk-food. And for me, that I can continue being uplifting with the strength of the the Lord.