7/24
Amy & Luma left at 7:30am.
They arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at 5:45.
Amy said that Philadelphia drivers are crazy. She got honked at 3 times.
They're spending the night with Katie's friend.

Philadelphia: Katie, Luma, and Amy (with car full of luggage)

7/25
Plan: Drive to New Jersey; drop off car (to be shipped by boat);
fly to San Juan, Puerto Rico

New Jersey boat dock: Luma and Amy (Katie's taking th picture)
How will they get to the airport with all this luggage???

7/26  12:40AM
Any called She siad she  & Luma & Katie are in a car on their way to Guayama.
She said they won't have a phone for a week.

12:40PM

View from apartment building.
(Notice: palm trees, pool, mountains)

Amy says her apartment is wonderful.
(except for the little orange lizard that crawled in her window)
There are no screens on the windows (yet).
There are palm trees and a pool. And they can see the mountains,
but not the ocean.
The ocean is 20 minutes away. The school is 10 minutes away.
She's rooming with Luma. Down the hall are two more teachers:
one new, Kristie, and one third year, who's coming back on Friday.
Upstairs are Katie and another teacher, Joanie (third year).
And two more. So there's 8 of them all together.
There is a washer in each apartment but they told them the
"dryer" is on the roof (clothes lines).
She just woke up so she hasn't seen anything else yet.

7/27
Amy went to a festival last night in Santa Isabel and today she
went to Arroyo Beach. She said the Caribbean Sea is warm.
(unlike the Great Lakes)

7/31
Amy and Luma, etc. visited their salsa dance teacher (from Michigan)
who was vacationing in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (The capital)

View from the balcony of the Caribe Hilton Hotel in San Juan: Alanta Ocean

Amy, Victor (salsa teacher), Luma

back row: Kristie, Tammy (Mari's sister-in-law). Luma
front row: Joanie & Mari (neighbor)

Tonight is a party for the new teachers and tomorrow is
their first "work" day at the school: a teacher's meeting.
The kids don't start until next Monday, August 7.

Guamani School
Kristie, Joanie, Luma and Mari

This is the beach at Maunabo where they swim:

Maunabo Beach: Carribean Ocean

Carrie, (who teaches 4th grade with Amy), Carolyn, and Alissa

8/2
Yesterday they had a big (3-4") spider in their bathtub and
today they had a 6" lizard in their bathtub. It took them 20 minutes
to get it out. Amy says there are lizards all over, and all the "bugs" are BIG!

The lizards are cute and look like baby dinosaurs.
The school day is from 7:45 until 3:00 with a one hour break
(for the teacher) when someone comes in to teach Spanish.
The school has hurricane days (instead of snow days).
Almost everybody in Guayama speaks English.

8/6
It may be a month before Amy gets a phone and email. You can write
her at her school address (above). Mail is not delivered to her apartment.
Classes start tomorrow.
She says she's never taking a shower again without her contact lenses.
Something crawled across her feet and she couldn't see what it was.

8/7
She has 21 kids and they're good (so far). They all kissed her on the cheek.
They think she looks like Bubbles from the PowerPuff Girls.
Some speak English better than others. Over half the parents don't speak English
so the kids have to finish all their work in school. Thursday the director's
driving her to San Juan to get her car (it was shipped by boat from New Jersey.)
And she has to drive back alone. She said the drivers are crazy.
She still doesn't have screens.

8/20
Amy got her car okay.
A lot of her students don't speak English very well. There was a parent/teacher
conference/open house but only 8 parents came because most don't
speak English. Amy is slowly learning Spanish.
Amy said there was a storm brewing that might turn into her first hurricane
and it was headed straight for them.  She and Luma went out and brought $200
worth of supplies (water, etc.) just in case.
Click here for Guayama Weather

8/21
FIRST EMAIL FROM AMY:

   Subject: amy in puerto rico
   Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2000 16:47:58 GMT
   From: "Amy Lerman" <pramy@hotmail.com>
   To: Lerman@home.com

Hey,
I finally got email... hopefully this is the right address.  Well, we are
having a little excitment here!  Tropical Storm Debby (may turn into a
hurricane) is heading toward us.  The expected hit time is tomorrow night at
7:00 with winds as strong as 85mph.  School is cancelled tomorrow... we have
to put everthing in the center of our room and cover it with plastic because
the roof leaks.  Luma and I spent $200 yesterday buying water, candles,
canned food, matches, flashlights, etc. to prepare.  We really don't know
how much water we need because we don't know how bad the storm is -- but so
far we have 16  gallons, about a half dozen jugs, and a huge tub.  Some
people were out of water and electricity for one month during Hurricane
George which was two years ago.  Our apartment is concrete and we have no
glass windows, so we should be safe.  However, there is a bridge we cross to
get into town and I was just told that it collapes during each hurricane.
Although now it is supposed to be stronger... we'll see. :)  The kids are
all freaking out... but they're very excited to miss school. I think the
continental teachers are freaking out the most. :)  Anyway, other than that
things are fine.  Luma and I have plans to go to the rainforest next
weekend, and we're going to some island that I forgot the name of over labor
day weekend.  I'm learning how to drive on this crazy island -- no car
accidents yet :)  I finally got my pictures developed and I'll send you some
to put on the web site.  Everyone saw the print-out and thought it was
funny.  Alright, I've got to run.  Who knows what will happen to the phone
lines if the hurricane actually hits!
Amy

ps:  pramy stands for puerto rico amy

NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER

8/21 9:00PM
I just talked to Amy. They're having a "hurricane party" at one of the teacher's
apartments. Amy and Luma don't have a phone yet. The email address is from
school. The city has the gas and water turned off already and everyone is
waiting for the storm.
(They got screens.)

Kristie, Luma, Carolyn, Carrie, and Amy at their "Hurricane Party"

8/23
Amy called. Hurricane Debby missed them. They just had wind and rain and
got to miss 2 days of school.

8/27
Amy and Luma and Carrie spent the weekend in San Juan.
They went to Club Babylon, Lupi's, and the beach at Isla Verde.
Lupi's
Next weekend (Labor Day weekend) they are going to a little island
named Culebra to go snorkeling .
 

NEXT:
September-October 2000