UPDATE!!

Hello there!
So, it's been a while. Not really that long, but a lot has happened since I last posted, so just bear with me. I promise there is some exciting (maybe) news at the end.
Let's start at the beginning. On Thursday (the 16th) I went to Happy Valley to meet with my mentor teaching to just get set up. I went in the afternoon, right around pick-up time. The parking lot was so full!! I didn't even think I could find a place with so many cars, parents, and buses.
When I got there I started getting a little nervous. This school is in the country, like country country. Which is fine, but I was just a little unsure about how parents and students would perceive me in my hijab (headscarf) and jilbab. I said a little prayer before I got out of my car and then walked to the school. There were obviously the curious glances, but other than that it went well! :D I met with the teacher and she was really helpful! I am very much looking forward to working with her this semester. She said the Thursday schedule is a little different than all the other days because they have RTI, but I'm looking forward to that as well because it'll teach me how to deal with different kinds of situations. So my first day starts the 23rd... the First Day of Autumn! :D
Next update, my reading assessment with my child. I was very apprehensive going into my session on Thursday. She, understandably, didn't do that well on the media knowledge test, so I was very concerned with the beginning alphabets test, but she did ok actually. Even though I'm not her teacher, I felt so proud of her when she got the right answer. And just a future hint, stickers are your friend! I took some motivational Dora the Explorer stickers... they were magic. There was a point where she flat out told me, "I'm waiting to go back out to the playground." I went into emergency mode because we had only been there for like 6 or 7 minutes and we had more tests that we needed to get done, so I was like, "well, if you can finish this next test for me, I have stickers!" OO what a lifesaver. She ended up picking out 4 Dora stickers, but they were soo worth it ;)
Speaking of Dora, I was reading a Dora book to a 3 or 4 year old little girl whose parents are from Pakistan, and at the end of the book there is a picture of all the Dora the Explorer characters and I was like, "Hiba who is this?" as I pointed to Dora and she was like thas me! And it was soo cute, because she does kind of look like Dora, and then I pointed to Boots and I asked her who that was, she said, thas you! ooo goodness. apparently I look like a purple monkey. I guess that's better than her telling me I look like Benny the Bull who was also on that page. lol!
And Saturday... the PRAXIS. Surprisingly, that wasn't the most nerve-wracking thing that happened to me. I woke up, went to the test, it went ok, there was a set of three of four questions that dealt with one topic and I had no idea what that topic was, but I think the rest of it I did pretty well... We'll see four weeks from now :) So anyways, I got out of the exam... finally, had to wait for soo long, but got to my car, reversed and started driving, and as I'm driving I hear this flapping noise, and I'm like hmmmm.... that doesn't sound good. So I stopped at the light and the noise stopped ;) and then when I started driving it started again, by this time I was pretty sure I had a flat tire so I pulled into Zaxby's and called my dad. Well, it was flat alright, in fact when I was sitting in the parking lot, I could tell because my car was slanted towards the back left. Anyways, I learned how to change a tire today! and that tires are pretty heavy, even when they're flat! And apparently if you drive a flat tire (which I didn't know about, in my defense) the two rubber parts (such untechnical language, I know) apparently rub together and create rubber dust. Which is how you know that you're tire has been deflating for a while. great! I mean, doesn't that sound wonderful?
Well, that's all I have for now... all updated :) I am soo looking forward to tomorrow. I'm going on a picnic with my picnic basket (and some other people :D) but what I'm most looking forward to.... is....

are you reaaaaadyyyy????

GIANTS @ COLTS!!! yayyyy!! Go COLTS!

bok (bye in Croatian),
Imani