It's now only a couple of weeks until the first quarter of school will be finished, and in some ways it seems amazing, and in other ways the end of school seems a very, very long away. I'm enjoying being here, but it's still true that I've never missed so many things at once before, or been homesick so often in my life. I count down the days until Christmas break when mom, dad, and Justin will be here because counting down the days until the end of school seems overwhelming.
Lest I seem too pessimistic, I am frequently reminded of what a wonderful group I am working with here. I've been surrounded by so much friendliness and thoughtfulness, and we've had many fun times together. Last Saturday night we celebrated the principal's wife's birthday at one of the hotels in town by eating pizza out on the dock. It was a great evening, and Jace (one of the other SMs) and I talked with the dive instructor there about getting dive certified. We're hoping to start on that next week. We're really excited about getting our and doing something in the beautiful water here! I'm learning that if you want to do something here you have to take it into your own hands as much as possible and not wait for the group to plan something.
A highlight of my time here is that last week the SM guys and I went out with the American couple who are in charge of construction here and a group of medical missionaries to a little island to snorkel there. It was a gorgeous day, and on the way out we saw dolphins! The men stopped the boat and we got out and snorkeled with them! It was definitely one of the most amazing moments of my life, and one I wouldn't mind having again! It was a wonderfully refreshing day, and renewed my desire to experience more of the beauty this place has to offer. Sometimes I forget I'm in a place where tourists come when I spend most of my time on campus!
I miss and love you all (well, I guess since I don't know who all is reading this I shouldn't be too general with that statement), and thank you so much to those of you who've sent me boxes! It's opening a little taste of home. Sometimes quite literally. ;)
Monday, October 4, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
The Other Side
You know you're not used to being a minority when you find yourself staring at
American tourists.
American tourists.
A Typical School Day
This is long, but I figured some of you would like the details of what a full school for me goes like. :)
6:20 – My alarm goes off, and often I have already been awakened by the noise of someone else who has gotten up earlier. I get ready for the morning, and if I’m on the schedule, lead out in morning worship with the girls.
7:45 – Staff worship begins in the library. Actually, staff worship is scheduled to start at 7:45, but people start singing early, and if you don’t get there 5 minutes early, you feel late. Teachers lead out in worship rotating through the grades. Then there are announcements, and we leave to use the few minutes before classes start to finish up whatever we need to.
8:25 – I unlock my classroom and let the students in. If it’s Monday (and not raining), this will be preceded by flag raising. (I’ve found the pledge of allegiance very fast to memorize as it is the same as the United States, only with Federated States of Micronesia instead of United States of America. I think I know it better than most of my Chuukese students!) We begin with worship which consists of prayer, songs, and a short devotional thought. I am trying to teach my students to pray loud enough for the whole class to hear, and they’re improving.
8:50 – We begin Bible. Since I have no student textbooks I read the story from the teacher’s book, we discuss the story, and then the students finish a sentence prompt in their notebooks designed to make them think about the story in relation to their own lives. This is when I start running around the room helping those who don’t know how to spell, or have no idea what to write, usually because they weren’t paying attention. On Wednesdays the Bible period is spent having an Adventurer program in the church, and on Fridays a chapel program.
9:20 – English begins. Complaints of being hungry begin.
10:10 – Math begins. Complaints of hunger increase.
11 – Lunch! The students group around desks, eating their own food and sharing with others. I try to make sure the kids wash their hands, and encourage them to use silverware if they have it. I inwardly cringe as I watch many students eat their rice and meat with their fingers. Some go to buy their lunch, but most bring their own. When they are done eating students are to clean up the room, and when everyone’s done eating and the room is clean they can go outside for a break during the rest of lunch time. I try to keep track of everyone, and if I know where everyone is at once, I’m doing well.
11:30 – Science begins. Science consists mostly of reading from the textbook, copying the notes from our reading that I put on the board into their notebooks, and occasionally making charts with illustrations if the material allows. I wish science could be more interesting, but when I look at the list of supplies needed for the experiments and activities suggested in the book I am reminded of how few supplies I have, and how hard it would be for me to obtain some of even the most basic ones.
12:20 – Reading is next, and I have been experimenting as to what works best for the class. There are students who can read fairly well, students who can barely read, students who can’t read at all, and one who understands very little English at all. We’ve done primarily group reading, but I am trying to split the group in two and work on phonics with the group who can’t read.
1 – Recess begins, and I happily line the kids up and send them out of the room. It’s not unusual for a few students to have done something warranting their staying behind and copying the sentence I have written on the board into the notebooks until we return. This has been happening less often though. It’s been an amazing day when no one stays inside during lunch break or recess!
1:10 – We next work on either spelling or social studies depending on the day. At the end of this period I write their homework assignment on the board if I give them one. It’s a school policy not to let students take textbooks home with them because they’ve gotten so damaged in the past doing that. That makes homework assignments more challenging, so I usually have them do something with their spelling words on the days we have spelling for their homework.
1:50 – The last period changes every day. It’s either Adventurers, (which I still have no material on and I have no idea of what to teach), P.E. (which drives me crazy because the kids wait for the period all day and then I can’t get them to play anything together as a group. Then they complain that they’re bored because they’re not doing anything. Also, the office never seems to have any balls or any such thing for them to use. I think some of the kids are going to start bringing their own, and idea I highly encouraged.), Art, or music. They love art, and it’s the one subject they all can get enthused about.
2:25-2:30 – I give the last 5-10 minutes of class time to cleaning up the classroom. When the students check with me to see if their area is clean, they’re free to go. Often there is a student or two who has to stay after school because of misbehavior during the day. I give them some sort of writing work to do, or have them clean the classroom more before they can go, and have a talk with them. I don’t think they realize that I probably hope no one has to stay after class more than they do because it creates extra work for me! Luckily, this has been decreasing as well. One of my students still stays after school almost every day. I’ll feel accomplished if he can control himself well enough by the end of the year to not need to do that!
The time after school is filled with a variety of things that changes depending on the day. I spend time grading or lesson planning, and often run to grab something to eat if I didn’t eat at lunch because I’m not usually very hungry by 11. On Tuesdays there’s staff meeting, Wednesdays there’s prayer meeting, and on Thursday there’s an opportunity to go to town. There is also a chance on Sunday, but I try to go on Thursdays so my Sunday feels more open. Even though town is only a few miles away the whole trip tends to take at least 2 ½ hours because the travel time on the roads is so long. In the evenings some of the teachers will sometimes play games together, or I might read, or catch up on some grading. And in the event the internet is working, you can usually find many of the girls in the “internet café” which is the window in our room where the best connection can be found.
Fridays are half days of school, and all I can say is – Praise the Lord. :)
6:20 – My alarm goes off, and often I have already been awakened by the noise of someone else who has gotten up earlier. I get ready for the morning, and if I’m on the schedule, lead out in morning worship with the girls.
7:45 – Staff worship begins in the library. Actually, staff worship is scheduled to start at 7:45, but people start singing early, and if you don’t get there 5 minutes early, you feel late. Teachers lead out in worship rotating through the grades. Then there are announcements, and we leave to use the few minutes before classes start to finish up whatever we need to.
8:25 – I unlock my classroom and let the students in. If it’s Monday (and not raining), this will be preceded by flag raising. (I’ve found the pledge of allegiance very fast to memorize as it is the same as the United States, only with Federated States of Micronesia instead of United States of America. I think I know it better than most of my Chuukese students!) We begin with worship which consists of prayer, songs, and a short devotional thought. I am trying to teach my students to pray loud enough for the whole class to hear, and they’re improving.
8:50 – We begin Bible. Since I have no student textbooks I read the story from the teacher’s book, we discuss the story, and then the students finish a sentence prompt in their notebooks designed to make them think about the story in relation to their own lives. This is when I start running around the room helping those who don’t know how to spell, or have no idea what to write, usually because they weren’t paying attention. On Wednesdays the Bible period is spent having an Adventurer program in the church, and on Fridays a chapel program.
9:20 – English begins. Complaints of being hungry begin.
10:10 – Math begins. Complaints of hunger increase.
11 – Lunch! The students group around desks, eating their own food and sharing with others. I try to make sure the kids wash their hands, and encourage them to use silverware if they have it. I inwardly cringe as I watch many students eat their rice and meat with their fingers. Some go to buy their lunch, but most bring their own. When they are done eating students are to clean up the room, and when everyone’s done eating and the room is clean they can go outside for a break during the rest of lunch time. I try to keep track of everyone, and if I know where everyone is at once, I’m doing well.
11:30 – Science begins. Science consists mostly of reading from the textbook, copying the notes from our reading that I put on the board into their notebooks, and occasionally making charts with illustrations if the material allows. I wish science could be more interesting, but when I look at the list of supplies needed for the experiments and activities suggested in the book I am reminded of how few supplies I have, and how hard it would be for me to obtain some of even the most basic ones.
12:20 – Reading is next, and I have been experimenting as to what works best for the class. There are students who can read fairly well, students who can barely read, students who can’t read at all, and one who understands very little English at all. We’ve done primarily group reading, but I am trying to split the group in two and work on phonics with the group who can’t read.
1 – Recess begins, and I happily line the kids up and send them out of the room. It’s not unusual for a few students to have done something warranting their staying behind and copying the sentence I have written on the board into the notebooks until we return. This has been happening less often though. It’s been an amazing day when no one stays inside during lunch break or recess!
1:10 – We next work on either spelling or social studies depending on the day. At the end of this period I write their homework assignment on the board if I give them one. It’s a school policy not to let students take textbooks home with them because they’ve gotten so damaged in the past doing that. That makes homework assignments more challenging, so I usually have them do something with their spelling words on the days we have spelling for their homework.
1:50 – The last period changes every day. It’s either Adventurers, (which I still have no material on and I have no idea of what to teach), P.E. (which drives me crazy because the kids wait for the period all day and then I can’t get them to play anything together as a group. Then they complain that they’re bored because they’re not doing anything. Also, the office never seems to have any balls or any such thing for them to use. I think some of the kids are going to start bringing their own, and idea I highly encouraged.), Art, or music. They love art, and it’s the one subject they all can get enthused about.
2:25-2:30 – I give the last 5-10 minutes of class time to cleaning up the classroom. When the students check with me to see if their area is clean, they’re free to go. Often there is a student or two who has to stay after school because of misbehavior during the day. I give them some sort of writing work to do, or have them clean the classroom more before they can go, and have a talk with them. I don’t think they realize that I probably hope no one has to stay after class more than they do because it creates extra work for me! Luckily, this has been decreasing as well. One of my students still stays after school almost every day. I’ll feel accomplished if he can control himself well enough by the end of the year to not need to do that!
The time after school is filled with a variety of things that changes depending on the day. I spend time grading or lesson planning, and often run to grab something to eat if I didn’t eat at lunch because I’m not usually very hungry by 11. On Tuesdays there’s staff meeting, Wednesdays there’s prayer meeting, and on Thursday there’s an opportunity to go to town. There is also a chance on Sunday, but I try to go on Thursdays so my Sunday feels more open. Even though town is only a few miles away the whole trip tends to take at least 2 ½ hours because the travel time on the roads is so long. In the evenings some of the teachers will sometimes play games together, or I might read, or catch up on some grading. And in the event the internet is working, you can usually find many of the girls in the “internet café” which is the window in our room where the best connection can be found.
Fridays are half days of school, and all I can say is – Praise the Lord. :)
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Learning the art of disappointed hopes
I sit in a chair outside the room, sadly missing the internet connection that a few minutes ago had connected me just long enough to hear a good friend’s voice, and then dropped. A few weeks ago I would have been very frustrated, pacing around trying to find something to do to not feel so helplessly thwarted during one of the few times that that I and the people I am trying to reach are both available. But that was a few weeks ago, and during that time I have come to expect a dropped connection, or no internet at all, and not to get my hopes up too high. So now I sit in my plastic chair, looking around at the wet campus that still drips from the rain the night before, and take the time to talk to God. And I wonder if there are always this many ants scurrying around on the concrete, or if I just never took the time to notice them before.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Campus Creatures
For a week I wondered what was sneaking into the classroom, knocking over the trashcan, and rummaging around for little delicacies left there by students on days when the trash was not full enough to empty. I could not find any holes for a rat to come in through, and nothing else had been chewed on. Finally my question was answered as I sat in my room one evening after school grading papers. A quick scrambling was heard, followed by the emergence of a black cat pushing through a square hole large enough to fit a fist through in the wire mesh over the window. He jumped down to the floor, his eyes scanning the room. I recognized his skinny frame. I had seen him around the buildings on campus, scaling walls that looked as if no animal could climb them. I had seen him take magnificent leaps to ledges high above him, then pull himself over the top after having barely caught the edge. A noise from me was enough to send him back through his entrance, and some string crisscrossed across the hole enough to keep him from entering again. I felt a little guilty as I covered the hole. He was just looking for a way to survive in this world where cats have never known flea and tick drops, catnip toys, and bowls of Friskies.
I did not realize for the first week how close the school is to the water as the trees and vegetation are tall and thick enough to cover the view from the ground. It was not until going to the walkway on the top of the high school building that I saw the beautiful view over the trees to the water, and was surprised at how close we were. It was easy to forget when surrounded by trees, and next to a large hill. However I was reminded again a few days later during staff worship of how really close we were. As we sat around the table in the library, one of the student missionaries suddenly jumped from his seat. “What is that?! Is that a crab? I thought maybe it was just that I hadn’t cleaned my glasses for a while. But he’s been sitting there staring at me!” At this point everyone was laughing, me both at his reaction, and at the hilarity of a crab chilling in the library. He was ushered out as the principal commented calmly on the fact that crabs making their way over to campus was not an unusual occurrence.
Campus is home to many new lives as one the dog has had puppies. I believe she is the principal’s dog, but is really more the dog of one of the other teachers here who always makes sure she has something to eat, and spends time with her. The puppies have been adopted by some of the other teachers, and soon enough I’m sure we will have little brown and white bodies following us around campus, looking for someone to play with. For the moment they stay tucked away under one of the buildings, although they receive frequent visits from their new “parents.”
I did not realize for the first week how close the school is to the water as the trees and vegetation are tall and thick enough to cover the view from the ground. It was not until going to the walkway on the top of the high school building that I saw the beautiful view over the trees to the water, and was surprised at how close we were. It was easy to forget when surrounded by trees, and next to a large hill. However I was reminded again a few days later during staff worship of how really close we were. As we sat around the table in the library, one of the student missionaries suddenly jumped from his seat. “What is that?! Is that a crab? I thought maybe it was just that I hadn’t cleaned my glasses for a while. But he’s been sitting there staring at me!” At this point everyone was laughing, me both at his reaction, and at the hilarity of a crab chilling in the library. He was ushered out as the principal commented calmly on the fact that crabs making their way over to campus was not an unusual occurrence.
Campus is home to many new lives as one the dog has had puppies. I believe she is the principal’s dog, but is really more the dog of one of the other teachers here who always makes sure she has something to eat, and spends time with her. The puppies have been adopted by some of the other teachers, and soon enough I’m sure we will have little brown and white bodies following us around campus, looking for someone to play with. For the moment they stay tucked away under one of the buildings, although they receive frequent visits from their new “parents.”
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Hannah and Chuuk celebrate their one month anniversary
Tomorrow afternoon I will have been in Chuuk for one month, and as is true for so many things, the time has both flown and drug it's feet all at the same time. My class is beginning to settle into a routine, which is a blessing, and things run more smoothly now. I still sometimes feel like pulling my hair out, but then I think of how unattractive I would look bald. It seems no matter how frustrating the school day may be, there is always some period that goes well to lift my day up. All my students are beginning wrap themselves around my heart. Each day has been a lesson in patience as I continually ask God to calm me as I answer the same question for the 10th time.
Quite literally.
Sometimes I laugh at the things which are becoming normal to me. Shouting because the rain is doing its best to drown out my voice, planning for a 25 minute drive the couple of miles to town on the terrible roads, or planning my laundry time for when the generator power is running to save on electricity bills. However I'm not sure that sucking in a breath of steely resolve before stepping into the cold shower in the morning will ever become normal.
Quite literally.
Sometimes I laugh at the things which are becoming normal to me. Shouting because the rain is doing its best to drown out my voice, planning for a 25 minute drive the couple of miles to town on the terrible roads, or planning my laundry time for when the generator power is running to save on electricity bills. However I'm not sure that sucking in a breath of steely resolve before stepping into the cold shower in the morning will ever become normal.
Treacherous Tag
Scene: Saturday night at the Chuuk SDA School Campus. Security lights working sporadically. Construction equipment and piles of rocks and sand resting in piles. Rain pouring in sheets.
Players: 6-8 teachers
It was perhaps not the safest choice. Dashing through puddles of water, darting across wet cement walkways, and scrambling across piles of rock and sand, and squishing through patches of mud with feet shod in flip flops that sometimes got left behind in the massive, deep puddles of water or mud. Shrieks pierced the air, indicating that someone had just discovered who was it, and now they were "it." Within seconds of beginning, all who played were drenched to the skin, water running off them in small rivers.
It was muddy.
It was wet.
And it was fun.
Players: 6-8 teachers
It was perhaps not the safest choice. Dashing through puddles of water, darting across wet cement walkways, and scrambling across piles of rock and sand, and squishing through patches of mud with feet shod in flip flops that sometimes got left behind in the massive, deep puddles of water or mud. Shrieks pierced the air, indicating that someone had just discovered who was it, and now they were "it." Within seconds of beginning, all who played were drenched to the skin, water running off them in small rivers.
It was muddy.
It was wet.
And it was fun.
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