Hello again friends and family! My first full week of teaching passed quickly. The days have been falling into a routine at school. I teach my classes, get ready for the next day, have lunch with Hannah and Maria in their classroom, lesson plan, and then go home. So the time goes pretty quickly.
I guess maybe you're wondering why I called this post "reminders". Well, I remember one of the speakers from the retreat sharing that God uses the word "remember" a lot in the Bible. This is because we so naturally forget. God has been reminding me today of all that He has done for me and of who He is. I listened to a sermon online called "The God who sees you". It talked about the first time this name is used of God in the Bible, in Genesis 16. God used this passage to lovingly remind me that He sees me and He is with me and is for me. This message was timely for me as I was feeling a little lonely and dreading the work week starting again. (Not that I dislike it, but it's hard work teaching 4 and 5 year olds!) His reminder that He sees me, not because He wants to catch me doing something wrong, but because He wants what's best for me, is so encouraging.
Since I have been here I have been keeping a list of God's promises that I've read in His word. I'll share some with you...
"...You are precious and honored in my sight, and .... I love you." (Isaiah 43:4a)
"Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in Him, for He shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between His shoulders." (Deuteronomy 33:12)
"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever." (I Chronicles 16:34)
I have also been reading some really neat quotes from my devotional and a journal from a friend. Here are some of them...
"You are in the Beloved...therefore infinitely dear to the Father, unspeakably precious to Him. You are never, not for one second, alone." - Norman Dowty
"God will find us, bless us, even when we feel most alone, unsure...God will find a way to let us know that He is with us in this place, wherever we are." - Kathleen Norris
"If He has given you His word - His sure word of promise - do not question it but trust it absolutely. You have His promise, and in fact you have even more - you have Him who confidently speaks the words." - J.B. Figgis
Last night after work I went with some of the other teachers to a place called the Loop. The Loop is just a group of restaurants that are only open at night. We were able to just hang out and relax while sitting outside and eating. It was great! :) I got Japanese curry that I had tried and loved in Thailand, so it was fun to be able to get it again. I will try to put pictures up on facebook sometime soon of that and other pictures I've been taking.
I will write more later...
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
First day of school!
Well, after leaving home seven weeks ago, I finally started teaching today. This is orientation week for Kindergarten, so I had all my classes today, but we won't start the regular subjects until next week. I was so nervous this morning as I was getting ready and then walking into the first class. The first two classes went a little rough. I had planned too much of me talking and their English level is less than I thought it would be. The KG A had an especially hard time sitting and listening.
After the first two classes I had a half hour break. I actually just spent it praying and reading my Bible. I knew I needed God's wisdom. So I walked back upstairs and taught first another KG A class and then KG B. They both went better. I tried harder to speak slower and loudly.
The main part of my lesson today was reading "Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten" and then talking about the class rules and decorating nametags. The kids liked acting out some of the motions from the story with me. During the second two classes I was able to enjoy a little bit getting to know the kids. They are going to need a lot of practice in speaking in English though! They kept trying to speak to me in Bahasa. One time I could understand that the student was saying "sudah" or finished. The other time a student was just going on in Bahasa and I couldn't understand what he was saying. Hopefully their English level improves as I spend more time with them.
Now it is Sunday again. I didn't get a chance to finish the post last time because we went out to dinner with Beth's Indonesian friends. They are the ones who had us over to their house twice before. It was really nice to spend time with them and get my mind off of school.
On Friday I was the storyteller for their first chapel. I tried to make it interesting for them by having some of the teachers and kids act out the Bible story. Unfortunately, they were all talking to each other most of the time. It's hard to keep 100 4 and 5 year olds entertained! Thankfully I won't have to tell the story again for a while.
After that I had the two KG B classes, which I enjoyed. I had them fill out an "about me" page". I worked on teaching them the routine of raising their hands when they were finished instead of getting out of their seats or yelling,"miss, miss!". It will take some practice, but I think they can get it.
On Saturday morning I made pancakes for breakfast using a box mix I found at Ranch market (a higher priced grocery store at the mall that sells some western products). I was excited to be able to make pancakes myself. :)
That afternoon I went with Glyne (one of my housemates) to a mall called Royal Plaza. They were having a big sale on batik (the traditional Indonesian fabric), so I was able to buy some shirts. I love the unique patterns and designs of the shirts. We finished the evening by eating dinner at 9:30 p.m. at pizza hut! :)
Today at church I helped with the elem sunday school class. I was able to meet another teacher from America who lives nearby. She also recently moved here. I am glad that I have been able to meet more and more people from America here.
I will close with more notes on the Indonesian language. Bahasa has the simplest grammar I have ever seen in a language. There are no plurals, no verb tenses, and no cases. The only time a word changes is to make it an adjective or a noun instead of a verb. It is so easy! Now, I just have to learn the words... :)
After the first two classes I had a half hour break. I actually just spent it praying and reading my Bible. I knew I needed God's wisdom. So I walked back upstairs and taught first another KG A class and then KG B. They both went better. I tried harder to speak slower and loudly.
The main part of my lesson today was reading "Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten" and then talking about the class rules and decorating nametags. The kids liked acting out some of the motions from the story with me. During the second two classes I was able to enjoy a little bit getting to know the kids. They are going to need a lot of practice in speaking in English though! They kept trying to speak to me in Bahasa. One time I could understand that the student was saying "sudah" or finished. The other time a student was just going on in Bahasa and I couldn't understand what he was saying. Hopefully their English level improves as I spend more time with them.
Now it is Sunday again. I didn't get a chance to finish the post last time because we went out to dinner with Beth's Indonesian friends. They are the ones who had us over to their house twice before. It was really nice to spend time with them and get my mind off of school.
On Friday I was the storyteller for their first chapel. I tried to make it interesting for them by having some of the teachers and kids act out the Bible story. Unfortunately, they were all talking to each other most of the time. It's hard to keep 100 4 and 5 year olds entertained! Thankfully I won't have to tell the story again for a while.
After that I had the two KG B classes, which I enjoyed. I had them fill out an "about me" page". I worked on teaching them the routine of raising their hands when they were finished instead of getting out of their seats or yelling,"miss, miss!". It will take some practice, but I think they can get it.
On Saturday morning I made pancakes for breakfast using a box mix I found at Ranch market (a higher priced grocery store at the mall that sells some western products). I was excited to be able to make pancakes myself. :)
That afternoon I went with Glyne (one of my housemates) to a mall called Royal Plaza. They were having a big sale on batik (the traditional Indonesian fabric), so I was able to buy some shirts. I love the unique patterns and designs of the shirts. We finished the evening by eating dinner at 9:30 p.m. at pizza hut! :)
Today at church I helped with the elem sunday school class. I was able to meet another teacher from America who lives nearby. She also recently moved here. I am glad that I have been able to meet more and more people from America here.
I will close with more notes on the Indonesian language. Bahasa has the simplest grammar I have ever seen in a language. There are no plurals, no verb tenses, and no cases. The only time a word changes is to make it an adjective or a noun instead of a verb. It is so easy! Now, I just have to learn the words... :)
Monday, July 12, 2010
Back to work...
Well, hello again. Wow, time is going fast! Already, I have been here over 5 weeks. And I still haven't started teaching yet... But we started back to work last Monday. We are spending these two weeks in training and in preparation for the new school year.
Right now I am in the lobby of the hotel and staring at a lizard who is crawling across the floor. I think he just ate a mosquito. One more point for the lizard population here! :)
So anyways...I have mostly been staying at home in the evenings since we started back to work. On Thursday and Friday all the teachers had training in the east. We watched training videos from Harry Wong who wrote The First Day of School. Maybe some of you who are education have heard of it. Anyways, it was really good. It inspired me in my planning for the beginning of the school year.
On Friday night we went to a fundraiser concert with the principal of my school's division. It was in Indonesian, but still interesting. I especially enjoyed the first group, who performed a traditional javanese dance with drums. I wish my camera was working so I could have filmed it. Oh, and everyone who went to the concert got a free bottle of lotion and box with dessert in it.
On Saturday morning I went to a mall with cheap clothing with two teachers from school, Ms. Didi and Ms. Maria. Like most Indonesians, they both have motorcycles, so I got my first chance to ride on a motorcycle here. It was a little scary at first, but a lot of fun. At the mall I bought a new pair of shoes and shirt for school for only about 12 dollars! (I love most of the prices here.)
Oh and at this mall they have a Red Mango, which I discovered before in Thailand. They sell frozen yogurt with toppings. I plan to go back there sometime to try it here. ;)
Anyways, it was great being able to hang out with some of the teachers from the school. I love my coworkers! :)
That afternoon we went back to Beth's friends house. (We just call them Pa and Ibu - the terms of respect - so I don't know their names. Their daughter was one of Beth's students.) Every year after their daughter's birthday they visit the orphanage to give gifts to the orphans. They invited us to come along and help pass out gifts to the children. Because it was a private orphanage, the conditions were better than I expected. Still, it was sad to see the children all there, especially the ones with handicaps. One of the girls was blind, but when she got her bag, she had the biggest smile on her face. She kept taking the bag on and off like a purse. It reminded me to be thankful for how much I really have.
On Sunday, we mostly relaxed after going to the earlier service at church.
Today for dinner I made tacos (with Tina's help in cooking the meat). It's been fun here to cook more, since I didn't do much of it at home. But I still miss my mom's meals. :(
Well, that's about all for now. I will update again soon...
Right now I am in the lobby of the hotel and staring at a lizard who is crawling across the floor. I think he just ate a mosquito. One more point for the lizard population here! :)
So anyways...I have mostly been staying at home in the evenings since we started back to work. On Thursday and Friday all the teachers had training in the east. We watched training videos from Harry Wong who wrote The First Day of School. Maybe some of you who are education have heard of it. Anyways, it was really good. It inspired me in my planning for the beginning of the school year.
On Friday night we went to a fundraiser concert with the principal of my school's division. It was in Indonesian, but still interesting. I especially enjoyed the first group, who performed a traditional javanese dance with drums. I wish my camera was working so I could have filmed it. Oh, and everyone who went to the concert got a free bottle of lotion and box with dessert in it.
On Saturday morning I went to a mall with cheap clothing with two teachers from school, Ms. Didi and Ms. Maria. Like most Indonesians, they both have motorcycles, so I got my first chance to ride on a motorcycle here. It was a little scary at first, but a lot of fun. At the mall I bought a new pair of shoes and shirt for school for only about 12 dollars! (I love most of the prices here.)
Oh and at this mall they have a Red Mango, which I discovered before in Thailand. They sell frozen yogurt with toppings. I plan to go back there sometime to try it here. ;)
Anyways, it was great being able to hang out with some of the teachers from the school. I love my coworkers! :)
That afternoon we went back to Beth's friends house. (We just call them Pa and Ibu - the terms of respect - so I don't know their names. Their daughter was one of Beth's students.) Every year after their daughter's birthday they visit the orphanage to give gifts to the orphans. They invited us to come along and help pass out gifts to the children. Because it was a private orphanage, the conditions were better than I expected. Still, it was sad to see the children all there, especially the ones with handicaps. One of the girls was blind, but when she got her bag, she had the biggest smile on her face. She kept taking the bag on and off like a purse. It reminded me to be thankful for how much I really have.
On Sunday, we mostly relaxed after going to the earlier service at church.
Today for dinner I made tacos (with Tina's help in cooking the meat). It's been fun here to cook more, since I didn't do much of it at home. But I still miss my mom's meals. :(
Well, that's about all for now. I will update again soon...
Monday, July 5, 2010
One month and counting
Hello again! Well, today is the one-month milestone. I can't believe it's been already a month since I arrived. I am glad the first month is over and I am feeling more at home here.
I think I left off right before VBS started last week. On Tuesday morning, the church's VBS program started. I rode with Debbie, whom I met at the birthday party the week before. She is an Indonesian who is married to an American and has lived for many years in the states. I enjoyed talking with her during the car rides throughout the week.
My job in VBS was to be a crew leader. The crews are made up of 5 children of diverse age groups. My crew had 3 boys and 2 girls. I enjoyed all the kids in my group, but I especially enjoyed talking to Tirzah. She is going into 6th grade and is mature for her age.
On Wednesday the whole group (we had almost 100 kids) took a field trip to a naval museum. (The theme for the week was High Seas Adventure.) I experienced a cultural situation there. Apparently, anyone not holding an Indonesian passport is not allowed into this museum in case they are a spy or something. But the group did not know that beforehand. So we got all the way there, and then me and the 3 other Americans helping that week had to go back to the church. At first I was disappointed, but it turned out well. I got to talk with a mom and daughter from america, and another young adult, Heidi, from America. We went to a grocery store near the mall that sells western foods not available in regular grocery stores. I was able to buy tortilla chips, taco seasoning, and tortilla shells. As a side note, I bought what I thought were tortilla shells the other week, but turned out to be something that you have to fry. I tried making wraps for my filippino friends, but they failed miserably because the shells had no taste. Anyways, after shopping we had coffee/smoothies at the store's cafe. I got an oreo smoothie, which was delicious. :)
Thursday was my trip to Singapore! I woke up very early (2:45 a.m.) to get to the airport. A school car picked me up and took me there. Unfortunately, nothing in that airport opens until 4, so I had to sit around waiting to get to the check in counter. Then I found out there is a departure tax, and I didn't bring enough rupiah, so I had to use American dollars, and they charged me a lot more. :( Oh well, I'll know better for next time. I had to wait some more for immigration to open, and then wait for my gate to open. Finally, I was able to board the plan. I was pleasantly surprised to find that even though it was only a two hour flight, we were served breakfast.
Once there, a couple picked me up from the airport and took me to their apartment. They were hired by the school to take care of my visa for me. They took care of everything; all I had to do was sign the form.
I was able to go shopping with their 19-year-old daughter, which was fun. Singapore has a lot more western stores than indonesia...like Gap and Forever 21 and Subway! I spent most of the time in an English bookstore where I bought the newest book in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency! Yay!
Back at their house, I met another lady from the philippines who was there renewing her visa as well. She teaches at a small school near me. We were able to travel together since we had the same flight back. We went to Subway in the airport to have a snack. :) It was nice to have a travelling buddy, even for a little bit.
I arrived back to my apartment at 12 a.m. Actually, it was my first time to sleep in our new apartment. (We switched to the one that will be ours for the next year.) Even though Singapore has more trees, and a beach, and more Western stores, I was still glad to be back in Indonesia where I know people. I am definitely starting to feel more at home here.
On Friday, it was hard to wake up for VBS, but we got to go swimming there, which was fun!
Saturday was the last day of VBS. They had a "bazaar" for the kids at the end where they could pick out prizes with the coupons they had been earning all week. I was sad for the week to be over, because I had really enjoyed all the new people I met and seeing them every day. Thankfully, a few of the people there do go to the east for church like me, so I will see them there.
On Sunday, Tina, Janice, Laarni, and I went with Mr. Arno and Santa's daughter Lunae to church in the West. It was fun to see the kids from VBS sing two of their songs from the week during the service. After church, we went to see the Eclipse movie with Lunae and one of her friends. I never thought I would see any of those movies, but it was o.k. I was a little lost because I didn't see the other two, but it wasn't too hard to figure out.
Before we left the mall, we went to the grocery store. There I encountered a language misunderstanding. I had bought one thing of juice. The cashier scanned it and then started saying something about free and going to the information desk. I thought she was saying the juice was buy one, get one free, so I ran to get another one. Well, I got charged for both. I went to the information desk and found out it was really buy 2 get 1 free. So now I have 3 containers of juice when I really only wanted one. :) Oh well.
Well, that's about all. This week we are back at school getting ready for the new year. School won't start until July 19th though.
Oh before I go, here are some more cultural notes. Instead of forming one line when waiting, you line up behind the specific counter or bathroom stall you want. It took me a while to figure that out, so I wondered why people were going ahead of me.
Another note: most people here love pictures. Mr. Arno put it this way: Back home, most people run from the camera. Here people run to the camera. :) I have never been a part of so many large group photos in my life!
To end with, I am sorry for the lack of pictures on here. Most of the time the internet is too slow to upload pictures. But I just put a bunch up on facebook for you to check out if you want.
I think I left off right before VBS started last week. On Tuesday morning, the church's VBS program started. I rode with Debbie, whom I met at the birthday party the week before. She is an Indonesian who is married to an American and has lived for many years in the states. I enjoyed talking with her during the car rides throughout the week.
My job in VBS was to be a crew leader. The crews are made up of 5 children of diverse age groups. My crew had 3 boys and 2 girls. I enjoyed all the kids in my group, but I especially enjoyed talking to Tirzah. She is going into 6th grade and is mature for her age.
On Wednesday the whole group (we had almost 100 kids) took a field trip to a naval museum. (The theme for the week was High Seas Adventure.) I experienced a cultural situation there. Apparently, anyone not holding an Indonesian passport is not allowed into this museum in case they are a spy or something. But the group did not know that beforehand. So we got all the way there, and then me and the 3 other Americans helping that week had to go back to the church. At first I was disappointed, but it turned out well. I got to talk with a mom and daughter from america, and another young adult, Heidi, from America. We went to a grocery store near the mall that sells western foods not available in regular grocery stores. I was able to buy tortilla chips, taco seasoning, and tortilla shells. As a side note, I bought what I thought were tortilla shells the other week, but turned out to be something that you have to fry. I tried making wraps for my filippino friends, but they failed miserably because the shells had no taste. Anyways, after shopping we had coffee/smoothies at the store's cafe. I got an oreo smoothie, which was delicious. :)
Thursday was my trip to Singapore! I woke up very early (2:45 a.m.) to get to the airport. A school car picked me up and took me there. Unfortunately, nothing in that airport opens until 4, so I had to sit around waiting to get to the check in counter. Then I found out there is a departure tax, and I didn't bring enough rupiah, so I had to use American dollars, and they charged me a lot more. :( Oh well, I'll know better for next time. I had to wait some more for immigration to open, and then wait for my gate to open. Finally, I was able to board the plan. I was pleasantly surprised to find that even though it was only a two hour flight, we were served breakfast.
Once there, a couple picked me up from the airport and took me to their apartment. They were hired by the school to take care of my visa for me. They took care of everything; all I had to do was sign the form.
I was able to go shopping with their 19-year-old daughter, which was fun. Singapore has a lot more western stores than indonesia...like Gap and Forever 21 and Subway! I spent most of the time in an English bookstore where I bought the newest book in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency! Yay!
Back at their house, I met another lady from the philippines who was there renewing her visa as well. She teaches at a small school near me. We were able to travel together since we had the same flight back. We went to Subway in the airport to have a snack. :) It was nice to have a travelling buddy, even for a little bit.
I arrived back to my apartment at 12 a.m. Actually, it was my first time to sleep in our new apartment. (We switched to the one that will be ours for the next year.) Even though Singapore has more trees, and a beach, and more Western stores, I was still glad to be back in Indonesia where I know people. I am definitely starting to feel more at home here.
On Friday, it was hard to wake up for VBS, but we got to go swimming there, which was fun!
Saturday was the last day of VBS. They had a "bazaar" for the kids at the end where they could pick out prizes with the coupons they had been earning all week. I was sad for the week to be over, because I had really enjoyed all the new people I met and seeing them every day. Thankfully, a few of the people there do go to the east for church like me, so I will see them there.
On Sunday, Tina, Janice, Laarni, and I went with Mr. Arno and Santa's daughter Lunae to church in the West. It was fun to see the kids from VBS sing two of their songs from the week during the service. After church, we went to see the Eclipse movie with Lunae and one of her friends. I never thought I would see any of those movies, but it was o.k. I was a little lost because I didn't see the other two, but it wasn't too hard to figure out.
Before we left the mall, we went to the grocery store. There I encountered a language misunderstanding. I had bought one thing of juice. The cashier scanned it and then started saying something about free and going to the information desk. I thought she was saying the juice was buy one, get one free, so I ran to get another one. Well, I got charged for both. I went to the information desk and found out it was really buy 2 get 1 free. So now I have 3 containers of juice when I really only wanted one. :) Oh well.
Well, that's about all. This week we are back at school getting ready for the new year. School won't start until July 19th though.
Oh before I go, here are some more cultural notes. Instead of forming one line when waiting, you line up behind the specific counter or bathroom stall you want. It took me a while to figure that out, so I wondered why people were going ahead of me.
Another note: most people here love pictures. Mr. Arno put it this way: Back home, most people run from the camera. Here people run to the camera. :) I have never been a part of so many large group photos in my life!
To end with, I am sorry for the lack of pictures on here. Most of the time the internet is too slow to upload pictures. But I just put a bunch up on facebook for you to check out if you want.
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