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...