andong

i got up at 5 this morning to hike mount andong. it's not a big mountain. but the trail we took up was fairly steep in parts. it was drizzly, so the trail was wet. and it was windy, which never helps. mary estimated that by the time we got to the top, the wind was gusting at about 40 mph. i don't think she was too far off. it took about an hour and a half to get to the summit, which was more of a ridge. about halfway up, we had entered cloud cover, and so at the top, we were all wet from condensation sticking to us. with the wind as strong as it was and there being no view whatsoever, we didn't stick around too long. sid and i went over to another peak along the ridge to check out a grave he knew was up there. it was inside a little shack/cabin type thing beside some trees. as we walked into the building, i could feel a kind of darkness present there. i wouldn't even go in all the way. sid explained to me that people from the villages come up and spend a few days and nights sleeping in the shack beside the grave to get spirits. i think i spent a total of about 15 seconds under that roof. just long enough to take a picture. we don't know who is buried there, but it is most likely some sort of spiritual leader or someone of high status who lived nearby. after hiking that trail, i can't imagine doing it with a dead body in tow, for sure.

sid said the way down was the hardest part. i have to disagree. yeah, by the time we were halfway down, all the muscles from my hips to my toes were quivering uncontrollably, but at least i wasn't having to hoist my body step after step up the clifflike side of a slippery, wet mountain trail. (note of interest - the dirt here is kind of claylike. and it is slippery. when it is dry. and flat. add a little moisture and an incline, and you've got a broken neck waiting to happen. it is literally like trying to walk on ice.) (another note of interest - i made it ALL THE WAY to the bottom before i wiped out and landed on my butt in the mud. i was walking on FLAT GROUND! i just sat there moaning about my sorry luck while sid laughed at me.)

i'm glad i did it once. i probably won't be doing it again anytime soon.

so now i'm sitting in my classroom trying to ignore my throbbing body while thinking over plans for next year. students here plan ahead. so far, i've been asked to do a career mentorship program with 2 students, possibly 4, i am already the teacher sponsor of next year's hip hop worship dance team, i have a team for the fall 3-on-3 basketball tournament, it looks like i'll be teaching an AP course (calculus), and i have students asking if they can be my TA. i'm usually pretty good at saying no when i'm in danger of overextending myself.... but here, i really don't like to. i feel like since i'm only going to be here 3 years, i need to do EVERYTHING. yeah, that means traveling around and going on painful hikes and learning new languages and eating strange foods. but even more importantly, it means being willing to help out and serve in any way i can. but i'm starting to think that as much as i hate to, i might need to say "no" a little more often.