In honor of teachers day two days ago (it's OK if you forgot to mail me a present - I forgot it was teachers day too), a dear friend of mine sent me the following SMS:
"Oh, it's teacher's day!!! Keep being awesome.. or not. They'll love you anyway!"
It made me laugh.
Good advice for teachers EVERYWHERE.
26 November 2013
25 November 2013
The Stinky American
We had a double service at church this past Sunday because we had a guest speaker from America! So in between the two services, we had snacks and fellowship time and they also gave away a dozen books. At first, you had to answer questions correctly to win a book. Some were about the topic of the first sermon. Some were trivia about our pastor or about the guest pastor. But then they ran out of questions, so they started doing things like, "Who is wearing blue socks?" or "Who has no phone minutes on their phone?" (because all phones in Indonesia are pay-as-you-go). Each time, the person who met the requirement and ran to the front the fastest won a book.
I knew the answers to several of the questions, but I'm not much of a run-to-the-front-and-shove-other-people-out-of-the-way kind of person. I'd rather sit back and enjoy watching other people duke it out.
But then something happened. They asked, "Who came to church today without showering?" And I thought, "THIS IS IT. THIS IS MY MOMENT. MY TIME TO SHINE." And this force just came over my body. Without even realizing it, I was raising my hand and slowly standing up. And then I was running. It's like I wasn't even in command of my own body. I just sprinted. In slow motion, I think. Or at least that's how I remember it happening. I had been sitting in the front row and couldn't see behind me, but I got a minor rush of adrenaline when I grabbed my book and realized I'd gotten to the front first. I WON! I WON!
And then I turned around to show off my prize to my adoring fans. Because I'd been sitting in the front, I didn't realize until that moment - on stage in front of the whole room - that I was the only person who even got up!!! The rest of the congregation was just sitting there, looking at me in silence, heads cocked to one side as if to question why I would even admit to not showering that morning...
Indonesia may be a third world country, and Westerners may associate "third world" with "lack of cleanliness and hygiene", but I tell you what - Indonesians bathe 2-4 times a day EVERY DAY (as opposed to my 2-3 times a week). And even if they didn't, they would NEVER ADMIT IT. This is the cleanest culture I have ever lived in.
Once everyone saw me realize that I was all alone in front, the room ERUPTED in laughter. They laughed and cheered SO HARD. It was practically riotous.
Because I am the ONLY white person who attends my church... And I was the only person out of 150 that didn't shower that morning...
That's gonna be a great memory. And the book wasn't bad either!
21 November 2013
A Joke
I heard a joke recently about the recognized religions of Indonesia. For those of you who don't know, every Indonesian has what's called a KTP, which is their national ID card - like a social security card. On it you have to list your religion, and you have 6 to choose from:
1. Islam
2. Kristen
3. Katolik
4. Buddha
5. Hindu
6. Khonghucu (which I think is like Confucianism, though I'm not sure if it's the same in English)
I heard this joke in Indonesian, and I don't know how to translate all the religious terms exactly into English, but I'll do my best so that everyone can understand!
One day, a guy bought a new vehicle. He really wanted to have it blessed before he drove it (for safety, of course), but since he wasn't strictly adherent to any religion, he wasn't sure who should bless it. To be safe, he called six of his friends - one from each religion - and asked them to bless his car. His Khonghucu friend showed up first, lit some incense on the dashboard, said a prayer, and told the man his car was blessed. Then his Buddhist friend came, mounted a statue of Buddha on the dashboard, asked Buddha to protect the car and its occupants, then reassured his friend that his car was blessed. The Hindu friend came next and set a canang sari (a woven grass box full of offerings to the gods) on the hood of the car, said a prayer to Vishnu, and declared the car blessed. Next the Catholic friend came. He brought a little bottle of holy water, sprinkled it water on the roof, said 3 Hail Marys, and declared the car to be blessed. The Christian friend saw the Catholic bless the car, but he said a sprinkling wasn't enough, so he drove the car INTO a nearby river. He then declared that the car was blessed. Once the car was dried off, the Muslim friend came. By now, the other 6 friends were busy chatting and didn't see what the Muslim friend did. He came over and told them the car was now blessed. The 6 men were confused because they couldn't see that anything had been added or changed. They looked around the car, in the car, under the car, and still they couldn't see what the Muslim friend had done to bless the car. Finally they asked him, and the friend replied, "Simple. I just cut 3 inches off the exhaust pipe."
1. Islam
2. Kristen
3. Katolik
4. Buddha
5. Hindu
6. Khonghucu (which I think is like Confucianism, though I'm not sure if it's the same in English)
I heard this joke in Indonesian, and I don't know how to translate all the religious terms exactly into English, but I'll do my best so that everyone can understand!
One day, a guy bought a new vehicle. He really wanted to have it blessed before he drove it (for safety, of course), but since he wasn't strictly adherent to any religion, he wasn't sure who should bless it. To be safe, he called six of his friends - one from each religion - and asked them to bless his car. His Khonghucu friend showed up first, lit some incense on the dashboard, said a prayer, and told the man his car was blessed. Then his Buddhist friend came, mounted a statue of Buddha on the dashboard, asked Buddha to protect the car and its occupants, then reassured his friend that his car was blessed. The Hindu friend came next and set a canang sari (a woven grass box full of offerings to the gods) on the hood of the car, said a prayer to Vishnu, and declared the car blessed. Next the Catholic friend came. He brought a little bottle of holy water, sprinkled it water on the roof, said 3 Hail Marys, and declared the car to be blessed. The Christian friend saw the Catholic bless the car, but he said a sprinkling wasn't enough, so he drove the car INTO a nearby river. He then declared that the car was blessed. Once the car was dried off, the Muslim friend came. By now, the other 6 friends were busy chatting and didn't see what the Muslim friend did. He came over and told them the car was now blessed. The 6 men were confused because they couldn't see that anything had been added or changed. They looked around the car, in the car, under the car, and still they couldn't see what the Muslim friend had done to bless the car. Finally they asked him, and the friend replied, "Simple. I just cut 3 inches off the exhaust pipe."
19 November 2013
A Dream Come Half True
One time, a long time ago, someone told me that if you get malaria, your pee turns black. I don't even think this is true, but I like to imagine that it is. I have never wished to have malaria. But I have kind of wished to someday have black pee. Because wouldn't that be SO WEIRD?!
Yesterday, my wish came half true. MY PEE IS BROWN, people. Brown like iced tea. When I first noticed, my first thought was, "OHMYGOSH! I am dying of dehydration!" And I immediately drank two glasses of water. Then I thought some more, and my second thought was, "OHMYGOSH! I am dying of renal failure! That is why I have been sick for three weeks!" Then my third thought was, "GOOGLE THIS."
So I Googled "Why is my pee brown?" And I found a website that listed possible colors of pee ranging from pink to blue (?!) to black and gave reasons for why your pee could be each color. Malaria was not one of them. But it turns out, the anti-parasite medicine that I am now on day 3 of can cause your pee to turn brown.
My dream came half true. Or maybe more like three-fourths true.
Yesterday, my wish came half true. MY PEE IS BROWN, people. Brown like iced tea. When I first noticed, my first thought was, "OHMYGOSH! I am dying of dehydration!" And I immediately drank two glasses of water. Then I thought some more, and my second thought was, "OHMYGOSH! I am dying of renal failure! That is why I have been sick for three weeks!" Then my third thought was, "GOOGLE THIS."
So I Googled "Why is my pee brown?" And I found a website that listed possible colors of pee ranging from pink to blue (?!) to black and gave reasons for why your pee could be each color. Malaria was not one of them. But it turns out, the anti-parasite medicine that I am now on day 3 of can cause your pee to turn brown.
My dream came half true. Or maybe more like three-fourths true.
Um...?
One (male) student was absent from homeroom today. Another (male) student commented, "I miss Joe today. He's my buddy, physically."
I decided not to ask...
I decided not to ask...
Some Fruit
Sometimes the Bible overwhelms me. Most of the things that it says we are supposed to do or be like are things that take months - or even years - of practice and discipline to make part of our daily lives. Then there's the real kicker - be like Jesus. Who, by the way, is perfect. Yes, let me get right on that.
Yesterday, I was thinking of the Fruits of the Spirit specifically as I was walking home from school. I was kind of doing a mental checklist to see where I'm at. Here's what I've got.
Love - This is one that I've tried to make a priority this year. I want to learn to love people well. I was kind of hoping that once I had this down a little more, the others would kind of just follow. But no. That is not the case. And I don't really even think I'm doing so great at this one - and I've been working on it since January! That is depressing.
Joy - I realized recently how affected my attitude is by the situation around me. All it takes is a cloudy day to put me in a sleepy, cranky mood. But when the sun is shining, I feel happy and extroverted and I want to give everyone kisses and puppies. But that's different from joy. Joy isn't affected by external factors. It flows through you no matter what the circumstance. I don't think I have that. Not even close.
Peace - Most times I try to be peaceful. Unless someone says something straight up mean or ignorant. Then I'm not really all that peaceful...
Patience - YaaaaaaaNO. Never.
Kindness - Um. I think I am kind. Most of the time. My students might not agree with this.
Goodness - What does this even mean? How is it different from the others? Am I good? Uh... (See kindness).
Gentleness - I don't really have what you would call a gentle personality. I'm a lot sarcastic and a little too blunt. So that's probably a negative on the gentleness.
Faithfulness - Well, I've never worshipped idols, if that's what you mean. I do tend to get distracted a lot though, and I use my tiredness and the busy-ness of my day as an excuse sometimes... So I guess I would call that unfaithfulness.
Self-Control - This is probably the one I am best at. And mostly because I am super stubborn. So if I say I won't do something, I won't do it. I've got the control thing down. But there are probably situations I could use more self control in... Now if only stubbornness was on the list. Then I could check at least one off.
Clearly I have failed at every one of the Fruits. Does that make me a failure? Nope.
I will never be able to succeed at all of them. I mean, I can't consistently succeed at even one of them. Does that make me any less redeemed? Nope.
That is the beautiful thing about God. I get to this point, and I feel overwhelmed all over again. But for a different reason.
Aku dikasihi dan dipulihkan. Apa adanya.
Yesterday, I was thinking of the Fruits of the Spirit specifically as I was walking home from school. I was kind of doing a mental checklist to see where I'm at. Here's what I've got.
Love - This is one that I've tried to make a priority this year. I want to learn to love people well. I was kind of hoping that once I had this down a little more, the others would kind of just follow. But no. That is not the case. And I don't really even think I'm doing so great at this one - and I've been working on it since January! That is depressing.
Joy - I realized recently how affected my attitude is by the situation around me. All it takes is a cloudy day to put me in a sleepy, cranky mood. But when the sun is shining, I feel happy and extroverted and I want to give everyone kisses and puppies. But that's different from joy. Joy isn't affected by external factors. It flows through you no matter what the circumstance. I don't think I have that. Not even close.
Peace - Most times I try to be peaceful. Unless someone says something straight up mean or ignorant. Then I'm not really all that peaceful...
Patience - YaaaaaaaNO. Never.
Kindness - Um. I think I am kind. Most of the time. My students might not agree with this.
Goodness - What does this even mean? How is it different from the others? Am I good? Uh... (See kindness).
Gentleness - I don't really have what you would call a gentle personality. I'm a lot sarcastic and a little too blunt. So that's probably a negative on the gentleness.
Faithfulness - Well, I've never worshipped idols, if that's what you mean. I do tend to get distracted a lot though, and I use my tiredness and the busy-ness of my day as an excuse sometimes... So I guess I would call that unfaithfulness.
Self-Control - This is probably the one I am best at. And mostly because I am super stubborn. So if I say I won't do something, I won't do it. I've got the control thing down. But there are probably situations I could use more self control in... Now if only stubbornness was on the list. Then I could check at least one off.
Clearly I have failed at every one of the Fruits. Does that make me a failure? Nope.
I will never be able to succeed at all of them. I mean, I can't consistently succeed at even one of them. Does that make me any less redeemed? Nope.
That is the beautiful thing about God. I get to this point, and I feel overwhelmed all over again. But for a different reason.
Aku dikasihi dan dipulihkan. Apa adanya.
14 November 2013
There's Always One
I have this one student who reads a lot and knows lots of big, fancy words. Then he tries to use them in math class. And when he's asked to prove indirectly that neither base angle of an isosceles triangle can be a right angle, this is what he answers:
Let one assume that in an isosceles triangle, either one of the base angles is in good possibility an angle amounting to 90 degrees. In an isosceles triangle, the base angle are always by definition congruent, so both ammount to 90 degrees each, a 180 degree total with the third angle not surmounting in excellence or degradation beyond 0 degrees. This is most innacurate, as no triangle may posess an angle whose measure is 0 degrees nor is a triangle classified as such according to it's definition have only two sides. Therefore, in an isosceles triangle neither base angles may attain the ninety degrees of an right triangle.
In comparison, this is what a classmate wrote:
If an triangle is a isosceles then the base can be a right triangle a triangle is not a isosceles neither base angles can be a right angle.
Let one assume that in an isosceles triangle, either one of the base angles is in good possibility an angle amounting to 90 degrees. In an isosceles triangle, the base angle are always by definition congruent, so both ammount to 90 degrees each, a 180 degree total with the third angle not surmounting in excellence or degradation beyond 0 degrees. This is most innacurate, as no triangle may posess an angle whose measure is 0 degrees nor is a triangle classified as such according to it's definition have only two sides. Therefore, in an isosceles triangle neither base angles may attain the ninety degrees of an right triangle.
In comparison, this is what a classmate wrote:
If an triangle is a isosceles then the base can be a right triangle a triangle is not a isosceles neither base angles can be a right angle.
11 November 2013
Sieve = Thief
In Geometry, I wrote "The Sieve of Eratosthanes" and the class erupted in laughter. I asked them what was so funny and one boy in the back row shouted out, "You could write 'thief' instead of 'sieve' and Chan* would say the exact same thing!"
Obviously I needed to test out this theory, and I know that Chan is a good sport, so I turned to him and asked him to read what was on the board.
"Da seef of Ersafonies."
Then I changed sieve to thief and asked him to read it. No joke, EXACTLY THE SAME.
I gave him some candy for his troubles.
*Names have been changed to protect the sheepish.
10 November 2013
Engrish
A conversation I had in English with a cashier at a garage over the weekend.
*I approach the check-out counter where the cashier has already written out a receipt for the brake parts I got changed*
Cashier: Um... What.... is.... my name?
Me: (Look for a name tag and find none) Sorry?
Cashier: (Picks up a pen and holds it expectantly over my receipt) What is my name?
Me: (Am I supposed to guess?) Uhh...
Cashier: (Smiles expectantly at me)
Me: (Sudden realization) Oh, MY name??? (I point to myself)
Cashier: Yes. My name. (Nods excitedly and smiles) What is my name?
*I approach the check-out counter where the cashier has already written out a receipt for the brake parts I got changed*
Cashier: Um... What.... is.... my name?
Me: (Look for a name tag and find none) Sorry?
Cashier: (Picks up a pen and holds it expectantly over my receipt) What is my name?
Me: (Am I supposed to guess?) Uhh...
Cashier: (Smiles expectantly at me)
Me: (Sudden realization) Oh, MY name??? (I point to myself)
Cashier: Yes. My name. (Nods excitedly and smiles) What is my name?
07 November 2013
Sick Week
So whatever is in my stomach is not leaving. With the exception of everything I eat or drink. ALL of that is promptly leaving. I can't even take any medicine because it doesn't stay long enough to actually do anything. One Immodium is usually enough to stop everything up for 3 or 4 days (generally causing an opposite but equally as uncomfortable malady). I took three in an hour on Sunday. Didn't even make a dent. So I gave up on that.
I've mostly been trying to make sure that what I eat is as healthy as possible so that I don't get too weak and drinking lots of water and electrolytes in an attempt to stay hydrated.
I'm on this weird cycle that looks like this:
1. Eat/drink something.
2. Have severe stomach pain/cramps/nausea because there is something in my stomach.
3. Spend 10-15 minutes in the bathroom.
4. Feel great for about 20 minutes.
5. Have severe stomach pain/cramps/nausea because there is nothing in my stomach.
6. Eat/drink something.
I really thought it was food poisoning at the beginning of the week and that it would get better if I gave it time. Compared to Sunday, it has definitely slowed down in intensity. But it's clearly still not better. SOOOO I'm gonna go get a blood test after school today, just to see if anything shows up. It might be a lingering virus. It might be a parasite. Hopefully I'll know by tonight.
In the meantime, I'm just VERY thankful that I've had enough strength to be able to teach this week, even if I have to do it sitting down. I'm also thankful for good friends who doctor me up and good co-workers who take over my classes when I need to go home and lay down!
*edit* I never ended up getting bloodwork done because it was storming like crazy Friday after school, so we postponed until Saturday. But Friday evening/Saturday morning I was feeling SO much better, I decided not to bother with it!
I've mostly been trying to make sure that what I eat is as healthy as possible so that I don't get too weak and drinking lots of water and electrolytes in an attempt to stay hydrated.
I'm on this weird cycle that looks like this:
1. Eat/drink something.
2. Have severe stomach pain/cramps/nausea because there is something in my stomach.
3. Spend 10-15 minutes in the bathroom.
4. Feel great for about 20 minutes.
5. Have severe stomach pain/cramps/nausea because there is nothing in my stomach.
6. Eat/drink something.
I really thought it was food poisoning at the beginning of the week and that it would get better if I gave it time. Compared to Sunday, it has definitely slowed down in intensity. But it's clearly still not better. SOOOO I'm gonna go get a blood test after school today, just to see if anything shows up. It might be a lingering virus. It might be a parasite. Hopefully I'll know by tonight.
In the meantime, I'm just VERY thankful that I've had enough strength to be able to teach this week, even if I have to do it sitting down. I'm also thankful for good friends who doctor me up and good co-workers who take over my classes when I need to go home and lay down!
*edit* I never ended up getting bloodwork done because it was storming like crazy Friday after school, so we postponed until Saturday. But Friday evening/Saturday morning I was feeling SO much better, I decided not to bother with it!
04 November 2013
Second Sick Day Ever
Good news. I am still alive.
I drove myself to work yesterday, but only lasted 2 periods before I just needed to go home and lay down and be near my toilet for awhile.
Last night's dinner stayed put though, and I slept all night long, so I'm feeling better today. I even walked to work! It took me a little longer than usual, and though I'd say I'm only at about 80%, I am feeling MUCH better than I was over the weekend. Thankful to be back to normal activities!
I drove myself to work yesterday, but only lasted 2 periods before I just needed to go home and lay down and be near my toilet for awhile.
Last night's dinner stayed put though, and I slept all night long, so I'm feeling better today. I even walked to work! It took me a little longer than usual, and though I'd say I'm only at about 80%, I am feeling MUCH better than I was over the weekend. Thankful to be back to normal activities!
03 November 2013
01 November 2013
Parent Teacher Conferences
I never officially taught in America, but I did do half a semester of student teaching back home in Indiana, and so I ended up having to suffer the psychological torture that is known as parent teacher conferences. My teacher adviser was a great guy and did so much to train me, encourage me, and to build my confidence as a teacher. Two hours of parent teacher conferences was just about enough undo all of his work.
I remember sitting there trying to fight back tears and keep my chin up as irate parents scolded me for their child's failing grade. Irate parents who wouldn't let me get a word in edgewise about what we could do to help their child. Irate parents whose child hadn't turned in a single homework assignment that semester. Irate parents who didn't pick up the phone any of the times I had tried to call them that semester. Irate parents who refused to get their children tested for learning disabilities - even after multiple school staff recommended it. Irate parents who just wanted someone to blame.
After it was over, I went home and cried and wondered if it was too late to change my major. It was my senior year. So yeah, probably too late.
At any rate, I ended up at a small international school. The first time we had parent teacher conferences here, I braced myself. I was ready to play their blame game. But it never came. Instead, parents hugged me and told me I was making a difference and asked me lots of personal questions because they genuinely wanted to get to know me. And they told me that I am as much a part of their work as they are, because if I wasn't here doing what I do, they couldn't be here doing what they do. No matter what grade their child had, the parents who came to talk me were nothing less than caring.
I was in shock. I think that was the first time that I really realized how amazing this whole community we have here is. And it was the first time that it really clicked for me what it means to be part of The Body.
Yesterday, I had my 12th parent teacher conference. And as always (minus that first one back in Indiana), the parents were so loving and encouraging. The mother of one of my AP Calculus girls told me, "You know this isn't a required class. I actually encouraged her to drop it - she has so much on her plate as it is. But she likes you. She wants to take this class because YOU are teaching it."
That was so special to me. But what happened in the last conference of the day just about made me cry. Cry good tears.
After we discussed their child - and right as I thought the parents were getting up to leave - they suddenly asked me, "How can we pray for you?" And then they did. They held my hands and they just prayed over me. They prayed that I would have patience and health. And they prayed that I would have eyes to see my students' needs. And they prayed that I would have wisdom to meet those needs. And I forget the rest after that because I was focusing on taking deep breaths.
It's not all sunshine and ponies - I'd say that approximately twice a week I just want to throat punch everyone in sight. But days like yesterday are good reminders of how blessed I am to get to live in this country, to work at this school, to serve these families, and to be a part of this community.
Writing this has also been a good reminder that I will never ever ever be a teacher in America. You can sing that to the tune of Taylor Swift if you like. Sorry for the extra syllables.
I remember sitting there trying to fight back tears and keep my chin up as irate parents scolded me for their child's failing grade. Irate parents who wouldn't let me get a word in edgewise about what we could do to help their child. Irate parents whose child hadn't turned in a single homework assignment that semester. Irate parents who didn't pick up the phone any of the times I had tried to call them that semester. Irate parents who refused to get their children tested for learning disabilities - even after multiple school staff recommended it. Irate parents who just wanted someone to blame.
After it was over, I went home and cried and wondered if it was too late to change my major. It was my senior year. So yeah, probably too late.
At any rate, I ended up at a small international school. The first time we had parent teacher conferences here, I braced myself. I was ready to play their blame game. But it never came. Instead, parents hugged me and told me I was making a difference and asked me lots of personal questions because they genuinely wanted to get to know me. And they told me that I am as much a part of their work as they are, because if I wasn't here doing what I do, they couldn't be here doing what they do. No matter what grade their child had, the parents who came to talk me were nothing less than caring.
I was in shock. I think that was the first time that I really realized how amazing this whole community we have here is. And it was the first time that it really clicked for me what it means to be part of The Body.
Yesterday, I had my 12th parent teacher conference. And as always (minus that first one back in Indiana), the parents were so loving and encouraging. The mother of one of my AP Calculus girls told me, "You know this isn't a required class. I actually encouraged her to drop it - she has so much on her plate as it is. But she likes you. She wants to take this class because YOU are teaching it."
That was so special to me. But what happened in the last conference of the day just about made me cry. Cry good tears.
After we discussed their child - and right as I thought the parents were getting up to leave - they suddenly asked me, "How can we pray for you?" And then they did. They held my hands and they just prayed over me. They prayed that I would have patience and health. And they prayed that I would have eyes to see my students' needs. And they prayed that I would have wisdom to meet those needs. And I forget the rest after that because I was focusing on taking deep breaths.
It's not all sunshine and ponies - I'd say that approximately twice a week I just want to throat punch everyone in sight. But days like yesterday are good reminders of how blessed I am to get to live in this country, to work at this school, to serve these families, and to be a part of this community.
Writing this has also been a good reminder that I will never ever ever be a teacher in America. You can sing that to the tune of Taylor Swift if you like. Sorry for the extra syllables.
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