We were learning how to plot points in polar coordinates in Pre-Calculus class today. I listed four points - A, B, C, and D - on the board along with their coordinates and had students try graphing them on their own.
After about 2 minutes, we got a little distracted...
Indian boy: ABCD is an Indian movie, you know. Any Body Can Dance.
Me: Anybody is one word.
Student: So? It doesn't matter. It's Bollywood. All that matters is that there's some dancing and 2 people hugging under a tree.
Hahaha...
They were really not motivated today (not really new news). At one point, another one of the boys raised his hand. When I called on him, he said, "You know, Miss, if you want to get rich, you have to have a successful marriage. I learned that."
Later on, yet another one of the boys asked if he could borrow my shirt sometime. When I said no, he offered to buy it from me.
I'm wearing a hot pink tunic shirt.
Of course, none of this should surprise me. This is the class that insisted we should all Skype my mom on her birthday. Because, as they so adroitly put it, "It's probably about time we met your parents."
This class just last week also decided that I should move to Korea to be a K-Pop star. Because apparently I dress like one.
So if this teaching thing doesn't last, I guess I can always fall back on K-Pop.
21 January 2014
So That Happened...
I am 99% sure I just watched my cat walk into a room, forget why he walked into that room, get confused, then turn around and walk back out.
In other news, I tried on the new clothes I was given today. And can I just say... jumbo tunic shirts and leggings for life.
I'm so glad I got my laptop back so that I could write about pointless things like this. Every paragraph in this post starts with the letter I.
In other news, I tried on the new clothes I was given today. And can I just say... jumbo tunic shirts and leggings for life.
I'm so glad I got my laptop back so that I could write about pointless things like this. Every paragraph in this post starts with the letter I.
New Things
1. The Old Made New
My laptop is baaaaack! Granted, this isn't new. But they had to re-install Windows, so it basically felt new. Thankfully, all of my files were backed up. But everything else was back to factory settings. So I had to re-remember how to get Windows to stop doing all of the annoying things it does. A small price to pay to have my laptop back to normal and working better than ever! Speaking of price - Mas Wahyu, the guy who fixed it for me, wouldn't accept any money for his labor. He worked on it for FIVE days! I finally stopped insisting and baked him a whole batch of pumpkin streusel muffins over the weekend instead.
2. New Things
I have this student who is Indonesian, but she and her family went to America for Christmas break. While the American stayed in Indonesia... funny, right? Well, anyways, her mom is super sweet and asked if she could bring me anything from America. I couldn't think of anything (because I knew I had Christmas packages coming that would be full of American good-ness). But they got back over the weekend, and today the mom came in my class and left a GAP bag on my desk. I thanked her and later looked in the bag. Holy cow. She went clothes shopping at the GAP for me!! I wasn't expecting the contents of the bag to ACTUALLY be from GAP... Such a nice gift and gesture. I'm thankful for generous people and sweet students and new clothes that smell like America!
3. New Events
Today I have something new to add to my calendar. I have an old friend who is part of a Muslim community here in town. He recently asked if I would teach English to some of his friends. At first, I wanted to say no. Because if I'm selfish about anything, it's my time. The ONLY day of the week that I don't have something extra-curricular scheduled is Tuesday. And that is my down time. I'm an introvert. I need that time. For myself. For my sanity. But then I realized that right in front of me is an open door. Like, it really couldn't be open any wider. This is a chance to make new friends and build new relationships and to teach and to be taught. And with people that I might not normally spend time with. And so I said yes. But I limited it to twice a month. Because like I said, I'm selfish. So tonight will be my first time teaching English to this crowd. I don't really know what to expect, but I think I'm almost actually looking forward to it!
4. New Experiences
Last night, I went out to dinner with some friends. I wore a hoodie that I haven't worn for several weeks. So as I always do, I shook it out really good to make sure no geckos or cockroaches were hiding in the sleeves. I put it on as I headed out the door. By the time I made it to my motorbike, my left arm was itching a little bit. I didn't think much of it. I just thought maybe an ant had been in my jacket or something. Ten minutes later, when I got to the restaurant, my left arm and my right shoulder were both itching like crazy. So I pulled up the sleeve of the jacket and inspected my arm. Uh.... basically, it looked like the time I found out I was allergic to penecillin. My entire left arm was swollen, covered in red bumps, and pretty itchy. Unfortunately, I had worn a tank top under the jacket, so there was no way I could take the jacket off in public. I left it on, and by the end of dinner, the itching had already gone down. Afterwards, I was going to a friend's house to practice conversational English. I headed straight there, but the wind on my bike made the itch flare up again. So when I got there, I made sure there were no men in the house (it was only my friend, her three year old daughter, and her mom), and I yanked my hoodie off. My friend gasped in horror, and I quickly realized why. My left arm up to my shoulder was swollen and covered in red welts, my right arm from the elbow up looked the same, as did the top half of my back. Upon closer inspection, I also found that part of my stomach and my left side from my hip to my armpit were covered with the same thing. They got me some salve and helped me put it on. And then they said to drink a glass of milk (??), so I did. The itching had gone down again, but I looked worthy of social ostracism. When I got home a few hours later, I rubbed coconut oil all over everything, and it cleared up pretty quickly after that. But the mystery still remains - what did I react to? Was it something in my jacket? Was it something I ate or drank? DID I FINALLY ACTUALLY BECOME ALLERGIC TO MIDDLE SCHOOL CHILDREN?? I may never know...
5. New Friends
There was a 4 day youth mission conference going on in my town over the past weekend. Speakers came from other countries to share about what God is doing in different parts of the world and to share from their own hearts as well. Most of them are staying much longer than the 4 day weekend and are speaking in many other venues as well. I got to help translate for one of the Indian men last week. And holy cow, I am terrible at understanding Indian accents. But it was the first time I've really officially translated for an event, and it was fun! I also spent quite a bit of time over the weekend talking to two of the other speakers - one from India and one from the Philippines. We all exchanged contact information, and I have invitations to visit both countries. I live in what a lot of Indonesians refer to as a village - comparatively speaking, it's a pretty small town. We don't even have a mall to boast of. But I love how international it is here - even outside of my immediate school community. Now, who wants to sponsor my grand world tour where I visit all the amazing people I've met in my time here? Donations are accepted. : )
My laptop is baaaaack! Granted, this isn't new. But they had to re-install Windows, so it basically felt new. Thankfully, all of my files were backed up. But everything else was back to factory settings. So I had to re-remember how to get Windows to stop doing all of the annoying things it does. A small price to pay to have my laptop back to normal and working better than ever! Speaking of price - Mas Wahyu, the guy who fixed it for me, wouldn't accept any money for his labor. He worked on it for FIVE days! I finally stopped insisting and baked him a whole batch of pumpkin streusel muffins over the weekend instead.
2. New Things
I have this student who is Indonesian, but she and her family went to America for Christmas break. While the American stayed in Indonesia... funny, right? Well, anyways, her mom is super sweet and asked if she could bring me anything from America. I couldn't think of anything (because I knew I had Christmas packages coming that would be full of American good-ness). But they got back over the weekend, and today the mom came in my class and left a GAP bag on my desk. I thanked her and later looked in the bag. Holy cow. She went clothes shopping at the GAP for me!! I wasn't expecting the contents of the bag to ACTUALLY be from GAP... Such a nice gift and gesture. I'm thankful for generous people and sweet students and new clothes that smell like America!
3. New Events
Today I have something new to add to my calendar. I have an old friend who is part of a Muslim community here in town. He recently asked if I would teach English to some of his friends. At first, I wanted to say no. Because if I'm selfish about anything, it's my time. The ONLY day of the week that I don't have something extra-curricular scheduled is Tuesday. And that is my down time. I'm an introvert. I need that time. For myself. For my sanity. But then I realized that right in front of me is an open door. Like, it really couldn't be open any wider. This is a chance to make new friends and build new relationships and to teach and to be taught. And with people that I might not normally spend time with. And so I said yes. But I limited it to twice a month. Because like I said, I'm selfish. So tonight will be my first time teaching English to this crowd. I don't really know what to expect, but I think I'm almost actually looking forward to it!
4. New Experiences
Last night, I went out to dinner with some friends. I wore a hoodie that I haven't worn for several weeks. So as I always do, I shook it out really good to make sure no geckos or cockroaches were hiding in the sleeves. I put it on as I headed out the door. By the time I made it to my motorbike, my left arm was itching a little bit. I didn't think much of it. I just thought maybe an ant had been in my jacket or something. Ten minutes later, when I got to the restaurant, my left arm and my right shoulder were both itching like crazy. So I pulled up the sleeve of the jacket and inspected my arm. Uh.... basically, it looked like the time I found out I was allergic to penecillin. My entire left arm was swollen, covered in red bumps, and pretty itchy. Unfortunately, I had worn a tank top under the jacket, so there was no way I could take the jacket off in public. I left it on, and by the end of dinner, the itching had already gone down. Afterwards, I was going to a friend's house to practice conversational English. I headed straight there, but the wind on my bike made the itch flare up again. So when I got there, I made sure there were no men in the house (it was only my friend, her three year old daughter, and her mom), and I yanked my hoodie off. My friend gasped in horror, and I quickly realized why. My left arm up to my shoulder was swollen and covered in red welts, my right arm from the elbow up looked the same, as did the top half of my back. Upon closer inspection, I also found that part of my stomach and my left side from my hip to my armpit were covered with the same thing. They got me some salve and helped me put it on. And then they said to drink a glass of milk (??), so I did. The itching had gone down again, but I looked worthy of social ostracism. When I got home a few hours later, I rubbed coconut oil all over everything, and it cleared up pretty quickly after that. But the mystery still remains - what did I react to? Was it something in my jacket? Was it something I ate or drank? DID I FINALLY ACTUALLY BECOME ALLERGIC TO MIDDLE SCHOOL CHILDREN?? I may never know...
5. New Friends
There was a 4 day youth mission conference going on in my town over the past weekend. Speakers came from other countries to share about what God is doing in different parts of the world and to share from their own hearts as well. Most of them are staying much longer than the 4 day weekend and are speaking in many other venues as well. I got to help translate for one of the Indian men last week. And holy cow, I am terrible at understanding Indian accents. But it was the first time I've really officially translated for an event, and it was fun! I also spent quite a bit of time over the weekend talking to two of the other speakers - one from India and one from the Philippines. We all exchanged contact information, and I have invitations to visit both countries. I live in what a lot of Indonesians refer to as a village - comparatively speaking, it's a pretty small town. We don't even have a mall to boast of. But I love how international it is here - even outside of my immediate school community. Now, who wants to sponsor my grand world tour where I visit all the amazing people I've met in my time here? Donations are accepted. : )
17 January 2014
Late Post 2: My Notebooks
I have always been a sucker for paper products. I go crazy in office supply stores. And I know I’m not alone. There are many like me.
Unfortunately (for my money situation), I happened to move to Asia – the part of the world with the most amazing stationary you will ever see. And I CANNOT STOP BUYING CUTE NOTEBOOKS.
Notebooks, notebooks, notebooks.
The weird thing is that I don’t ever do anything with them. I mostly just arrange them in different orders on my desk. I like looking at them. I like having them. I like smelling them. I just like them.
This is starting to sound like a creepy notebook fetish, so I’ll get to the point.
I finally decided that if I am going to buy notebooks, I HAVE TO USE THEM. So I did. Well, I started using the more practical ones. Some other ones have cute pictures or little Asian-y drawings all over the pages. They are fun to look at and they make me feel like a giggly little Asian girl inside. But they are not nice to write in.
So I took the blank notebooks, and I incorporated them into my New Year’s Resolutions. Now, for the first time in history, I present to you some of my favorite possessions – my notebooks.
Notebook 1. This sleek, stylish model is not any ordinary little black book.
For starters, it contains no phone numbers. No, this is the notebook I use when I do my daily Al-Kitab and Al-Quran reading. I use it to keep track of what I’ve read on what day, and I also use it to create lists of all the words I don’t know along with their translations. I use this little notebook every single day.
Clearly, some days are better than others…
I also usually have this little guy in my bag with me wherever I go. It’s a very small notebook (less than 4 slats tall, as you can see from the picture) and takes up hardly any room. If there is ever a lull in a conversation, I pull out my notebook and start asking my friends the differences between certain words. I mean, Genesis 1 in Indonesian uses THREE different words that all translate to creep/crawl! For all those creepy crawly animals God made.
Notebook 2 has my all time favorite color and design. This is the first one that I started using regularly – at the beginning of the school year.
I decided that I should be more financially responsible, and I’m using this notebook to track all of my expenses. I’m not an extravagant spender, but living in a third world country really makes you more self conscious about what you have in comparison to oh, say, your entire neighborhood. I recognize that I have a different standard of living than most of the rest of Indonesia, but while I know that I’m living within MY means, I also want to make sure that I’m not living wildly outside of theirs. So every single thing I purchase, I write down in here.
Basically, it’s my accountability buddy. Before I buy something, I remind myself that I will have to write it down in my notebook. And it will be part of the weekly total of what I spent. And will I be disappointed in myself when I see that total? It helps me make sure that what I’m buying is really what I need. And through this process, I’ve found that I can generally get by on $30-$40 a week. And that includes tithing and eating!
OK, enough about finances. On to notebook 3. This is the one that has been in commission second longest. I’ve been going to Indonesian church for a few years now, and awhile back I finally figured out that taking sermon notes actually helps me focus more, understand better and remember things long term! I know, I know, I was a little late to the game… But at least I arrived. Eventually. So yeah, I started taking notes on index cards, and after the sermon, I would just tuck them into my Bible. But sometime last year, I decided to start using an actual notebook. Mostly because I kept losing the index cards. So this is my sermon notebook.
This notebook is noteworthy because it is the only one that I bought with a pre-determined purpose. I had to have a notebook with blank pages because I wanted to be able to fit each sermon on one page. I knew I wouldn’t find a lined notebook that would allow me to do that.
Since I have tiny handwriting anyways, this notebook is the perfect size! The date and the name of the person preaching go in the top right corner. Then each sermon’s notes are on the right hand page. The left page I use for other things. Like if I learn any new words during the sermon, I write them down there. Or if we sing a song that I want to remember the lyrics to, I jot them down. All of my notes are in English. Hearing in Indonesian and noting (??) in English really helps me process what I’m hearing, and it keeps me on my toes throughout the entire sermon. No zoning out… Also, fun fact – I have stared at the cover for soooo long, and to this day, I cannot figure out what it says. It’s like a part of some poem or something written in really scripty writing. But I can only make out a few of the words.
Notebook 4. My mom actually mailed me my credit card hidden inside this notebook! That was a good idea, because nobody at customs found the credit card, and also, that was the package in which Lindt chocolate exploded and coated everything. I was able to wash off the notebook, and it was displayed prominently on my desk for quite awhile, but left unused.
Until at the end of last year when I was reading through my Bible and wished that I had a way to have all of my favorite verses in one place. And voila – the favorite verses notebook came to be.
Sometimes they are in Indonesian…
Sometimes in English…
And sometimes, I include entire paragraphs or even chapters!
This is definitely my favorite notebook to read through!
Notebook five is the last one for now. This was a Christmas gift from a friend, and I decided to use it to help me with my New Year’s resolution to pray for my leaders.
I’m also trying to be more focused in praying for other things as well. You know how when people say, “Hey, I could really use some prayer.” and you say, “Oh, I will totally be praying for you.” and then you completely forget? No? Is it just me? I hope not. Anyways, I don’t want to be that person anymore. So I’m using this to write prayer requests down in to help me remember. Every request gets its own page. And each day, I look through the notebook once. And I don’t necessarily pray for everything in it every day. But I have a written account of things I’ve said that I will pray for. Like my leaders. Here they are.
And if I’m being honest, I know that one of the reasons it is hard for me to be faithful in prayer is because I struggle to believe in the importance and effectiveness of prayer. God is God, and He knows what is best. So why should I pray for something that I want to happen when it might not be what is best? And so on the first page of the notebook, I wrote down some verses about prayer and what prayer should be and what prayer is for. Because no matter what my head thinks about prayer, I believe in my heart that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. And He has some things to say about prayer. So on the days when I really don’t feel like praying, I have these verses to remind myself of what God thinks about it.
15 January 2014
Late Blog 1: New Year's Resolutions
Well, we're on Day 4 of no laptop. It's in the shop, hopefully getting better. But I heard they are wiping everything and re-installing Windows. So that is great. Thankfully I had the foresight to expect this situation, and I backed EVERYTHING up before I took it to get fixed.
I've resorted to using the desktop computer in my classroom. It isn't terrible. I mostly just hate how clicky the keyboard is. First world problems. But anyways, since I have a new blog idea pop up in my mind just about every day, I decided I should start getting some of these out there!
So here is the first installment of Late Blogs.
New Year's Resolutions. I rarely make them. Really, almost never. But this year I decided to. And if I post them publicly, then I will feel more motivated to stick with them, right? In theory...
1. Last year I wanted to read the Bible more than I had the year before. And I was successful in that. I read the Bible all the way through in 2013. And I didn't want to do it AGAIN this year. But I do want to continue to be in the Word every day. So I decided to start reading the Bible in Indonesian this year. I'm not going to finish it in a year - the 4 or 5 chapters a day I would have to read to make that goal would be overwhelming. So I'm taking it slowly. Just a chapter or two a day. But as I read, I have a special notebook (I'm already planning a "Notebooks" blog post because I love my notebooks that much) in which I write down every single word that I don't know. And I find the translations for those words. And I learn those words. So I'm not only reading my Bible every day - I'm also rounding out my Indonesian vocabulary as I go along. Some days are stressful, and I feel like I don't know every fifth word. Some days are great, and I know every word in the chapter! I love reading, I love reading in Indonesian, and I am super motivated to learn language, so I think this will be an easy resolution for me to stick with. Eventually, I would like to read the entire Bible in Indonesian, but at this rate, it will take me almost 3 years!
2. Besides not wanting to feel totally overwhelmed, I also had another reason to not push myself to read the Bible in Indonesian in a year. I wanted to leave myself some time to do some other reading as well. Specifically, Al-Quran. It is a much shorter read than Al-Kitab (the Bible) - I only have to read 20 verses a day to finish it in a year. So my second New Year's Resolution is to read the Quran in a year. I wish I could sit down and study this book with an imam or an ustad or another religious leader because I have SO MANY QUESTIONS, and I really want to understand this religion that 90% of this country follows. But it's probably good that I don't have that opportunity, because it means that I talk to my friends about what I'm reading. And I have had SO MANY good conversations. Already. Conversations about what we believe and why we believe it and how what we believe is different. I love those conversations, and I love learning about religion and culture and where it comes from. I often find myself reading more than 20 verses in a day. I might finish this resolution ahead of schedule! So again, I think this will be an easy resolution to keep. And thanks to my tablet, I can easily take both Al-Kitab and Al-Quran with me wherever I go.
3. I felt really convicted at the end of last year about how much I complain about leadership... I have butted heads a lot with my new boss here. I don't agree with a lot of things my pastor does. The mayor of our town is pretty sleazy and corrupt. And naturally, presidents can never do anything right. But I never ever pray for them. So that is my third and final New Year's Resolution - pray more for those in authority over me. And honestly, I think this will be the hardest one for me to keep. It's difficult for me to pray consistently and long term for something. Eventually, I forget about it. Or I get bored of praying for the same thing over and over and over. Or I feel like what's the point because I see no change. I am the opposite of a prayer warrior. I am a prayer weakling. But if I can be faithful in praying for one thing, I want it to be for my leaders. Lord knows they need it...
I've resorted to using the desktop computer in my classroom. It isn't terrible. I mostly just hate how clicky the keyboard is. First world problems. But anyways, since I have a new blog idea pop up in my mind just about every day, I decided I should start getting some of these out there!
So here is the first installment of Late Blogs.
New Year's Resolutions. I rarely make them. Really, almost never. But this year I decided to. And if I post them publicly, then I will feel more motivated to stick with them, right? In theory...
1. Last year I wanted to read the Bible more than I had the year before. And I was successful in that. I read the Bible all the way through in 2013. And I didn't want to do it AGAIN this year. But I do want to continue to be in the Word every day. So I decided to start reading the Bible in Indonesian this year. I'm not going to finish it in a year - the 4 or 5 chapters a day I would have to read to make that goal would be overwhelming. So I'm taking it slowly. Just a chapter or two a day. But as I read, I have a special notebook (I'm already planning a "Notebooks" blog post because I love my notebooks that much) in which I write down every single word that I don't know. And I find the translations for those words. And I learn those words. So I'm not only reading my Bible every day - I'm also rounding out my Indonesian vocabulary as I go along. Some days are stressful, and I feel like I don't know every fifth word. Some days are great, and I know every word in the chapter! I love reading, I love reading in Indonesian, and I am super motivated to learn language, so I think this will be an easy resolution for me to stick with. Eventually, I would like to read the entire Bible in Indonesian, but at this rate, it will take me almost 3 years!
2. Besides not wanting to feel totally overwhelmed, I also had another reason to not push myself to read the Bible in Indonesian in a year. I wanted to leave myself some time to do some other reading as well. Specifically, Al-Quran. It is a much shorter read than Al-Kitab (the Bible) - I only have to read 20 verses a day to finish it in a year. So my second New Year's Resolution is to read the Quran in a year. I wish I could sit down and study this book with an imam or an ustad or another religious leader because I have SO MANY QUESTIONS, and I really want to understand this religion that 90% of this country follows. But it's probably good that I don't have that opportunity, because it means that I talk to my friends about what I'm reading. And I have had SO MANY good conversations. Already. Conversations about what we believe and why we believe it and how what we believe is different. I love those conversations, and I love learning about religion and culture and where it comes from. I often find myself reading more than 20 verses in a day. I might finish this resolution ahead of schedule! So again, I think this will be an easy resolution to keep. And thanks to my tablet, I can easily take both Al-Kitab and Al-Quran with me wherever I go.
3. I felt really convicted at the end of last year about how much I complain about leadership... I have butted heads a lot with my new boss here. I don't agree with a lot of things my pastor does. The mayor of our town is pretty sleazy and corrupt. And naturally, presidents can never do anything right. But I never ever pray for them. So that is my third and final New Year's Resolution - pray more for those in authority over me. And honestly, I think this will be the hardest one for me to keep. It's difficult for me to pray consistently and long term for something. Eventually, I forget about it. Or I get bored of praying for the same thing over and over and over. Or I feel like what's the point because I see no change. I am the opposite of a prayer warrior. I am a prayer weakling. But if I can be faithful in praying for one thing, I want it to be for my leaders. Lord knows they need it...
12 January 2014
Ninth Grade Jokes
The only native English speaker in the class: Where does a snowman put his money??
ESL student: Where?
Native speaker: In a snowbank!!!
*Silence. Maybe a few cricket noises.*
Me: That's a very English language joke.
Korean student: What do you mean?
Me: Do you know what a snowbank is?
Several students: No...
Me: Do you know what a snow drift is?
Several students: Yes...
Me: They're the same thing. Snowbank is another word for snow drift.
Korean student: Oh. So what was the joke?
Native speaker: Where does a snowman put his money? IN A SNOWBANK!
*Lots of loud, exaggerated, sarcastic laughter as all the ESL students now get the joke*
Korean girl: No, wait. I still don't get it. Where did he get money? He's a snowman.....
Man, talk about a tough crowd...
ESL student: Where?
Native speaker: In a snowbank!!!
*Silence. Maybe a few cricket noises.*
Me: That's a very English language joke.
Korean student: What do you mean?
Me: Do you know what a snowbank is?
Several students: No...
Me: Do you know what a snow drift is?
Several students: Yes...
Me: They're the same thing. Snowbank is another word for snow drift.
Korean student: Oh. So what was the joke?
Native speaker: Where does a snowman put his money? IN A SNOWBANK!
*Lots of loud, exaggerated, sarcastic laughter as all the ESL students now get the joke*
Korean girl: No, wait. I still don't get it. Where did he get money? He's a snowman.....
Man, talk about a tough crowd...
Pop In
Hey. Just want to pop in and let everyone know I'm alive! We made it back from Bali, we're in the thick of rainy season (I don't think I've seen the sun for 8 days now), and school started back up last week.
I have about five great blog ideas coming up, but I think my computer is crashing. Or something is terribly wrong. And I can't do much with it. I'm working on getting it fixed and fingers crossed for the best.
In the meantime, I hope this short post works as a sign of life for any of you who might have been wondering why I've been silent for so long! Sorry!
I have about five great blog ideas coming up, but I think my computer is crashing. Or something is terribly wrong. And I can't do much with it. I'm working on getting it fixed and fingers crossed for the best.
In the meantime, I hope this short post works as a sign of life for any of you who might have been wondering why I've been silent for so long! Sorry!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)