23 February 2012

Pictures of the Month

It’s that time of the month again. I’ve hardly posted any pictures lately, so here are some that I’ve snapped throughout February.

1. At the beginning of the month, this group of insects would begin to emerge from beneath my bathroom sink every single night at about 8 PM. If I turned the light on, they would all run back underneath though. I began to fear that they would make their way into my bedroom and eat me in my sleep, so I mostly just shut the bathroom door and left the light on all night in order to deter them. I haven’t seen them for a couple of weeks now, so maybe they are gone for good.

IMG_0001

IMG_0009

Those pictures were taken on 2 different nights. Sometimes I would notice the bugs when they were first starting to emerge. Sometimes I would be sitting on the couch and would see them stampeding around the corner. Ew.

2. Banquet season. This was my favorite banquet invitation by one of my favorite kids TO one of my favorite kids. I teach them both first period, so boy kid came to school early with a toddler that he borrowed and a bunch of red roses. He set up like so:

IMG_0004

But after I took the picture, he zipped the jacket up again, and waited for girl. When she walked into class, she saw him standing there with an adorable child waiting to hand her a bouquet of red roses. Boy gave her a minute to realize that this was for her, told the kid to hand her the roses, then unzipped his jacket, revealing his all important question. This was her reaction.

IMG_0005

Returning the child. Notice that the back of his shirt has three boxes that say “Yes”, “No”, and “Maybe” beside them. With the roses, he also handed her a permanent marker so she could check one. She checked yes (After this picture was taken, obviously).

IMG_0006

3. So one day I was walking out of my classroom as this guy walked in, not at all fazed when we passed in the doorway. Most of these skinks are really skittish and would rather die than be near a human, but not this one. A few hours later, I was typing something up at my desk, and I heard motion behind me. This guy was just chilling on the bookshelf, watching me type. The next day, I was sitting at my desk, and felt something substantial crawling up my leg. I looked down, and saw his tail sticking out from under my pants leg. So I started jumping around and kicking my leg like a crazy person until he fell out. Then he hung around my desk the rest of the day. The skink with no fear…

IMG_0011

4. I took some pictures of the rain one day. I had to walk from the school to the second story of the boys dorm for batik class (that’s where the art room is), and right as I got to the end of the covered walkways, this happened. Aish.

IMG_0013

IMG_0014

And then looking back from the art room. The lawn is turning into a lake within 10 minutes.

IMG_0015

But still, I feel like no matter how many rain pictures I take and post, it will never capture the full effect of the torrential-ness of rainy season.

5. Apparently girl cat is very non-discriminating about which of my crafts she will fall asleep on. I was cross-stitching a Russian doll that I found a picture of on etsy, and she decided it would make a nice bed, I guess?

IMG_0025

6. The afternoon sun shining in my kitchen window. It is so rare these days to see the sun in the afternoon/evening due to rainy season. So one day I came home from work and found this sight, and I loved it so much that I took a picture to remember it.

IMG_0026

7. I keep finding these little things on the outside of my house. They’re some kind of cocoon with a built in chain link fence. Pretty cool if you ask me.

IMG_0028

IMG_0029

With a termite stuck in a spider’s web.

IMG_0031

On my front door.

IMG_0033

In my front window, taken from inside.

IMG_0035

And then I found this terrifying little guy, so maybe his kind keeps making these things?

IMG_0034

8. My little bird. I found him outside my house one night. And by “found”, I actually mean, “took him away from my cat who was about to play with it to death”. It’s an Indonesian sparrow, but it was still too little to fly. So I kept it for one night and gave it food and water. And then it died. Sad.

IMG_0037

IMG_0039

Yeah… He’s a little bit wet with cat spit. Below is the “nest” I made for him in a laundry basket. And that’s how he would look at me every time I whistled at him.

IMG_0040

9. Here is a fact about me. I will buy anything that comes in awesome packaging. You don’t find that often in Indonesia. They’re not really big on creative/artistic marketing of goods. But then I found this soap. From China. In a random little supermarket that just opened up down the street from the school. And I don’t really use bar soap all that much. But I bought this one. Because I’m in love with it. Also, it is sandalwood scented. Yum.

 IMG_0041

10. There are a lot of praying mantises here.  I see them fairly regularly. But I grew up in a place where they are nearly on the endangered animals list, and it was always a huge deal when we found one. So I still get a little bit excited when I see one. Like yesterday.

IMG_0043

IMG_0045

OK. That’s all now!!

22 February 2012

Impersonations

That 8th graders are currently working on homework and practicing their impersonations of each other. They're pretty good.

Their impersonation of me went, "WAKE UP, RG!"

RG was not amused. Hahaha...

21 February 2012

Proofreading

Proofing a paper on HIV/AIDS. Closing sentence really caught my attention.

"So what I want to tell you is that be careful whenever and wherever because you don't know in which moment you may receive AIDS."

Scary stuff.
There is an incredible bond among people all over the world involved in ministry. Whether or not we know each other, there is an acknowledgement that we are all part of one body working toward one goal. And because of that bond, when one part of the body hurts, we all feel it.

I've heard a few times today of a family serving in Cuba who lost their 3 year old daughter in a car accident yesterday. Nobody here knows them, but we're all praying. To read more or to help this family out, click HERE.

Invitation

Today, an invitation to the wedding of two Indonesian people I have never met was hand delivered to me with my name printed clearly on the front. The invitation contains general information such as who is getting married (Widya and Ardi), when (this coming Saturday), and where (in Solo). But the part that intrigued me the most was the... uhmm... poem (maybe?) included at the end. It reads as follows, verbatim:

Infact Our world of beautiful, actually world is full surprise,
Until we meet with beautiful way and time in praying to God...
Not exaclly season and time the people planing not popiet with there hope
We just have desire and praying, but only God who have powerfull than as...
But exactlly season and time I LOVE YOU, always...
Like the sunrise start the day and sunset for night. I always with you.
So many thing will I share, so many thing will I so.....
Since we meet and than make comitment still day and forever
Our love, Widya and Ardi shall never die...

There are several things that stand out to me about this invitation.
1. How do they know my name? I do not know these people.
2. They spelled "exactly" two different ways. Even if you're not sure how to spell it, you could at least be consistently wrong.
3. When I try to translate this back into Indonesian and ponder it carefully, I still have NO CLUE what is being said.
4. What the heck is a popiet?
5. In spite of the rest of the poem, they really mostly nailed that last line, you have to admit.

If I ever live in Indonesia and don't work for the school, I am going to open a translation proofreading business. If you spent just a day in my small city, you would be amazed at the gross overuse (and even grosser under-accuracy) of English in advertising. It is the cool thing to do. But it is 99% of the time oh, so wrong. I often stare at banners, billboards, fliers, brochures, etc and scream, "LET ME HELP YOU!" I seriously wonder how much money I could make if I charged even just a penny per line of text to proofread. I'm going to be so rich. It's really a shame that it's illegal for me to have any other income outside of the school while I'm on a school visa. Sigh.

20 February 2012

College in the Promised Land

Male student: Miss, what was the guy-girl ratio at your high school? Our school doesn't have enough girls!
Me: Uhmmm.... I was homeschooled.... Soooo.... Yeah.
Student: Oh. Right. What about your college?
Me: There were about twice as many girls as guys.
*Pandemonium ensues with all the boys yelling that they want to go to "her college" (our high school has like 30 girls and 65 guys)*
Me: But when my brother started at his college, it was like 3 or 4 girls for every guy.
*Stunned silence*
Male student: Does your brother go to college in HEAVEN?!

19 February 2012

This Weekend

I took a nap on Saturday.
AND on Sunday.
Like a boss.

17 February 2012

Garage Sale

Indonesians don't do garage sales or thrift stores or Goodwill. Basically, they keep everything they have and use it until it has no possible use anymore. And then they still keep it because God forbid you throw something away. I, however, take after my mother in that I don't like having lots of useless stuff around. So I have a deal with my pembantu that anytime I don't want something, whether or not I think it is still usable, I give it to her and she will find someone who can use it.

Anyways, I digress. We have a tradition around here in which the seniors host a garage sale once a year during second semester. They sell their own things, and other people are welcome to donate unused items as well. The money goes to the senior class trip and/or other class functions. Tons of people turn out - foreigners and nationals alike. It's the one time a year you can buy used stuff for cheap.

It happened today. I got some good books and some clothes for Aswan that I am happy about. The seniors made $850 in 3 hours. Not bad. At all.

After I left the garage sale, I came home, ate some chicken and rice, then fell back asleep.

I woke up to a phone call from the seniors saying, "We still have some leftover stuff, and we want to give it to an orphanage, but we don't know where one is in Salatiga. Can you take us to an orphanage?"

You can't say no to that. So I went and helped them deliver 4 boxes of clothes, shoes, and other things to a very nearby orphanage that none of the students even knew existed.

The point of the story is that I'm so excited to see this class's heart of ministry. As they leave our school in May and find themselves in colleges all over the world, I know this group of kids will have an impact. And as sad as it will be to say my goodbyes, I am so excited to see how they will change the world. Because I know they will.

16 February 2012

Better...

I just graded the 9th grade quiz I made them re-take today (with a different problem, of course). It was better. Three didn't come with rulers, but they at least came to my room during 10 minute break to ask to borrow one from me. I told them to get their rulers, paper, calculators and pencils out before the quiz started, and I asked if anybody needed anything. Nobody said anything. So I gave them the problem.

One kid got up from his desk loudly and said, "I don't have any paper." Halfway through the quiz, one started rummaging through his backpack trying to find his calculator. But it was better than yesterday. Much better than yesterday. They all finished in 10 minutes, and everyone had his or her name at the top of a half sheet of paper with all work shown (Yay! Progress!).

Yesterday we learned how to multiply and divide rational expressions, and I told them to leave their answers in factored form on their homework as opposed to multiplying everything out. EVERY. SINGLE. EXAMPLE. that I did on the board, I left the answer in factored form. After the lesson, multiple kids still asked me, "Miss, on the homework, how should we write our answers?" And each time, I responded, "Leave your answers in factored form".

Four kids out of ten turned in homework today with answers in factored form. Perrrrfect...

Yesterday during batik class, I had the following conversation with one particular 9th grader.

Student: How long will you be in your room for after school?
Me: Probably 20 minutes or so, then I'll head home.
Student: Am I annoying you?
Me: Noooooo.....
Student: Am I now?
Me: Getting there...
Student: Can I come to your room after school?
Me: For.....??
Student: I have some questions.
Me: Questions?
Student: Sorry. Am I annoying you?
Me: What do you have questions about?
Student: Stuff.
Me: You spent the entire class time today drawing dragons. Don't think I didn't see.
Student: Oh. Well, it's not about today.
Me: You also spent yesterday and the day before and the day before drawing dragons on paper you took out of the recycle bin.
Student: Oh. You saw that?
Me: Mmhmm...
Student: So can I come to your class later? I need help.
Me: Why should I spend my personal time after work helping you learn something that you don't even care about listening to the first time I teach it to you?
Student: OK. So I can come?
Me: Answer the question.
Student: What question?
Me: Why should I spend my personal time after work helping you when you don't even bother to pay attention to me in class?
Student: Um... Because it's your job...
Me: No. My JOB is to spend one hour a day teaching you what you need to know about Algebra 2. Nowhere in my job description does it say that I have to stay after school to help students who choose to not pay attention in class.
Student: It's your job to help me.
Me: I DO HELP YOU! EVERY DAY IN CLASS!
Student: But I don't get it.
Me: YOU DON'T LISTEN!
Student: So can I come after school?


According to my blog stats, lots of people in lots of different countries around the world read this blog. In fact, this blog has been read about 10,000 times since I started writing it. Granted, 9000 of those times were probably by my parents, but to the other 1000 people out there: Got any ideas?? I need help.

15 February 2012

Those 9th graders...

Ninth grade just left. It really is a good thing that I have a whole period off every day after they leave. I need that time to recompose myself and to try to find beauty in the world again.

We've been learning about graphs of rational functions (crazy looking graphs that have multiple parts), and they've really exceeded my expectations. I thought it would be a huge struggle for them to understand this material, but it hasn't been. They had a quiz today, which I gave them very specific instructions for yesterday. I told them I would give them ONE rational equation, and that they would have to graph it. I said they would be doing it on a half sheet of paper, so they should make sure they have paper with them. I said that if they wanted to do it on graph paper, they could, or if they wanted to do it on loose leaf and draw the graph, that was fine too as long as the graph was neat. I told them to show all their work, especially since the whole quiz was only one problem. I told them that they had 10 minutes to complete the quiz and so they should be prepared and on time. I don't know what else I possibly could have told them short of giving them the actual equation that would be on the quiz.

They have a 10 minute break right before class every day. This is time to eat a snack if they're hungry, go to the bathroom, check in with teachers about any missing assignments, etc. There is a 2 minute warning bell before the end of the break, and students should head to class at that time.

Back to today. Quiz. 10 kids. The final bell rang. Two students walked in late, which for some bizarre reason is a regular occurrence. I told them to sit down and get ready for their quiz. I noticed that one student was rummaging around in my desk. I told her to please get away from my desk and return to her seat. Her answer was, "I need a ruler". Based on my history with this class, I assumed she was not the only one. So I asked the students, "Who needs a ruler? Raise your hand." Six hands went up. I went to my desk, took out six rulers, and passed them out. I saw several students with whole sheets of paper on their desk, so I reminded them to use a half sheet. Some students complained that they didn't have any paper, so I told them to get a half sheet from a friend. Then they whined that the paper wasn't torn in half nicely and they wanted a new half sheet. Ugh...

Two other students decided they needed a ruler, so I went back to my desk and handed them rulers too. One student realized she had left her calculator in my classroom yesterday and asked for it back, so I got that for her. Another student suddenly yelled, "OH NO! I FORGOT TO TURN IN MY HOMEWORK!" which, of course, was echoed by 3 or 4 others. So they all stampeded to the back of the room to turn in their homework, lest it be counted late. By the time they actually started the quiz, they had 4 minutes left of their allotted 10 minutes. I wrote the problem on the board, reminded them once again to graph the equation and to show all work. One student got up and started walking around the room. I asked where he was going, and he replied, "I need a pencil". They got a brief lecture on being prompt and prepared because they are, after all, in high school now, and I don't feel that it is wrong of me to expect them to be able to successfully complete basic tasks. They all said, "Yes, miss" and worked on their graph. I noticed that still THREE students were using a whole sheet of paper instead of a half sheet. I made them start over with a half sheet.

By that point, my hands were shaking from the frustration, and I was doing my best not to scream through gritting teeth at my precious little angels. In an effort to be nice, I generously gave them 2 extra minutes to work on their quiz, but even at the end of that time, nobody was finished.

So I made them turn in their quizzes anyways. They whined and complained about the injustice of it all. Five quizzes were turned in with no name on them. Two were turned in on full sheets of paper.

Tomorrow we will be trying this quiz again. I am giving them a second chance to be on time to class and to come prepared. We'll see how it goes, but I'm not holding my breath...

And oh yeah - they whined about having to do the quiz twice. Even though I'm pretty sure everyone failed today, they don't want to do the work again. One student even said, "But every time I do good on a quiz, you don't count it! This isn't FAAAAIR!!"

I've never once not counted a quiz grade.

*forehead palm slap*

Doaku

Tuhan,

Taruh kasih dalam hatiku.

Amin.

13 February 2012

What Gets Me Through

Found the best website for teachers today. Find it HERE.

The picture below is my new favorite thing. I just try to imagine that Ryan Gosling is telling this to me personally.

hey girl

Word of the Day

Here's the word of the day. Just TRY to say it.

Adzdzikri.

That's right! Adzdzikri.

Although it's not so much a word as the name of the mosque next to one of my favorite noodle restaurants (they make their noodles by hand!). But still... I wonder what it means.

09 February 2012

I'm A Mean One

Sometimes I think that if I were an innocent bystander who just happened to be bystanding in my own classroom watching a non-bystanding version of me teach, I would probably think that I am a very mean teacher. Especially if I happened to be bystanding while I am teaching 9th grade.

Take today, for example. Algebra 2 had a test. I helped them review yesterday and told them all the material they needed to study for the test. They should in no way have been unprepared. Yet the first 10 minutes of class went like this:

Me: This is the non-calculator part of your test, get out everything you need, but put your calculators away. *I begin handing out test*.
Fred: Can I ask a question?
Me: Yes?
Fred: How do we simplify logarithms?
Me: Too late. Should have asked that one before the test started.
Fred: Oh, man!
Gerald: Is this test open book?
Me: Nice try.
Gerald: Open notes?
Me: Shush. Bill, why is your calculator out?
Bill: For the test.
Me: It's non-calculator.
Bill: Oh. *doesn't move*
Me: Is there a part of "non-calculator" that you don't understand??
Bill: No. *doesn't move*
Me: Put your calculator away!
Bill: Oh. Right. *puts it away*
Me: Al, why are you sitting next to Joe? You know better. Move to a different seat.
Al: I was here first. Make Joe move.
Me: AL. MOVE.
*I finish handing the test out*
Aditya: TEACHER, CAN I HAVE A RULER?!
Me: SSSSHHHH! Where is your ruler?
Aditya: WHAT?
Me: Where is your ruler?
Aditya: WHAT?
Me: Never mind... *take him a ruler* Next time you know there are graphs on a test, bring your own ruler please.
Aditya: Mine got lost.
Me: Then get a new one.
Aditya: BUT..
Me: ...NO! I don't want to hear it now. Work on your test.
Eli: For number 8 do we have to explain our answer?
Me: Does it say to explain?
Eli: No.
Me: There's your answer, then.
Stan: Can I borrow a calculator?
Me: It's non-calculator!
Stan: I know, I mean for later. For the calculator part, can I borrow a calculator?
Me: Yes. Be quiet please.
Al: Can I have scratch paper to use??
Me: Use the back of your test so all your work is there.
Al: I don't want to.
*another student hands him a piece of paper*
Me: Does ANYBODY else need ANYTHING? You guys know that you need to have everything you need ready BEFORE the test. We have gone over this EIGHT TIMES BY NOW.
Aditya: This is only our seventh test.
Me: *dirty glare*
Ryan: For number 8, do we have to graph it?
Me: Did you read the instructions?
Ryan: No.
Me: READ. THE. INSTRUCTIONS.
Ryan: Ok, I read them. Do we have to graph?
Me: Do the instructions SAY TO GRAPH?!?
Ryan: No.
Me: Fine.
JiHyeon: Can I have some extra paper?
Me: NO!


Of course, this is the class that I had to teach to raise their hands if they have questions, to pick up all their garbage before leaving the room, to not turn in homework crumpled up in a ball, to not put rulers, calculators, pencils, etc borrowed from me in their mouths, to not eat in class, to not talk during tests, that "working together" does not mean "copying", which side of the paper is the front, to write their name on their work, to write in and on the lines, to bring a pencil and paper to class, and the list goes on.

Basically, every day, it is all I can do to not talk through clenched teeth with crazy eyes in this class. And would you believe - there are only 10 of them!

I have to say though, they have come a long way from the beginning of the year. This really is a huge improvement... So maybe I should be less angry?

08 February 2012

Beautiful Words

First thing this morning, a half awake angsty 10th grader stumbles into my room with a plastic bag and says, "Here's some cheesecake. My mom sent it for you."

JESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

Cheesecake for breakfast on a Thursday morning. How much do I love today?

There's a note on the box that says, "This cheesecake was leftover from last nite's dinner - Hope you enjoy it."

I'm feeling a lot better today. Still a lot of coughing and sniffing, but my fever is down, and I slept 9 hours last night. I made it to school yesterday too, but had to take frequent breaks and definitely still had a fever. I didn't actually realize that at first though - I thought I was sweating bullets because it didn't rain all day so it was hot out. I didn't realize how wrong I was until like 3 different people commented to me about how ridiculously cold it has been all week. I'm like, "Seriously? It's cold? Aw, MAN! I thought my fever was gone!" Oh well. At least I'm not cold like everybody else. I really don't like being cold.

07 February 2012

Sick Days

Well, for the second time ever, I came home sick from work today. There’s something going around, and it hit me hard. I was up most of last night with major, major congestion coupled with a hacking cough, sore throat, and lots of sneezing. Today, my body ached so bad, I couldn’t stand up, so I was trying to teach while sitting in front of the white board. But I had enough of a fever, that I had goosebumps and was shivering for most of the day. I had a headache and a stomachache too, so I hadn’t eaten anything, which didn’t help. Basically, I was just miserable. I made it through two periods before I didn’t think I could take it anymore. All of our school administration was in a seminar today, so I couldn’t talk to my boss to ask permission to go home or to help me find subs. So before I could go, I had to make up sub plans, then hike all over the school trying to find people who could cover my classes. By the time I got all my classes covered and made it to the nurse’s office to ask for some medicine, my body was in so much pain that I just walked in the door and burst into tears. Good move, me.
I’m extremely thankful for understanding coworkers. We’ve all been stretched thin this year, but I had to find four people to cover four different classes today, and not a single one hesitated to help out. I’m also thankful for an awesome school nurse who stocked me up on meds, prayed over me, then sent me home to rest. I’m also thankful for Ibu Sri who made sure my house stayed quiet all day long so I could sleep. Twice she offered me food and a massage, but both times I declined because I just wanted to sleep. I can’t believe I turned down a free massage… But I needed rest. I got home from school at about 10, went straight to bed, and slept most of the way until 3.
Aswan was sick like this last week. Thankfully, day 2 of what he had was the worst, and this was my second day of feeling crummy. By day 4, he was entirely healthy again, so I’m hoping that I’ll follow the same pattern!!

05 February 2012

The Sermon

Generally, I don’t write about church on my blog. One of the annoying things about a public blog is that you really have to careful what you write about whom because you never know who reads it. So I’ll just generalize my Indonesian church experience by saying that it requires me to be on my toes at all times, theologically speaking. I have heard sermons that I have really learned from, and I’ve also heard sermons that someone totally pulled out of nowhere (but definitely not from the Bible). Indonesian church always challenges me to really think through what I’m hearing and to ask myself, “Is this what the Bible says, or is it merely was this certain person happens to think it says?” And if it is the latter, then I have to ask myself, “COULD it say this, or did they just totally pull something that sounded good out of left field?” Because that happens a lot around here. Pastors say stuff that sounds really good in theory but might not always be entirely accurate. I tend to take notes and then file them away. I have a whole section of notes entitled, “The Blasphemy Files”. It is the largest section of my notes. Oh, the stories I could tell… Granted, not all of what I hear is out and out blasphemy, but some of it might come pretty close.

Here, I’m going to share my notes from yesterday’s sermon with you, and you can decide what you think about it. Use your Bible knowledge. Is this sermon sound or not??

 

Intro – 2012 is a very special year, numerologically speaking. This is because there were 12 tribes of Israel. And because Jesus chose 12 disciples. Not 11. Not 13. Twelve. Twelve is a very important number, so 2012 is a very important year. Therefore, let’s look at Revelation 12.

Revelation 12:1 - 5 - A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.  Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads.  Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.  The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.
  1. OK. So. The woman is a symbol of Israel. And spiritually, I AM Israel.
  2. The dragon is Lucifer.
  3. The 1/3 of stars the dragon swept out of the sky represent the 1/3 of the angels that followed him in the beginning. He makes everything dark. There was a world created before the fall of Lucifer, but when he fell, he made everything dark and God had to start over. In the end times, by taking away the stars, he will once again make everything dark.
  4. The child obviously represents Jesus.

Now look at Job 26:13.

Job 26:13 - By his breath the skies became fair; his hand pierced the gliding serpent.

Now jump to Isaiah 27:1.

Isaiah 27:1 - In that day, the LORD will punish with his sword — his fierce, great and powerful sword — Leviathan the gliding serpent, Leviathan the coiling serpent; he will slay the monster of the sea.

  1. A leviathan is a type of dragon. We just entered the Chinese year of the dragon. CORRELLATION!

Now look at Psalm 89:8 – 11

Psalm 89:8 – 11 - Who is like you, LORD God Almighty? You, LORD, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you. You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them. You crushed Rahab like one of the slain; with your strong arm you scattered your enemies. The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it.

  1. Rahab in that passage is not the same Rahab that Joshua knew. Flip back to Isaiah.

Isaiah 51:9 -  Awake, awake, arm of the LORD, clothe yourself with strength! Awake, as in days gone by, as in generations of old. Was it not you who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced that monster through?

So here is what we can learn from all of these verses:

  1. Dragons are bad.
  2. This is the year of the dragon.
  3. Hence, there will be many natural disasters involving water this year.
  4. In Hebrew, the word Rahab means pride. Lucifer fell from Heaven not because he stole something but because he was prideful.
  5. In 2012, God will deal with people’s pride.
  6. Pride means an inability to confess your sins or to apologize and ask forgiveness.
  7. Since dragons are good in Chinese culture, many children will be born this year. It is believed that children born in the year of the dragon are stronger and will be prosperous.
  8. This will be a year of blessing.

Furthermore, here are some more correllations and conclusions we see:

  1. The dragon mentioned in Revelation 12 is a red dragon.
  2. In Jewish tradition, the color red represents the North Pole.
  3. Hence, global warming will be a problem this year.
  4. Expect the melting of the polar ice caps, disastrous floods, and tsunamis.
  5. Look back at Revelation 12. Women receive salvation because they give birth.

Now look at Matthew 16.

Matthew 16:15 – 18 - “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

  1. Peter in Greek is Petra, which means “a safe place”. God’s kingdom is a safe place.

 

In the margins of my notes, I have scrawled other random things he managed to insert.

  1. I DECLARE FINANCIAL BLESSING UPON YOU!!
  2. If you’re searching for a church that is a good fit for you, you’ll find that no church fits BECAUSE YOU’RE THERE. (Basically, if a church stinks or if you don’t agree with that church, then it’s because you have the wrong attitude about it.)
  3. Basically, we are all going to die in 2012.

31 January 2012

An Epiphany

I haven't written anything solely for the sake of helping me process something for a long while. So here's one of those posts. We'll see where I end up.

I've always had great relationships with my students. Always. Great. It's one of the things I love about working here. I can go hang out with my students in the coffeeshop on the weekend. They spend an hour after school with me doing homework and hanging out in my classroom. They come early to school to talk. I get asked to chaperone just about every student led event. I get invited to their birthday parties.

But this year has been different. I feel like I have no kind of relationship with any of my students outside the classroom. Even students that I used to hang out with a lot rarely spend time in my room if they don't have to. And I don't know what changed.

Today, I communicated with two different sets of parents of students who are struggling in one of my classes. One set I met with in person; the other was via email. But both of them said the same thing - they know their children are struggling, and they know they need help, but their kids don't want to come to me for help because they think I am too busy.

Now, it is no lie that I am busy, in school and out. But where along the way have I communicated to my students that I am too busy for THEM? That was never my intention. I moved here for them. I stay here, through thick and thin, for them. Why do they think that I don't want to help them?

It took an incredible amount of will power not to burst into tears in front of the second set of parents when they told me their daughter would rather try to get help from one of her friends than from me.

On one hand, I'm thankful that my students are being sensitive to my workload and understanding that maybe it would help me out if they could try to get help from someone else before coming to me. But on the other hand, WHEN DID I BECOME THIS PERSON?!

And more importantly, how do I fix it?

I admit, there are days when I am extremely exhausted and grumpy and possibly don't want to answer 15 questions that I probably already explained at least once during class time. But I have never and will never turn away a student who comes to my door needing help.

However, the fact remains that obviously I am somehow communicating that I am too busy to help. What are my students picking up on that is leading them to this conclusion?

And even more worrisome - what will next year be like? We will be losing 6 teachers at the secondary school and gaining 2. If my students think I'm too busy to help them this year, what will they think next year?! I'm going to be a monster next year!! WHAT IF ALL THE KIDS HATE ME??!

Now at least I see where this writing-to-process deal has led. To utterly preposterous conclusions. This has not solved any of my problems. Maybe I just need to think about it some more.

Um. No.

Yesterday during 6th period, the yearbook class was in my room (because it was feeling particularly arctic in the computer lab) brainstorming class questions. These class questions are basically supposed to spark humorous answers from the students, especially in the elementary grades, that can be included on their yearbook class photos page. We give the questions to the teachers for each class, they have the students write out their answers, then they turn them all in to the yearbook staff.

So yesterday, the staff was able to come up with suitable questions for each of the secondary classes - those classes usually tend to have more serious questions that the whole class writes a 2-3 paragraph answer to together. But they still had no questions for the little kids. They wanted to steer clear of the typical, "What do you think your teacher does after school?" and "If you could be any animal, what animal would you be and why?"

One especially sarcastic 11th grader whom I love dearly partly because he lets me play with his ipod touch a lot was incredibly unhelpful in this process. His suggested questions for K - 2 included:

1. Is homosexuality a sin and why?
2. What is your ideal man/woman?
3. How do you feel about ethnic minorities? Are you racist?

Always good for a laugh, that kid...


*edit* - During lunch today, we decided to test out these questions by asking them to a first grader.

Q: Are you racist?
A: Uhhhh.... I'll race you!

Q: What is your ideal woman?
A: I don't know, but there's two girls who hug me in PE a lot! *big smile*

We skipped the question about homosexuality. I just really liked the answer to the racist question.

One of Those Days

It started raining yesterday at about 1 o’clock in the afternoon. And it rained. all. night. long. And rained and rained and rained. So I drank some tea. And it was still raining when I woke up this morning. It was so dark out, I hit snooze a few too many times. When I finally woozed out of bed, I had about 15 minutes to be out the door. So I threw on the first shirt I saw that had long sleeves (I don’t have many, but it was chilly this morning). Then I realized that part of my shirt was coming loose. It has this decorative… uhmm… stuff around the collar (I wish I could take a picture of it, but a friend borrowed my memory card on account of his wife took both of theirs out of the country this week), and a piece of it was sticking out funny.

I didn’t feel like looking for a new shirt, because that would take me longer and I’d have to find pants to match and I was already dressed and any other long sleeved shirt would be on the bottom of the stack and would probably be moldy anyways. So I did what anybody who grew up in my house would do.

I superglued it. I actually superglued my shirt back together. At 7 AM.

Then I went to school. That shirt was new for Christmas, and I hadn’t worn it to school before. Based on the comments I got, I’m not sure yet if I’ll wear it to school again or not.

“I like your shirt. Now you actually look like somebody’s wife.” – Yohanes

“You look younger today. I think it’s that shirt. Are you in a bad mood?” – 9th grader

“OHMYGOSH! YOUR SHIRT IS SOOOOOO CUTE! *squeal*” – 10th grader

“You don’t normally wear shirts like that.” – more than one person

“You look so casual today. Like me. I’m wearing slippers.” *sticks foot in my face* – 9th grader

And it proceeded to rain. and rain. and rain some more. It was still raining when I came home from school. And now that I’m about to go to bed, it sounds like it finally stopped. We’ll see how long that lasts…



Also, as an interesting side note, I'm pretty sure black cat threw up an entire chicken neck on the floor this evening... Pleasant.

29 January 2012

We Now Return You to Your Regularly Scheduled Program.

Rainy season is baaaaa-aaaaaack. *cue scary music*

After 5 blissfully sunny, windy days, rainy season is back in full force. It rained off and on all afternoon yesterday. The electricity at my place was also off and on. In other places in town, it went off at 8:30 last night and still hasn't come back on. It was cloudy and drizzly and dark when I woke up this morning, and it still hasn't burned off.

I was really hoping that rainy season was ending early. That would have mostly made up for it not ending at all two rainy seasons ago.

Oh, well.

At Work. On A Sunday. Sigh...

Last week, Geometry class did a multi-part proportions project. For one of their tasks, each student had to calculate the actual distance from their current location to their place of birth by first measuring it on a world map I laid out on the floor, then by using the scale factor given on the map to set up a proportion to solve. They had to fill out a worksheet that gave their current location, their place of birth, the distance between the two places on the map, the proportion they used, and then the actual distance. It was interesting to read through their lists of places of birth. In this class of 21, there are 7 different nationalities represented - Korean, American, Indonesian, British, Swiss, German, and Malaysian.

But the list of places of birth went like this:
London
Jogjakarta, Indonesia
Kathmandu, Nepal
Jakarta, Indonesia
Seoul, South Korea
San Antonio, Texas
Bandung, Indonesia
Orlando, Florida
Semarang, Indonesia
Bismarck, North Dakota
Pusan, South Korea
Singapore

But the funny thing is that several students weren't even born in their passport country! In this class we have Koreans and Germans who were born in Jakarta, Indonesians who were born in America, Nepal and London, Americans who were born in Singapore and Indonesia, and the list goes on!

I guess that what I'm trying to say is that even after all this time, it still amazes me what a melting pot this place is...

28 January 2012

Untitled

Is something still technically untitled if I entitle it “Untitled”? It’s like our goat, No-Name. We couldn’t think of a name, so we started referring to her as No-Name. It stuck.

Anyways, I was looking through some pictures from this month, and as I sometimes do, I am posting all the cool ones that weren’t noteworthy enough to earn their own blog post.

1. One late night toward the end of Christmas break, I was trying to find a way to keep my hair out of my face. The following resulted. In these photos, all of my hair is held in place with exactly ONE bobby pin.

IMG_1424

IMG_1427

Yes… yes I did just take an over the shoulder backwards picture of myself in the bathroom mirror and post it on my blog.

2. The sky from the toll road on the way to Semarang about two weeks ago.

IMG_1458

3. Cat testing out the blanket I started crocheting. I have since ripped it all out because I can’t for the life of me make the stupid edges go in straight lines. At least cat got to enjoy it once.

IMG_1449

4. Here are my stealth photography skills at work. A group of us went to Solo over the long weekend a week ago, and while we were in a donut/coffeeshop located in the mall, these two girls came and sat down near us. I couldn’t resist taking their picture, for what I think are obvious reasons. They reminded me of something that either my dad once said or that I once read in a Far Side cartoon (sometimes the two aren’t far off), “Fashion is a competition to see who can look the most like a retarded clown”. But I feel awkward just taking random people’s pictures (because I hate it when random people do it to me), so I “pretended” to take Leah and Liz’s picture and just innocently happened to catch the clowns… er… other girls in the background.

IMG_1460

5. That same day in Solo, we were waiting for the rain to stop, so we went into Matahari, an Indonesian department store, in search of grammatically incorrect and/or awkward T-shirts. The best ones are always at Matahari. That day we found some gems, including, “Scream. I like it”, “If you know what I mean…”, “I am so shy”, and this gem…

IMG_1461

Of course I bought it. But now I’m not sure where to wear it to…

6. The amount of stuff left ON THE FLOOR in my room after ONE CLASS of 10th graders. It never ceases to astound me how being raised in a home with helpers seems to retard the part of the brain that controls the development of personal responsibility.  On this particular day, about 75% of the class left garbage and/or personal belongings behind.

IMG_1477

7. I saved the best for last. Mostly because it is the most recent picture on my computer. But also because it is fantastic. I got a box from my lovely friend, Em! And it came full of BOOKS IN ENGLISH! I cannot even tell you what a luxury that is and how excited I am! She also sent along some other fabulous odds and ends like fabric quarters and fall-ish scented candles and mousse! Thanks, Em!

IMG_1479

 

One more thing before I go. Number 5 reminded me of the best shirt I have ever seen, and I’m not sure if I ever blogged a picture of it. It was, of course, seen in a Matahari store (but not the one in Solo). I think I might actually pee my pants laughing if I ever see someone wearing this shirt.

IMG00205-20110827-1022

WHO COMES UP WITH THIS STUFF?!?!?

26 January 2012

My Morning, Photodocumented

This morning, in an unprecedented move, I suddenly decided to document my walk to work. At this time of day, I have been awake for approximately 20 minutes. I have not yet eaten, and I have not yet spoken aloud.

IMG_1480

I am NOT a morning person, and my bed is hard to leave every morning. Especially on dismal, cloudy mornings when I wake up to a room as dark as this. On sunny mornings, light streams through those curtains and wakes me up before 6.

IMG_1481

Right outside my front door. The strong winds we’ve been having for 3 days now have knocked down 1.5 of the wooden blinds that hang in front of each of the three apartments in my building.

IMG_1482

This sidewalk comes perpendicularly to my house. I have to walk to the end of it to get around the cement wall. There are two large trees here, and every day I’ve been cleaning off all the branches and sticks from the sidewalk. This is how many fell last night.

IMG_1484

Looking back at my building. My apartment is the one on the right. I’m the only one who hasn’t lost any blinds yet!

IMG_1486

At the end of the sidewalk, I have to turn 180 degrees, go up these steps, and onto the soccer field and track. It’s faster to cut across the field (I’m headed toward those big white buildings in the background), but the field is sopping wet with dew in the morning, and I hate having wet pants cuffs for 2 hours. So I take the long way around on the track. Red dirt!

IMG_1487

Our illustrious soccer field. On the left is a jungle which produces many snakes near my house. Straight ahead are our two gyms.

IMG_1488

I spotted some blue sky while I was on the track! This means it will probably clear up soon and be a sunny morning after all!

IMG_1490

Looking back across the soccer field at my house. All those buildings used to be our elementary school. Now the one on the left is my house and the buildings toward the right were sold several years ago and turned into a language school. The building right next to mine is the one with the noisy roof. My cats were also born in the ceiling of that building, and sometimes I look out my back window and catch them just hanging out on the roof over there.

IMG_1491

Across the soccer field now, I jump on this little walkway which leads to the gym parking lot. This may seem like an insignificant little bunch of cement pavers, but I love them. They were a gift from the graduating class of 2009. Everyone thought it was a stupid idea, but anytime it rains, this little stretch of grass turns into a swamp. For my first year here, I used to have to walk home through a shin deep puddle of water most days. Not anymore, I tell you!!

IMG_1492

On clear days, I can see the mountain from the gym parking lot. Today you can just see the base of it above the trees there. For reference’s sake, I’m including a picture I took on the way to school earlier this week.

IMG_1475

I didn’t take any pictures in the gym because it’s boring and dark in the morning. Fun fact – once I make it to the gym, the rest of my walk has a roof over it. All the buildings at our school are connected by covered walkways due to the rains. Also, in the gym is usually where I make my first utterance of each day. Most days I pass one or two of the groundskeeping and/or maintenance staff on their way out to the storage shed by the soccer field, and we always say good morning to each other. This morning I didn’t pass a single person.

IMG_1493

After the gym, I pass between the locker rooms on my left and the elementary playground on the right. I call it the Swiss Family Robinson jungle gym. There are usually kids out here playing tetherball when I pass by, but not today.

IMG_1494

After I round the corner of the locker rooms, I go up a set of steps, then walk along the elementary school for several meters.

IMG_1495

Round the corner of the elementary, cross the drop off zone, and I’m in the pavilion. This is where I eat lunch every day.

IMG_1496

Through the breezeway. I like my tunnel. It might be my favorite part of my walk each morning. Once I get spewed out the other side, I’m officially in the secondary school. Sorry the picture is blurry. I actually took it while walking.

IMG_1497

Once I’m in the secondary area, I usually drop by Yohanes’ office first to tell him good morning and discuss what we dreamed about last night and how many 9th graders I might potentially murder today. This morning, I found him just outside his office and this was his default face when he saw the camera in my hand. Silly boy.

IMG_1498

Down the “hall” and to the right, there’s my classroom. Every class opens to the outside. Another fun fact – to lock or unlock a door in Indonesia, you have to turn the key 720 degrees (2 complete turns!). One time I opened the door and found a cobra waiting for me on the floor. That was 2.5 years ago. But still, every time I open my classroom door, I do a quick snake check. Recently there have been lots of baby geckos (about 1.5 inches long) hanging out in my room that scatter when I come in. But no snakes.

IMG_1499

My classroom before students come in and the Great Desk Migration begins. By the end of the day, these desks somehow end up scattered all over the room. I really wish I could bolt them to the floor.

IMG_1500

Once I’m in my room, I power up the old laptop and check many things. Contact with the outside world is initiated. I have learned a great deal of joyous news at this exact place at this approximate time. Sometimes I also get sad news.

 

And thus my day begins.

25 January 2012

Updates

1. We are now in our third day of major wind but no rain. Lots and lots of trees and branches down.
2. The language school next door did not fix their roof yet AND some other neighbors are having a wedding which means obnoxious karaoke in the street until two in the morning for up to three days straight. Last night was the first night.
3. JESS IS FREE!
4. There is a nasty bug going around. My TA threw up 21 times yesterday. According to him, he made it to the bathroom for 19 of them! The first miss was all over the hallway at school. He was sent home at roughly that time... See? When seasons change, everyone gets really sick.
5. School starts in 1 minute. 7/13 students are currently present. Ugh...

PUJI TUHAN!

Best news I have heard THIS YEAR!!!

Read HERE and HERE.

24 January 2012

Tis the Season and Winds of Change

(I couldn't decide on just one title).

Tis the season for all the young men of Mountainview to begin awkwardly inviting the young women of their fancy to the spring banquet held in April. Typically they don't start this early, but this year is an exception. For the first time ever, there are about three times as many boys as girls at our secondary school. Competition is fierce, people. Some girls have already received 3 or more invitations. There have been bended knees. There have been flowers (although that poor girl had to give her flowers to a friend because she was scared to take them home due to an overzealously protective father). And today? Today I had a nervous 10th grader come to me 20 minutes before school started and hand me a lovely handwritten note that says, "Will you go to banquet...", (I assume he meant "with me"). Lest you think he was inviting me (which has happened before. Every year, in fact.), he went on to ask, "Can you give this to Brittney in Geometry? But don't tell her it's from me." Eyeing the remaining stack of invitations in his hand, I asked, "How many girls are you planning to ask. Got a few fall backs there?!?" He laughed shyly and said, "These are all for her. I made one for each of her teachers to give her throughout the day. Then after school I'll tell her it's me and I'll ask her for real. So make sure you don't tell her it's from me. It's a secret." I love that I get to be a part of it! Now I just have to make sure I actually remember to give it to her.

As for winds of change, I now finally understand that phrase. In Indiana, winds usually mean a storm is coming. Might be a blizzard. Might be a tornado. Might be for no reason at all. But things don't really change all that much. Here the winds mean the season is getting ready to change and everybody will probably get really sick for a few days. Ever since yesterday afternoon, it has been really windy. One of the sheets of corrugated steel (or whatever it is) the language school right outside my bedroom window uses as roofing material came loose during the night. At approximately 2:26 AM. I didn't get much sleep after that point because every time I'd start to drift off, I'd be jolted awake to what I thought were several small bombs going off inside my house. Over and over and over. But really, I love the wind. And even though rainy season is supposed to last until April and it's the year of the water dragon and hujanuari and all that, maybe the season is changing early? Because it never rained yesterday. And it hasn't rained yet today. That would be just perfect! An early end to rainy season!

Two days ago, I grabbed my black skinny jeans out of my wardrobe thingie. The entire back of them was white and fuzzy. I have never in my life seen such a large quantity of mold growing on an article of clothing. I'm still waiting to see if they have serious mold damage or if they will be good as new after they get washed. Dry season may be hot, but at least there's no mold.

Gasps of Horror

In honor of Aswan’s new job, we decided to go to Solo (twice in one weekend for me!) to go to Payless to buy him some quality shoes yesterday. Luckily, he found a pair that he liked right away. Sadly, we got a flat tire, but amusingly we got to watch 4 old drunk guys try to fix it for us! Between the four of them, it took 20 minutes, half a pack of cigarettes, and half of what appeared to be a beat up water bottle filled with paint thinner (at least that’s what it smelled like) that they passed around. They were basically like the 4 stooges. Good for laughs, but I’m skeptical about this tire tube they patched. We’ll see how it holds up…

Anyways, we found out that they just built an Ace Hardware (which is more like a really upscale Wal-Mart in this country) there, so we decided to check it out. I’ve been looking for some cute bins or baskets to organize my under-the-bathroom-sink cabinet which, for the last two years, has mostly been a big mess of unused rolls of toilet paper, bottles of lotion, shampoo, nail polish remover, mousse, more lotion, medicine, tubes of toothpaste, new and used toothbrushes, band-aids, etc with no rhyme or reason to it. I can never find anything under the bathroom sink without digging through a pile of bottles and tubes. So long story short, this country apparently provides nothing in the way of cute organizational materials. But I finally did convince the nice Ace sales lady to sell me part of a display they had – 2 bamboo baskets. Score. But that wasn’t enough for my organizational needs. My only other options were cheap neon colored plastic containers with Hello Kitty shaped holes in them. Pondering what to do, we wandered into the kitchenwares department. And I found some really cute breadpans that were reasonably priced. So yup. I now store most of my hygiene supplies in breadpans.

IMG_1472

I mean, THEY ARE GREEN! How cute is that?!?  Besides my severe lack of organization, my under the bathroom sink cabinet was having another issue. Over the past year or so, it’s been accumulating a lot of dirt. Like, a LOT of dirt. Like, an embarrassing amount of dirt that I never cleaned up because it’s the under the bathroom sink cabinet and who else even sees it? I’ve been wondering for quite some time now where all the dirt has been coming from. I assumed it was somehow from ants. I see ants in my bathroom a lot. You can’t fight them, so you just learn to live with them. Or at least that’s my excuse for never cleaning up all the dirt. Again, long story short, I was wrong. As I was rearranging and organizing things, I pulled a tube of Arm and Hammer toothpaste that mom sent me for Christmas out of its box so that it would take up less space in the breadpan. And guess what came out with it?!?

IMG_1469

THE CULPRIT – ALL THAT DIRT WAS COCKROACH POOP!!!!

As I started going through other boxes of stuff – Immodium, hair ties, Benadryl, bobby pins, Claritin, first aid kit – I found that nearly EVERYTHING was full of COCKROACH POOP!!!

Needless to say, I gave everything a THOROUGH cleaning and lit several candles. And I’ve already checked three times today to see if I see any more cockroach poop anywhere. Fingers crossed that it was only the one (now laying dead somewhere in my front yard) and he doesn’t have 75 ugly little step children hiding out somewhere…

22 January 2012

Lunar New Year

Gong xi fa cai everyone! Or in other words, selamat Tahun Baru Imlek!

In English now, happy Lunar New Year! The year of the rat is officially over, and the year of the dragon has begun. Technically, it's the year of the water dragon, which people are saying accounts for all this rain we've been having lately! Most days for the past month, it's started raining around lunch time and gone well into the night. A couple times it's gone all night and on into the morning. Each day we're guaranteed at least an hour's break in the clouds, but sadly, it's almost always when I'm teaching. People have dubbed this month Hujanuari, a cross between the Indonesian word for rain (hujan) and January (Januari).

I know I've been quiet for most of January. It's been a hard month. I don't really know who reads my blog, so without being terribly negative or naming any names, I'll just say that after a few very disappointing and hurtful situations at Aswan's place of work, he chose to leave after 11 years of service and will begin his new job as an accountant for Arrowhead Horse Ranch tomorrow. Does anyone else find it ironic that my boyfriend got a MATH JOB on a HORSE FARM?? He's a media and communications major who grew up in a major city. I think it's hilarious! But we would definitely appreciate prayers for this new job and his transition. He's going to have to do some serious training first. He served as our church's treasurer for several years, but other than that, he has no accounting experience. We're so glad though that he was able to find a new job and leave the old one so quickly!

Work hasn't been a walk in the park for me either this month. Last week, our principal of 20+ years tearfully announced her decision to resign and return home to the States to care for her elderly mother. That was a shock to me. When I first started working here, I always said I couldn't imagine having better bosses. I was referring both to Bill, our former superintendent who left last year, and Lisa, our secondary principal. Lisa has the toughest job because she is the enforcer. She's not the most popular person on campus in the eyes of the students, but she always does her job with grace and humility, and I have the utmost respect for her. And trust me, kids are kids, no matter what line of work their parents are in, and I've had some very not fun situations to deal with, but for the last 3.5 years, Lisa has ALWAYS had my back. Seeing her leave is going to be very difficult. Within days of her resignation, our new superintendent announced her replacement - a friend of his, a staff member who has only been here for 1 year and has no teaching experience. This is a person who I enjoy conversation with and a person who very much does have a heart for youth. But because of a variety of reasons that I don't need to get into right now, I am struggling with the thought of him in a position of leadership over me.

It was also announced this month that in order to save money, the school will not be replacing 4 of the 9 or so teachers who plan on leaving after this school year. That was a tough blow for me also. Last year we lost 6 teachers and gained only two new ones. We were already short staffed at the beginning of this year. Then in November, we lost our K-12 art teacher, and two other teachers are currently abroad having babies. All of us here are overloaded, stressed and burning out already. There's been a couple of days already this semester where I've come home from work and gone straight to bed. I have serious concerns about next year.

OK, now that all the sad stuff is out, I'd like to announce that Payless Shoe Store opened a branch RIGHT HERE IN CENTRAL JAVA! Since this is a 3.5 day weekend, I got to go visit on Saturday! It's about an hour away by bus. We also found that in the same mall, a brand new movie theater that shows Hollywood films opened up! Way closer and cheaper to get to (and more posh) than the theater in Semarang! So hooray for little surprises even in sad months!

13 January 2012

Final Update (I Think)

Good news - Ibu Sri's husband was able to return to work again today! Ibu said that the area around his eye is pretty messed up, and I'm assuming that he'll have some long term scarring there. But once the eye was cleaned up and the swelling went down, they found that his vision wasn't affected by the injury!

Ibu says thanks to everyone for prayers!

11 January 2012

Yet Another Update

Thanks to everyone who prayed for Ibu Sri's husband! When they got home from the Dr.'s appointment, she sent me this sms:

SEGALA PUJI BAGI TUHAN! dokter bilang mata baik tgal penyembuan luka saja dan tdk perlu ke dokter budi smg kmi terimakasih utk doanya.

(EVERY PRAISE BE TO THE LORD! the doctor said that the eye is ok, we just need to wait for the wound to heal, and we don't need to go to doctor budi [a specialist] in Semarang. We are thankful for the prayers.)

YAAAAY!!

10 January 2012

Vacation Days

Ibu Sri and her husband should be at the doctor right now. Praying hard!

In other news, I was just doing some lesson planning and after consulting the school calendar, I realized that this week is a 4 day week, next week is a 4 day week, the week after that is a 4 day week, and the week after THAT is also a 4 day week. Then we have three normal weeks, then another 4 day week. After that comes a normal 5 day week, then spring break - no school for a whole week!

After spring break, we have a four day week, a regular week, two more four day weeks, followed by five normal weeks (that's gonna seem like a long stretch with no breaks!), finals and graduation on the 24th of May. And then summer break!!

Teaching in a foreign country is the best if you're looking for lots of vacation days. We take off American holidays (bc we're an American school), Indonesian holidays (bc we're in Indonesia), Muslim holidays (bc many of those are also Indonesian national holidays), quarter breaks, semester breaks, fall break, spring break, Christmas break, summer break, Chinese New Year, athletic tournament breaks, and more! Now we just need to get on board with the Hindu and Buddhist holidays, because we have some of both at our school. So out of respect to them, I mean, we should really look into it.

And oh yeah - when I taught in Kenya, sometimes the president would randomly declare, "Tomorrow is a holiday! Nobody go to work!" So we would all stay home. It made planning kind of hectic, but who doesn't enjoy getting to randomly sleep in on a Wednesday?

Update on the Update

I caught Ibu Sri today when I got home from work. She was on her way out the door but stayed to chat a bit with me. She is taking Wednesday off to take her husband to the eye doctor for a more thorough checkup. She said that yesterday, his eye (praise God, only his right eye was affected) was completely swollen shut, so there wasn't much the doctor could do besides clean it the best he could and bandage it. He told them not to take the bandage off as it would be very easy for the eye to become infected. Regardless, Ibu took the bandage off last night after the swelling had gone down a little bit to find out if her husband could see. He said that he can see light but that he can't make out shapes or focus on anything.

Poor guy didn't get a chance to rest much yesterday as family, friends and neighbors were coming over to check on his condition all afternoon and evening.

Back the story up now. Way up. Ibu Sri was raised in a Muslim home but was allowed to go to sunday school with friends. From what I gather, she was pretty ambivalent about religion in her high school/early adult years. She got pregnant out of wedlock, and in her fear, tried to abort the baby on her own (abortion is illegal to this day in Indonesia). She didn't succeed, but her baby was born mentally handicapped along with some other physical disabilities, including a vision impairment. Ibu Sri and her husband got married (obviously) and are both now living for the Lord. Yesi, their daughter, is now in her early teens and is learning at a 3rd grade level (if I remember correctly) at a school for mentally handicapped children. Ibu Sri understandably places a lot of blame on herself for her daughter's disabilities.

Earlier today, Ibu Sri told me that last night when everyone left their house, her husband just started crying, and he kept saying that now he feels like Yesi, now he can't see - just like her, now he knows what it feels like. I think that broke Ibu Sri's heart, because she started crying when she told me about it. Then she went on to say, "But it's OK. I can be strong for both of us. I think this happened to my husband because of my sins. I made a mistake. I didn't go to church this week."

I was floored. This woman carries such a sense of guilt with her! All I could think to say to her was, "Ibu, Tuhan kita ga seperti itu!" (Ibu, our God isn't like that!)

So here's where we stand now - Ibu Sri needs lots of prayer to be at peace with this, to not blame herself, and to be a rock for her husband. Her husband definitely also needs prayers as he currently can't work and therefore has a lot of time on his hands at home alone to be processing all of this. I know they are very anxious about tomorrow to hear what the doctor will say - he might be able to regain his vision as his eye heals, or he possibly never will. If the doctor sends them to Semarang (the big city) to see another Dr., they'll know it's bad. But if he doesn't, it means that the damage isn't too severe. She asked me three or four times to be in prayer for the appointment tomorrow morning - in case anyone wants to know, it's at 9 AM here, which would be 9 PM Tuesday night for all my Indiana kin.

Other than that, one day of school down, 99 million more to go...

09 January 2012

Update

Ibu Sri's husband is currently at home resting. When I asked Ibu about his eyes, she said she didn't know much because he can't open them and they're all bandaged up. She's planning on coming to work tomorrow (Tuesday), but I'm leaving her a note to let her know she can have Wednesday off, as her husband has to return to the doctor to get the bandages taken off and his eyes checked then. Please continue praying!

And as a testimony to how amazing and hardworking Ibu Sri is, I'm copying a translation of the note she left for me on my counter today:

"Good afternoon, miss. I'm sorry that I went home early today because my husband is in the hospital. Because while he was at work, his eyes got sprayed with metal shards while he was welding on a broken machine. Thank you for the presents you brought me from Bali. And I'm sorry that all my work isn't finished today. I will finish it tomorrow. Because I really want to find out how my husband is. I am very, very worried. Please pray for me, OK? I'm sorry, I'm so confused. On one hand, I have so much work to do, but on the other hand, I really need to go be with my husband. I'm so sorry. Ibu Sri."

Lest I sound like a slave driver who beats my help into submission, rest assured that most of this letter stems from a cultural fear of upsetting someone. She is very worried that we will be disappointed that our apartments aren't spic and span when we get home from work, so she will apologize 15 times to make up for it. It's the Javanese way.

I'm leaving a note for her tomorrow that basically says, "No matter what, your family is more important than your work. We understand that you are very worried, and it is better for you to be with your husband than to be here cooking or mopping. Don't be afraid to take time off this week if you need to be with your husband. We are all praying for you and your husband so that he will be healed quickly and have full vision!"

And I cleaned the whole bathroom and kitchen today so she hopefully won't feel like she's way behind or has too much work to do to take any time off to be with her husband. See? Not a slave driver. : )

08 January 2012

One More Post

Hey guys, on my way to lunch earlier, I found out that my helper's husband was in an accident at work this morning and was rushed to the emergency room. She also went to be with him. All I knew at first was that his eyes were somehow damaged. She just smsed me and let me know that they were able to bring him home from the hospital this afternoon because he's not hurt severely, but that he's going to need to go to an eye doctor "karena terkena cairan kimia n serpian logam" (for my friends who will understand Indonesian better than my translation). Basically, he was at work and somehow got chemicals and shards of metal in his eyes. I'm not really sure how bad the situation is, but please be praying for healing for his eyes and no loss of sight! Thanks!

Surprise…

I spent a good part of the weekend cleaning up after being gone for so long. Funny how a house can get dirtier while you’re gone, huh? It’s true though. Ibu Sri, my helper, was on vacation too, so there was nobody there to keep mold from growing all over the shower, to keep ants from chewing their way through anything plastic, to move the clothes around in my closet so they don’t start to smell musty, or to scrub the gecko poop off all the walls. Ugh. My big project though was cleaning the mold off of all my shoes. I first noticed these:

IMG_1432

My favoritest pair of scrunchy ballet flats that my mom bought for me this summer! I was all, “Oh, no you didn’t, mold!”

So then I started looking through all my shoes and found that most of them had mold growing on (or in) them too. They all got thrown in the little alley behind my house for a good scrubbing.

IMG_1433

Even my rubber flipflops had mold growing on them! EEEEW! It’s days like this when I realize that just cleaning up after nature in my house is a full time job!

IMG_1434

About an hour later, I was ready to set all my freshly scrubbed and cleaned footwear out in the sun to dry. But of course by then it was raining.

It’s a vicious circle.

SCHOOL!

School starts tomorrow. I’m finally spending some (administration mandated) time in my classroom today getting ready for what is to come… I’m teaching my four math classes this semester (Algebra 1 for 8th grade, Algebra 2 for 9th grade, Geometry for 10th grade, and PreCalculus for 11th and 12th grade) as well as Batik making (9th – 12th grade art) and Yearbook (11th – 12th grade elective). Full full full schedule! I get one planning period per day now, which is kind of scary with six classes! All I can say is thank goodness for an awesome TA who comes to make photocopies and grade homework for me four days a week! That boy is a lifesaver…

IMG_1447