I went to the ocean the other day.
Not the soft sand- inside the reef- relaxing ocean, I mean..
the OCEAN.
Ten foot swells thundering against jagged, infinitely textured hard-as-iron coral rock.
I watched, listened, and felt as they crashed ashore hurdling rocks, shells, sand, and whatever else happened along with an unimpressed air.
Then I went home.
I took a shower.
I turned the faucet, adjusted it to the proper temperature (from cold to cool), and when I was done I turned it off. I grabbed my towel, and removed the unwanted excess.
Is this what we make God?
Is your God the OCEAN or the shower?
Can you control Him? Do you know what is in His deepest parts? Are you afraid of Him? Do you completely understand Him? Can you be immersed in Him or like the shower, do you keep Him in one place, in a corner of your house? Do you only go to him when you need a little refreshing? Can you turn Him on and off? Can you adjust Him when He makes you uncomfortable? When you are done with Him, do you brush the evidences of His presence from your life? Is He a little sprinkle on your skin or a crushing, overwhelming force in your life?
Maybe it's time to go swimming
Monday, December 27, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Eggwhite
*Takes deep breath, writes semi-controversial post*
So the kids are rehearsing for the Christmas program this week quite a bit during the day.
I was making one of my usual office-hang-out runs, chillaxing and fraternizing with the office staff when in walks one of the students. We greet her, make small talk, expecting her to tell us at any moment where her boo-boo is so we can put a band-aid on it and send her back to class. After a minute or two, she sits down, so I just ask her why she's in the office. Turns out, she's sitting in the office because her parents forbid her to VIEW or PARTICIPATE in anything pertaining to 'theater'. For those of you who are SDA, you already know where this is headed. And why, might you ask, is theater (stage plays, in this sense of the word) so bad?
Because the venerable prophetess E. G. White said so.
-Messages to young people- p398/399
"The true Christian will not desire to enter any place of amusement or engage in any diversion upon which he cannot ask the blessing of God. He will not be found at the theater, the billiard hall, or the bowling saloon. He will not unite with the gay waltzers, or indulge in any other bewitching pleasure that will banish Christ from the mind.
To those who plead for these diversions, we answer, We cannot indulge in them in the name of Jesus of Nazareth. The blessing of God would not be invoked upon the hour spent at the theater or in the dance. No Christian would wish to meet death in such a place. No one would wish to be found there when Christ shall come.
When we come to the final hour, and stand face to face with the record of our lives, shall we regret that we have attended so few parties of pleasure? that we have participated in so few scenes of thoughtless mirth? Shall we not, rather, bitterly regret that so many precious hours have been wasted in self-gratification,--so many opportunities neglected, which, rightly improved, would have secured for us immortal treasures?
It has become customary for professors of religion to excuse almost any pernicious indulgence to which the heart is wedded. By familiarity with sin, they become blinded to its enormity. Many who claim to be children of God gloss over sins which His word condemns, by linking some purpose of
399
church charity with their godless carousals. Thus they borrow the livery of heaven to serve the devil in. Souls are deceived, led astray, and lost to virtue and integrity by these fashionable dissipations."
Ok so let me get this all together here and straight in my mind. On a good, conservative day, I can understand the gist of what she's getting at. To summarize, her point seems to be that by engaging in frivolity, you are essentially wasting the precious gift of time/ life that God has given us to further His kingdom; that by participating in activities that cause you to enjoy this earth, you are lessening your relationship with God. And, that more or less makes sense. It's a song that she often sings in fact, even to the degree of saying that such 'frivolous' things as pickles, bicycles, and playing checkers are not to be a part of your life. This is where I start to lose her.
But first, back to the school play.
From reading her words, the best way I can interpret it even if I wanted to agree with this little girls parents, is that you aren't supposed to go to a theater (a place which at the time of her writing was lavish and full of 'spiritual distractions').
"The true Christian will not desire to enter any place of amusement or engage in any diversion upon which he cannot ask the blessing of God". But the play is being done by an SDA school, and it's about Jesus. So..
"He will not ... indulge in any other bewitching pleasure that will banish Christ from the mind." Again, doesn't sound like a play TELLING THE STORY OF JESUS.
"When we come to the final hour, and stand face to face with the record of our lives, shall we regret that we have attended so few parties of pleasure? that we have participated in so few scenes of thoughtless mirth?" Oh, you mean like... You get the point.
I am most frustrated by this (and these types of people) because they MISS THE POINT BY SO LITTLE. They are so close to getting it, and instead make a slight miscalculation if you will and in the end miss it by a mile.
I hesitate even to say this because it's a slippery slope, but bear with me. The other thing at play here is the time issue. As I mentioned before, theaters in her day were not the same as theaters today. If you live in MD, you would in no way view the BSO to a burlesque show. Likewise, going to the IMAX to watch a film about nature does not strike me as a waste of time or something that would pull me away from my Creator.
Another thing to consider: what does it even mean to live by that standard of seemingly avoiding pleasure in exchange for spending time devoted to growing closer to God? Does that mean we shouldn't go snorkeling? Hiking or mountain biking in the woods? For drives along coastal highways late at night? Didn't God fill this earth with pleasurable things? Good things to see, to taste, to smell, feel, etc? Why do we have senses? What if pleasurable things bring us closer to God? Didn't God say he was the SALT of the earth?! Salt is an additive! You don't NEED salt. It's something FANCY. So ...?
I believe that up until the point where it conflicts with Gods clear law, he wants us to be HAPPY. To enjoy life. To live vibrantly, fully. To skydive (He wants OTHER people to do this, not ME lol). To explore. To sing, dance, yell at the top of a mountain, whisper in a lovers (within the proper parameters) ear, taste hot peppers, drink from a mountain stream. I believe it is the job of the Holy Spirit to impress upon the heart of a person when their pleasure seeking becomes a distraction from their walk with Christ. I really don't feel like eating pickles is going to keep me out of heaven. I wonder which is worse, to indulge in playing checkers, or to be proud of your 'clean record'?
--
All of that being said, theres a side of me that struggles. There are two extremes when it comes to Christianity. Either too conservative, or too liberal; and I have to say, if I had to pick one, I'd go with the first every time. The Amish are a perfect example. They seem to me to be pretty crazy to be honest. Almost masochistic. Why avoid so many modern conveniences such as cars, electricity, etc? But. When was the last time you heard of the Amish mafia? How many abortions do the Amish have yearly? How about theft? They leave their houses unlocked. How about murder? Adultery? Bullies? You can't help but scratch your head. Maybe they're on to something after all. And it's worth noting, that the girl in the office is one of the best students in the school. Well behaved, smart, obedient, helpful, the list goes on and on.
So what do you think? I have to go do work now :)
So the kids are rehearsing for the Christmas program this week quite a bit during the day.
I was making one of my usual office-hang-out runs, chillaxing and fraternizing with the office staff when in walks one of the students. We greet her, make small talk, expecting her to tell us at any moment where her boo-boo is so we can put a band-aid on it and send her back to class. After a minute or two, she sits down, so I just ask her why she's in the office. Turns out, she's sitting in the office because her parents forbid her to VIEW or PARTICIPATE in anything pertaining to 'theater'. For those of you who are SDA, you already know where this is headed. And why, might you ask, is theater (stage plays, in this sense of the word) so bad?
Because the venerable prophetess E. G. White said so.
-Messages to young people- p398/399
"The true Christian will not desire to enter any place of amusement or engage in any diversion upon which he cannot ask the blessing of God. He will not be found at the theater, the billiard hall, or the bowling saloon. He will not unite with the gay waltzers, or indulge in any other bewitching pleasure that will banish Christ from the mind.
To those who plead for these diversions, we answer, We cannot indulge in them in the name of Jesus of Nazareth. The blessing of God would not be invoked upon the hour spent at the theater or in the dance. No Christian would wish to meet death in such a place. No one would wish to be found there when Christ shall come.
When we come to the final hour, and stand face to face with the record of our lives, shall we regret that we have attended so few parties of pleasure? that we have participated in so few scenes of thoughtless mirth? Shall we not, rather, bitterly regret that so many precious hours have been wasted in self-gratification,--so many opportunities neglected, which, rightly improved, would have secured for us immortal treasures?
It has become customary for professors of religion to excuse almost any pernicious indulgence to which the heart is wedded. By familiarity with sin, they become blinded to its enormity. Many who claim to be children of God gloss over sins which His word condemns, by linking some purpose of
399
church charity with their godless carousals. Thus they borrow the livery of heaven to serve the devil in. Souls are deceived, led astray, and lost to virtue and integrity by these fashionable dissipations."
Ok so let me get this all together here and straight in my mind. On a good, conservative day, I can understand the gist of what she's getting at. To summarize, her point seems to be that by engaging in frivolity, you are essentially wasting the precious gift of time/ life that God has given us to further His kingdom; that by participating in activities that cause you to enjoy this earth, you are lessening your relationship with God. And, that more or less makes sense. It's a song that she often sings in fact, even to the degree of saying that such 'frivolous' things as pickles, bicycles, and playing checkers are not to be a part of your life. This is where I start to lose her.
But first, back to the school play.
From reading her words, the best way I can interpret it even if I wanted to agree with this little girls parents, is that you aren't supposed to go to a theater (a place which at the time of her writing was lavish and full of 'spiritual distractions').
"The true Christian will not desire to enter any place of amusement or engage in any diversion upon which he cannot ask the blessing of God". But the play is being done by an SDA school, and it's about Jesus. So..
"He will not ... indulge in any other bewitching pleasure that will banish Christ from the mind." Again, doesn't sound like a play TELLING THE STORY OF JESUS.
"When we come to the final hour, and stand face to face with the record of our lives, shall we regret that we have attended so few parties of pleasure? that we have participated in so few scenes of thoughtless mirth?" Oh, you mean like... You get the point.
I am most frustrated by this (and these types of people) because they MISS THE POINT BY SO LITTLE. They are so close to getting it, and instead make a slight miscalculation if you will and in the end miss it by a mile.
I hesitate even to say this because it's a slippery slope, but bear with me. The other thing at play here is the time issue. As I mentioned before, theaters in her day were not the same as theaters today. If you live in MD, you would in no way view the BSO to a burlesque show. Likewise, going to the IMAX to watch a film about nature does not strike me as a waste of time or something that would pull me away from my Creator.
Another thing to consider: what does it even mean to live by that standard of seemingly avoiding pleasure in exchange for spending time devoted to growing closer to God? Does that mean we shouldn't go snorkeling? Hiking or mountain biking in the woods? For drives along coastal highways late at night? Didn't God fill this earth with pleasurable things? Good things to see, to taste, to smell, feel, etc? Why do we have senses? What if pleasurable things bring us closer to God? Didn't God say he was the SALT of the earth?! Salt is an additive! You don't NEED salt. It's something FANCY. So ...?
I believe that up until the point where it conflicts with Gods clear law, he wants us to be HAPPY. To enjoy life. To live vibrantly, fully. To skydive (He wants OTHER people to do this, not ME lol). To explore. To sing, dance, yell at the top of a mountain, whisper in a lovers (within the proper parameters) ear, taste hot peppers, drink from a mountain stream. I believe it is the job of the Holy Spirit to impress upon the heart of a person when their pleasure seeking becomes a distraction from their walk with Christ. I really don't feel like eating pickles is going to keep me out of heaven. I wonder which is worse, to indulge in playing checkers, or to be proud of your 'clean record'?
--
All of that being said, theres a side of me that struggles. There are two extremes when it comes to Christianity. Either too conservative, or too liberal; and I have to say, if I had to pick one, I'd go with the first every time. The Amish are a perfect example. They seem to me to be pretty crazy to be honest. Almost masochistic. Why avoid so many modern conveniences such as cars, electricity, etc? But. When was the last time you heard of the Amish mafia? How many abortions do the Amish have yearly? How about theft? They leave their houses unlocked. How about murder? Adultery? Bullies? You can't help but scratch your head. Maybe they're on to something after all. And it's worth noting, that the girl in the office is one of the best students in the school. Well behaved, smart, obedient, helpful, the list goes on and on.
So what do you think? I have to go do work now :)
Monday, November 29, 2010
*Article I wrote for the school newsletter*
Obiyan Beach 8th Grade Pathfinder Camp Out 11/19/10
Growing up, I remember fondly going on Pathfinder camp outs. They were usually in the fall, and the smells and sounds and feelings I experienced are still with me. I remember the smell of a camp fire permeating the material of a favorite hoodie, the feel of hot cider in a paper cup warming my hands, the crackling of leaves underfoot; The steam of my breath in the morning and the cool, musty smell of a log turned over as we searched for critters. All these things are memories I hold dear to me.
So it was quite a contrast then, to go to sleep with the sound of waves gently lapping against the shore at Obiyan beach; to go snorkeling on Friday afternoon before supper instead of throwing around the ‘ole pigskin; to wake up sweaty, rather than shivering.
Some things were different, but there were many things that I couldn’t help but chuckle at how similar they were. For example, the kids all ravenously devoured enormous quantities of food for supper and breakfast. There was the usual drama that characterizes the relationships between adolescent boys and girls. There were the pranks, the sleepy conversations, and the bonding that all help to make Pathfinders such an important influence in the lives of youth around the world. It was interesting to see just how similar young people are, no matter where they happen to be.
Friday night, Mr. Odiyar led us in a thought provoking worship about how God reveals Himself to us through nature, and many of the kids shared how this was relevant to their lives. In addition to the serious side, there were a lot of just plain fun things that we did. That night, a few of them couldn’t sleep and stayed up all night with us chaperones. Mr. Odiyar fended off an ant attack, and we went hunting for shrews and bugs. We found an uncomfortably plentiful population of these, in addition to a rather large green lizard who was not altogether enthusiastic about being woken up at 4:00 AM. Sabbath morning eventually came and (after disposing of a massive spider that had spent the night with Mrs. Calla) we had church and a scavenger hunt for hidden letters spelling out ‘CREATION’. Everyone had a great time, and nobody wanted to be the first one to leave.
Seeing God in action in the lives of young people is a beautiful thing, and I thank Him for the privilege of playing a part in these important years. It is my hope that the time they spend in Pathfinders is as beneficial for them as it was for me.
Growing up, I remember fondly going on Pathfinder camp outs. They were usually in the fall, and the smells and sounds and feelings I experienced are still with me. I remember the smell of a camp fire permeating the material of a favorite hoodie, the feel of hot cider in a paper cup warming my hands, the crackling of leaves underfoot; The steam of my breath in the morning and the cool, musty smell of a log turned over as we searched for critters. All these things are memories I hold dear to me.
So it was quite a contrast then, to go to sleep with the sound of waves gently lapping against the shore at Obiyan beach; to go snorkeling on Friday afternoon before supper instead of throwing around the ‘ole pigskin; to wake up sweaty, rather than shivering.
Some things were different, but there were many things that I couldn’t help but chuckle at how similar they were. For example, the kids all ravenously devoured enormous quantities of food for supper and breakfast. There was the usual drama that characterizes the relationships between adolescent boys and girls. There were the pranks, the sleepy conversations, and the bonding that all help to make Pathfinders such an important influence in the lives of youth around the world. It was interesting to see just how similar young people are, no matter where they happen to be.
Friday night, Mr. Odiyar led us in a thought provoking worship about how God reveals Himself to us through nature, and many of the kids shared how this was relevant to their lives. In addition to the serious side, there were a lot of just plain fun things that we did. That night, a few of them couldn’t sleep and stayed up all night with us chaperones. Mr. Odiyar fended off an ant attack, and we went hunting for shrews and bugs. We found an uncomfortably plentiful population of these, in addition to a rather large green lizard who was not altogether enthusiastic about being woken up at 4:00 AM. Sabbath morning eventually came and (after disposing of a massive spider that had spent the night with Mrs. Calla) we had church and a scavenger hunt for hidden letters spelling out ‘CREATION’. Everyone had a great time, and nobody wanted to be the first one to leave.
Seeing God in action in the lives of young people is a beautiful thing, and I thank Him for the privilege of playing a part in these important years. It is my hope that the time they spend in Pathfinders is as beneficial for them as it was for me.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Of mice and men
One of the perks to living in a tropical place is the abundance of roaches and spiders and various other assorted critters. Last night, I had the pleasure (no sarcasm really; it was an awesome man moment) of dispatching of a rat.
---
It all started a few days ago. We (the girls and I) were sitting around gossiping about the students, comparing war stories, when one of them suddenly shrieked. MOUSE!!! I jumped up, ran over to my apartment and grabbed my machete. A great commotion followed as couches, tables, and refrigerators were thrown asunder while I in hot pursuit chopped wildly at the enemy. That night, he managed to escape the mighty claws of death. But I am a foe not easily discouraged. Night after night I kept careful vigil out of the corner of my eye during movies, conversations, meals, etc. From time to time a small grey nose would appear then dart into cover before I could eviscerate him. My nemesis was mocking me.
Then last night, he slipped up. I was halfway through my movie when I saw him dart behind the fridge which is located in a corner. I knew I had him. I carefully arranged a series of roadblocks which rivaled the trickiest of mall parking lot exits in an effort to keep him at hand, should he manage to make the short trip from the fridge to the wall safely. I wanted him out in the open.
Then, I waited.
Like a sniper, like a trap door spider, like a stalking butler I waited. Spear (mop handle) in hand, poised to strike. My muscles were taut. My eyes (all 1 1/2 of them) were keen. My heart was thumping wildly. I waited. And waited. So long I thought I would die. I began to wonder if somehow in the excitement he had slipped out unnoticed.
Then.
Whiskers. I held my breath, perfectly still- waiting for that perfect shot. He came out, I struck. Miss. He retreated. I regained my composure. And waited. Minutes passed. Again he ventured out. This time, I waited until he was clear of the fridge before striking and when I did, BAMSQUEEKSQUEEKSQUEEEEK! My heart was filled with gladness! I held the spear in place and bent down to look closer at my prey and ALAS!
Gone.
He had slipped out.
I drearily went back to my watch. However, instead of the same mouse coming out, wonder of wonders, in my periferal vision I see another, LARGER rat run under the ridge! This was more than I could have asked for! Filled with a new strength and vigor, I assumed my striking position. He would ever-so-tantalizingly poke out his nose, but then retreat. I brought in the reinforcements- bombed the underside of the fridge with RAID. More waiting. More jostling of the fridge. More waiting. Literally it seemed like forever (about an hour and a half had passed since the first contact).
Then the money shot.
The big rat.
I struck like a message from the gods. No mercy. Such an eruption of squeaking and scratching (on the rats part) and primal screams of victory (on my part) erupted as to wake the dead. I trapped him up against the corner of the wall. My strength was crushing! He was fading fast. As one final death-blow, I filled his gaping maw with a heavy handed blast of RAID and slowly the life went from him.
I sat down, shaking, gasping for breath from the struggle. One had triumphed, one had tasted the bitter wine of defeat.
I gloated for a while, basking in my glory.. His limp soggy rat body hoping to serve as bait for his wily companion; but after another several minutes of no sound and no activity, I concluded that the initial wound and repeated doses of RAID had done the trick.
I bid the womenfolk goodnight, they paid me with kisses and song (hey a guy can dream, can't he??), and I went home to bed.
I slept like a baby.
---
It all started a few days ago. We (the girls and I) were sitting around gossiping about the students, comparing war stories, when one of them suddenly shrieked. MOUSE!!! I jumped up, ran over to my apartment and grabbed my machete. A great commotion followed as couches, tables, and refrigerators were thrown asunder while I in hot pursuit chopped wildly at the enemy. That night, he managed to escape the mighty claws of death. But I am a foe not easily discouraged. Night after night I kept careful vigil out of the corner of my eye during movies, conversations, meals, etc. From time to time a small grey nose would appear then dart into cover before I could eviscerate him. My nemesis was mocking me.
Then last night, he slipped up. I was halfway through my movie when I saw him dart behind the fridge which is located in a corner. I knew I had him. I carefully arranged a series of roadblocks which rivaled the trickiest of mall parking lot exits in an effort to keep him at hand, should he manage to make the short trip from the fridge to the wall safely. I wanted him out in the open.
Then, I waited.
Like a sniper, like a trap door spider, like a stalking butler I waited. Spear (mop handle) in hand, poised to strike. My muscles were taut. My eyes (all 1 1/2 of them) were keen. My heart was thumping wildly. I waited. And waited. So long I thought I would die. I began to wonder if somehow in the excitement he had slipped out unnoticed.
Then.
Whiskers. I held my breath, perfectly still- waiting for that perfect shot. He came out, I struck. Miss. He retreated. I regained my composure. And waited. Minutes passed. Again he ventured out. This time, I waited until he was clear of the fridge before striking and when I did, BAMSQUEEKSQUEEKSQUEEEEK! My heart was filled with gladness! I held the spear in place and bent down to look closer at my prey and ALAS!
Gone.
He had slipped out.
I drearily went back to my watch. However, instead of the same mouse coming out, wonder of wonders, in my periferal vision I see another, LARGER rat run under the ridge! This was more than I could have asked for! Filled with a new strength and vigor, I assumed my striking position. He would ever-so-tantalizingly poke out his nose, but then retreat. I brought in the reinforcements- bombed the underside of the fridge with RAID. More waiting. More jostling of the fridge. More waiting. Literally it seemed like forever (about an hour and a half had passed since the first contact).
Then the money shot.
The big rat.
I struck like a message from the gods. No mercy. Such an eruption of squeaking and scratching (on the rats part) and primal screams of victory (on my part) erupted as to wake the dead. I trapped him up against the corner of the wall. My strength was crushing! He was fading fast. As one final death-blow, I filled his gaping maw with a heavy handed blast of RAID and slowly the life went from him.
I sat down, shaking, gasping for breath from the struggle. One had triumphed, one had tasted the bitter wine of defeat.
I gloated for a while, basking in my glory.. His limp soggy rat body hoping to serve as bait for his wily companion; but after another several minutes of no sound and no activity, I concluded that the initial wound and repeated doses of RAID had done the trick.
I bid the womenfolk goodnight, they paid me with kisses and song (hey a guy can dream, can't he??), and I went home to bed.
I slept like a baby.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
The days they fly
Man. So much.
Last week recap...
Two teachers down and out sick, Silvia Virlie Tina and myself taking turns covering all the classes for K and 3/4 grade. Craziness. Good craziness.
Then theres this: I have more classes to teach full time now! :) One of the other teachers here was intending to be teaching a certain number of classes. However, since this is Saipan, we all wound up taking on extra stuff. He took on a LOT of extra stuff, more than he was expecting. So I have been assigned some of his classes. This is a huge blessing for a couple reasons; he gets a bit of a break, and the school saves on money because he will be working as part time. He will be working part time then also for his former employer, a hospital in Florida. Everybody wins :) It's cool the way God is looking out for the school, helping things work out in a way that is best for everybody. And I'm happy, because I feel like I have a more active part in the success of the school. The classes I'm taking over are Lit. and Typing for grades 7/8 and Bible for grades 3/4. The last one is for another teacher who will be covering the first teachers Algebra class... Because we all know that I would definitely not be a good choice for Algebra ;)
That's all for now. Stay tuned!
Last week recap...
Two teachers down and out sick, Silvia Virlie Tina and myself taking turns covering all the classes for K and 3/4 grade. Craziness. Good craziness.
Then theres this: I have more classes to teach full time now! :) One of the other teachers here was intending to be teaching a certain number of classes. However, since this is Saipan, we all wound up taking on extra stuff. He took on a LOT of extra stuff, more than he was expecting. So I have been assigned some of his classes. This is a huge blessing for a couple reasons; he gets a bit of a break, and the school saves on money because he will be working as part time. He will be working part time then also for his former employer, a hospital in Florida. Everybody wins :) It's cool the way God is looking out for the school, helping things work out in a way that is best for everybody. And I'm happy, because I feel like I have a more active part in the success of the school. The classes I'm taking over are Lit. and Typing for grades 7/8 and Bible for grades 3/4. The last one is for another teacher who will be covering the first teachers Algebra class... Because we all know that I would definitely not be a good choice for Algebra ;)
That's all for now. Stay tuned!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Lessons
You know, it's funny how we spend our time. When I have the will to write in this particular blog, it's usually during the day at a time when I only have but a few moments to spare and then they usually get spent on Facebook checking to see who is the latest to change their profile picture or some such nonsense. Then when I have plenty of time, like after watching the kids in aftercare, I usually just want to go home. So now I'm willing myself to post.
Lately (most every day at some point actually) I have moments where I feel like I'm learning more from the kids than they are from me; which may be of course terrible, or it may sneakily be what this whole SM thing is about after all. At any rate, here are some recent events that have given me pause.
The other day at Kindergarten PE, we were playing tag. They tired of this after a few minutes, so in an effort to freshen it up a bit, I sprung upon an idea. One of the kids is faster than the others, and likes to be the center of attention. So I considered all the possible (or so I thought) negative outcomes and acted on an idea that I thought would cater to both points. I told them that next we would play reverse tag! Meaning of course, that every one BUT this one person would be it; they all would try to tag him. Squeals of skepticism and glee erupted, and the game was afoot. He kept them at bay for a while, but soon the inevitable caught up with him. However, instead of merely TAGGING him, all the kids (who are all friends and feel no ill-will towards one another) dog-piled on him and pushed him into the dirt with great zeal. It took me a second to respond, and when I finally got them all cleared off of him, he had a somewhat dazed and perplexed look on his face as though he, too was caught off guard at the ferocity of the attack. Lesson learned: There is a reason tag has not evolved one bit over who knows how long; it's pretty safe to say that it works just fine the way it is, and requires no tampering.
Yesterday (or the day before, this week has kinda run all together), I was not feeling well at all. So when it came time for 1-4's PE class, I told them that they had a brief exercise time and then would have (what I thought was) every child's dream, free time for the period. Imagine it! Free to play any game they liked, free to run and jump, and I (or so I thought) free to sit dejectedly on the bench feeling sorry for myself. Well, the first 30 seconds of free time went swimmingly well. A cheer went up, they went running onto the court, and I sat down. Then before my head could even reach my hands, disaster struck. All of a sudden, that sinister fiend that is boredom reared its ugly head.
"Miiiiister, I don't know what to play".
"Miister, I'm bored".
"Mister can we play dodgeball?".
Well of course you can play whatever you like my children, it is FREE TIME. However, that did not satisfy them. So I encouraged one or two of the leader types to go about and try to drum up support for their game of choice. The half-heartedly wandered about trying to make the sell, and wouldn't have succeeded at selling a coat to an Eskimo with their sullen faces and weary tone. It was pitiful. Never in my life would I have predicted that a group of 1-4 graders would tire so quickly and enthusiastically of FREE TIME. I mean, what kid doesn't like recess?!
Along the same lines, the other day I was subbing for one of the sick staff and in the morning I had to take them (5 and 6 year olds) outside for about an hour and a half while some needs were attended to in the room. It was barely halfway through before they started asking when we were going back inside.
Now this means either of two things to me: either they are dependent on TV and have no will of their own to be active outside in a ball court or on a playground with slides and swings and future generations will have no idea what it means to get fresh air and exercise OR we are doing such a great job of teaching them that they can't bear the thought of being out of the classroom or without instruction for too long. I always suspect that the truth is stirring around somewhere near the middle.
Until next time!
Lately (most every day at some point actually) I have moments where I feel like I'm learning more from the kids than they are from me; which may be of course terrible, or it may sneakily be what this whole SM thing is about after all. At any rate, here are some recent events that have given me pause.
The other day at Kindergarten PE, we were playing tag. They tired of this after a few minutes, so in an effort to freshen it up a bit, I sprung upon an idea. One of the kids is faster than the others, and likes to be the center of attention. So I considered all the possible (or so I thought) negative outcomes and acted on an idea that I thought would cater to both points. I told them that next we would play reverse tag! Meaning of course, that every one BUT this one person would be it; they all would try to tag him. Squeals of skepticism and glee erupted, and the game was afoot. He kept them at bay for a while, but soon the inevitable caught up with him. However, instead of merely TAGGING him, all the kids (who are all friends and feel no ill-will towards one another) dog-piled on him and pushed him into the dirt with great zeal. It took me a second to respond, and when I finally got them all cleared off of him, he had a somewhat dazed and perplexed look on his face as though he, too was caught off guard at the ferocity of the attack. Lesson learned: There is a reason tag has not evolved one bit over who knows how long; it's pretty safe to say that it works just fine the way it is, and requires no tampering.
Yesterday (or the day before, this week has kinda run all together), I was not feeling well at all. So when it came time for 1-4's PE class, I told them that they had a brief exercise time and then would have (what I thought was) every child's dream, free time for the period. Imagine it! Free to play any game they liked, free to run and jump, and I (or so I thought) free to sit dejectedly on the bench feeling sorry for myself. Well, the first 30 seconds of free time went swimmingly well. A cheer went up, they went running onto the court, and I sat down. Then before my head could even reach my hands, disaster struck. All of a sudden, that sinister fiend that is boredom reared its ugly head.
"Miiiiister, I don't know what to play".
"Miister, I'm bored".
"Mister can we play dodgeball?".
Well of course you can play whatever you like my children, it is FREE TIME. However, that did not satisfy them. So I encouraged one or two of the leader types to go about and try to drum up support for their game of choice. The half-heartedly wandered about trying to make the sell, and wouldn't have succeeded at selling a coat to an Eskimo with their sullen faces and weary tone. It was pitiful. Never in my life would I have predicted that a group of 1-4 graders would tire so quickly and enthusiastically of FREE TIME. I mean, what kid doesn't like recess?!
Along the same lines, the other day I was subbing for one of the sick staff and in the morning I had to take them (5 and 6 year olds) outside for about an hour and a half while some needs were attended to in the room. It was barely halfway through before they started asking when we were going back inside.
Now this means either of two things to me: either they are dependent on TV and have no will of their own to be active outside in a ball court or on a playground with slides and swings and future generations will have no idea what it means to get fresh air and exercise OR we are doing such a great job of teaching them that they can't bear the thought of being out of the classroom or without instruction for too long. I always suspect that the truth is stirring around somewhere near the middle.
Until next time!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Made
We are having a few half days due to parent-teacher conferences, so the schedule is all tweaked to accommodate. This conversation resulted:
Jude- Mister are we having PE today?
Me- Yep
Jude- YESSSS!
Day is made.
Jude- Mister are we having PE today?
Me- Yep
Jude- YESSSS!
Day is made.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Apple cider
Wednesday I was the referee for a volleyball championship game. I've never had so many middle aged/ borderline-still attractive women mad at me at once. It was crazy times man, crazy times. They were full of useless advice which flowed in a nearly uninterrupted stream from the benches and sidelines for the entire hour or so of game. In addition, as 'head ref' I was perched on a platform that couldn't have been more than 1.5' square about 6' off the ground which had no railing or supports of any kind. It was really a different kind of experience. What made it worthwhile though was at the end, a few of the soc-uh, volleyball moms came up to say sorry for all the yelling, thanks for sticking it out, and one of the coaches even admitted that she consulted the rules and I was right about a call that had resulted in a great outburst. So take that, middle aged borderline-still attractive lady!
Apparently theres a typhoon in or around the Philippines, we've had a lot of rain lately. Yep.
The other afternoon when I got home, due to the storming the power was out. So I did the sensible thing, which was light a candle, eat (tuna/vegalink/ketchup/tabasco sauce sandwich), and take a nap. When I woke up, I realized that the wick in the candle had been positioned near the side causing a hole to form in the wall and all the wax to suddenly become free of its constraints. What resulted was a cascade down the front of my counter, onto a chair with a shirt (one of my favorites) hanging on it, which transformed the shirt into a giant wax stalagmite. Yep. Also, I later found out that one of my students had visited, walked in, had some chuckles at my form sprawled out probably gape mouthed on the couch snoring. That sandwich musta really knocked me out.
I rearranged the furniture in my apartment. It used to always irk me when mom would do this at home, but now I am mostly irked by the growing number of things that no longer irk me. I feel like I'm goin' soft, man!
The kids have a school 'store' after school in the lunch room, and sometimes they leave the cash box unattended. The teachers have advised them that this sort of thing is foolhardy, but yesterday it was alone again and one of the teachers took it. It's been rather amusing to see how easily friendships are thrown asunder in hopes of proving ones own innocence. Quick, someone call Harlow Doyle!
The leaves of a certain island tree are falling in the occasional gust of wind associated with having a nearby typhoon. I feel the twinge of homesickness at the thought of missing my favorite time of year, autumn. I need someone to send a flat rate box with the following contents:
hayrides
colored leaves
hoodie that smells like a campfire
frost
apple cider
pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks
Thanks.
The other day while waiting for someone to get off work, I struck up a casual conversation with a taxi driver from Bangladesh. He was a colorful fellow, and the highlight of the conversation (which covered many topics) was when he told me about the American sailors that come ashore from the ever present ships in the larbor:
"Yea man they always say "Maaan I been on that f* ship for too f* long, man I need some f* p*!!"" LOL I'll let you use your imagination to fill in the blanks..
The school enrollment is down right now, as well as that of the CDC (daycare). The enrollment fluctuates all the time due to the number of ESL students that come through, but it is especially low right now. Please continue to pray for us all out here and if possible, feel free to make a donation to the school! If you are interested in how to do this, email me at floridavenue@gmail.com.
Shout out to Liesse for reminding me to stay on task with this thing haha
Apparently theres a typhoon in or around the Philippines, we've had a lot of rain lately. Yep.
The other afternoon when I got home, due to the storming the power was out. So I did the sensible thing, which was light a candle, eat (tuna/vegalink/ketchup/tabasco sauce sandwich), and take a nap. When I woke up, I realized that the wick in the candle had been positioned near the side causing a hole to form in the wall and all the wax to suddenly become free of its constraints. What resulted was a cascade down the front of my counter, onto a chair with a shirt (one of my favorites) hanging on it, which transformed the shirt into a giant wax stalagmite. Yep. Also, I later found out that one of my students had visited, walked in, had some chuckles at my form sprawled out probably gape mouthed on the couch snoring. That sandwich musta really knocked me out.
I rearranged the furniture in my apartment. It used to always irk me when mom would do this at home, but now I am mostly irked by the growing number of things that no longer irk me. I feel like I'm goin' soft, man!
The kids have a school 'store' after school in the lunch room, and sometimes they leave the cash box unattended. The teachers have advised them that this sort of thing is foolhardy, but yesterday it was alone again and one of the teachers took it. It's been rather amusing to see how easily friendships are thrown asunder in hopes of proving ones own innocence. Quick, someone call Harlow Doyle!
The leaves of a certain island tree are falling in the occasional gust of wind associated with having a nearby typhoon. I feel the twinge of homesickness at the thought of missing my favorite time of year, autumn. I need someone to send a flat rate box with the following contents:
hayrides
colored leaves
hoodie that smells like a campfire
frost
apple cider
pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks
Thanks.
The other day while waiting for someone to get off work, I struck up a casual conversation with a taxi driver from Bangladesh. He was a colorful fellow, and the highlight of the conversation (which covered many topics) was when he told me about the American sailors that come ashore from the ever present ships in the larbor:
"Yea man they always say "Maaan I been on that f* ship for too f* long, man I need some f* p*!!"" LOL I'll let you use your imagination to fill in the blanks..
The school enrollment is down right now, as well as that of the CDC (daycare). The enrollment fluctuates all the time due to the number of ESL students that come through, but it is especially low right now. Please continue to pray for us all out here and if possible, feel free to make a donation to the school! If you are interested in how to do this, email me at floridavenue@gmail.com.
Shout out to Liesse for reminding me to stay on task with this thing haha
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Two sides
It's been a little while since coming out here now, and I've been lately thinking over how life has changed and how it's the same. I've learned some new things, some practical, some abstract. I've had some new experiences, some of my own choosing and some have been thrust upon me. Life is a funny thing, if you let it take its course. Anyway, before I start getting philosophical, here goes...
I'm not a vegetarian. It started on the plane, and then it was just a little fish here and there since it was so plentiful, but now since discovering that I can live a lot more cheaply by eating the extra lunches that kids order then never even touch (apparently eating is uncool.. those crazy kids..) rather than buying groceries, I just eat whatever. And the lunches are most always a meat dish. So yea.
Related to the above item: Living on my own, I eat very unhealthily haha. My fridge contains milk, eggs, mushrooms (at least I think that's what they are), a few water bottles, and a lot of coconut (which I cut and eat fresh every day FTW!!!). About the only reasonable things I consume are the water and coconut. The PSS lunches are not good for you at all. If it weren't for my daily exercise, I would probably be dying of several things right now.
A single roll of toilet paper lasts a LONG time when there is just one single guy using it! Man it's amazing, it's like the stuff just never ends.
I got a tattoo. Don't freak out, it's just a little 42 that I hide under my watchband. I have wanted to get one for a long time, and one of our neighbors here does them, so I did it. Yes it hurt, yes he opened a clean needle so I don't have AIDS, and yes I'll probably get more in the future. No they won't be ghoulish figures which I find to be distasteful and no they won't be anything I can't cover with reasonable ease.
I play the guitar a lot. I mean a lot haha. At my apt there's no tv, no laptop, only guitar.
I feel more confident about myself. Saipan is a place that requires a lot of improvision, a lot of recalculating and then executing on the fly. I've had to do a lot of things that back home or just generally before I wouldn't have volunteered for or really been in a position of doing but here, a lot of the time it's a case of 'If you don't do it, it ain't gonna get done' so I HAVE to do things. And it's been growing me. I've learned that I can do things I didn't really think or know I could do before. I can maintain (reasonable haha) control of 50 or 60 unruly kids. I can fix a lot of broken things around a house with very few available tools (in the classical sense). I can do research, then set off alone in search of a place in the jungle and find it without winding up dead. I can be in charge of planning and then doing a youth vespers program. There's other things, but I don't want to sound like I'm boasting. The point is, I feel better about myself because I'm DOING more.
I read the Bible more here. For a month or so I would read a chapter or two of Psalms every morning after my run. Now I have been scooting around the Gospels and some other random passages. It's the first time in my life that I've more or less regularly "kept the morning watch". I have been a Pathfinder or associated with Pathfinders for years of my life and now at 22 is the first time I've kept that part for an extended period of time. Kinda sad, but better late than never I guess.
There's something to be said for the morning. I've never been a morning person, but here (maybe only because the day gets hot at around 7:00AM) I have been getting up before 6 every day, running, doing a few other exercises, and as I mentioned before reading the Bible. I feel so sloppy when I skip my routine now! And it helps with maintaining my own authority over the kids, because I don't meet them on equal ground in the morning. They roll in all sleepy and floppy, and I'm alert and ready because I've been up for over an hour already, run a mile, had a good (ok terrible) breakfast, read scripture, sometimes written a letter, made phone calls, etc etc and man I'm ready for the day sucka! So yea mornings :) Also, the sky is absolutely beautiful here in the early morning.
There's a few more scattered things here and there which I will post as they come to me. Ultimately, I thank God daily for putting me here. Every day is a new adventure :)
I'm not a vegetarian. It started on the plane, and then it was just a little fish here and there since it was so plentiful, but now since discovering that I can live a lot more cheaply by eating the extra lunches that kids order then never even touch (apparently eating is uncool.. those crazy kids..) rather than buying groceries, I just eat whatever. And the lunches are most always a meat dish. So yea.
Related to the above item: Living on my own, I eat very unhealthily haha. My fridge contains milk, eggs, mushrooms (at least I think that's what they are), a few water bottles, and a lot of coconut (which I cut and eat fresh every day FTW!!!). About the only reasonable things I consume are the water and coconut. The PSS lunches are not good for you at all. If it weren't for my daily exercise, I would probably be dying of several things right now.
A single roll of toilet paper lasts a LONG time when there is just one single guy using it! Man it's amazing, it's like the stuff just never ends.
I got a tattoo. Don't freak out, it's just a little 42 that I hide under my watchband. I have wanted to get one for a long time, and one of our neighbors here does them, so I did it. Yes it hurt, yes he opened a clean needle so I don't have AIDS, and yes I'll probably get more in the future. No they won't be ghoulish figures which I find to be distasteful and no they won't be anything I can't cover with reasonable ease.
I play the guitar a lot. I mean a lot haha. At my apt there's no tv, no laptop, only guitar.
I feel more confident about myself. Saipan is a place that requires a lot of improvision, a lot of recalculating and then executing on the fly. I've had to do a lot of things that back home or just generally before I wouldn't have volunteered for or really been in a position of doing but here, a lot of the time it's a case of 'If you don't do it, it ain't gonna get done' so I HAVE to do things. And it's been growing me. I've learned that I can do things I didn't really think or know I could do before. I can maintain (reasonable haha) control of 50 or 60 unruly kids. I can fix a lot of broken things around a house with very few available tools (in the classical sense). I can do research, then set off alone in search of a place in the jungle and find it without winding up dead. I can be in charge of planning and then doing a youth vespers program. There's other things, but I don't want to sound like I'm boasting. The point is, I feel better about myself because I'm DOING more.
I read the Bible more here. For a month or so I would read a chapter or two of Psalms every morning after my run. Now I have been scooting around the Gospels and some other random passages. It's the first time in my life that I've more or less regularly "kept the morning watch". I have been a Pathfinder or associated with Pathfinders for years of my life and now at 22 is the first time I've kept that part for an extended period of time. Kinda sad, but better late than never I guess.
There's something to be said for the morning. I've never been a morning person, but here (maybe only because the day gets hot at around 7:00AM) I have been getting up before 6 every day, running, doing a few other exercises, and as I mentioned before reading the Bible. I feel so sloppy when I skip my routine now! And it helps with maintaining my own authority over the kids, because I don't meet them on equal ground in the morning. They roll in all sleepy and floppy, and I'm alert and ready because I've been up for over an hour already, run a mile, had a good (ok terrible) breakfast, read scripture, sometimes written a letter, made phone calls, etc etc and man I'm ready for the day sucka! So yea mornings :) Also, the sky is absolutely beautiful here in the early morning.
There's a few more scattered things here and there which I will post as they come to me. Ultimately, I thank God daily for putting me here. Every day is a new adventure :)
Monday, September 20, 2010
Min Ho and the boonie dog; A Saipanese retelling of Balaam and the donkey.
Min Ho was a young man who lived in San Antonio village. He was not just any young man, for you see he had a special ability. When Min Ho would say a blessing on somebody, they would begin to prosper. And when he would say a curse on them, they would face many hardships. Because of his special ability, many important people would ask him for help during political elections and sporting events.
One day, the mayor of Kagman village sent messengers to Min Ho. The messengers told him that the people of Garapan village had been the final vote in support of a new law that made it illegal to chew beetle nut or play poker. This made the Kagman mayor very angry and so he wanted Min Ho to put a curse on the people of Garapan. Min Ho told the messengers that he couldn't go, because God liked the people of Garapan and wouldn't let him curse them. The men left but the next day, more men came who were even more important than the ones before. They said that if Min Ho would go with them, the mayor of Kagman would give him a full set of tools and all the cereal he could ask for. Knowing that these two things were very hard to come by and rather expensive on the island of Saipan, Min Ho finally agreed.
He packed his bag, and set off with his trusty boonie dog for company; You see, Min Ho NEVER went anywhere without his boonie dog. It was his favorite, and had always been a loyal friend (as boonie dogs go).
After going a ways down Beach road towards Garapan, Min Ho's boonie dog turned off the road and went running towards the ocean! Annoyed, Min Ho beat his dog and told him he was a bad dog and that he should never do that again. After another little ways, the boonie dog turned around in the road and bit Min Ho's leg! Angry, Min Ho spanked the dog again and made great threats and snide remarks about his lineage. They continued on until they came to a police sobriety and seatbelt roadblock checkpoint thing blocking all but one lane of traffic. Min Ho's boonie dog at this point simply stopped in the middle and blocked him from going any further. Furious, Min Ho really let him have it this time. "You flea bitten mutt with scrambled DNA why have you stopped in the road blocking my path?!?!" The dog turned to Min Ho and started to speak. "Master" he said.. "have I not been your faithful boonie dog all these years? Haven't I avoided the dogs with mange, even though they were all cousins of mine? Haven't I brought you many dead rats and left them on your doorstep so thoughtfully? Why do you now beat me so?"
Suddenlly, Min Ho's eyes were opened and he say a shining angel standing in the path in front of his dog. The angel said to him "Hey batt, your dog is trying to save your life. I would have killed you these three times but he turned you away from my sword".
Ashamed, Min Ho bowed down and said "What am I to do then?". The angel told him to continue on, but to only say what God wanted him to say. So he and his boonie dog proceeded towards Garapan.
When they arrived, the mayor from Kagman met them there. They went to Winchell's Donuts and the mayor invited Min Ho to curse the people of Garapan. But when Min Ho started to speak, this is what he said:
"May the people of Garapan have few cockroaches in their homes, and may all their food stamps never run out".
Angrily the mayor told Min Ho he would give him another chance, and he better get it right next time. They went up to the top of Mt. Topachou, and again the mayor told Min Ho to curse the people of Garapan. What he said instead, was:
"May all the potholes in Garapan be filled, and let the dead frogs on the road be eaten quickly so they don't stink for very long".
Enraged, the mayor of Kagman said to Min Ho: "ONE LAST TIME! I HAVE BROUGHT YOU TO CURSE THESE PEOPLE AND YOU ONLY BLESS THEM! You have one more chance to get it right." Min Ho tried explaining that if God didn't want him to curse the people of Garapan, then he simply couldn't; but it was to no avail.
Finally, they arrived at their third destination: the DFS shops. Surrounded by Japanese tourists buying Louis Vuitton, Coach, and Rolex accessories, the Kagman Mayor said "See?! Look at all these people spending too much money on junk they don't need! This area is no good! Maybe now you can curse them?!" But predictably, all Min Ho could say was:
"Let always the children of Garapan not injure themselves when they're playing with machetes, and may the bumpers never again rust off of another pickup truck."
Needless to say, the Kagman mayor was incensed. He instructed Min Ho to return home to San Antonio and never step foot in Kagman again, and stormed off to water his secret garden of beetle nut palms.
EPILOGUE
Due to overwhelming support a new law was passed that reinstated the legality of playing poker and chewing beetle nut and they all lived happily ever after.
One day, the mayor of Kagman village sent messengers to Min Ho. The messengers told him that the people of Garapan village had been the final vote in support of a new law that made it illegal to chew beetle nut or play poker. This made the Kagman mayor very angry and so he wanted Min Ho to put a curse on the people of Garapan. Min Ho told the messengers that he couldn't go, because God liked the people of Garapan and wouldn't let him curse them. The men left but the next day, more men came who were even more important than the ones before. They said that if Min Ho would go with them, the mayor of Kagman would give him a full set of tools and all the cereal he could ask for. Knowing that these two things were very hard to come by and rather expensive on the island of Saipan, Min Ho finally agreed.
He packed his bag, and set off with his trusty boonie dog for company; You see, Min Ho NEVER went anywhere without his boonie dog. It was his favorite, and had always been a loyal friend (as boonie dogs go).
After going a ways down Beach road towards Garapan, Min Ho's boonie dog turned off the road and went running towards the ocean! Annoyed, Min Ho beat his dog and told him he was a bad dog and that he should never do that again. After another little ways, the boonie dog turned around in the road and bit Min Ho's leg! Angry, Min Ho spanked the dog again and made great threats and snide remarks about his lineage. They continued on until they came to a police sobriety and seatbelt roadblock checkpoint thing blocking all but one lane of traffic. Min Ho's boonie dog at this point simply stopped in the middle and blocked him from going any further. Furious, Min Ho really let him have it this time. "You flea bitten mutt with scrambled DNA why have you stopped in the road blocking my path?!?!" The dog turned to Min Ho and started to speak. "Master" he said.. "have I not been your faithful boonie dog all these years? Haven't I avoided the dogs with mange, even though they were all cousins of mine? Haven't I brought you many dead rats and left them on your doorstep so thoughtfully? Why do you now beat me so?"
Suddenlly, Min Ho's eyes were opened and he say a shining angel standing in the path in front of his dog. The angel said to him "Hey batt, your dog is trying to save your life. I would have killed you these three times but he turned you away from my sword".
Ashamed, Min Ho bowed down and said "What am I to do then?". The angel told him to continue on, but to only say what God wanted him to say. So he and his boonie dog proceeded towards Garapan.
When they arrived, the mayor from Kagman met them there. They went to Winchell's Donuts and the mayor invited Min Ho to curse the people of Garapan. But when Min Ho started to speak, this is what he said:
"May the people of Garapan have few cockroaches in their homes, and may all their food stamps never run out".
Angrily the mayor told Min Ho he would give him another chance, and he better get it right next time. They went up to the top of Mt. Topachou, and again the mayor told Min Ho to curse the people of Garapan. What he said instead, was:
"May all the potholes in Garapan be filled, and let the dead frogs on the road be eaten quickly so they don't stink for very long".
Enraged, the mayor of Kagman said to Min Ho: "ONE LAST TIME! I HAVE BROUGHT YOU TO CURSE THESE PEOPLE AND YOU ONLY BLESS THEM! You have one more chance to get it right." Min Ho tried explaining that if God didn't want him to curse the people of Garapan, then he simply couldn't; but it was to no avail.
Finally, they arrived at their third destination: the DFS shops. Surrounded by Japanese tourists buying Louis Vuitton, Coach, and Rolex accessories, the Kagman Mayor said "See?! Look at all these people spending too much money on junk they don't need! This area is no good! Maybe now you can curse them?!" But predictably, all Min Ho could say was:
"Let always the children of Garapan not injure themselves when they're playing with machetes, and may the bumpers never again rust off of another pickup truck."
Needless to say, the Kagman mayor was incensed. He instructed Min Ho to return home to San Antonio and never step foot in Kagman again, and stormed off to water his secret garden of beetle nut palms.
EPILOGUE
Due to overwhelming support a new law was passed that reinstated the legality of playing poker and chewing beetle nut and they all lived happily ever after.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Depiction
Man I need to post here more often.
This past Friday we had a vespers for grades 7-10 at my apartment! We had been talking about doing this for a while and finally just did it haha. It was cool to have something for just the older kids, who sometimes feel a little ...meh just suffice it to say that it's hard to do a chapel for all ages, so you usually wind up leaning towards the ones who will be the most distracting if not tended to. Which is the little kids. So Friday we had the older kids over, gave em haystacks (this was great fun since most of them didn't know what to make of food that required some assembly.. most just wound up with chips and several of the toppings on the side as dip).. Then I spoke to them for a half hour or so about finding out Gods purpose for your life. After that we played some Bible games, kind of sherades, which were also funny because some of them don't really know the Bible so their depiction of stories were a little bit off at times haha. Anyway. So yea I had a house full of joy :)
Sabbath we went to the church at the southern end of the island, Kagman church. They meet in a rented business building. Nice people, good fellowship dinner :p
Sunday we went to Managaha (a small island off the western side of Saipan) for the day! I dug a hole in hot pursuit of a crab (who ultimately evaded me, pesky bugger), was chased and bitten by a surprisingly aggressive trigger fish, and swam out to where the reef dropped off into the deep ocean. I felt fear there. It was odd.. The water just got cold and dark. The unknown. I found a big yellow starfish, about a foot and a half in diameter which was pretty sweet.
Gotta go, more later
This past Friday we had a vespers for grades 7-10 at my apartment! We had been talking about doing this for a while and finally just did it haha. It was cool to have something for just the older kids, who sometimes feel a little ...meh just suffice it to say that it's hard to do a chapel for all ages, so you usually wind up leaning towards the ones who will be the most distracting if not tended to. Which is the little kids. So Friday we had the older kids over, gave em haystacks (this was great fun since most of them didn't know what to make of food that required some assembly.. most just wound up with chips and several of the toppings on the side as dip).. Then I spoke to them for a half hour or so about finding out Gods purpose for your life. After that we played some Bible games, kind of sherades, which were also funny because some of them don't really know the Bible so their depiction of stories were a little bit off at times haha. Anyway. So yea I had a house full of joy :)
Sabbath we went to the church at the southern end of the island, Kagman church. They meet in a rented business building. Nice people, good fellowship dinner :p
Sunday we went to Managaha (a small island off the western side of Saipan) for the day! I dug a hole in hot pursuit of a crab (who ultimately evaded me, pesky bugger), was chased and bitten by a surprisingly aggressive trigger fish, and swam out to where the reef dropped off into the deep ocean. I felt fear there. It was odd.. The water just got cold and dark. The unknown. I found a big yellow starfish, about a foot and a half in diameter which was pretty sweet.
Gotta go, more later
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Exploring
I had a jones for some adventure this past Sabbath so while the girls took NAPS, I drove up to the bansi cliffs parking lot with machete and water bottle in hand to where I had seen a trail head off into the tall grass/ jungle. I was certain that great adventure awaited. Probably have to kill a tiger or fight quicksand or something. Anyway, I walk this trail for about 15 minutes, whacking at passing butterflies and various flora and fauna, and soon began to hear strange sounds from somewhere in the thick foliage. Being unable to identify them, I pressed on. Soon, the tril broke into a clearing, and there was a boat. A big boat in fact. There in the middle of the jungle. Of course I clamored up into it and sadly, found nothing of much intrest except a large garden spider. Beyond the boat, there was a big building. A long building. So of course I walked up to go exploring it. However, as I turned into the front door, i see ahead of me a long corridor running the length of the building. Filling the hallway was the bulky profile of a bull. Somewhat surprised and concerned at the prospect of angering a large bull in the middle of the jungle alone, I uttered some choice expletives and hastened along down the path. After a few hundred yards, the trail finally broke to what I was looking for all along- the ocean. But it wasn't really the way I was expecting it. It looked like the surface of the moon or something. It was a place where the lava had flowed right down to the water when the island was formed and there was no coral reef to stop the waves, so they were large and violent. I walked out along the water for a ways which was very slow goiing because the lava rock was so jagged and sharp. A little ways from the trail there were two Japanese gun placements, leftovers from WWII. The guns were rusted away, but the concrete and coral rock structures were mostly intact. Very cool. As I walked farther in that desolate place, I saw some fishing poles. A little past that, I suddenly saw a small asian man waving hello and saying something in Korean. I made my way over to where he was, and suddenly he disappeared from view. A little further and I saw where he had gone- him and two friends (Kim, Lin, and ...Juan haha) were having a picnic of the octopus they had just caught and beer. They offered me some octopus and said "SASHIMI!" and now I very much regret not trying it because it would have made this post that much more interesting. I sat with them a while and chatted, turns out one of them lives in my 'village' (San Antonio). Eventually I headed home, and as it turns out my concern over the bull was ungrounded because as I passed the house a man was shooing them out and back down the path.
Lesson learned from the day? If I ever meet a couple of Korean guys in the middle of nowhere and they offer me something to eat, I think I'll say yes.
Lesson learned from the day? If I ever meet a couple of Korean guys in the middle of nowhere and they offer me something to eat, I think I'll say yes.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Meanwhile...
This past weekend was PYC (Pacific Youth for Christ). I'll be honest, I wasn't too crazy about it at first. It was going to be a lot of seminars and whatnot and I was thinking how I would rather stay home or go to the beach or elsewhere. Nevertheless, I gathered myself together and went all four days (long wknd). I'll skip through the regular parts, which were good, to be sure. The speakers were all great and the seminars informative, that's all well and good. The significant part wasn't until later, the last day. We were told that we would be going out into the community door to door as coll-porters trying to get people to sign up for Bible studies and invite them to the free health fair the church and clinic were running that afternoon. Now. There are not many things that make me unsettled. Those of you that know me know that the things I'm genuinely made uncomfortable by could probably be counted on one hand. One of those things is going door to door trying to get people to take Bible studies because truth is, I've always felt like you should be very familiar with the Bible or a little more 'regular' of a Christian to do that. I'm not regular, and I'll admit that there are things that I'm not sure about in the Bible. However, I was the driver and ... overseer... of a bunch of kids and if I was going to run them, I figured I should participate and be the example. We go to the first house, say our lines and whatnot, and the lady invites us in, asks a ton of questions, and signed up for Bible studies. It was really amazing because we had a lot more then after that. And, the other groups had the same thing (I had divided the kids into groups of 2 or 3). It was awesome.
Later when I was talking to my friend Cecilia about this, she told me that at the collegiate Bible study Friday night they had been praying for me. Friday night in Maryland is Saturday afternoon in the Pacific. So while they were praying for me, we were having great success with our afternoons work. Pretty cool, huh?
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Edit: As I thought about this post later I realized an amusing if glaring error. The last day of the program was Monday, not Saturday as stated. Thus, the time of the Bible study groups prayer and our going door to door do not in fact line up. Nevertheless, I reckon that God can hold on to the power of prayer and release it at a later date, wouldn't you say? :p Cecilia, they still counted! I apologize for the mistake. It is due to my being somewhat exhausted by the weekend and not keeping my facts straight!
Later when I was talking to my friend Cecilia about this, she told me that at the collegiate Bible study Friday night they had been praying for me. Friday night in Maryland is Saturday afternoon in the Pacific. So while they were praying for me, we were having great success with our afternoons work. Pretty cool, huh?
---
Edit: As I thought about this post later I realized an amusing if glaring error. The last day of the program was Monday, not Saturday as stated. Thus, the time of the Bible study groups prayer and our going door to door do not in fact line up. Nevertheless, I reckon that God can hold on to the power of prayer and release it at a later date, wouldn't you say? :p Cecilia, they still counted! I apologize for the mistake. It is due to my being somewhat exhausted by the weekend and not keeping my facts straight!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
On the bottom
A few meaningful things:
One of the 8th grade kids came to me and asked some probing questions about the bible and spirituality and Christian lifestyle. It's cool to see that their religion/ Bible class is having an effect. Please pray for me that I will be able to answer their questions, or at least point them in the right direction :)
The other day a few of the kids saw my water bottle and asked if they could draw on it. I said yes, but said they had to do it on the bottom (I had no idea what they might write haha). I didn't even think about it until later that night when I happened to pick it up and look at it, one of them had written "Mr. D is awesome!".
I have drawings covering my refrigerator from the little 1st and 2nd graders. They sit there in aftercare and draw me pictures of their house and rainbows and hearts and whatnot; I'm running out of space.
Hugs from kindergarteners. All of them. At the same time.
There are other things that have moved me, and as I think of them later I'll try to edit them into this post. Usually though, too many things happen in a day to remember them all later. I can see Christ at work here. Please continue to pray for the school and all of us who work to make it a success.
One of the 8th grade kids came to me and asked some probing questions about the bible and spirituality and Christian lifestyle. It's cool to see that their religion/ Bible class is having an effect. Please pray for me that I will be able to answer their questions, or at least point them in the right direction :)
The other day a few of the kids saw my water bottle and asked if they could draw on it. I said yes, but said they had to do it on the bottom (I had no idea what they might write haha). I didn't even think about it until later that night when I happened to pick it up and look at it, one of them had written "Mr. D is awesome!".
I have drawings covering my refrigerator from the little 1st and 2nd graders. They sit there in aftercare and draw me pictures of their house and rainbows and hearts and whatnot; I'm running out of space.
Hugs from kindergarteners. All of them. At the same time.
There are other things that have moved me, and as I think of them later I'll try to edit them into this post. Usually though, too many things happen in a day to remember them all later. I can see Christ at work here. Please continue to pray for the school and all of us who work to make it a success.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Quirks
In Saipan, things having to do with official business happen as if on Narnia time. You might make great strides in a short time on a given project, or it might take weeks or even months to make any headway at all. You never really know how things will progress until you're there. A few examples for your reading pleasure:
The basketball court at the school belongs to the city. We use it on a sort of free lease. The paint is terrible looking, so I decided that it should be painted before the Vball home game next week. I went over to the mayors office across he street right next to the sleezy poker game room (zoning codes? nah.. haha). The lady at the desk said she didn't have the ability to give me permission, but she knew who to ask. She disappeared a few minutes later, and said they said to call the dept of parks and rec. She calls them. They said they couldn't give permission but they knew who to ask. She calls the sub-division of P&R that handles the basketball courts. They said they'd call back. So yea. Big day. Oh.. She DID inform me that we would have to provide the paint. haha
A few days ago, we had to go get sand to put under he swing set (it's all kicked away). Mr. Berglund (principal) got in touch with the proper authorities, who said to meet them at 2:00pm so they could let us in to the locked sand area. At 2:00, we showed up, and finding the gate unlocked, figured it was unlocked for us and since we had permission, we went in, got our truckloads of sand and left. At 2:35, we get a call from the sand people saying "We're here, where are you?". Turns out, behind the school, there were FOUR people in a nice new government pickup truck chilling, waiting. Now, I don't know how many people it takes to turn a key, but I feel like tax dollars could be better spent than on four people in a new truck to unlock one gate doing nothing for a half hour hahaha.
Saipan is a land of great contrast. There is no middle ground. There are restaurants that look on the outside like somewhere I would never enter in the states for fear of consuming something reproachable. Then you go inside and everything is sparkling clean and you get a huge plate of delicious food. Or, take for example how the industry and economy of the island has fallen through the floor, deserted buildings everywhere in San Antonio (our town), and yet there is almost no trash to be found on the ground. Just the other day I had to buy gym shorts. After the lady rang up my card the old-ghettofabulous-fashioned way with a piece of carbon paper and everything, she turned and typed something on her easily $1200 laptop. Go figure. Some days, I just have to shake my head. It's a different world here. :)
The basketball court at the school belongs to the city. We use it on a sort of free lease. The paint is terrible looking, so I decided that it should be painted before the Vball home game next week. I went over to the mayors office across he street right next to the sleezy poker game room (zoning codes? nah.. haha). The lady at the desk said she didn't have the ability to give me permission, but she knew who to ask. She disappeared a few minutes later, and said they said to call the dept of parks and rec. She calls them. They said they couldn't give permission but they knew who to ask. She calls the sub-division of P&R that handles the basketball courts. They said they'd call back. So yea. Big day. Oh.. She DID inform me that we would have to provide the paint. haha
A few days ago, we had to go get sand to put under he swing set (it's all kicked away). Mr. Berglund (principal) got in touch with the proper authorities, who said to meet them at 2:00pm so they could let us in to the locked sand area. At 2:00, we showed up, and finding the gate unlocked, figured it was unlocked for us and since we had permission, we went in, got our truckloads of sand and left. At 2:35, we get a call from the sand people saying "We're here, where are you?". Turns out, behind the school, there were FOUR people in a nice new government pickup truck chilling, waiting. Now, I don't know how many people it takes to turn a key, but I feel like tax dollars could be better spent than on four people in a new truck to unlock one gate doing nothing for a half hour hahaha.
Saipan is a land of great contrast. There is no middle ground. There are restaurants that look on the outside like somewhere I would never enter in the states for fear of consuming something reproachable. Then you go inside and everything is sparkling clean and you get a huge plate of delicious food. Or, take for example how the industry and economy of the island has fallen through the floor, deserted buildings everywhere in San Antonio (our town), and yet there is almost no trash to be found on the ground. Just the other day I had to buy gym shorts. After the lady rang up my card the old-ghettofabulous-fashioned way with a piece of carbon paper and everything, she turned and typed something on her easily $1200 laptop. Go figure. Some days, I just have to shake my head. It's a different world here. :)
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Still life
Ok so I have finally been able to get pictures up, I've been putting them on Facebook only because it takes a long time to upload them here. The link is:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?id=508348556&aid=192661
That should work for everybody, if you can't see them comment accordingly and I'll see what I can do. Enjoy!
http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?id=508348556&aid=192661
That should work for everybody, if you can't see them comment accordingly and I'll see what I can do. Enjoy!
Monday, August 23, 2010
And then some
I'm never really sure if people are most interested in hearing a rundown of literal events I have experienced or the way in which they have effected me in this blog. I lean towards the first, simply because I tend to internalize any lessons (if indeed I do learn anything haha) from a given event, and share only the hard concrete facts. I realize this is not always the case, it is just what I prefer to do lately. Meh. I suppose I'll list off things that have happened, then attempt to describe what they mean to me.
Had some bad days of teaching in which I had to make the kids suffer a little.
My truck died.
Went for a run, which I intend to make a habit of.
Had a big storm.
Had our first SM fight, and made up haha
I have been painting.
Went exploring.
Read a book.
HAD SOME BAD DAYS
Some days go really good. The kids listen, the exercises and sports go well, nobody ends up crying or bleeding, and it's great. Other days, not so much. We had rain here for a few days. And when I say rain, I mean RAIN. So Monday, when PE time for the upper graders came, it was only raining a little bit, so I took em out. This proved to be a bad idea. We did our warm up exercises in the rain, and when it started getting worse we went inside. Problem was, I didn't have much indoor PE things to do. So I had 30 5-10th graders who were hyper in a lunchroom next to two classrooms. Before the period was over, they were yelling, I was yelling, and then they had their heads down like little kids. All in all not the best outcome. But things like that keep me from getting smug about myself, because overall it's really awesome and things go smoothly. Today in fact went amazingly well, nd time went by so fast we were outside an extra 5 or 10 minutes before I realized the period was over! haha. The kids didn't mind :p
TRUCK DIED
Yep. My steed perished. Or in biblical terms, it is sleeping. lol. I went to pick up my laundry the other morning and after stopping at an ATM, it wouldn't start again. So I had to walk to get my laundry, and walk back home. Not FTW. However, this is what inspired me to start running in the mornings. I had thought about it before, but after actually traveling the distance out of necessity, it seemed like more of a realistic goal and so I just did it.
WENT FOR A RUN
The second day (today) was much worse than the first day hahaha There's something about that first time that gives you energy, the feeling of "Oh yea I'm running I'm awesome" then this morning the feeling was more like "I am much older and out of shape than I thought I was!". It's all good though, after I actually got up and did it the feeling of accomplishment came back and superceded the feeling of death and dying.
STORM
It rained for only a few hours and the water was almost a foot deep in places. Epic.
FIRST SM FIGHT
The inevitable finally occurred, as I'm sure it will again before we leave. But we all have a better understanding of each other now. It's good to be mad at people sometimes, because it gives you a chance to get out the things that we sometimes keep inside that really should be outside.
PAINTING
I should share that my job title has been added to apparently hahaha PE teacher AND general maintenance dooer XD... I seem to have become the go to guy for repairs on buildings, anything that needs painted, computer fixings (with Mr. Odyiar), etc etc. I'm glad to have had two men teach me to do a good job (Jack/ Mr. Collett). The guy before me apparently was a bad worker, because the other day I did a project in a few hours what I was told took him days haha. Mmm.
WENT EXPLORING
WE drove around the other day and found Wing Beach. The beaches here are all an adventure, because you can never really find good directions so you always have to kind of ...find them. Through the boonies. There are a few easy ones, but the other day we wound up in someones field. Sooo...
READ A BOOK
Island of the Blue Dolphins. It's a childrens book I know i know, but it was good. I enjoyed it. You should read it too.
All in all, I keep being reminded of how fortunate I am to be here. I feel alive, like I am doing something that is helping make the world a better place. I thank God for bringing me here, and even for removing the distractions that kept me away; hard as it was to let them go.
Had some bad days of teaching in which I had to make the kids suffer a little.
My truck died.
Went for a run, which I intend to make a habit of.
Had a big storm.
Had our first SM fight, and made up haha
I have been painting.
Went exploring.
Read a book.
HAD SOME BAD DAYS
Some days go really good. The kids listen, the exercises and sports go well, nobody ends up crying or bleeding, and it's great. Other days, not so much. We had rain here for a few days. And when I say rain, I mean RAIN. So Monday, when PE time for the upper graders came, it was only raining a little bit, so I took em out. This proved to be a bad idea. We did our warm up exercises in the rain, and when it started getting worse we went inside. Problem was, I didn't have much indoor PE things to do. So I had 30 5-10th graders who were hyper in a lunchroom next to two classrooms. Before the period was over, they were yelling, I was yelling, and then they had their heads down like little kids. All in all not the best outcome. But things like that keep me from getting smug about myself, because overall it's really awesome and things go smoothly. Today in fact went amazingly well, nd time went by so fast we were outside an extra 5 or 10 minutes before I realized the period was over! haha. The kids didn't mind :p
TRUCK DIED
Yep. My steed perished. Or in biblical terms, it is sleeping. lol. I went to pick up my laundry the other morning and after stopping at an ATM, it wouldn't start again. So I had to walk to get my laundry, and walk back home. Not FTW. However, this is what inspired me to start running in the mornings. I had thought about it before, but after actually traveling the distance out of necessity, it seemed like more of a realistic goal and so I just did it.
WENT FOR A RUN
The second day (today) was much worse than the first day hahaha There's something about that first time that gives you energy, the feeling of "Oh yea I'm running I'm awesome" then this morning the feeling was more like "I am much older and out of shape than I thought I was!". It's all good though, after I actually got up and did it the feeling of accomplishment came back and superceded the feeling of death and dying.
STORM
It rained for only a few hours and the water was almost a foot deep in places. Epic.
FIRST SM FIGHT
The inevitable finally occurred, as I'm sure it will again before we leave. But we all have a better understanding of each other now. It's good to be mad at people sometimes, because it gives you a chance to get out the things that we sometimes keep inside that really should be outside.
PAINTING
I should share that my job title has been added to apparently hahaha PE teacher AND general maintenance dooer XD... I seem to have become the go to guy for repairs on buildings, anything that needs painted, computer fixings (with Mr. Odyiar), etc etc. I'm glad to have had two men teach me to do a good job (Jack/ Mr. Collett). The guy before me apparently was a bad worker, because the other day I did a project in a few hours what I was told took him days haha. Mmm.
WENT EXPLORING
WE drove around the other day and found Wing Beach. The beaches here are all an adventure, because you can never really find good directions so you always have to kind of ...find them. Through the boonies. There are a few easy ones, but the other day we wound up in someones field. Sooo...
READ A BOOK
Island of the Blue Dolphins. It's a childrens book I know i know, but it was good. I enjoyed it. You should read it too.
All in all, I keep being reminded of how fortunate I am to be here. I feel alive, like I am doing something that is helping make the world a better place. I thank God for bringing me here, and even for removing the distractions that kept me away; hard as it was to let them go.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Gnimaolg
So the futures looking brighter already, and it wasn't even that bad to begin with! Today has been pretty swell. Went to the CDC this morning (first day of having a regular schedule since the CDC just opened today), the kids are so much fun! :) A hapless toad happened across the playground while we were out... He won't ever make that careless mistake again.. ROFL. Nothing quite like a herd of curious preschool boys bearing down on you with all manner of tools with which to poke you. After that, stopped at T-Bell on the way back to the school for the first time since being here (hard to believe huh), then taught my two PE classes. They went a lot better today, I introduced the kids to a little more authority today, a little more thunder and lightning. Sooo laps hahahaha! All in all though they were better behaved today than Thursday (the first and only PE class last week), I think they got the initial back to school jitters out already. We'll see. Furthermore, I bought a watch, so I feel a little more structured. Which is good.
BTW, anybody figure out what the name of the blog means yet?
BTW, anybody figure out what the name of the blog means yet?
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Addy
Alright, the address here is..
David Butterfield
Saipan SDA School
P.O. Box 501063
Saipan, MP, 96950
I'll post my phone number here as soon as I get international calling in my apt. If you're inclined to send love, I'll keep track of things that would be useful and post it here :)
David Butterfield
Saipan SDA School
P.O. Box 501063
Saipan, MP, 96950
I'll post my phone number here as soon as I get international calling in my apt. If you're inclined to send love, I'll keep track of things that would be useful and post it here :)
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Pigment
I am going to be a brown person when I come back. Just saying. The sun here is on a different level completely than what I am used to stateside. It just does not relent haha.
Taught my first and second PE classes of my entire life ever today! It was funny, I can already tell who will be running the most laps this year ROFL.. It's such a new experience being the teacher. I was laughing with Tina (fellow SM) about how I referred to the kids in a conversation earlier as classmates then corrected myself.. They are my STUDENTS not CLASSMATES. It's surreal to be the one in charge. It's me. I have the responsibility. I give the grades. I hand out discipline and rewards. Crazy. And it's especially weird since there has been so much lead-up to this point. All the seminars, the planning (ok so I didn't plan much), the travel, etc etc, and now THIS is it. I like it. I feel challenged in a good way :)
Taught my first and second PE classes of my entire life ever today! It was funny, I can already tell who will be running the most laps this year ROFL.. It's such a new experience being the teacher. I was laughing with Tina (fellow SM) about how I referred to the kids in a conversation earlier as classmates then corrected myself.. They are my STUDENTS not CLASSMATES. It's surreal to be the one in charge. It's me. I have the responsibility. I give the grades. I hand out discipline and rewards. Crazy. And it's especially weird since there has been so much lead-up to this point. All the seminars, the planning (ok so I didn't plan much), the travel, etc etc, and now THIS is it. I like it. I feel challenged in a good way :)
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Lifesavers
I am a certified cpr giver. My hair is a number 1. Gay guys give very attentive haircuts. Toorrow is our last day of not-school. Get ready.
On a side note (it is mandatory that I include some bit of humor in these things)...
I am quite sure that there is not one working smoke detector on the entire island of Saipan. And nobody cares but me. As I'm typing this, there is at least one I can hear cheeping. When we got to our apartments and walked in, there was like a chorus of cheeping detectors. I've fixed between 5 and 10 of them just since being here at the apartments and school. I feel like it is my secondary mission while on island. Change all the smoke detector batteries. FTW.
On a side note (it is mandatory that I include some bit of humor in these things)...
I am quite sure that there is not one working smoke detector on the entire island of Saipan. And nobody cares but me. As I'm typing this, there is at least one I can hear cheeping. When we got to our apartments and walked in, there was like a chorus of cheeping detectors. I've fixed between 5 and 10 of them just since being here at the apartments and school. I feel like it is my secondary mission while on island. Change all the smoke detector batteries. FTW.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Homemade
Whew what a day. We started out in meetings all morning, going over how we would be running things etc. BY THE WAY, I guess I should let you know what I will be running, since I finally know for sure haha.. I am the P.E. teacher for all grades, part time chapel/ worship go-to guy, before and after school care runner, and in the hours I am not doing those duties I will be working at the CDC (the daycare or Child Development Center.. NOT center for disease control. Although with that age kids it is sometimes the latter..). Went out to lunch at Spicy Thai restaurant, had AMAZING food. More meetings. Then on the way back to our apartments, Silvia, Tina and I went to the beach :) It's so amazing. The water is as clear as what comes out of your faucet. And as warm as bathwater. I feel very fortunate to be right here, right now :) After our beach adventure we came home and I cleaned the gutters, and sowed a button back on my suit jacket. Then tonight we made an epic supper haha We had Italian FTW! We three made the food and it was just a ton of fun, and the puppy was there and the spaghetti was there and the saled was there and it was a great evening :p Also, I climbed a tree and harvested a coconut and attacked it with a machete until it surrendered its goods. What a man.
I was thinking today.
As the principal, Mike was going over procedures and things and giving good advice (no sarcasm, he really was haha) I was imagining scenarios. When someone asks me what I do now, my answer is that I am a teacher at the SDA school. It occurred to me that (and please understand what I am saying here) this is really a big deal to me in that its really he first time I've felt like my identity was related to being a part of something of great importance. I understand about doing everything to the best of your abilities and there being dignity in every task and all that. I have held several jobs, and am comfortable with my performance at each. But after seeing the way local people hold the school in such high regard and hearing praises from everyone and realizing what a huge difference it makes for the community, I feel extremely honored to be a part of working for its success.
Anyway. Off my soapbox :)
Forgot to mention that after supper we watched The Soloist, which was a very good movie. A whole other blog of material on its subject matter but you should just watch it yourself instead hah.
I was thinking today.
As the principal, Mike was going over procedures and things and giving good advice (no sarcasm, he really was haha) I was imagining scenarios. When someone asks me what I do now, my answer is that I am a teacher at the SDA school. It occurred to me that (and please understand what I am saying here) this is really a big deal to me in that its really he first time I've felt like my identity was related to being a part of something of great importance. I understand about doing everything to the best of your abilities and there being dignity in every task and all that. I have held several jobs, and am comfortable with my performance at each. But after seeing the way local people hold the school in such high regard and hearing praises from everyone and realizing what a huge difference it makes for the community, I feel extremely honored to be a part of working for its success.
Anyway. Off my soapbox :)
Forgot to mention that after supper we watched The Soloist, which was a very good movie. A whole other blog of material on its subject matter but you should just watch it yourself instead hah.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Bizay
So I hope my lack of posting on here tells as much as my posts have, in that it should tell you that we have been busy. Got moved into our apartments, and more or less situated. I am rather excited about the prospect of living on my own. Pics of my apartment have been taken and will be posted along with everything else as soon as I have access to good internet (at the school) for a while at a time.. I have probably gigs of pics to upload already haha. Anyway. We went grocery shopping, went to our new church, went on a tour of the island, and had supper at our big boss Mikes (the principal) house Friday night. His house overlooks the ocean and it was still a surreal feeling to look out from his porch and think that out past the lights we could see, that darkness was nothing but water. For thousands and thousands of miles, nothing but water. Whew.
Yea. Sorry if this is a bit disjointed and all stream of consciousnessy, I am sleepy and we have baan doing so much that trying to collect it all and put it into a cohesive thought or journal entry is really a taxing operation. Hah. I'll try in the future to update moe frequently so that it's not so much information all at once.
Today we went on our island tour which I will now talk about. We went to a grotto next to the ocean which is amazing, the water is SO b;ue in there.. It goes back in a ways and it looks amazing. Have pics. I can't wait to go swimming in there. Also we went on a geneal drive to some other areas arount the coast, saw the Bird Island sanctuary place thing.. Went to some Japanese WWII bunker areas, and also up to the top of Mt. Topachau which if you measure from its base to top it is much taler than Everast. Only trouble is, its base is the bottom of the Marianas trench so noones really going to do that.
I am completely not writing well due to being rather tired. I promise pics and videos are on the way.
Goodnight
Yea. Sorry if this is a bit disjointed and all stream of consciousnessy, I am sleepy and we have baan doing so much that trying to collect it all and put it into a cohesive thought or journal entry is really a taxing operation. Hah. I'll try in the future to update moe frequently so that it's not so much information all at once.
Today we went on our island tour which I will now talk about. We went to a grotto next to the ocean which is amazing, the water is SO b;ue in there.. It goes back in a ways and it looks amazing. Have pics. I can't wait to go swimming in there. Also we went on a geneal drive to some other areas arount the coast, saw the Bird Island sanctuary place thing.. Went to some Japanese WWII bunker areas, and also up to the top of Mt. Topachau which if you measure from its base to top it is much taler than Everast. Only trouble is, its base is the bottom of the Marianas trench so noones really going to do that.
I am completely not writing well due to being rather tired. I promise pics and videos are on the way.
Goodnight
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Beggers and borrowers
Using someones laptop..
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I cannot help but fail in the most humorous ways imaginable.
This AM there was a bus going to Waikiki at 5. I planned to get up at 4:45 and go. I set the alarm on my new iPod (!). Then I plugged it into a friends computer to charge and went to bed. In the morning, the alarm went off, so i got up, dressed, brushed my teefs, and went out to the courtyard to meet the bus. I sat and waited, nothing. After several minutes i concluded that I must have a) missed the bus or b) they decided to not go after all and I went back to bed.
A while later I was awakened by people stirring. I asked what time it was and where they were going and they said the 5:30 bus to Diamondhead. Somewhat confused because I knew i had slept more than a half hour just then, I looked at the time on my iPod. 8:30.
Apparently when I plugged it in to my new friends (who was from Walla Walla) computer, it synced to his time zone. Needless to say, I had been wandering around he school compound at 2 in the AM.
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Today we had more instructions, and talks from Jose Rojas, who is a very good speaker. An has an epic 'stache. Tonight we went out to eat.
I need a shower.
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I cannot help but fail in the most humorous ways imaginable.
This AM there was a bus going to Waikiki at 5. I planned to get up at 4:45 and go. I set the alarm on my new iPod (!). Then I plugged it into a friends computer to charge and went to bed. In the morning, the alarm went off, so i got up, dressed, brushed my teefs, and went out to the courtyard to meet the bus. I sat and waited, nothing. After several minutes i concluded that I must have a) missed the bus or b) they decided to not go after all and I went back to bed.
A while later I was awakened by people stirring. I asked what time it was and where they were going and they said the 5:30 bus to Diamondhead. Somewhat confused because I knew i had slept more than a half hour just then, I looked at the time on my iPod. 8:30.
Apparently when I plugged it in to my new friends (who was from Walla Walla) computer, it synced to his time zone. Needless to say, I had been wandering around he school compound at 2 in the AM.
---
Today we had more instructions, and talks from Jose Rojas, who is a very good speaker. An has an epic 'stache. Tonight we went out to eat.
I need a shower.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Good eats
Forgot to mention yesterday that I ate some of a cactus fruit thing I found on our hike. It was ok though because someone said later that it was the ok kind. Today I started strong with four amazing mangoes off the tree at the school we're staying at (Hawaii Mission Academy). Big win. Last night after everyone else went to bed I ate a few mangoes also. Teehee
Aloha!
The adventures did not waste with time with the whole happening thing :)
Flight from Houston to Honolulu started it off. We were sitting at the gate for a good 20 minutes before the pilot (who turned out to be a very bad orator) came on the intercom and says something to the effect of "Yea folks.. umm.. those little underneath things above your head are the air conditioning... they're not working.. we're trying to figure out what's out.. in the mean time were gonna hafta get all of y'all off the plane 'cause it's gonna get over a hundred degrees in here". lol. Sat in the airport for an hour or so while they fixed that.
While in Houston, I left several messages with my travel coordinator to tell her my itinerary so as to be met at the HNL airport. However, her office was apparently closed, because when I got here there was nobody waiting or me. So my Pathfinders/ Navy SEAL training took over and I knew I had to act fast or be eaten by sharks. Probably. So I tried calling a friend back home to get the contact number of the person here, but PNC bank said to themselves "Hey! Someone stole this guys identity and is using his card in Hawaii to make calls! We better cancel the card!" So then I couldn't make calls to cell phones t get contact info. BTW.. Dear PNC. If someone were to steal my identity I'm not worried because they would probably return it before too long. Anyway. So I headed for the Yellow Pages with the thought of "Gotta find some Adventists". Problem was, by that time (Friday afternoon), all the church offices were closed. So I got a taxi and told him to go to Honolulu Central Adventist Church and showed him the address (their answering machine had said something about a Friday vespers). So he said he knew where it was and we went there. After he drops me off and I'm talking with a guy I meet there, it slowly becomes evident that this is not the right place. "Is this even an Adventist church? No this is Honolulu Central Union Church!" Oooooh. So he offered to take me to the right church. When we got there, some lady was in the sanctuary playing the piano and she made some calls and eventually I showed up at the school where I was headed and had to jump a fence cause it was way late. Story of my life is this: never a dull moment haha.
Today we went to the Kailua church, they had a great praise team and I did a little jamming with them after the service haha then we went for a hike and drive, tok a bunch of pictures which will be posted soom (when I do a post and have the dump cable handy haha probably when I get to Saipan on the 5th).
Then this evening, we went out to eat and people tried to sell us drugs and prostitutes, I had some mediocre Mahimahi, aaand ate a fantastic mango. Big day.
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Postscript..
I should explain what was the cause for the confusion in my traveling. Due to having purchased tickets oh, a day or so before leaving, I hadn't given my flight itinerary to the travel coordinator. When I left it was before their offices opened, so while in Houston, I made several attempts to contact her which obviously failed. Ergo, adventures ensued :p
Flight from Houston to Honolulu started it off. We were sitting at the gate for a good 20 minutes before the pilot (who turned out to be a very bad orator) came on the intercom and says something to the effect of "Yea folks.. umm.. those little underneath things above your head are the air conditioning... they're not working.. we're trying to figure out what's out.. in the mean time were gonna hafta get all of y'all off the plane 'cause it's gonna get over a hundred degrees in here". lol. Sat in the airport for an hour or so while they fixed that.
While in Houston, I left several messages with my travel coordinator to tell her my itinerary so as to be met at the HNL airport. However, her office was apparently closed, because when I got here there was nobody waiting or me. So my Pathfinders/ Navy SEAL training took over and I knew I had to act fast or be eaten by sharks. Probably. So I tried calling a friend back home to get the contact number of the person here, but PNC bank said to themselves "Hey! Someone stole this guys identity and is using his card in Hawaii to make calls! We better cancel the card!" So then I couldn't make calls to cell phones t get contact info. BTW.. Dear PNC. If someone were to steal my identity I'm not worried because they would probably return it before too long. Anyway. So I headed for the Yellow Pages with the thought of "Gotta find some Adventists". Problem was, by that time (Friday afternoon), all the church offices were closed. So I got a taxi and told him to go to Honolulu Central Adventist Church and showed him the address (their answering machine had said something about a Friday vespers). So he said he knew where it was and we went there. After he drops me off and I'm talking with a guy I meet there, it slowly becomes evident that this is not the right place. "Is this even an Adventist church? No this is Honolulu Central Union Church!" Oooooh. So he offered to take me to the right church. When we got there, some lady was in the sanctuary playing the piano and she made some calls and eventually I showed up at the school where I was headed and had to jump a fence cause it was way late. Story of my life is this: never a dull moment haha.
Today we went to the Kailua church, they had a great praise team and I did a little jamming with them after the service haha then we went for a hike and drive, tok a bunch of pictures which will be posted soom (when I do a post and have the dump cable handy haha probably when I get to Saipan on the 5th).
Then this evening, we went out to eat and people tried to sell us drugs and prostitutes, I had some mediocre Mahimahi, aaand ate a fantastic mango. Big day.
---
Postscript..
I should explain what was the cause for the confusion in my traveling. Due to having purchased tickets oh, a day or so before leaving, I hadn't given my flight itinerary to the travel coordinator. When I left it was before their offices opened, so while in Houston, I made several attempts to contact her which obviously failed. Ergo, adventures ensued :p
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Arduous tasks
Todays mission has been a challenging one: sort through my belongings of the past (nearly) ten years in this house, pack most of it away, and decide what I might need for a year overseas. So far, my 'take' list includes music, clean boxers, bible, guitar. Haha ok so theres a few more things on there. Things I regret leaving: airsoft guns, electric guitar and amp, my truck, autumn.
Way too many things to do in one day. Perhaps in my future somewhere down the line I will learn to plan ahead and act on said plans.
Nah I doubt it :p
Way too many things to do in one day. Perhaps in my future somewhere down the line I will learn to plan ahead and act on said plans.
Nah I doubt it :p
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Prologue
Well CASHED, I don't know who you are but your request is fair and I am an amiable fellow haha so I will accomodate your wishes. And anyway, I was in fact taking for granted that everyone who might read this would already know what it was all about.
Ok. So I know this person from my church who went as an SM (Student Missionary) to the island of Saipan a few years ago to teach at the elementary school there. She liked it so much that she just ...stayed.. and every summer since, she would always ask a bunch of the folks back home to come join her. I always entertained the idea, but there was always something keeping me from making the committment, be it the relationship I had been in for the past few years and the future I was working for here with that, or the band I was investing much time and money into. A few weeks ago when she brought it up again, I assessed my situation, did some praying and realized that it was a good time in my life to just do it. Both of those big reasons are no longer parts of my life. It felt like God had wanted me there all along, and since I was letting other things hold me captive here, He decided to remove them. I can't say for sure if this is the case yet, only time will tell I suppose. But after seeing many things go right in order to make this seemingly irrational decision come to fruation, I can't help but believe it is so.
Once there, I will be teaching a few classes to elementary grade kids, not sure of the specifics yet as the principal just arrived out there a few days ago and these thingsd are still being decided upon.
Better? haha
Ok. So I know this person from my church who went as an SM (Student Missionary) to the island of Saipan a few years ago to teach at the elementary school there. She liked it so much that she just ...stayed.. and every summer since, she would always ask a bunch of the folks back home to come join her. I always entertained the idea, but there was always something keeping me from making the committment, be it the relationship I had been in for the past few years and the future I was working for here with that, or the band I was investing much time and money into. A few weeks ago when she brought it up again, I assessed my situation, did some praying and realized that it was a good time in my life to just do it. Both of those big reasons are no longer parts of my life. It felt like God had wanted me there all along, and since I was letting other things hold me captive here, He decided to remove them. I can't say for sure if this is the case yet, only time will tell I suppose. But after seeing many things go right in order to make this seemingly irrational decision come to fruation, I can't help but believe it is so.
Once there, I will be teaching a few classes to elementary grade kids, not sure of the specifics yet as the principal just arrived out there a few days ago and these thingsd are still being decided upon.
Better? haha
Monday, July 26, 2010
In the beginning..
Alright! So this will serve to update anybody who happens to have a vested interest (read: MONETARY DONARS lol) in my adventures overseas. I'll try to post anything and everything I feel you may be interested in, and will probably post a lot more than you're interested in knowing, but that's just part of the fun! Muahaha. Furthermore and perhaps even more importantly, this will hopefully save me from the arduous task of telling the same stories/ information times without number. Double win.
Today, I finally got all the paperwork officially out of the way and taken care of. Went down to the GC and delivered it in person to Carol Miller, the nice lady I have exchanged so many emails with and finally got to meet. Hah. While there, I was reminded of the 'Preperation for missions' material I was suppossed to have done. Uh oh, uh started. They showed me a big book, said it was a series of questions on the info in the book and said I would need to do RESEARCH on the place i was visiting. Oh crap that sounds like school! However, when the director found out I used to live there, he very conveniently waived my having to do it :) Very nice.
I would say that was my first official blessing relating to this, but that is hardly the case. Thank you to everybody who has so generously donated to the cause, I will be buying my plane tickets tomorrow (by far the biggest expense I expect to incur).
Think that's all for now.
Today, I finally got all the paperwork officially out of the way and taken care of. Went down to the GC and delivered it in person to Carol Miller, the nice lady I have exchanged so many emails with and finally got to meet. Hah. While there, I was reminded of the 'Preperation for missions' material I was suppossed to have done. Uh oh, uh started. They showed me a big book, said it was a series of questions on the info in the book and said I would need to do RESEARCH on the place i was visiting. Oh crap that sounds like school! However, when the director found out I used to live there, he very conveniently waived my having to do it :) Very nice.
I would say that was my first official blessing relating to this, but that is hardly the case. Thank you to everybody who has so generously donated to the cause, I will be buying my plane tickets tomorrow (by far the biggest expense I expect to incur).
Think that's all for now.
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