I hardly know where to start when posting today. We have had some pretty rainy and windy weather here for the past several days, but even given that I have been very busy. It kind of looks like a typhoon tore THROUGH my apartment instead of just sending wind and rain our way. The typhoon never actually hit here, but we did have some of the effects of it. Today, however, it looks very beautiful outside. It is sunny and bright, like usual, but we still have some strong winds.
Friday, after class, I actually worked for quite a while in my classroom. We had a faculty "party" that evening where we had sushi at a local conveyer belt type of sushi restaurant. After that, we took silly pictures in the local picture booth and ended the night with Karaoke. It was a good bonding time for those who were able to attend.
Saturday, three of the current missionaries here at the school had to leave for different summer activities. I drove along as we dropped the current elementary principal and his wife off at the airport. I had actually done a lot with that couple as they were here, so after only knowing them for 3 weeks Heidi said to me, "I feel like I have known you for a long time." I feel the same way. I feel their absence this week now as they are not here. After dropping them off, my friend Jess and I found a local second hand store. I found myself lost back in the music department (believe it or not) and found some very high quality saxophone reeds for a very inexpensive price. They were new, but cheap. I tried to buy a box of them in Duluth last spring and was shocked at the price tag - somewhere around $100 for a box. Here I got half a box of the same reeds for 100 yen! I was happy as a clam! After my huge find, Jess and I met my former student Maasa Migita and another missionary who was on her way off island for lunch. Following lunch Jess and I explored Kokusai/Heiwa dori for the day (that is the huge shopping market area here on island).
Sunday was full of church followed by meeting up with Maasa and her brother Hiromu for lunch. It was such a blessing to get to reconnect with these amazing young people and hear how God is working in their lives. It is fun to know them as friends and family in the Lord!
Monday, yesterday, was my birthday. It was a very full day of activity after activity. The kids learned it was my birthday and they were lead to sing to me after recess. My student helper had all of them sign a card for me. That was very special. I wound up working for a while at school yesterday, however, because I got a brand new student that day. The poor girl has missed three out of four weeks of summer school. I had to grade some papers that her classroom teacher had asked her to complete and evaluate her current abilities so I could try to help her these last four days.
After work, Jess and I drove over to the lighthouse for lunch. I have never paid the money to go up into the lighthouse and look around. As someone who has learned about lighthouses for my summer job in MN, it was very interesting for me. The view from the top was beautiful as well!
After lunch I opted to ride bike up to Maeda and hike around on the trails up there.
I then rode home to drive over to my friends, Max and Aidy Cruzado's home for a birthday dinner. Aidy is an amazing cook and had gone way out of her way already to make me feel special. She had asked about three months ago if I would come to their house for dinner that night. When I got there, I saw three places set and I was content knowing that I would have a quiet evening with some very dear friends. After I had been there for about 6 minutes, however, the doorbell rang. It was Naomi Oeschle and Hazel (Max and Aidy's daughter)! Aidy had surprised me by inviting these former students over. It, again, we wonderful just getting to reconnect with these amazing people. Such a blessing to spend time with them!
Upon my arrival home last night, however, I noticed I was feeling "itchy" again. It was a rather rough night. I tried showering, I used medication, I took my Benadryl, but somehow I must have gotten exposed to something again. My arms, neck and face have broken out in a red - hive - like rash again. I have little blisters everywhere and I itch. Even while sleeping I would awaken itching something. I have NO IDEA what causes this, I only know it is not fun to deal with.
Today, with my lack of sleep, was a harder day with the kids. My 4th graders were completely out of sorts. I stopped to pray and wondered if it was me, but they were just crabby. They were mad at each other, testy, unwilling to work, and several just kept saying that they were having a bad day (and this was all before we even got to the classroom today.) I talked with them a lot about allowing the circumstances in our life to consumer us. We talked about Phil 4:8 and keeping our thoughts positive. I don't know that it helped them, but I maintained a positive attitude - or tried to anyway. The fifth graders were much better, as far as attitude goes, but they were quite excited and easily off task today.
Today is the day our grades were all due. I have been coming in early in the mornings to try to write personal messages to each of my students on post cards that I had purchased in the states, MN. I finished those this morning, but then had to do the mathematical computations. The school was trying to use a new grading program this summer, but it really tanked out on everyone. Most people wound up having to type comments in a different document and then calculate grades by hand. I did the same. I used the grading program for some things, but then did much of it via a spreadsheet. I submitted all grades and all comments for the kids shortly before starting this "catch - up" for you.
I know tomorrow will be my last contact day with some of the students. I will have to "say good-bye" to them at that time, so I have to be all ready for that. Making worthwhile work for the kids the last two days and continuing to encourage them along the way is something I will attempt to do!
Now, with my itchy arms, the task is going to be getting lunch and making use of the rest of my day. I do not want to lose a beautiful day on this beautiful island, but I also want the itchy arms to get better! The new pastor at Central has invited me to his home tonight for dinner. I am looking forward to going.
Monday, July 11, 2016
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Morning, Thursday, July 7
Good Morning! I am still in my apartment, before school, at the time I am writing today. I can hear the cicaidas "singing" like crazy wherever I go. They are very loud, but amazingly "restful" as long as I don't have to try to compete with them to be heard. Many people have wondered how we are doing with our first typhoon of the season. At this time, our Typhoon decided to take another course. It is over on top of Taiwan now instead of going by us. We will probably be getting some rain and "stormy" weather on and off for the next few days as a result, but really, we are fine! It is very dark and rainy-blue out over the ocean as I type, but the sun is still shining here.
The kids are supposed to have a "pool day" for their afternoon classes today. I have my bathing suit on at the moment. We don't have any way to predict what the weather will actually be like by afternoon. We are all going with a "wait and see" attitude. We only have one more pool day, on the last day of school, and I decided that if I am going to go to be with the kids I should probably just make today the day. Time will tell if it can actually happen, or not.
Coming back after having a Monday off has been rather different. This week has FLOWN by. The kids are really excited this week and the volume levels are much higher than they had been in earlier weeks. Some of this can have to do with the fact that they are all trying to talk over the cicaidas too? I think they are just excited - then factor in a possible typhoon? Yeah, that's a recipe for some jumpy kids. :) They are doing pretty well, however.
Exactly one week of school left! I feel like some of my kids still really need the time to grow. I hope they are making progress, but at least I'm giving them some practice.
My itchy-ness seems to have returned. While the rash isn't visible where it was before, I still seem to itch - a lot. Sleep has been hard to come by the past couple of nights, so I went back onto the higher doses of Benadryl and made another oatmeal mixture yesterday.
I have spent the past two days alone, in the afternoons, exploring the Yomitan area and enjoying just being a part of the culture.
The kids are supposed to have a "pool day" for their afternoon classes today. I have my bathing suit on at the moment. We don't have any way to predict what the weather will actually be like by afternoon. We are all going with a "wait and see" attitude. We only have one more pool day, on the last day of school, and I decided that if I am going to go to be with the kids I should probably just make today the day. Time will tell if it can actually happen, or not.
Coming back after having a Monday off has been rather different. This week has FLOWN by. The kids are really excited this week and the volume levels are much higher than they had been in earlier weeks. Some of this can have to do with the fact that they are all trying to talk over the cicaidas too? I think they are just excited - then factor in a possible typhoon? Yeah, that's a recipe for some jumpy kids. :) They are doing pretty well, however.
Exactly one week of school left! I feel like some of my kids still really need the time to grow. I hope they are making progress, but at least I'm giving them some practice.
My itchy-ness seems to have returned. While the rash isn't visible where it was before, I still seem to itch - a lot. Sleep has been hard to come by the past couple of nights, so I went back onto the higher doses of Benadryl and made another oatmeal mixture yesterday.
I have spent the past two days alone, in the afternoons, exploring the Yomitan area and enjoying just being a part of the culture.
Monday, July 4, 2016
Tuesday, July 5th
A "good time was had by all". I kind of recall hearing that in smaller towns, years ago, news paper articles would detail the smaller happenings of a town. One article I read talked about so-and-so pouring the tea and that a "good time was had by all." I don't know why I'm sharing that, but it what popped into my head when I think back on my weekend.
Saturday -
I did end up going North to the Japanese bath house with a friend. I was able to swim laps in a salt water pool, then enjoy numerous different "healing" tubs of water. They even had a waterslide that I was informed I needed to experience. O.K., I've done that now. The slide was nothing to write home about, but everything else was very enjoyable. 
On the way home, we stopped at some fruit, vegetable, and flea market stands. This may be a tropical island, but I tend to forget how expensive tropical fruit can be here; truthfully, fruit of any kind. Apples are about $2 - $3 each. A watermellon in the grocery stores is about $15 (and people, they are the SMALL ones we get in the states). A single mango at a good price is $8.00. Forget even finding berries to buy. I mention this because at these markets I was able to buy a watermellon for $8.00 and wound up getting 4 pineapples for a total of $6.00 - the pineapples were very little compared to US standards, but so much tastier than anything we can get. I considered that day a huge success! I also got my first taste of Okinawan purple sweet potato when I bought a "zen zai" treat: sweet adzuki beans, fresh cream ice cream, sweet potato puree, whipped cream, (no mochi in this one), a cookie stick, and some sweet potato powder. I had a belly ache when I had finished all I could eat, but it was fun. I love the Okinawan purple sweet potato (beni imo).
After getting home, I wound up going to an evening church service with some fellow missionaries and then going out for supper at Co-Co Curry.
Sunday - I was able to play a saxophone with the worship service at Central Baptist Church. I had brought my own mouthpiece and some reeds along over here, and borrowed a horn from a friend over here. While I cannot play it as well as I can my own, I was richly blessed by getting to participate in the worship experience. Through that,I was able to connect with more people. The pianist and her husband are the ones who saved me last week by purchasing me some Benadryl and delivering it to my home. That immediately endeared them to me, but I have to say that the heart of the people at Central . . . well, it is a sweet taste of "home" for me. Really, they make me feel like my church family at Palisade (in Silver Bay) makes me feel: important, like I belong, and above all welcome!
It is "PCS season" over here, so there are may people (military related) that are making the transition to leave island. One such family at Central had their last Sunday this week. Almost the entire church family went out for lunch together to celebrate this family and send them off.
After church, I learned that there was going to be a Hawaiian Festival and fireworks display up at a resort about 15 minutes North of the school. My friend, Jess, invited me to go back to her house that she is house-sitting and paddleboard before we made our way to the festival. We managed to paddle almost all the way to Maeda Point and then turned back towards home. I was feeling quite confident in my abilities and kept scooting backwards on the board (making it harder to balance.) Unfortunately, I was over-confident in my abilities (which really are rather laughable at that) and I flipped right over. Jess heard my saying, "Oooh, well, I guess I'm going in" right as I flipped off the board and into the ocean. I managed to lose my ever-so-expensive $1 sunglasses in the process. I learned I know how to climb back onto a paddle board after falling in this way.
Some other friends from school, Brad and Heidi Jernberg, drove up to meet us before we all went up to the fireworks show. The Hawaiian music was supposed to start at 6:30 and the fireworks at 9. We were there around 7. We had great spots on the beach to watch the fireworks. We stayed there for about an hour until ALL of us got restless. We then moved up to an outdoor pool area where we had great lounge chairs to recline on. We listened to the music, explored the resort, and watched the huge fruit bats fly from tree to tree until about 9:30. At that time, we were all very tired. They didn't look like they were anywhere close to fireworks time (in actuality, I learned the next day that the fireworks interrupted the show and just started in the midst of an act). Anyway, we stopped about half-way home and watched the fireworks from the road. Probably beat a ton of traffic that way, however.
Monday: Independence Day here on Okinawa was celebrated with a day off from school. While we are an International School, we run on an American calendar, so we could have the day off. Max took Brad, Heidi, Linda and I out on his boat. We snorkeled around Sand Island and Mai Jima (about an hour boat ride out into the ocean). The water was crystal clear and it felt as though we were swimming right inside an aquarium. The corals were vibrant and alive; the fish abundant and varied, and the water cool and refreshing. I went ashore on both islands to claim some shells/coral to bring home. My snorkeling bag was so full of "stuff" that Heidi said it looked like I was swimming with an anchor. The freedom and relaxation that being on Max's boat gives pretty much surpasses almost anything else I can say. I love it out on the boat!
That evening, I was invited back to my new friends from Central's home for an Independence Day party. Several families/couples from church were in attendance and we had a traditional 4th of July menu. We ended the evening with a game of Settlers of Catan, at which point I was defeated. :( I'll blame it on the incredibly full days that I had before that night.
Today- Tuesday: I just finished school and the prep work I needed to do to get ready for tomorrow. The kids were pretty wound up today and it was hard to settle them into routine. Eventually we got on track and had a great day. One of the 5th graders just got back from Greece and brought the class treats from there. That was pretty exciting for them.
On a different - perhaps deeper - note. I just finished a Bible Study on the book of Nehemiah today. The last two days have been very near and dear to my heart. One of the things I was asked to do today was to compare the city of Jerusalem in Nehemiah's day (and his descriptions) to that of the "New Jerusalem" in the New Testament. I guess I have spent quite a bit of time this weekend wondering about how I can feel so "at home" here on Okinawa and with people here; some I have known for 20 years, some that I have only known for 2 weeks! I guess I'm being reminded that my citizenship is not here on Earth. It isn't in MN, or Silver Bay, or Fergus Falls, or Yomitan, Okinawa... I am a child of the King! I am a citizen of Heaven - "This world is not my home; I'm just passing through . . ." Because of Jesus, I am at home with fellow citizens of the "New Jerusalem!" The family of God. I am blessed, indeed, to be a part of that family.
Saturday -
After getting home, I wound up going to an evening church service with some fellow missionaries and then going out for supper at Co-Co Curry.
That evening, I was invited back to my new friends from Central's home for an Independence Day party. Several families/couples from church were in attendance and we had a traditional 4th of July menu. We ended the evening with a game of Settlers of Catan, at which point I was defeated. :( I'll blame it on the incredibly full days that I had before that night.
Today- Tuesday: I just finished school and the prep work I needed to do to get ready for tomorrow. The kids were pretty wound up today and it was hard to settle them into routine. Eventually we got on track and had a great day. One of the 5th graders just got back from Greece and brought the class treats from there. That was pretty exciting for them.
On a different - perhaps deeper - note. I just finished a Bible Study on the book of Nehemiah today. The last two days have been very near and dear to my heart. One of the things I was asked to do today was to compare the city of Jerusalem in Nehemiah's day (and his descriptions) to that of the "New Jerusalem" in the New Testament. I guess I have spent quite a bit of time this weekend wondering about how I can feel so "at home" here on Okinawa and with people here; some I have known for 20 years, some that I have only known for 2 weeks! I guess I'm being reminded that my citizenship is not here on Earth. It isn't in MN, or Silver Bay, or Fergus Falls, or Yomitan, Okinawa... I am a child of the King! I am a citizen of Heaven - "This world is not my home; I'm just passing through . . ." Because of Jesus, I am at home with fellow citizens of the "New Jerusalem!" The family of God. I am blessed, indeed, to be a part of that family.
Friday, July 1, 2016
July 2, Saturday Morning
I am on a real computer today and actually know the date. I think I was off before.
We are officially half done with summer school. I was sharing some of my antics with my students with my parents and they asked if I was taking pictures. I said that I was taking pictures, but I don't think I should legally post them on facebook without parental or student permission. The same comes here. I am cautious about what I share just due to what is right for the kids. However, that said, I can give you a little of the flavor of my classroom so you can know what it is like.
The mornings at school start with one 2 teachers and some student helpers on recess duty. The kids are dropped off by the busses or by parents somewhere between 7:30 - 8:20 AM. Our littlest kids (3 - Kindergarten) play on the kindergarten playground, and the older kids (1st - 5th grade) play on the elementary playground. This past week I had recess duty two of the mornings. I love watching the kids play. They form these little groups and everyone has their own thing that they like to do. One group plays over on the slide. A couple of groups of kids like to play four square. Then there is the lego contingency this year. The kids bring huge sets of legos and play in the breezeways many mornings. Finally there is the bug collecting group. The kids run around and collect everything from cicada bug shells (they can't seem to catch the real bugs - at least not that I've seen yet), grasshoppers, roly-poly's, to pointing out the dreaded caterpillars. For the most part they all seem so happy. My heart, however, has gone out more and more to the very few kids that seem withdrawn and not connected with someone else. I have one extremely shy 4th grader that doesn't seem to play with anyone. She sits by herself most of the time, so lately I have gone to sit with her. She told me she really isn't quiet but is very noisy at home. I don't see that at school, however. I think she's a little hesitant with her english and just doesn't say much here. (I can relate to that on a very personal level.) I pray for her to feel comfortable and accepted every time I see her. She seems happy, but I want her to feel connected.
From recess the kids all go to chapel. The current music teacher of the school leads the kids in singing a couple of songs followed by a Bible story. They are learning aboaut the book of Acts this summer and I am always surprised by how much the kids remember and retain from the stories. Lately, they have set up chairs for the 4th and 5th graders to sit in. One of my 4th grade girls prefers to sit on the floor with the 3rd graders, and I'm fine with that. The rest of the kids all sit in the back on the little chairs. Then, after the younger kids are dismissed the 4th and 5th graders are supposed to pick up their chairs and put them away. All week I wathed one of my 5th grade boys voluntarily (without being asked for even hinted at) willingly pick up three extra chairs just to help out. He carries them over and puts them away without a single word. Then, he happily gets back in line and proceeds. I have made a big deal to try to commend him for it the past few dyas too.
After chapel we walk the kids up to their classrooms for class. I meet first with my 4th graders. I do only have 5 kids in that class. They are a good group of kids. I have one little live-wire who always keeps me laughing. God intentionally made him as cute as a button, with huge dimples on both cheeks, because he knows how to walk the line. He does EVERYTHING in fast speed. He lines up fast, he gets a drink fast, he uses the bathroom quickly, he reads fast, he completes his math fast, he talks fast. Everthing is fast! I would slow him down, but he's accurate and usually gets 100% on all he does too, so my challenge is to keep him busy. One day as we were walking to class he announced to me, "I like to talk," his huge grin splitting his face. I looked at him and said, "I can tell." He always has some sort of story for me, and it makes me smile. My other students in that room are much quieter and more thinking than acting. My one young boy, the one who had behavior challenges during the school year, has been a real treat in summer school. He really does seem to love Jesus, and asks some very good - thinking questions after chapel. Three of the kids in the room are just great at math and could really be doing some upper level math acceleration, but the other two are struggling with the basics. My challenge with them is to keep them all happy and learning.
At 10:00 I send the kids downstairs for recess break and a chu-chu (a frozen juice popsicle). When they return at 10:15 the kids switch rooms. I get the 13 5th graders in my room at that time. The energy level does increase with the additional bodies. It is amazing how much difference a year does make, academically speaking and in size of the kids. This group of students has to work hard to listen to and follow directions. Several of them are talkers, like my one 4th grader. Also, similar to the 4th grade class, I have a range of abilities. This class could easily be split into 3 sections. 3 - 4 of the kids struggle with basic math facts, about 3 are performing at grade level, and the rest are really high fliers. I try to give each group a little something to keep them learning.
My 5th graders really wanted me to bake them something as a treat last week, so I made a loaf of bread to share with them on Friday. They really seemed to appreciate it and were thankful and kind. The anecdotes they tell me every day keep me laughing. I have quite a mixture of kids in that room, but the majority speak Japanese at home. I have one girl with some sort of Slavic heritage, one American, one Chinese, one Korean, and the rest - I think are Japanese/Okinawan.
I work with the 5th graders until 11:30 and then I walk them down for lunch. One of the kids in that class is only half day, so she heads home at that time and the rest are in the lunch room. Each teacher has lunch duty once a week. My day is Thursday, but the challenge with Thursdays is that the kids head to the swimming pool on Thursdays at noon. I have to encourage them to eat quickly and then chaperone little energetic bodies as they attempt to change clothes to put on their bathing suits. At noon, the offical hand-off to the afternoon staff takes place. My kids want me to go with them to to pool next week, however, so I may join them for one week.
That's pretty much what the days at school are like - it may guide in knowing what I am doing?
As for outside activities? I have been staying busy. I have taken my friend Lisa's electric assist bike out to use a few times this week. Once I biked up to the pottery village and yesterday I biked up to Onna Village where a friend is house-sitting at a place with paddle boards.
I went Snorkeling from land on Wednesday after school with a group of people, at Maeda Point (for those familiar with the area). It is amazing to see God's creative handiwork undewater. Every color of fish and creature possible!
Thursday, I went by boat with a different group of people up to the same area to snorkel again. We went a bit further North so I was able to see even different sea life. Max, the friend who owns the boat, caught a puffer fish for us all and we kind of played with him in his puffed up state for a while. He deflated and swam on his merry way after a while. On the boat home we watched the sun set around us. Again, what an artist our Lord is!
Friday, I biked up to go paddle boarding and then was going to go night snorkeling. I guess I missed my group by a matter of minutes. They were late, I was early . . . whatever the case. I missed out on that opportunity, but I had an amazing and full day anyway.
Now today is Saturday. I am sitting in my kitching writing now. I just went out for breakfast with one of my friends who works in the office. We were able to reconnect and share stories from the past several years to catch up. Now, I am just keeping my eye on a baby gecko that is on my counter here in the kitchen. He knows I'm not overly keen with having him here, but it is preferable to have geckos to roaches, so I know I"m supposed to leave him alone. I just don't like seeing him! I keep telling him to go away, but he's not listening.
The rest of the day? I have been asked to go to an American style bath house up North with a friend. I have been informed I get to keep my bathing suit on the whole time, so . . . I think I will give it a try. It is a beautifully sunny day and I would hate to waste a moment of it!
My itching continues, but it is so much better. The redness has almost disappeared entirely. I still take allergy medication at night and rub some medicated ointment on two or three times a day. It seems to keep the itching in check.
Other than that, I pray that I continue to live in the moment. Savor each day that the Lord gives me and do His will as He requests.
We are officially half done with summer school. I was sharing some of my antics with my students with my parents and they asked if I was taking pictures. I said that I was taking pictures, but I don't think I should legally post them on facebook without parental or student permission. The same comes here. I am cautious about what I share just due to what is right for the kids. However, that said, I can give you a little of the flavor of my classroom so you can know what it is like.
The mornings at school start with one 2 teachers and some student helpers on recess duty. The kids are dropped off by the busses or by parents somewhere between 7:30 - 8:20 AM. Our littlest kids (3 - Kindergarten) play on the kindergarten playground, and the older kids (1st - 5th grade) play on the elementary playground. This past week I had recess duty two of the mornings. I love watching the kids play. They form these little groups and everyone has their own thing that they like to do. One group plays over on the slide. A couple of groups of kids like to play four square. Then there is the lego contingency this year. The kids bring huge sets of legos and play in the breezeways many mornings. Finally there is the bug collecting group. The kids run around and collect everything from cicada bug shells (they can't seem to catch the real bugs - at least not that I've seen yet), grasshoppers, roly-poly's, to pointing out the dreaded caterpillars. For the most part they all seem so happy. My heart, however, has gone out more and more to the very few kids that seem withdrawn and not connected with someone else. I have one extremely shy 4th grader that doesn't seem to play with anyone. She sits by herself most of the time, so lately I have gone to sit with her. She told me she really isn't quiet but is very noisy at home. I don't see that at school, however. I think she's a little hesitant with her english and just doesn't say much here. (I can relate to that on a very personal level.) I pray for her to feel comfortable and accepted every time I see her. She seems happy, but I want her to feel connected.
From recess the kids all go to chapel. The current music teacher of the school leads the kids in singing a couple of songs followed by a Bible story. They are learning aboaut the book of Acts this summer and I am always surprised by how much the kids remember and retain from the stories. Lately, they have set up chairs for the 4th and 5th graders to sit in. One of my 4th grade girls prefers to sit on the floor with the 3rd graders, and I'm fine with that. The rest of the kids all sit in the back on the little chairs. Then, after the younger kids are dismissed the 4th and 5th graders are supposed to pick up their chairs and put them away. All week I wathed one of my 5th grade boys voluntarily (without being asked for even hinted at) willingly pick up three extra chairs just to help out. He carries them over and puts them away without a single word. Then, he happily gets back in line and proceeds. I have made a big deal to try to commend him for it the past few dyas too.
After chapel we walk the kids up to their classrooms for class. I meet first with my 4th graders. I do only have 5 kids in that class. They are a good group of kids. I have one little live-wire who always keeps me laughing. God intentionally made him as cute as a button, with huge dimples on both cheeks, because he knows how to walk the line. He does EVERYTHING in fast speed. He lines up fast, he gets a drink fast, he uses the bathroom quickly, he reads fast, he completes his math fast, he talks fast. Everthing is fast! I would slow him down, but he's accurate and usually gets 100% on all he does too, so my challenge is to keep him busy. One day as we were walking to class he announced to me, "I like to talk," his huge grin splitting his face. I looked at him and said, "I can tell." He always has some sort of story for me, and it makes me smile. My other students in that room are much quieter and more thinking than acting. My one young boy, the one who had behavior challenges during the school year, has been a real treat in summer school. He really does seem to love Jesus, and asks some very good - thinking questions after chapel. Three of the kids in the room are just great at math and could really be doing some upper level math acceleration, but the other two are struggling with the basics. My challenge with them is to keep them all happy and learning.
At 10:00 I send the kids downstairs for recess break and a chu-chu (a frozen juice popsicle). When they return at 10:15 the kids switch rooms. I get the 13 5th graders in my room at that time. The energy level does increase with the additional bodies. It is amazing how much difference a year does make, academically speaking and in size of the kids. This group of students has to work hard to listen to and follow directions. Several of them are talkers, like my one 4th grader. Also, similar to the 4th grade class, I have a range of abilities. This class could easily be split into 3 sections. 3 - 4 of the kids struggle with basic math facts, about 3 are performing at grade level, and the rest are really high fliers. I try to give each group a little something to keep them learning.
My 5th graders really wanted me to bake them something as a treat last week, so I made a loaf of bread to share with them on Friday. They really seemed to appreciate it and were thankful and kind. The anecdotes they tell me every day keep me laughing. I have quite a mixture of kids in that room, but the majority speak Japanese at home. I have one girl with some sort of Slavic heritage, one American, one Chinese, one Korean, and the rest - I think are Japanese/Okinawan.
I work with the 5th graders until 11:30 and then I walk them down for lunch. One of the kids in that class is only half day, so she heads home at that time and the rest are in the lunch room. Each teacher has lunch duty once a week. My day is Thursday, but the challenge with Thursdays is that the kids head to the swimming pool on Thursdays at noon. I have to encourage them to eat quickly and then chaperone little energetic bodies as they attempt to change clothes to put on their bathing suits. At noon, the offical hand-off to the afternoon staff takes place. My kids want me to go with them to to pool next week, however, so I may join them for one week.
That's pretty much what the days at school are like - it may guide in knowing what I am doing?
As for outside activities? I have been staying busy. I have taken my friend Lisa's electric assist bike out to use a few times this week. Once I biked up to the pottery village and yesterday I biked up to Onna Village where a friend is house-sitting at a place with paddle boards.
I went Snorkeling from land on Wednesday after school with a group of people, at Maeda Point (for those familiar with the area). It is amazing to see God's creative handiwork undewater. Every color of fish and creature possible!
Thursday, I went by boat with a different group of people up to the same area to snorkel again. We went a bit further North so I was able to see even different sea life. Max, the friend who owns the boat, caught a puffer fish for us all and we kind of played with him in his puffed up state for a while. He deflated and swam on his merry way after a while. On the boat home we watched the sun set around us. Again, what an artist our Lord is!
Friday, I biked up to go paddle boarding and then was going to go night snorkeling. I guess I missed my group by a matter of minutes. They were late, I was early . . . whatever the case. I missed out on that opportunity, but I had an amazing and full day anyway.
Now today is Saturday. I am sitting in my kitching writing now. I just went out for breakfast with one of my friends who works in the office. We were able to reconnect and share stories from the past several years to catch up. Now, I am just keeping my eye on a baby gecko that is on my counter here in the kitchen. He knows I'm not overly keen with having him here, but it is preferable to have geckos to roaches, so I know I"m supposed to leave him alone. I just don't like seeing him! I keep telling him to go away, but he's not listening.
The rest of the day? I have been asked to go to an American style bath house up North with a friend. I have been informed I get to keep my bathing suit on the whole time, so . . . I think I will give it a try. It is a beautifully sunny day and I would hate to waste a moment of it!
My itching continues, but it is so much better. The redness has almost disappeared entirely. I still take allergy medication at night and rub some medicated ointment on two or three times a day. It seems to keep the itching in check.
Other than that, I pray that I continue to live in the moment. Savor each day that the Lord gives me and do His will as He requests.
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Morning of Wednesday, June 28th
I think it is the 28th? I realized that I don't really know the date at all. I do, however, know it is Wednesday and I have about 18 minutes before I have to be downstairs for devotions.
I saw the red dots of itchiness in my last posting. My legs still look like that, but my arms have faded away now to nothing. They do, however, itch again today, but I forgot to take my Benadryl last night, so I will remember to do that tonight. It is a "normal" itch today, however and not the painful kind where I wanted to rip all of my skin off.
Due to my fear of these hairy caterpillars my explorations have been extremely limited. As a matter of fact, I can't tell you when I have spent this much time in my apartments here in Okinawa. I'm afraid to go out and get a reaction again. I know that I should not live in fear, but it was quite miserable. Tomorrow morning, however, I MUST get out and work out again. I hope to get out this evening as well - it is too hot in the middle of the day for a work out.
School is going well. There are a couple of other people that were attacked by the hairy caterpillars like I was, so they are dealing with the whiplash from that. I can empathise. We also have some sort of illness that some of the kids and a couple of teachers are fighting. Seems odd to deal with that when it is so obviously summer here, but they are pressing on.
Academically we are progressing in my classrooms. My 4th graders are learning how to round numbers. I didn't remember that this was a hard concept to grasp, but apparently it is. Both 4th and 5th are reviewing long division and then rounding to the nearest ______. I've also started one 4th grader and most 5th graders on some upper level order of operation problems. I try to give them some variety to make the days go by faster. All of the kids are also still working on increasing their fact recall with multiplication.
I did have one 4th grader yesterday who just would NOT work. I had to make her stay in at recess because she just didn't want to do what she was being asked to do. I found it amazing that what she couldn't accomplish in 50 minutes of class, suddenly was done in 6 minutes of recess. Amazing how that happens, right?
The "newness" of everything is gone for the kids. They are showing their true colors and we are learning every day. I'm grateful for the kids I get to work with. They are a great group of young people and I have grown to love them.
On the first day, they asked what my hobbies were. I mentioned that I liked to bake or cook. Of course, they then wanted me to make something for them. I am very restricted here because sugar is off limits for elementary students. Last night, I made some homemade bread for the kids and I will reward them at the end of the week(s) with a piece of that. It is better than nothing, and I'm unsure what else to offer. Hopefully that will keep them happy.
Beyond that, due to my more quiet personal activities I don't have a whole lot of stories or anecdotes to share. I have to share devotions on Friday with the staff so I've been spending some time getting that ready. Hopefully, my next post will be more "newsy". I appreciate your continued prayers.
I saw the red dots of itchiness in my last posting. My legs still look like that, but my arms have faded away now to nothing. They do, however, itch again today, but I forgot to take my Benadryl last night, so I will remember to do that tonight. It is a "normal" itch today, however and not the painful kind where I wanted to rip all of my skin off.
Due to my fear of these hairy caterpillars my explorations have been extremely limited. As a matter of fact, I can't tell you when I have spent this much time in my apartments here in Okinawa. I'm afraid to go out and get a reaction again. I know that I should not live in fear, but it was quite miserable. Tomorrow morning, however, I MUST get out and work out again. I hope to get out this evening as well - it is too hot in the middle of the day for a work out.
School is going well. There are a couple of other people that were attacked by the hairy caterpillars like I was, so they are dealing with the whiplash from that. I can empathise. We also have some sort of illness that some of the kids and a couple of teachers are fighting. Seems odd to deal with that when it is so obviously summer here, but they are pressing on.
Academically we are progressing in my classrooms. My 4th graders are learning how to round numbers. I didn't remember that this was a hard concept to grasp, but apparently it is. Both 4th and 5th are reviewing long division and then rounding to the nearest ______. I've also started one 4th grader and most 5th graders on some upper level order of operation problems. I try to give them some variety to make the days go by faster. All of the kids are also still working on increasing their fact recall with multiplication.
I did have one 4th grader yesterday who just would NOT work. I had to make her stay in at recess because she just didn't want to do what she was being asked to do. I found it amazing that what she couldn't accomplish in 50 minutes of class, suddenly was done in 6 minutes of recess. Amazing how that happens, right?
The "newness" of everything is gone for the kids. They are showing their true colors and we are learning every day. I'm grateful for the kids I get to work with. They are a great group of young people and I have grown to love them.
On the first day, they asked what my hobbies were. I mentioned that I liked to bake or cook. Of course, they then wanted me to make something for them. I am very restricted here because sugar is off limits for elementary students. Last night, I made some homemade bread for the kids and I will reward them at the end of the week(s) with a piece of that. It is better than nothing, and I'm unsure what else to offer. Hopefully that will keep them happy.
Beyond that, due to my more quiet personal activities I don't have a whole lot of stories or anecdotes to share. I have to share devotions on Friday with the staff so I've been spending some time getting that ready. Hopefully, my next post will be more "newsy". I appreciate your continued prayers.
Saturday, June 25, 2016
Saturday, June 25th
What a day! I awoke to my lovely rash spreading. Is it bugs? It is heat rash? It is an allergic reaction - I DO NOT KNOW! I can only tell you that now, at the end of the day, it is still worse and I have not been home for it to be something in my house. I think I am going to take it easy. I guess one of our students has a dad who is a dermatologist down the hill. If I am not better on Monday, it has been determined that I will be going to see him - even without Japanese health insurance. I'm praying that I am better.
I rushed home for music practice only to learn that practice was canceled. I was fine with that, however, as I felt pretty horrible with all the itchy - rashes whatever. While I was outside cleaning up my snorkeling equipment a gal I had never met before pulled into the parking lot. I was able to meet Irina. Irina is of Ukrainian/Russian heritage. We were able to share first our memories of Ukraine and experiences there. She shared with me her faith history and we wound up sharing over 3 hours together. Our hearts connected in a way I never expected. Maybe God allowed the itchies just so I could meet and pray for her and her family. We did pray together before she went back upstairs to her family and apartment. A great conclusion to a special evening.
Now, I have my sheets and bed pad in the drier (that is a treat over here as "true missionaries don't use the driers") to try to kill anything that may be living there. I have a brand new futon that I could be sleeping on from my friend Aidy's house and a clean pillow that I can try. I pushed everything out of my kitchen and may set up my bed in there tonight. I'm also staying 100% out of the sun tomorrow to try to continue to heal. I will see what happense with all of that. (I have completely disassembled the bed. I do not see ANY signs of potential bugs in there. It is a CLEAN mattress, the walls are clean, the box spring is clear . . . I see no signs, so I don't think it is bed bugs. However, I will be taking it easy - just in case.)
Friday, June 24, 2016
Friday, June 24th
Well, week one has come to an end. It is official that I have been on island for one complete week.
1. School went OK today. I wanted the kids to get the feeling of rejoicing over it being the last day so foolishly I thought they could handle learning math via stations of various games. In a classroom full of active, talkative, unfocused yet highly enthusiastic 5th grade boys, that was a bad call on my part. Over the weekend I need to develop a new plan and flesh it out. This is going to involve a lot more curriculum development on my part. There is a "Math in a Box" summer school curriculum I could resort to, but I very much dislike it and would prefer to actually adress the needs that I know the class has. The problem is, HOW! In my high school rooms, I could split them into groups and hopefully attend to one group at a time, but in this crew? (OK, I take that back. I have one class in high school that I know I couldn't leave in groups either - it would end with a very crabby me.) I haven't had time to train them on my expectations and requirements. It is nice to have enthusiasm from the kids, however, so I will try to work with it.
2. My "Bradly" had his first episode today. He chose to have it as he was coming into chapel first thing. I very badly did NOT want to give him attention for his behavior - nor did I want to deal with it during chapel. I had every intention of getting to him as soon as chapel had come to an end, when I could speak with him alone. He was not causing a disturbance and he was on the end sitting right next to me anyway, however, the elementary principal (who had also warned me about this young man) opted to deal with his situation for me. I still talked with the young man before class started and we had a great day. I will remain alert to potential issues, however.
3. I have had a migraine for the past two days, so sleep has been in short supply - again. I took a larger dose of medication after school today and I feel great right now, as far as my head goes. Hopefully that remains true throughout the night.
4. My head may feel great, but somehow I am covered from HEAD to TOE with little gnat/flea/itchy red bug bites of some sort. There is a lot of discrepency over at school over what they are. A large group of people thinks that it is from the hairs off of what they call "hairy caterpillars". I guess they are very "poisonous" and cause some pretty bad allergic reactions for people who encounter them. I complained and said that I haven't been around that many hairs! They told me they are minute and airborne - especailly in the wooded areas where I have been walking every morning. Option 2 (which I tend to agree with) is that they are "no-see-um bites". One of our kindergarten aides (who everyone says is the expert) sent me down to the store to buy a spray that I was supposed to put on all the furniture in my home - then vaccuum. Well, the vaccuum in this apartment doesn't work so well - welcome to OCSI. I have, however, spent the majority of my day cleaning the apartment quite completetly, washing all my bedding, and clothing. I am going to take a benadryl and pray that the itching and irritation goes away tomorrow, or at least improves. Otherwise, I don't know what I will do. I will also alter my course of travel while working out for a few days; I will give up my training on the "steps" at the castle for a few days.
5. Tomorrow is a work day at the Baptist Camp up in a Northern part of the island. I will be driving a friend up there so we can help out for the day. It is a long drive (around 1.5 - 2 hours) but it is one of the prettiest drives on island. Hopefully we can be of some use to the camp in our service.
Thank you all for praying.
1. School went OK today. I wanted the kids to get the feeling of rejoicing over it being the last day so foolishly I thought they could handle learning math via stations of various games. In a classroom full of active, talkative, unfocused yet highly enthusiastic 5th grade boys, that was a bad call on my part. Over the weekend I need to develop a new plan and flesh it out. This is going to involve a lot more curriculum development on my part. There is a "Math in a Box" summer school curriculum I could resort to, but I very much dislike it and would prefer to actually adress the needs that I know the class has. The problem is, HOW! In my high school rooms, I could split them into groups and hopefully attend to one group at a time, but in this crew? (OK, I take that back. I have one class in high school that I know I couldn't leave in groups either - it would end with a very crabby me.) I haven't had time to train them on my expectations and requirements. It is nice to have enthusiasm from the kids, however, so I will try to work with it.
2. My "Bradly" had his first episode today. He chose to have it as he was coming into chapel first thing. I very badly did NOT want to give him attention for his behavior - nor did I want to deal with it during chapel. I had every intention of getting to him as soon as chapel had come to an end, when I could speak with him alone. He was not causing a disturbance and he was on the end sitting right next to me anyway, however, the elementary principal (who had also warned me about this young man) opted to deal with his situation for me. I still talked with the young man before class started and we had a great day. I will remain alert to potential issues, however.
3. I have had a migraine for the past two days, so sleep has been in short supply - again. I took a larger dose of medication after school today and I feel great right now, as far as my head goes. Hopefully that remains true throughout the night.
4. My head may feel great, but somehow I am covered from HEAD to TOE with little gnat/flea/itchy red bug bites of some sort. There is a lot of discrepency over at school over what they are. A large group of people thinks that it is from the hairs off of what they call "hairy caterpillars". I guess they are very "poisonous" and cause some pretty bad allergic reactions for people who encounter them. I complained and said that I haven't been around that many hairs! They told me they are minute and airborne - especailly in the wooded areas where I have been walking every morning. Option 2 (which I tend to agree with) is that they are "no-see-um bites". One of our kindergarten aides (who everyone says is the expert) sent me down to the store to buy a spray that I was supposed to put on all the furniture in my home - then vaccuum. Well, the vaccuum in this apartment doesn't work so well - welcome to OCSI. I have, however, spent the majority of my day cleaning the apartment quite completetly, washing all my bedding, and clothing. I am going to take a benadryl and pray that the itching and irritation goes away tomorrow, or at least improves. Otherwise, I don't know what I will do. I will also alter my course of travel while working out for a few days; I will give up my training on the "steps" at the castle for a few days.5. Tomorrow is a work day at the Baptist Camp up in a Northern part of the island. I will be driving a friend up there so we can help out for the day. It is a long drive (around 1.5 - 2 hours) but it is one of the prettiest drives on island. Hopefully we can be of some use to the camp in our service.
Thank you all for praying.
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