This Sunday at church we sang a song that was so powerful that I immediately started crying when I saw the lyrics. I can't get the song out of my head (and I don't want to). The song is The Power of Your Name by Lincoln Brewster. Here is a sampling of the lyrics:
Surely children weren't made for the streets
And fathers were not made to leave
Surely this isn't how it should be
Surely nations were not made for war
Or the broken meant to be ignored
Surely this just can't be what you saw
Surely life wasn't made to regret
And the lost were not made to forget
Surely faith without action is dead
Lord, break this heart
And I will live
To carry your compassion
To love a world that's broken
To be your hands and feet
And I will give with the life that I've been given
And go beyond religion
To see this world be changed
Do you have any idea how powerful it is to sing those lyrics while living in a country where there are orphans on every corner begging for money and war is very real (as in terrorist attacks just a few hours away)? Not to mention the millions of broken and hurting people all over the place. I actually did not sing a single word of that song because I was too busy crying and realizing that I am doing just what the song says. I am giving the life that I have been given to love a world that's broken. And I am going beyond religion to see this world be changed. Wow! That's powerful stuff...
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
No Earthquake For Me
I was checking my e-mail late last night and when I logged out I saw the news on msn.com that there was an earthquake on the island of Java in Indonesia. Obviously, I was not affected by it at all since I didn't hear about it until 9 hours after it happened. I thought it was weird that I didn't hear anything about it here in Indonesia. I mean, I live on the island of Java so you would think I would have heard something but, nope. I had to go to a good old American news website to find out anything. So, don't worry about me in regards to the earthquake. I didn't feel a thing.
Well, I finally got internet at my house last week. So now I can e-mail, blog and Skype from the comforts of home and not the smoke-filled coffee shop. Yay! I've already been able to Skype with a few friends. Whoever invented Skype is one of my favorite people! It's amazing that I can be in Indonesia and my friends and family can be in America and we can talk and see each other in real time. The other night I was Skyping with a friend while I was eating dinner and he was eating breakfast. It was like we were having a meal together! Amazing! I am so thankful for technology!
Earlier this week I had dinner with some friends from church. One of the ladies went to school at Jamestown College and Trinity Bible College, both in North Dakota. Ah, it was great to get a little piece of home! She has 3 cute, little blonde kids. I offered to babysit them anytime because they remind me so much of Louie, Jorie and Sylvia. I miss those little rugrats so much that I am willing to babysit any little blonde kids I see here in Indonesia (which so far has been 3)! This lady said I could spend the night when I babysit because she likes to make pancakes for breakfast. Yummy! She also loves to bake and has an oven at her house. I am so going to her place to bake some goodies one of these days!
I received my first package in the mail the other day. Thank you, Robin!! It was filled with snacks from the US. Yum! Yum! I also got some dental floss and an US Weekly magazine. Ah, now I can catch up on all the celebrity gossip! It was so great to get a little taste of home. I've already polished off the Doritos and am working on the granola bars and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
Things are going well here. I'm ready to have some visitors so let me know when you all want to come see me! :)
Love and miss you!
Well, I finally got internet at my house last week. So now I can e-mail, blog and Skype from the comforts of home and not the smoke-filled coffee shop. Yay! I've already been able to Skype with a few friends. Whoever invented Skype is one of my favorite people! It's amazing that I can be in Indonesia and my friends and family can be in America and we can talk and see each other in real time. The other night I was Skyping with a friend while I was eating dinner and he was eating breakfast. It was like we were having a meal together! Amazing! I am so thankful for technology!
Earlier this week I had dinner with some friends from church. One of the ladies went to school at Jamestown College and Trinity Bible College, both in North Dakota. Ah, it was great to get a little piece of home! She has 3 cute, little blonde kids. I offered to babysit them anytime because they remind me so much of Louie, Jorie and Sylvia. I miss those little rugrats so much that I am willing to babysit any little blonde kids I see here in Indonesia (which so far has been 3)! This lady said I could spend the night when I babysit because she likes to make pancakes for breakfast. Yummy! She also loves to bake and has an oven at her house. I am so going to her place to bake some goodies one of these days!
I received my first package in the mail the other day. Thank you, Robin!! It was filled with snacks from the US. Yum! Yum! I also got some dental floss and an US Weekly magazine. Ah, now I can catch up on all the celebrity gossip! It was so great to get a little taste of home. I've already polished off the Doritos and am working on the granola bars and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
Things are going well here. I'm ready to have some visitors so let me know when you all want to come see me! :)
Love and miss you!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
My job
I had a request to write about what I am teaching in the classroom. Yes, I take requests. So, here is a little bit about what I do in the classroom...discipline. Seriously, I do a lot of disciplining. The kids here think nothing of walking out of class to get a drink or go to the bathroom. They don't ask, they just walk out. So, we have been going over rules of the classroom and how you have to ask before you leave the room. Ok, but here are the details of what I am teaching in each grade level.
In Playgroup 2 (aka preschool), I usually read a book and sing a song or do a finger play. I only have 10 minutes once a week with those kids so I keep it really simple. I am told my time with them is to get them used to people speaking English.
In TKA (aka Kindergarten 1), we are going over the letters of the alphabet. I have half an hour twice a week with those kids. This week I am teaching about the letter T. We sing the Ants on the Apples song for each letter. I had never heard of this song but, it is a great one for teaching the alphabet and the sounds each letter makes. Then we do an activity about the letter (coloring turtles on the tile, etc.). After that we have story time and I sing a song or do a finger play if there is time. Yes, this week I am teaching the kids the Tiny Turtle song and they LOVE it!
In TKB (aka Kindergarten 2), we are also going over the letters of the alphabet but in more detail. I have half an hour three times a week with those kids. They have quickly become my favorite class! We do worksheets (writing the letters, cutting and pasting pictures, etc.) and activities (memory game, etc.). We have story and song/finger play time if there is time.
In Grade 1, we reviewed each letter and now we are focusing on short vowel sounds. This is a little more difficult because the "teaching" books I have are from America and some of the pictures are not things the kids in Indonesia know anything about. For example, bib and sled. They have no concept of what a bib is or what a sled is. I also read a story every teaching time. I have 5 35 minute sessions with those kids per week. However, they are split into 2 days. So, I teach them for 70 minutes one day a week and 105 minutes another day during the week. I would much rather go into the classroom every day but, the schedule is not up to me.
In Grade 2, we are going over the parts of speech. I have been teaching about nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. It's a little rough since a few of the kids don't speak English very well (or at all). But, I am trying to make it as simple as possible. We also have story time every teaching time. I also teach those kids 5 35 minute sessions per week. These sessions are split into 3 days. So, I teach them for 70 minutes on Tuesdays, 35 minutes on Wednesdays, and 70 minutes on Fridays.
In Grade 3, we are also going over the parts of speech as well as, sentence structure and usage. This week we are talking about plural s versus plural es versus irregular plural nouns (sheep, geese, etc.). We also have story time every teaching time. We just finished reading Ramona Quimby, Age 8. This class is only 6 students and I really enjoy the smaller class size. We have a lot more discussions and freedom in that class. I teach those kids 5 40 minute sessions per week. Again, these sessions are split into 2 days. So I teach them for 2 hours on Mondays and 80 minutes on Thursdays.
Unfortunately, I have heard from way too many kids that English class is boring so I am trying to think of fun activities. So far we have just done a lot of worksheets. But, it is hard to plan for 6 different learning levels when you have to write your own curriculum and make it fun. So, any fun ideas would be greatly appreciated!
This week we are doing formal assessments, which means I had to write tests for grades 1 thru 3. I found this out last week. This is when I really wish we had curriculum. I am so not a writer and am not good at writing tests!
I looked over the English Teacher Handbook last week. I was given this notebook on my first day and read it then but wanted to re-read it. I noticed that they mentioned the goal is to teach the students functional English. So, I need to rethink what I am teaching and focus more on teaching them functional English. I just have no idea what that looks like. Do I teach them to call everyone Dude and to say 'Sup as a greeting to everyone? This is functional English in my opinion but, not what I think I am supposed to teach. I do have a Scope and Sequence for each grade which tells me what the kids should know by the end of the year. That is what I have been basing my lesson plans off of so far.
I hope that gives you an idea of what it is I do at work and what I am teaching. If anyone has tips on how to make English class a little more fun, let me know.
Love and miss you all!
In Playgroup 2 (aka preschool), I usually read a book and sing a song or do a finger play. I only have 10 minutes once a week with those kids so I keep it really simple. I am told my time with them is to get them used to people speaking English.
In TKA (aka Kindergarten 1), we are going over the letters of the alphabet. I have half an hour twice a week with those kids. This week I am teaching about the letter T. We sing the Ants on the Apples song for each letter. I had never heard of this song but, it is a great one for teaching the alphabet and the sounds each letter makes. Then we do an activity about the letter (coloring turtles on the tile, etc.). After that we have story time and I sing a song or do a finger play if there is time. Yes, this week I am teaching the kids the Tiny Turtle song and they LOVE it!
In TKB (aka Kindergarten 2), we are also going over the letters of the alphabet but in more detail. I have half an hour three times a week with those kids. They have quickly become my favorite class! We do worksheets (writing the letters, cutting and pasting pictures, etc.) and activities (memory game, etc.). We have story and song/finger play time if there is time.
In Grade 1, we reviewed each letter and now we are focusing on short vowel sounds. This is a little more difficult because the "teaching" books I have are from America and some of the pictures are not things the kids in Indonesia know anything about. For example, bib and sled. They have no concept of what a bib is or what a sled is. I also read a story every teaching time. I have 5 35 minute sessions with those kids per week. However, they are split into 2 days. So, I teach them for 70 minutes one day a week and 105 minutes another day during the week. I would much rather go into the classroom every day but, the schedule is not up to me.
In Grade 2, we are going over the parts of speech. I have been teaching about nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. It's a little rough since a few of the kids don't speak English very well (or at all). But, I am trying to make it as simple as possible. We also have story time every teaching time. I also teach those kids 5 35 minute sessions per week. These sessions are split into 3 days. So, I teach them for 70 minutes on Tuesdays, 35 minutes on Wednesdays, and 70 minutes on Fridays.
In Grade 3, we are also going over the parts of speech as well as, sentence structure and usage. This week we are talking about plural s versus plural es versus irregular plural nouns (sheep, geese, etc.). We also have story time every teaching time. We just finished reading Ramona Quimby, Age 8. This class is only 6 students and I really enjoy the smaller class size. We have a lot more discussions and freedom in that class. I teach those kids 5 40 minute sessions per week. Again, these sessions are split into 2 days. So I teach them for 2 hours on Mondays and 80 minutes on Thursdays.
Unfortunately, I have heard from way too many kids that English class is boring so I am trying to think of fun activities. So far we have just done a lot of worksheets. But, it is hard to plan for 6 different learning levels when you have to write your own curriculum and make it fun. So, any fun ideas would be greatly appreciated!
This week we are doing formal assessments, which means I had to write tests for grades 1 thru 3. I found this out last week. This is when I really wish we had curriculum. I am so not a writer and am not good at writing tests!
I looked over the English Teacher Handbook last week. I was given this notebook on my first day and read it then but wanted to re-read it. I noticed that they mentioned the goal is to teach the students functional English. So, I need to rethink what I am teaching and focus more on teaching them functional English. I just have no idea what that looks like. Do I teach them to call everyone Dude and to say 'Sup as a greeting to everyone? This is functional English in my opinion but, not what I think I am supposed to teach. I do have a Scope and Sequence for each grade which tells me what the kids should know by the end of the year. That is what I have been basing my lesson plans off of so far.
I hope that gives you an idea of what it is I do at work and what I am teaching. If anyone has tips on how to make English class a little more fun, let me know.
Love and miss you all!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Blessings
This week has been a week of many blessings! On Thursday we had fellowship for all of the teachers. After fellowship I was able to hang out with a friend from the other side of town. We went to dinner and to a movie (District 9....not recommended!). It was a great time hanging out with a friend and getting to know each other a little better. Turns out we have a lot in common. Yea! I am so excited to have a friend here that I feel like I can really relate to!
On Friday I went to another teacher's house for dinner. He teaches on the other side of town but lives on my side of town. He and his wife invited me over for dinner. It was so great to enjoy time with them. After dinner we just hung out playing with the kids. It felt like hanging out with Milt and Amanda. I loved every minute of it! One of their daughters is in my kindergarten class. She said she wanted me to stay at her house forever. I asked where I would sleep, she said in her room. I told her I didn't have my toothbrush, she said I could use hers. It was so cute!
On Saturday I walked to G Walk, the outdoor food court area on my side of town. It took me a half hour to get there and it was super hot out so I was pretty tired by the time I got to G Walk. I had seen signs that G Walk had free WiFi so that is why I made the trek there. Well, I couldn't get the WiFi to work and none of the restaurants were open. So my walk was a total waste. I was not looking forward to the walk back to my house in the heat, especially since I just got to G Walk! Well, I started walking and the couple from the night before pulled up and offered me a ride home. I was sooo excited to see them and to have a ride home! We stopped at their house first and they gave me a bicycle to use until I get one of my own. Wow! I can't believe how nice and giving they are! They are a total answer to my prayers!
On Saturday night I went to dinner with a girl from church. She runs the Children's Department at church. We had a great time hanging out. I told her I would teach Sunday School whenever and wherever she needed me (after all, I have been in her shoes and know how hard it is to find Sunday School teachers). So, I think I will be teaching Toddlers and Preschoolers during the 10:30 service. She is going to give me a ride to church every Sunday. The church has 3 services (8:30, 10:30 and 4:30). I enjoy going to the 4:30 service. So, I will get picked up for church every week at 7:30, then help teach Sunday school or just hang out at the mall the church is in, then go to church at 4:30, then head home. It's perfect! Now I have a free ride to church and to the mall to do e-mails! Yea!
So, I am feeling absolutely blessed right now. I have made friends and don't feel so alone here. Plus, I am starting to get to know more people at church. The staff are all Americans and I think I will be a part of their "family" soon. I cannot express how truly blessed I feel right now. Thank you for all of your prayers that I would find friends and start to get connected here. I think it is finally happening. So, hopefully, no more sad posts about how lonely I am. :)
Ok, enough of the sappy stuff. Here are your fun Indonesian facts of the day. I am sitting in the mall across from the Karaoke place and they are showing a video on the big screen. The song is Hands To Heaven by Breathe and the video is a Looney Tunes cartoon. Yeah, it doesn't really fit. Oh, and when we did karaoke the other night, the song was A Whole New World and the video was some half naked girl on the beach. Yep, the songs do not always go with the videos here. Another fun Indonesian fact is that they keep all of their furniture and everything wrapped in the plastic it comes with. Think Marie's couch on Everybody Loves Raymond. Not sure why this is, probably to make it last longer. So, yeah, all the furniture stays wrapped in plastic until it rips completely off.
I hope you are all doing well. I still miss and love you but feel a little better about life in Indonesia. I might make it 2 years after all!
On Friday I went to another teacher's house for dinner. He teaches on the other side of town but lives on my side of town. He and his wife invited me over for dinner. It was so great to enjoy time with them. After dinner we just hung out playing with the kids. It felt like hanging out with Milt and Amanda. I loved every minute of it! One of their daughters is in my kindergarten class. She said she wanted me to stay at her house forever. I asked where I would sleep, she said in her room. I told her I didn't have my toothbrush, she said I could use hers. It was so cute!
On Saturday I walked to G Walk, the outdoor food court area on my side of town. It took me a half hour to get there and it was super hot out so I was pretty tired by the time I got to G Walk. I had seen signs that G Walk had free WiFi so that is why I made the trek there. Well, I couldn't get the WiFi to work and none of the restaurants were open. So my walk was a total waste. I was not looking forward to the walk back to my house in the heat, especially since I just got to G Walk! Well, I started walking and the couple from the night before pulled up and offered me a ride home. I was sooo excited to see them and to have a ride home! We stopped at their house first and they gave me a bicycle to use until I get one of my own. Wow! I can't believe how nice and giving they are! They are a total answer to my prayers!
On Saturday night I went to dinner with a girl from church. She runs the Children's Department at church. We had a great time hanging out. I told her I would teach Sunday School whenever and wherever she needed me (after all, I have been in her shoes and know how hard it is to find Sunday School teachers). So, I think I will be teaching Toddlers and Preschoolers during the 10:30 service. She is going to give me a ride to church every Sunday. The church has 3 services (8:30, 10:30 and 4:30). I enjoy going to the 4:30 service. So, I will get picked up for church every week at 7:30, then help teach Sunday school or just hang out at the mall the church is in, then go to church at 4:30, then head home. It's perfect! Now I have a free ride to church and to the mall to do e-mails! Yea!
So, I am feeling absolutely blessed right now. I have made friends and don't feel so alone here. Plus, I am starting to get to know more people at church. The staff are all Americans and I think I will be a part of their "family" soon. I cannot express how truly blessed I feel right now. Thank you for all of your prayers that I would find friends and start to get connected here. I think it is finally happening. So, hopefully, no more sad posts about how lonely I am. :)
Ok, enough of the sappy stuff. Here are your fun Indonesian facts of the day. I am sitting in the mall across from the Karaoke place and they are showing a video on the big screen. The song is Hands To Heaven by Breathe and the video is a Looney Tunes cartoon. Yeah, it doesn't really fit. Oh, and when we did karaoke the other night, the song was A Whole New World and the video was some half naked girl on the beach. Yep, the songs do not always go with the videos here. Another fun Indonesian fact is that they keep all of their furniture and everything wrapped in the plastic it comes with. Think Marie's couch on Everybody Loves Raymond. Not sure why this is, probably to make it last longer. So, yeah, all the furniture stays wrapped in plastic until it rips completely off.
I hope you are all doing well. I still miss and love you but feel a little better about life in Indonesia. I might make it 2 years after all!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Bali
This weekend I took my long awaited first trip to Bali. It was indeed beautiful. Although, it was nothing like I had expected it to be. We stayed in the "tourist" Bali, aka Kuta and Seminyak. It was very busy and full of people and traffic. The beach was super crowded and also full of people trying to sell you stuff. Hmm...not exactly what I had hoped for in my relaxing beach vacation. But, there was a beach and for that I was very thankful! I went to the beach everyday and have the worst sunburn of my life (or at least since I fried in Hawaii 10 years ago) to prove it! Yes, I did wear sunscreen but, I did not put it on early or often enough. Yeah, I am in quite a bit of pain but, I am thankful I did not blister.
As with everything in Indonesia, Bali is super cheap. We stayed at a hotel for $30 a night. It wasn't great but, had clean beds, A/C, hot water and Western toilets. Bali is a place to barter for better deals. This is so not my thing but I did barter a little when I knew they were way overcharging me. It's so nice to say, "I live in Indonesia. I know that is too expensive. I should pay X amount of rupiah." It's also really helpful when you know to say "Koh't mahal!", which means "That's way too much money!". When you say that with feeling, they know you are a local.
Bali was great for seeing other Westerners as well. It was so nice to not be stared at for a few days. I met a lot of people from Australia. I had a great conversation with a woman on the beach who was trying to sell sarongs. I didn't buy one but she sat down just to chat. She was so friendly and nice. I met 2 girls who were from France and Spain on the way to the beach one day. The girl from Spain said they are always looking for native English speakers in Spain and that I should teach English in Spain when my contract is up in Surabaya. Hmm...tempting...But my favorite part of the vacation was the food. Bali has a variety of restaurants that sell any kind of food you would want. After eating rice or noodles for the majority of my meals for the last month and a half, I really wanted a variety of food options. And, I was not disappointed! I had Mexican food, pizza, a bacon cheeseburger and fries, lasagna, and pancakes. And most of my meals were around $5! There's also lots of great Indonesian restaurants on Bali, for those that want a true Indonesian experience.
I also saw the memorial to the victims of the 2002 Bali bombings. It was very sobering in a very crazy and hectic place.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Technical Difficulties
Sorry it has taken me so long to add a new post. The internet has been down at school all week so I have not been able to get online. Just another item to add to the list of technical difficulties living in a foreign country. A few weekends ago, my electricity would go off every time I took a shower. And, yes, my shower is connected to the electricity so the water would stop and I would have to go outside to turn the power back on. Yeah, that was a sight! Last Saturday the power went out for about an hour. Normally, this would be no big deal to me but, it was dark out and the power was out in the whole neighborhood. So, it was pitch black everywhere I looked! A little scary when you are in a strange city and don't know any of your neighbors.
I am working on getting internet access at my house. I don't have a phone line so I will have to get one that goes through my cell phone and has a modem (or something like that, I don't really understand any of that stuff). I am using someone else's modem tonight just to see if it works at my house. So far, so good! I am one step closer to being online when the rest of you are awake!!
This week has been much better than last week. On Tuesday I was able to Skype with a good friend and talk to my mom on her birthday. Being able to talk with friends and family is one of those little pleasure I used to take for granted. I was the queen of screening my calls or just plain not answering. Now, it totally makes my day to get an e-mail or voicemail or to actually be able to talk to someone from home. Classes this week have gone pretty well too!
Tomorrow I am off to Bali and I am sure I will have so much to post after that trip! I can't wait to go on a vacation and just get away from it all. I am reminded of how blessed I am to be living so close to somewhere so beautiful.
Love and miss you!
I am working on getting internet access at my house. I don't have a phone line so I will have to get one that goes through my cell phone and has a modem (or something like that, I don't really understand any of that stuff). I am using someone else's modem tonight just to see if it works at my house. So far, so good! I am one step closer to being online when the rest of you are awake!!
This week has been much better than last week. On Tuesday I was able to Skype with a good friend and talk to my mom on her birthday. Being able to talk with friends and family is one of those little pleasure I used to take for granted. I was the queen of screening my calls or just plain not answering. Now, it totally makes my day to get an e-mail or voicemail or to actually be able to talk to someone from home. Classes this week have gone pretty well too!
Tomorrow I am off to Bali and I am sure I will have so much to post after that trip! I can't wait to go on a vacation and just get away from it all. I am reminded of how blessed I am to be living so close to somewhere so beautiful.
Love and miss you!
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