Monday, December 8, 2008
My Head
I found a lice in my hair tonight. I am surprised I haven't had one before... Since I have lost so much hair since I have been here, I can comb through my hair easily with the super fined toothed lice combs. Tomorrow afternoon I will apply a jar of mayo to my head. Maybe my hair will stop falling out because the mayo will condition it so much... Wishful thinking. HA
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
GuegeegueTurkey Day
Andrea and Stefani with the stuffing and mashed potatoes in our kitchen.
Most of the food. Notice all of the pineapples on top of the ham, I balanced them all up there. Go me!
Most of the food. Notice all of the pineapples on top of the ham, I balanced them all up there. Go me!
The day after mess. Can you find both of my water bottles?
Thanksgiving was so much fun. Stefani was cooking all day! I made the stuffing and despite all of the substitutions it came out well. We had a lot of fun prepping for the big night. I wish I had pictures of everyone there. Check out Stefani's Flicker site (link to the right) for more pictures.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!
Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!
Play Day
On Friday my Honors English class put on a play of The Big Wave. They worked for three weeks: writing scripts, making puppets, and practicing. I was worried they would not be able to pull it all together, but they did it! We preformed our play for Stefani's Junior Science class and Staci's Junior English class. As soon as the Juniors walked in my students were silent and ready to go. The first group was already behind the set and didn't want to come out after their performance, so funny. Overall it went well. I don't know if the audience was able to follow the story but it looked good and they sounded great! YAY!
My students with some of the puppets in front of the set.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Thanksgiving (almost)!
Happy Gobble-Gobble Day!!!
Today I spend a good portion of my afternoon mopping my classroom. Funny thing is, the last time I mopped my classroom was on my birthday. Maybe I'll mop again for Christmas!! How fun.
In the pre-mopping stage aka sweeping, I noticed something was moving in the pile of dust, dirt, and paper that I was pushing around my floor. I looked closely and noticed it was a tick, I looked closer and noticed there were at least five ticks in the pile. My classroom is worse than a field of grass! Luckily, here ticks do not carry lime disease or anything else (that I know of anyways). I just swept them out the door.
The reason I was mopping is because tomorrow my Honors English class is putting on a puppet show for Staci's 11th grade English class, Stefani's 12th grade Science class, the principal, counselor, and secretary. Woah! Pressure! They did well today, though it took us all of class plus half of our hour long lunch to get through it all. Hopefully tomorrow they will be much quicker! I'll post pictures of it soon.
Oh... I almost forgot. Don't worry, I AM having a Thanksgiving meal. We just postponed Turkey Day until Saturday so it would not interfere with school. We are having about thirty people. I am in charge of the stuffing. Any recipe suggestions? I might make something else as well, I have to think of something though.
Today I spend a good portion of my afternoon mopping my classroom. Funny thing is, the last time I mopped my classroom was on my birthday. Maybe I'll mop again for Christmas!! How fun.
In the pre-mopping stage aka sweeping, I noticed something was moving in the pile of dust, dirt, and paper that I was pushing around my floor. I looked closely and noticed it was a tick, I looked closer and noticed there were at least five ticks in the pile. My classroom is worse than a field of grass! Luckily, here ticks do not carry lime disease or anything else (that I know of anyways). I just swept them out the door.
The reason I was mopping is because tomorrow my Honors English class is putting on a puppet show for Staci's 11th grade English class, Stefani's 12th grade Science class, the principal, counselor, and secretary. Woah! Pressure! They did well today, though it took us all of class plus half of our hour long lunch to get through it all. Hopefully tomorrow they will be much quicker! I'll post pictures of it soon.
Oh... I almost forgot. Don't worry, I AM having a Thanksgiving meal. We just postponed Turkey Day until Saturday so it would not interfere with school. We are having about thirty people. I am in charge of the stuffing. Any recipe suggestions? I might make something else as well, I have to think of something though.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Tough Week
I had a really tough week. It was too weeks ago, and now I finally feel at a point where I can write about it. Two weeks ago today one of my students passed away from complications with kidney stones. She had been in the hospital for the entire semester and was supposed to come to school that Monday. I was happy for her to return so I sent one of my students with work for her to look over so she would be relatively caught up. Monday morning my students tell me Josse is dead. At first I thought they were making an awful joke because some students were laughing, but when I checked with the principal he confirmed it to be true. Of course I was shocked. I had no idea what to do in class, as I did not have full understanding of the cultural differences related to death. Each class I gave a little talk about Josse and then allowed the class some free journaling time. Some of the students wrote about Josse and others wrote about their weekend or sports.
The cultural differences were huge and at times hard for me to deal with. I felt my lack of knowledge about how Marshallese handel death led me to feel frustrated and helpless. I didn't know what was right to say or do for the students who were close with Josse and the students who barley knew her. I never expected something like this to happen this year.
The wake was last Monday. The whole school went at a scheduled time (we had the day off as it was President's Day). We filed in past the open casket each placing a dollar or a quarter inside. Three of my students who were close with Josse were sitting around the casket fanning her. Then we all sat down on the floor while the principal and secretary of education gave speeches. Triston and I gave short speeches as well since we were her teachers. I felt my speech was too impersonal; I had no idea what to say and was so overcome with the emotion of seeing my students so upset that I made it very short.
After the wake things have been better. I was glad to be able to morn with my students in a way I was more familiar with. Since the funeral school has been much better. My lessons had been unfocused and under-planned during that week. Now I am back into focus and am doing much better in the classroom and out. Though seeing Josse's name in my grading book always makes my heart drop.
The cultural differences were huge and at times hard for me to deal with. I felt my lack of knowledge about how Marshallese handel death led me to feel frustrated and helpless. I didn't know what was right to say or do for the students who were close with Josse and the students who barley knew her. I never expected something like this to happen this year.
The wake was last Monday. The whole school went at a scheduled time (we had the day off as it was President's Day). We filed in past the open casket each placing a dollar or a quarter inside. Three of my students who were close with Josse were sitting around the casket fanning her. Then we all sat down on the floor while the principal and secretary of education gave speeches. Triston and I gave short speeches as well since we were her teachers. I felt my speech was too impersonal; I had no idea what to say and was so overcome with the emotion of seeing my students so upset that I made it very short.
After the wake things have been better. I was glad to be able to morn with my students in a way I was more familiar with. Since the funeral school has been much better. My lessons had been unfocused and under-planned during that week. Now I am back into focus and am doing much better in the classroom and out. Though seeing Josse's name in my grading book always makes my heart drop.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Pictures
The Office and some classrooms are in the building to the left. The building with my classroom is on the right. My classroom is the closest one. The dog is named Yogi. He sleeps under my desk during the school day.
The building on the left is my house! The closest window is my bedroom window, no peeping! The building on the right is the same one as above. I live right on the school's campus, my front yard is the main school yard.
The building on the left is my house! The closest window is my bedroom window, no peeping! The building on the right is the same one as above. I live right on the school's campus, my front yard is the main school yard.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Chicken, anyone?
So I was teaching when I noticed a chicken was standing in the doorway. She poked her head into my classroom but I continued on with my teaching. Typically the chickens see the room is full of people and they continue on their way. This chicken was a little more adventurous and decided to come into the classroom a little further. One of my students sitting near the door decided it would be funny to scare the chicken INTO my classroom. So he scares by swinging his arm and the chicken flies over my class and onto the other side. "ANJE!! You scared the chicken into my classroom now you must get it out of my classroom." I was not happy with him, but was struggling trying to hide how funny I thought the situation was and how I was actually enjoying the whole interruption. He scared the chicken out in much the same way he scared it in, the chicken flew over my class again and out the door. Afterwards I kept calling the turkeys I was talking about chickens.
Lesson Learned: Dogs AND chickens want to learn English.
Lesson Learned: Dogs AND chickens want to learn English.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
H-A-double L-O-double U- double E-N
The Causeway from Ebeye to Guegeegue
Hello Friends! Happy Halloween!
My Halloween was splendid (vocab word, yay)! My halloween evening can be split into two different parts: one in Ebeye, the other in Guegeegue.
After school I rode the school bus to Ebeye down the 5 mile bumpy causeway. I sat next to a Marshallese woman who was hitching on the bus. While laughing she asked, "Did you tell your family and friends about this causeway?" I laughed back because the causeway is basically a dirt road built on a coral reef. As you can probably imagine it is not in the least big flat. Now try to imagine a huge yellow school bus with two or three to a seat and many students standing going down this five mile pot-hole covered road in the middle of the Pacific. Are you laughing?
I was traveling to Ebeye to visit my Marshallese host family(8 children aged 1-18, mom, and dad) because it was my brother Hamill's first birthday. I made two huge chocolate chip cookies decorated with blue and white frosting. My family LOVES chocolate chip cookies so I thought the extra large cookies would be a hit. My host mom was so excited by them, she had never seen anything like them before.
As soon as I got there my mom told me we would be going to the church (they are Morman) across the street for a Halloween celebration for the children. Unlike most children in Ebeye, there were many in costume ready for the party to begin. After waiting around for 1.5 hours (aka chasing crawling Hamill around), we prayed and listened to some talks, then the Halloween costume judging began. By that time the birthday boy Hamill was fast asleep in my arms. I was one of the judges so I sat and watched 20 children parade around and I had to pick out the funniest, most beautiful, most handsome, scariest, ugliest, and most creative costumes for the 0-5 year old then again for the 5-11 year olds. It was lots of fun! My left arm was tired from holding chubby Hamill for almost two hours.
After the judging my mom came out of nowhere and told me it was time to go back to the house because some people going to sing to Hamill. The birthday boy's older brothers's friends (high schoolers, my students) were all outside the house waiting for Hamill. He was so scared of everyone when they were singing that he would not let his 7th grade sister put him down. After they finished singing and had a little something to eat because of Marshallese tradition I had to give a speech to thank everyone for coming because I am the oldest in the family haha. I had no idea what to say! I have only hung out with the family about 5 times, I don't even know all of my sibling's names (though I only have three more to learn)!
Then we went to the church and the church people sang to him. It was crazy. Hamill, three of my sisters and I sat on two chairs while everyone else crowed around taking turns shaking Hamills hand, pinching his cheeks, and kissing him. Hamill was given quarters and dollars (Marshallese tradition) which my sister held in her hand. We were also given two cakes which I balanced in each of my hands. Of course Hamill started to cry. Good thing I am not claustrophobic!!! After I had to give another speech. This one was not as good as my first because I didn't have as much time to think about it.
By that time it was 9pm and I needed a ride home, so we went in search of a ride. We walked to my Vice Principal's house and to my Uncle's house. Both were not home. Eventually my Uncle drove by and picked me up to drive me back in his truck. He was a nice guy.
Once home I went on a search to find Stefani. She had the only key to our house and had been looking for me for the past two hours, even drove into Ebeye. Eventually I found her (the island isn't that big) and we hung out laughing about night until there was a knock at the door. Six of the seniors, including one of my brothers, were in Guegeegue to go fishing later that night with Rocky the go to guy at KAHS (janitor, fix-it, ect.). This was the start to the second part of my Halloween. They had to wait until the tide was all the way up so they came to say hello. Well, we ended up hanging out with them until 2am. They had a keyboard so they played with that outside and sang and danced. I would have never imagined six high school guys spending their Friday night singing and dancing for their two teachers. It was hysterical. Stefani made them tea and I made them blondies. Stefani even broke out some of her science knowledge and had the guys all hovering around science magazines. We had so much fun.
I was woken up on Saturday morning by a knock at the door. Rocky had 5 fish for Stefani and I in a bowl. He said the guys wanted us to have them. The next night Triston helped us gut them and cook them. Wow! They were yummy!
It was certainly a Halloween to remember!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
A BIG Kommoltata
I received two boxes from amazon.com the other day with Charlotte's Web and Holes. Kommoltata, thank you Aunt Nancy for sending my students the books. Within the next two weeks I will finish reading The Big Wave with my honors students and I am wicked excited to start reading Holes. They are excited to read a book that has a movie to go along with it.
If anyone is interested in sending books for my classroom, I would love to be able to have class sets of Charlotte's Web by E.B. White and Holes by Louis Sachar (used or new).
Amazon.com and Barnes&Nobel have reasonable shipping costs, DON'T pay more than you would pay to ship something within the US. The Marshall Islands are on the USPS. I am in the process of figuring out if it is possible to claim the donation on your taxes. I'll keep you updated.
If anyone is interested in sending books for my classroom, I would love to be able to have class sets of Charlotte's Web by E.B. White and Holes by Louis Sachar (used or new).
Amazon.com and Barnes&Nobel have reasonable shipping costs, DON'T pay more than you would pay to ship something within the US. The Marshall Islands are on the USPS. I am in the process of figuring out if it is possible to claim the donation on your taxes. I'll keep you updated.
Rain on the Kwajalein Atoll
Wow! We have received so much rain the past few days. On Friday, during school the rain was coming down so hard I had to yell over the rain so the students could hear me. Some of the students refused to walk through the rain to get to class so they were late or absent. My 30 plus classes were reduced to less than 23 because so many students refused to wait for the bus to get to school. On Monday the same exact thing happened.
Monday was our PTA meeting in Ebeye. We handed out report cards to the parents. I was approached by two parents to discuss their student's grade in English. I failed 33 of 150 students. Ahhhh! That was a scary number. The sad part is the students who failed laughed at me when I asked them if they studied for their final. Obviously they didn't.
On our way back from the meeting I was sitting in the truck bed enjoying the cool air. Driving through Ebeye was a crazy experience. The streets were full of water. As we drove a couple children ran up to the back of the truck and grabbed on so they could stand on the bumper. I realized one of them had a wooden board in their hand. I knew exactly what he was going to do and said, "Be careful!" The 10 year old's quick response as he lowered the board into the water with one hand and stepped onto it was, "Don't worry, I am not a child." For about twenty feet he hung onto the truck with one hand and surfed in the flooded street. I wish I had brought my camera. As we neared the causeway to Guegeegue we came to a puddle almost eighteen inches deep. Children were playing in it, the water past their knees. They were certainly having fun.
The Island where Nick is teaching, Santo
Monday was our PTA meeting in Ebeye. We handed out report cards to the parents. I was approached by two parents to discuss their student's grade in English. I failed 33 of 150 students. Ahhhh! That was a scary number. The sad part is the students who failed laughed at me when I asked them if they studied for their final. Obviously they didn't.
On our way back from the meeting I was sitting in the truck bed enjoying the cool air. Driving through Ebeye was a crazy experience. The streets were full of water. As we drove a couple children ran up to the back of the truck and grabbed on so they could stand on the bumper. I realized one of them had a wooden board in their hand. I knew exactly what he was going to do and said, "Be careful!" The 10 year old's quick response as he lowered the board into the water with one hand and stepped onto it was, "Don't worry, I am not a child." For about twenty feet he hung onto the truck with one hand and surfed in the flooded street. I wish I had brought my camera. As we neared the causeway to Guegeegue we came to a puddle almost eighteen inches deep. Children were playing in it, the water past their knees. They were certainly having fun.
I wondered if the houses were flooded. The houses do not have cellars (my students told me one church does...) and I think most of them are built a little bit off the ground. I hope no on was sleeping in puddles last night. I was also thinking about how there is no sewerage in Ebeye. I wonder if the waste comes up when it rains. That is not a pleasant thought, especially since the children were so enjoying themselves in the flooding rain water.
The Island where Nick is teaching, Santo
Monday, October 13, 2008
Finals Week
I haven't posted in a while. I'm sorry!
Our internet died last Wednesday and hasn't been up again since...
Everything here is going really well. I am happy and healthy! Stefani had a fever like I did two weeks ago, but is feeling much better after sleeping most of Friday and Saturday.
This weekend was very low key. I spend Saturday doing typical things: going for a run, doing laundry, cleaning my bedroom, figuring out how to defer my loans from the MI, reading, knitting, cooking, and a movie. I didn't even pick up any school work! It was so wonderful. On Sunday I went to the base and got to call home for the first time. My family was at my cousin Carolyn's Sweet 16 (Happy Birthday Carolyn and Meredith!!!!!). Because they were at the party I was able to say a quick hello to my cousins, Erica, and both my parents.
This week if finals week at school. We have four finals at the end of each quarter. So by the end of the year the students will have four grades for each class. I am really worried for my students. I have been trying to get them to study since the beginning of last week, but from the way they answer questions in class most of them have not been studying. I am really scared for them! Ahhh!
Okay my internet time is running out! I'll post more as soon as I can.
Sending my love!
Our internet died last Wednesday and hasn't been up again since...
Everything here is going really well. I am happy and healthy! Stefani had a fever like I did two weeks ago, but is feeling much better after sleeping most of Friday and Saturday.
This weekend was very low key. I spend Saturday doing typical things: going for a run, doing laundry, cleaning my bedroom, figuring out how to defer my loans from the MI, reading, knitting, cooking, and a movie. I didn't even pick up any school work! It was so wonderful. On Sunday I went to the base and got to call home for the first time. My family was at my cousin Carolyn's Sweet 16 (Happy Birthday Carolyn and Meredith!!!!!). Because they were at the party I was able to say a quick hello to my cousins, Erica, and both my parents.
This week if finals week at school. We have four finals at the end of each quarter. So by the end of the year the students will have four grades for each class. I am really worried for my students. I have been trying to get them to study since the beginning of last week, but from the way they answer questions in class most of them have not been studying. I am really scared for them! Ahhh!
Okay my internet time is running out! I'll post more as soon as I can.
Sending my love!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Sunset
Friday, September 26, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Manit Day
This morning I woke up around 7:30 am. As I was mulling around the apartment, getting ready for Manit Day (Marshallese Custom Day) I heard a long piercing cry. After listening to it for a few seconds I realized what it was, a pig being killed. You would never believe how loud and startling the sound of a pig dying is in the quiet of the morning. By 8:30 am I am pretty sure three pigs were no longer. More on the pigs in a bit.
Manit Day is a big celebration of the Marshallese Culture. In Ebeye and Gugeegue much of the culture is becoming lost as a result of the overcrowding. Since there are almost no trees in Ebeye there are no handicrafts and many of the traditional foods are unable to be prepared. The overcrowding also causes over fishing which changes the diet as well. The islands have internet, cable, and other amenities that the outer islands do not have. To celebrate manit and to share traditional customs with the younger generations the Marshallese have Manit Day.
Manit Day started with prayer, singing, and a few speeches. All in Marshallese of course. Following we had a lunch of traditional foods and we learned how pigs are traditionally prepared. I posted the pictures below, they are pretty graphic so be prepared.
First, as I mentioned earlier the pig is killed. They puncture its chest and let it bleed out, saving the blood of course. After they shave the pig with a large knife.
Second, they dig a pit and light a fire. On top of the fire they put rocks. The rocks are heated for about an hour or two.
Once the rocks are warmed they cover them with leaves. This is sort of like the tinfoil.
Now the gutted and sliced pig is added.
In the next picture the pig is laying on the fire. To make it fit better into the pit they break the pig's legs. This part, especially, made me feel a little queasy. The people around me kept looking at me to see my facial expression. One student asked me why I was laughing. I don't really know why I was giggling... I giggle when I am nervous or uncomfortable sometimes, so maybe that was why.
The pig is covered with leaves. The leaves are covered with hot stones.
Then the whole pit is covered with tarps. The pit is covered with sand. I could still see a little smoke coming out from under everything. The pig is left like this for about four hours.
The next events were really fun. We were split into four groups and we had competitions. We competed in tug-of-war, musical chairs, and volleyball. My students were laughing at me when I played the teacher verses parent musical chairs because I was dancing. Actually, they were encouraging me to dance. It was pretty hysterical.
Wow, what a busy day!
For school I would really like to have class sets of children's chapter books. I have been reading books to my students, but I think it would really benefit them to have their own book to read while I am reading (or they are). If you are interested in sending me books for my classroom I would love (used or new):
Holes by Louis Sachar
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
If you order them online, most places will deliver here. They shouldn't charge more as we are on the US Postal Service. If you send them yourself, be sure to fill out a customs form at the post office.
Thank you for all of your support from back home! I couldn't do this without all of your prayers, letters, comments, emails, and love!!!!
The next events were really fun. We were split into four groups and we had competitions. We competed in tug-of-war, musical chairs, and volleyball. My students were laughing at me when I played the teacher verses parent musical chairs because I was dancing. Actually, they were encouraging me to dance. It was pretty hysterical.
Wow, what a busy day!
For school I would really like to have class sets of children's chapter books. I have been reading books to my students, but I think it would really benefit them to have their own book to read while I am reading (or they are). If you are interested in sending me books for my classroom I would love (used or new):
Holes by Louis Sachar
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
If you order them online, most places will deliver here. They shouldn't charge more as we are on the US Postal Service. If you send them yourself, be sure to fill out a customs form at the post office.
Thank you for all of your support from back home! I couldn't do this without all of your prayers, letters, comments, emails, and love!!!!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Feast Day
My apartment from the water!
This weekend was such a busy and fun weekend. The local Catholic School hosted a feast day. On Friday night I went to singing and dancing practice. I learned two Marshallese songs and a dance. We had practice from 11pm-past midnight. I had to leave early because I was so tired. On Saturday morning the Youth Group walked the 5 mile causeway from Ebeye to Guegeegue carrying a cross. On their way they did the stations of the cross. I wasn't able to go, but it seems like it was a spiritual experience for most of the youth. On Sunday everyone from the Catholic church bused in to Guegeegue for the 10am service. After lunch there were competitive games. Everyone was split into saint groups. The Gugeegue group was St. Thomas. They competed all day then I joined them for a huge dinner. I missed a lot of the day because I had to lesson plan and get ready for a week of school. After we finished with dinner the performances began. Each Saint group had singers and dancers and musical instruments. Many of the guys did step dances that were really cool. My group was last. I was so tired that I actually feel asleep watching some of the performances. I was waiting until after midnight to get onto stage. We did our dance first then sang two songs. Some of my students were there to see me! The dance was very simple a lot of shuffling and cha-chaing, and even a bit of the electric slide! I had such a fun weekend!
Saturday, September 6, 2008
My Long Promised Entry
Saturday, August 30, 2008 at midnight
We lost power tonight, I am sitting in candle light in my room. I was just at a gathering of neighbors. We were having a potluck with beer and cavaroot (spelling?). Cava has become very popular in the Marshall Islands the past few years. It is a Fijian tradition, which was brought here as the population of Fijians rises. Before someone drinks it he has to clap (one or two times, I didn’t quite figure it out), while he drinks everyone claps twice, once he finishes and hands back the cup he should clap two or three times. I hadn’t seen the clapping before, so when everyone was randomly clapping I thought they were playing a game I didn’t understand. It took me most of the night to finally ask someone what was going on.
I have been here for almost two weeks and I have only briefly updated you all on what is going on. I will start from the day I arrived.
On Tuesday August 19th we arrived in Kwajelein. We were met by many people. I will list them to make it easier:
Staci- a past WorldTeach volunteer, now a contracted teacher who we spend a lot of time with
Julian- our principal, he was actually on the plane with us
Julian’s Wife
Evelyn- the school’s secretary
Christina- the school’s librarian who is very pregnant
There were more people but those are the ones I remember. Julian bought us lunch at Kwaj as we waited for the boat. He is a very soft spoken man who is very involved with his church and the local government.
Instead of waiting for the ferry to arrive we took a water taxi to Ebeye. Once my luggage was near the taxi I never touched it again, except to point out what was mine. Everyone was so helpful. The taxi took a little while to load, then we were off to Ebeye. As Matt, Nick, Stefani, and I got off the taxi a van drove up to the dock filled with teachers from Kwajelein Atoll High School (KAHS, my school) and Matt’s school. A man sang and danced for us in Marshallese, while the women shyly put fresh red and yellow (Stefani and my favorite colors) flowered necklaces on each of us. They smelled wonderful and were so beautiful. I was so surprised by the welcome because someone told me not to expect anything. Our luggage was transferred into the van. I was amazed as I watched a Marshallese teen maneuver our suitcases so everything would fit. The way he climbed over everything without standing up reminded me of Spiderman.
They drove down the road and repacked Stefani and I into a pickup truck. We said goodbye to Matt and Nick and jumped into the cab of the truck. Staci drove us down the five mile causeway to Gugeegue.
I could write a whole journal entry just about the causeway. The causeway is in the middle of the ocean, built up on the coral reef. The dirt road has countless potholes and sections covered in sand. It is just as wide as the street is wide with the ocean on one side and the lagoon on the other. There is a lot of trash in certain sections. Two discarded land moving machines from when the causeway was built and many rusted out cars are some of the landmarks along the way. There has been talk for the past few years about the causeway being paved or rebuilt. When it is high tide the ocean almost licks the road.
We arrived in Gugeegue and find out they are in the middle of a black out that ended up spanning five days. Stefani and I are shocked at the apartment that we will spend our next year living in. It is unbelievably roomy and new looking, fully furnished with a large kitchen, living room, bathroom with running water, and two decent sized bedrooms with large closets and dressers. The girl who lived in the apartment before left us a bookcase full of books along with many other mementos.
Stefani was sick so she went to sleep. I started in on the cleaning. Everything seemed dusty and full of cobwebs. When I finished wiping down everything in my bedroom I started on the kitchen. It was hard work!
Friday, September 5, 2008
Now I can finally officially say I finished cleaning the entire apartment floor to ceiling. It feels so good! Well, except for washing the curtains, but hopefully I will figure out how to use our washing machine sometime this weekend.
I am so happy for Re Jerbal (people’s work) day. I have the day off from school and I am going to hopefully meet my host family later tonight. The elementary school on Ebeye invited the high school teachers to a beginning of the year dinner celebration. Evelyn, my school’s secretary, told me that my host family was invited. I’ll update you all on that soon!
So school has been in session officially for two weeks. I almost forgot how draining it is to be a teacher. Wow. I am so tired every night, but I stay up late lesson planning. My classes this week have grown immensely. I started out with about 25 students per class, now my smallest class has 29 and my largest has 33. The desks barely fit into my large classroom. I am teaching all freshman and I love them. They are the youngest in the school and I am so glad for that.
This week I fell into a decent routine. I wake up at 7:30 and start getting ready for the day. The first 2 buses arrive at 8:30. Since I have the first period as my prep period I usually go to my classroom around 9 to start setting up. Did I mention my apartment is right in the middle of KAHS campus? Students are always sitting on my front steps and knocking on my door for water.
My first class is English 9 with 29 students. Currently I am trying to read The Boxcar Children with them. The problem is, I started it thinking the book was in the library and read the first chapter from a textbook, then I realized I couldn’t find a copy of the book. I think I am going to order one… somehow.
My second class is Honors English. We are reading The Big Wave. The school supposedly has 20ish copies of the book, I have only found three. It is hard because the students are low in English and only listening is hard especially with language learners. Having the text would help. Hopefully I will find the books before we are finished reading them.
My third class is my favorite of course, Pre-Algebra 9. We are working on number names and will have a test on Monday.
Then I have an hour break for lunch. I clean up my classroom, get ready for my next classes, run to my house for food if I am hungry, and provide the students with water. Did I mention the school still doesn’t have lunch for the students?
I provide my fourth class, English 9 with water to help them get through the afternoon. This class is almost the same as my morning class.
Finally I have Everyday English, my lowest class. The students barely understand me and I am at a loss of what to do with them. It is my biggest class as well which makes things hard. I’m sure I’ll figure out what is best for them this next week.
After school I hang out with a few of my students until the bus arrives. They teach me Marshallese and we chat and joke. Miko, one of my students, for the past two weeks has helped me clean my room on Fridays. She is so sweet.
After school I go back to my house to lesson plan and relax. Stefani and I make dinner, then more planning and hanging out until bed time. Thursday nights Stefani, Staci, and I meet up with Andrea, a women who works at the Catholic school on Guegeegue to have a knit and bitch night. We have fun. Tomorrow I am starting my first official project. Yay!
Last night for the first time I called my apartment “home”. I had a moment of reflection after that. Finally this week I really am starting to feel comfortable and at home. What an amazing feeling!
We lost power tonight, I am sitting in candle light in my room. I was just at a gathering of neighbors. We were having a potluck with beer and cavaroot (spelling?). Cava has become very popular in the Marshall Islands the past few years. It is a Fijian tradition, which was brought here as the population of Fijians rises. Before someone drinks it he has to clap (one or two times, I didn’t quite figure it out), while he drinks everyone claps twice, once he finishes and hands back the cup he should clap two or three times. I hadn’t seen the clapping before, so when everyone was randomly clapping I thought they were playing a game I didn’t understand. It took me most of the night to finally ask someone what was going on.
I have been here for almost two weeks and I have only briefly updated you all on what is going on. I will start from the day I arrived.
On Tuesday August 19th we arrived in Kwajelein. We were met by many people. I will list them to make it easier:
Staci- a past WorldTeach volunteer, now a contracted teacher who we spend a lot of time with
Julian- our principal, he was actually on the plane with us
Julian’s Wife
Evelyn- the school’s secretary
Christina- the school’s librarian who is very pregnant
There were more people but those are the ones I remember. Julian bought us lunch at Kwaj as we waited for the boat. He is a very soft spoken man who is very involved with his church and the local government.
They drove down the road and repacked Stefani and I into a pickup truck. We said goodbye to Matt and Nick and jumped into the cab of the truck. Staci drove us down the five mile causeway to Gugeegue.
I could write a whole journal entry just about the causeway. The causeway is in the middle of the ocean, built up on the coral reef. The dirt road has countless potholes and sections covered in sand. It is just as wide as the street is wide with the ocean on one side and the lagoon on the other. There is a lot of trash in certain sections. Two discarded land moving machines from when the causeway was built and many rusted out cars are some of the landmarks along the way. There has been talk for the past few years about the causeway being paved or rebuilt. When it is high tide the ocean almost licks the road.
We arrived in Gugeegue and find out they are in the middle of a black out that ended up spanning five days. Stefani and I are shocked at the apartment that we will spend our next year living in. It is unbelievably roomy and new looking, fully furnished with a large kitchen, living room, bathroom with running water, and two decent sized bedrooms with large closets and dressers. The girl who lived in the apartment before left us a bookcase full of books along with many other mementos.
Stefani was sick so she went to sleep. I started in on the cleaning. Everything seemed dusty and full of cobwebs. When I finished wiping down everything in my bedroom I started on the kitchen. It was hard work!
Friday, September 5, 2008
Now I can finally officially say I finished cleaning the entire apartment floor to ceiling. It feels so good! Well, except for washing the curtains, but hopefully I will figure out how to use our washing machine sometime this weekend.
I am so happy for Re Jerbal (people’s work) day. I have the day off from school and I am going to hopefully meet my host family later tonight. The elementary school on Ebeye invited the high school teachers to a beginning of the year dinner celebration. Evelyn, my school’s secretary, told me that my host family was invited. I’ll update you all on that soon!
So school has been in session officially for two weeks. I almost forgot how draining it is to be a teacher. Wow. I am so tired every night, but I stay up late lesson planning. My classes this week have grown immensely. I started out with about 25 students per class, now my smallest class has 29 and my largest has 33. The desks barely fit into my large classroom. I am teaching all freshman and I love them. They are the youngest in the school and I am so glad for that.
This week I fell into a decent routine. I wake up at 7:30 and start getting ready for the day. The first 2 buses arrive at 8:30. Since I have the first period as my prep period I usually go to my classroom around 9 to start setting up. Did I mention my apartment is right in the middle of KAHS campus? Students are always sitting on my front steps and knocking on my door for water.
My first class is English 9 with 29 students. Currently I am trying to read The Boxcar Children with them. The problem is, I started it thinking the book was in the library and read the first chapter from a textbook, then I realized I couldn’t find a copy of the book. I think I am going to order one… somehow.
My second class is Honors English. We are reading The Big Wave. The school supposedly has 20ish copies of the book, I have only found three. It is hard because the students are low in English and only listening is hard especially with language learners. Having the text would help. Hopefully I will find the books before we are finished reading them.
My third class is my favorite of course, Pre-Algebra 9. We are working on number names and will have a test on Monday.
Then I have an hour break for lunch. I clean up my classroom, get ready for my next classes, run to my house for food if I am hungry, and provide the students with water. Did I mention the school still doesn’t have lunch for the students?
I provide my fourth class, English 9 with water to help them get through the afternoon. This class is almost the same as my morning class.
Finally I have Everyday English, my lowest class. The students barely understand me and I am at a loss of what to do with them. It is my biggest class as well which makes things hard. I’m sure I’ll figure out what is best for them this next week.
After school I hang out with a few of my students until the bus arrives. They teach me Marshallese and we chat and joke. Miko, one of my students, for the past two weeks has helped me clean my room on Fridays. She is so sweet.
After school I go back to my house to lesson plan and relax. Stefani and I make dinner, then more planning and hanging out until bed time. Thursday nights Stefani, Staci, and I meet up with Andrea, a women who works at the Catholic school on Guegeegue to have a knit and bitch night. We have fun. Tomorrow I am starting my first official project. Yay!
Last night for the first time I called my apartment “home”. I had a moment of reflection after that. Finally this week I really am starting to feel comfortable and at home. What an amazing feeling!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
AHHHHHH
Sooooo... Stefani my roommate just realized the address WorldTeach gave us was wrong. It is actually PO Box 5129 (NOT 5179). I am a bit upset... but I think I will still be able to get what you sent me. A good thing about small islands and being a rebelle is people can find me.
I will try to write a post this weekend. Miss you all!
I will try to write a post this weekend. Miss you all!
Half a Post
August 20, 2008
My last week on Majuro passed so quickly. Living in Darren’s apartment was fun. I was able to get to know Matt, Nick, and Stefani better, which is exciting because they will all be living on the Kwajelein Atoll with me.
Tuesday morning I finished my last minute packing in the morning and then packed up all of our stuff into a van. Luckily everything fit, including us! However the van’s battery decided it didn’t feel like starting up the engine. So we pushed the van in reverse, then forward, until it was in the road. The four of us, along with Lauren and Annie, pushed the van with Darren and our luggage inside down the road until we gained enough speed for the van to start. Oh how wonderfully exciting every moment is in the Marshall Islands.
The airport is as small as any paved airport you can think of. We walk in and bring our bags right to a short line that contains only a few passengers on our plane. A guy helps me weigh my bags (46 and 72 pounds) then brings them over to a table to hand inspect them. There is no x-ray machine so they must look through each bag. The inspector found a lighter in Stefani’s bag which she thought was long gone. After we checked our luggage we had breakfast then went through customs (a guy who glances at our passport) and into the one and only gate. I took a nap and read until we had to load the plane. I walked across the single runway and onto the plane; my second time on this specific Continental plane (four more times to go).
The flight was short and smooth. Considering all of the flights I have had since I left home I am lucky they have all been easy rides. On the Kwaj base there were strict procedures we had to follow. Our bags were sniffed by dogs and we were personally escorted to a holding area to wait in until we could catch our boat.
More to come later. Time is tight… sorry
My last week on Majuro passed so quickly. Living in Darren’s apartment was fun. I was able to get to know Matt, Nick, and Stefani better, which is exciting because they will all be living on the Kwajelein Atoll with me.
Tuesday morning I finished my last minute packing in the morning and then packed up all of our stuff into a van. Luckily everything fit, including us! However the van’s battery decided it didn’t feel like starting up the engine. So we pushed the van in reverse, then forward, until it was in the road. The four of us, along with Lauren and Annie, pushed the van with Darren and our luggage inside down the road until we gained enough speed for the van to start. Oh how wonderfully exciting every moment is in the Marshall Islands.
The airport is as small as any paved airport you can think of. We walk in and bring our bags right to a short line that contains only a few passengers on our plane. A guy helps me weigh my bags (46 and 72 pounds) then brings them over to a table to hand inspect them. There is no x-ray machine so they must look through each bag. The inspector found a lighter in Stefani’s bag which she thought was long gone. After we checked our luggage we had breakfast then went through customs (a guy who glances at our passport) and into the one and only gate. I took a nap and read until we had to load the plane. I walked across the single runway and onto the plane; my second time on this specific Continental plane (four more times to go).
The flight was short and smooth. Considering all of the flights I have had since I left home I am lucky they have all been easy rides. On the Kwaj base there were strict procedures we had to follow. Our bags were sniffed by dogs and we were personally escorted to a holding area to wait in until we could catch our boat.
More to come later. Time is tight… sorry
Monday, August 18, 2008
Leaving in the Morning
Hello Friends!
I am (pretty much) officially leaving tomorrow morning. Our plane is scheduled to leave at noon and we have to get there 4 hours early! There is only one customs officer so we have to go through customs before the plane arrives and the passengers go through customs. Everything here is awesome.
I just went to see the Dark Knight. Yes there is a movie theater in Majuro. Best of all it cost $3. The theater has three movies showing. They change weekly.
Last night the new ambassador's mother-in-law invited us to her house for a party. Her house is one of the nicest houses in the country. It is absolutely beautiful. The party was in the afternoon. When we arrived the host told us she has lots planned for us and she was true to her word. I learned how to cook breadfruit over coals in the traditional way, scraping off the soot with a seashell while holding the fruit with a coconut shell. I learned how to make plates out of coconut and breadfruit tree leaves, which we then ate out of. I ate fish, breadfruit, coconut, rice, chicken, coconut bread, and many other delicious dishes of which I still need to learn their names. After dinner a couple of the women made a "love potion" of coconut and special herbs which was used on the children. We played games of volleyball, the Marshallese teens totally ruined us. At the end of the night I learned how to make a "Marshallese Ball" which is really a cube our of coconut leaves. All of which was done in a backyard with two mini gazebos and a wall right next to the breathtaking lagoon. My first Marahallese party was one I'll never forget.
Leaving tomorrow is such a weird feeling. It is weird saying goodbye to people who I have come so close with in the past month, knowing that I will may never see them again.
Love you all! XOXO
I am (pretty much) officially leaving tomorrow morning. Our plane is scheduled to leave at noon and we have to get there 4 hours early! There is only one customs officer so we have to go through customs before the plane arrives and the passengers go through customs. Everything here is awesome.
I just went to see the Dark Knight. Yes there is a movie theater in Majuro. Best of all it cost $3. The theater has three movies showing. They change weekly.
Last night the new ambassador's mother-in-law invited us to her house for a party. Her house is one of the nicest houses in the country. It is absolutely beautiful. The party was in the afternoon. When we arrived the host told us she has lots planned for us and she was true to her word. I learned how to cook breadfruit over coals in the traditional way, scraping off the soot with a seashell while holding the fruit with a coconut shell. I learned how to make plates out of coconut and breadfruit tree leaves, which we then ate out of. I ate fish, breadfruit, coconut, rice, chicken, coconut bread, and many other delicious dishes of which I still need to learn their names. After dinner a couple of the women made a "love potion" of coconut and special herbs which was used on the children. We played games of volleyball, the Marshallese teens totally ruined us. At the end of the night I learned how to make a "Marshallese Ball" which is really a cube our of coconut leaves. All of which was done in a backyard with two mini gazebos and a wall right next to the breathtaking lagoon. My first Marahallese party was one I'll never forget.
Leaving tomorrow is such a weird feeling. It is weird saying goodbye to people who I have come so close with in the past month, knowing that I will may never see them again.
Love you all! XOXO
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Hello
Thank you for all of your messages. I'm sorry I haven't been able to write back to them individually, but I just want to let you know that I love hearing from you all and I am thinking of you often.
Goobie & Jan- I did have a coconut! I drank the coconut water directly from the coconut, then broke it open and ate some of the meat. Yum! I also have coconut in many of my meals. The Marshallese make a dish that is similar to tapioca pudding that have coconut in it. Look up breadfruit, that is what I have been eating at almost every meal. Also look up pandanas. They are so healthy and very very yummy. I have only had one so far, but I hopefully will have more.
Love you all very much!! Enjoy the last few weeks of summer :D
Goobie & Jan- I did have a coconut! I drank the coconut water directly from the coconut, then broke it open and ate some of the meat. Yum! I also have coconut in many of my meals. The Marshallese make a dish that is similar to tapioca pudding that have coconut in it. Look up breadfruit, that is what I have been eating at almost every meal. Also look up pandanas. They are so healthy and very very yummy. I have only had one so far, but I hopefully will have more.
Love you all very much!! Enjoy the last few weeks of summer :D
Leaving Tuesday
The following entry was written on Tuesday, August 12.
About ten minutes after my last entry I found out my flight to Gugeegue was moved to Tuesday the 19th. Almost everyday there is something in our schedule that changes for one reason or another, planning anything concrete is almost impossible. Because of the difficulties I have with keeping track of time, I sometimes don’t even notice the changes in schedule. So it works out for me!
One more week of life on Majuro and then I will be settling into my “apartment” with Stefani. Until then we have a busy schedule. Tomorrow and Thursday we will have our Marshallese lessons and teacher sessions all day. On Friday the volunteers staying in Majuro are moving out while the rest of us clean the school. That night we will go into town to finish up our shopping and have a dinner/talent show at a local hotel with our language teachers. Most of us will come back to the elementary school we are staying in to sleep. The next morning we all move out so the school can start getting ready for classes. We will move into an array of different places until our boats or planes come to get us. I will be staying with Darren, the co-field director, Stefani, Matt, and Nick the Kwajelein volunteers. We will have a few relaxing days before heading out. Maybe I will indulge in bringing my clothes to the laundry mat. Bucket washing them just isn't the same; they all smell so musty.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Quick Update
Hello! Thank you for all of your messages. I love reading them!
I don't have much time, so I am going to try to update quickly. I am leaving for Gugeegue on Saturday the 16th. I have just over a week here. School is supposed to start the 18th but knowing a bit about the Marshallese culture I doubt it will start that early. I still don't know what I will be teaching at the High School and I probably won't know until I get there.
I am healthy, though there are four volunteers that are very sick. I am taking my vitamins and trying my best to not get sick.
I will update this blog more often once I am on my island. During training we are super busy and don't have much access to the internet. Pictures are coming soon :D
Miss you very much! Hope you are all enjoying your summers.
Sidenote: I hung my laundry next to the ocean under the stars and moon on coconut trees. I'm so lucky to be here.
I don't have much time, so I am going to try to update quickly. I am leaving for Gugeegue on Saturday the 16th. I have just over a week here. School is supposed to start the 18th but knowing a bit about the Marshallese culture I doubt it will start that early. I still don't know what I will be teaching at the High School and I probably won't know until I get there.
I am healthy, though there are four volunteers that are very sick. I am taking my vitamins and trying my best to not get sick.
I will update this blog more often once I am on my island. During training we are super busy and don't have much access to the internet. Pictures are coming soon :D
Miss you very much! Hope you are all enjoying your summers.
Sidenote: I hung my laundry next to the ocean under the stars and moon on coconut trees. I'm so lucky to be here.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
A Break From Training
Hello Friends! I am currently sitting outside at a restaurant eating french fries, using free Internet, hanging with friends, and looking out over the ocean. We are not usually at a place were we can enjoy such things so I am taking full advantage!
I think I figured out how to post pictures, yay! I hope they work. Last time the internet was too slow so I didn't have time to put them up. The first picture is a picture of the bus our group travels around on. If there was ever a problem and we had to get off the bus fast it would be very hard. When we travel we have to have at least two people sitting on the floor and two people standing. So funny. To travel from the school we are staying in to the town, where we have spent most of the past week it is about an hour trip. The speed limit is 15 mph and gas is $6.75/gallon.
My new favorite activity is showering in the rain. I sweat a lot here. Basically unless I am in an air conditioned room I am sweating everywhere! Don't worry I still enjoy a good bucket shower, but showering in the rain is thrilling. I shower under a spout from the roof completely clothed. At home I would put on a bathing suit but here my bathing suit consists of more clothes than I would normally wear on a hot day; covered knees, shoulders, and chest.
Last weekend we traveled to an uninhabited island to go to the beach. I had such a wonderful time. The beach was sandy and there were little structures with benches and tables to sit under. I was in the water for about two hours because the coral was so beautiful. The colors of the coral were golden, yellow, and orange. The fish ranged in size from tiny to about a foot long. I was so glad I remembered to pack goggles! I saw a nemo fish, stripped fish, iridescent fish, schools of little blue fish, they were all different colors. Eventually I was tired from swimming and holding my breath for so long that I had to get out of the water. On shore the water looked aqua blue. There were pigs, crabs, and chickens wandering around the island. I hope we get to go back soon.
I am learning to speak cajun majel (Marshallese). I am in a group of five volunteers and Arther is our teacher. He is great; just graduated from high school and is going to go to Hawaii for college in August. My computer is starting to act weird. I will update soon! XOXO
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Arrived a Week Ago
Yay! I finally have the chance to use the internet to update my blog. We have been very busy during orientation. Once I get to my placement I will be able to update you all more often. I have pictures, but I am not sure it they loaded correctly.
When we arrived at the bright purple and lavender school we unloaded into classrooms and went to bed. I am in a room with ten girls. We are staying at the school for 3.5 weeks of orientation which includes: language classes, teacher classes, culture classes, and talks about logistics. Except for the weekends we don’t have much free time 8:30am-7:00pm.
The first morning I woke up at 6am because of jet lag. I thought it was still raining outside from the night before so I went to the window to look outside. I was shocked to see the ocean about 50 feet from the school. The combination of the wind blowing and the ocean rolling made the sound I thought was a downpour. The ocean is so beautiful. The waves are bright aqua (Baka’s favorite color).
The school is a pretty nice place to be staying. We have four toilets, two showers, a kitchen area, the ocean right behind us and the lagoon across the street and down a small path. We have three inch pads which make the concrete very comfortable. There are pigs, chickens, and dogs wandering around. A rooster wakes us up in the morning. The less convenient aspects of living at the school I have come to appreciate. Showering using a bucket of cold water and a cup is so refreshing. I am learning to master the technique and now use about 8 cups of water to take a refreshing shower. (Speaking of showering I just ran outside to wash my face and cool down in a three minute downpour. One of the girls actually washed her hair using the downspout. I wish I grabbed my camera.) The water we use for washing dishes, taking showers, and flushing toilets is mostly collected from the school’s roof into a huge catchment or into trash bins. To flush a toilet we have to get a bucket of water from a bin and dump it into the bowl and the toilet automatically flushes. Our kitchen has rats and our room has cockroaches, mosquitoes, ants, and a hermit crab (he got into someone’s bag when we went to the beach, haha). They are all part of the experience and none of them really bother me. Oh I almost forgot, the ocean has sharks close enough to shore some of the volunteers have seen them while swimming.
Majuro, the capital island and the island we are staying on, is about thirty miles long and at most four blocks wide, usually only one or two. Sine Majuro is on an atoll there is a lagoon side and an ocean side. I swam in the lagoon side and will swim in the ocean side soon.
Sorry this is so long. I will post more later :D Love you all and miss you very much!!!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Waiting in Hawaii
Three plane rides down, one to go. This morning I was up at 3am getting ready to get to the airport for our early morning flight. Before the second shuttle leaves for the airport we found out that our flight was delayed tentatively until 8pm. So I have another day in Hawaii, maybe more depending on when the plane arrives from Majuro (the capitol city).
Yesterday I saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time from the plane to Hawaii. Once we got settled in our hotel a group of three girls and I took an hour long bus ride to Waikiki, a touristy shopping area next to a beautiful aqua beach. After eating Chinese food I was able to go for a swim! I was so excited. The water went from my knees to my neck in three steps then stayed up to my neck after I swam out for a good five to ten minutes. The surfers seemed to be out so deep, but there didn't seem to be a drop off for a long while after the first one at the shore. Unfortunately I do not have my camera cord because I checked it in my luggage. I will post pictures soon, I promise.
Hawaii is a little disappointing to me. We are in a very commercial area. I am in my hotel room now and all I can here are cars buzzing by on the highway. Which is fine, I am not here for very long and I am in Hawaii after all!
Today, while waiting for the plane, I went with a group of 10 to Pearl Harbor. We went to the USS Arizona Museum and were able to see the harbor where all of the ships sank. It was a very somber site. Full of history.
I am not sure when I will be able to update next. With luck our plane will come tonight and we will be on our way to the Marshalls. Peace friends!
Yesterday I saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time from the plane to Hawaii. Once we got settled in our hotel a group of three girls and I took an hour long bus ride to Waikiki, a touristy shopping area next to a beautiful aqua beach. After eating Chinese food I was able to go for a swim! I was so excited. The water went from my knees to my neck in three steps then stayed up to my neck after I swam out for a good five to ten minutes. The surfers seemed to be out so deep, but there didn't seem to be a drop off for a long while after the first one at the shore. Unfortunately I do not have my camera cord because I checked it in my luggage. I will post pictures soon, I promise.
Hawaii is a little disappointing to me. We are in a very commercial area. I am in my hotel room now and all I can here are cars buzzing by on the highway. Which is fine, I am not here for very long and I am in Hawaii after all!
Today, while waiting for the plane, I went with a group of 10 to Pearl Harbor. We went to the USS Arizona Museum and were able to see the harbor where all of the ships sank. It was a very somber site. Full of history.
I am not sure when I will be able to update next. With luck our plane will come tonight and we will be on our way to the Marshalls. Peace friends!
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Last Day
Wow. This week went by faster than I could have imagined. Today I really have to buckle down and get everything into my bags. Kayla has been so helpful sharpening about 100 pencils for me and addressing envelops for thank you notes.
I want to thank everyone for all the support I have received. Without all of you I wouldn't be able to be going on a trip like this. Thank you!
I want to thank everyone for all the support I have received. Without all of you I wouldn't be able to be going on a trip like this. Thank you!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
4 Days Until the Adventure Begins
In 4 days I will be be all packed (hard to believe) and driving to Logan. The WorldTeach-ers are meeting in LA for a meeting and so we can travel to the Marshall Islands together. I am very excited to meet the people I will be spending my next year with. I will be able to explore LA from 11am until the meeting at 7pm. Any suggestions of places to see/things to do? The next morning we will set flight to Hawaii. I thought I was only going to be there from midnight-6am but I misread my itinerary. We will arrive in Hawaii at noon and leave the next morning at 7am. I am really excited to see a part of Hawaii. It will be my first taste of a Pacific Island. Then to the Marshall Islands and our month of intensive training in Marshalese, culture, teaching, and living.
You all should see my room right now. It is a total disaster and Erica isn't even here! I am hoping I won't forget anything too important. I am having the hardest time deciding what clothes to bring. I don't want to wear anything that will make me stick out even more than I already will.
Janna planned a Fire&Ice trip to Boston for tonight with Kayla, Eric, Jay, and maybe Kyle. Yum!
You all should see my room right now. It is a total disaster and Erica isn't even here! I am hoping I won't forget anything too important. I am having the hardest time deciding what clothes to bring. I don't want to wear anything that will make me stick out even more than I already will.
Janna planned a Fire&Ice trip to Boston for tonight with Kayla, Eric, Jay, and maybe Kyle. Yum!
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