Family

I went to visit my family today. Our school truck has been broken for the past three weeks so I had to hitch in to Ebeye. Today I had good luck on my side because as soon as I sat down at the "bus stop" (there are no buses, so I don't know why I decided that was a good name for the picnic table I wait at) a truck came by and picked me up.

I thought I would be going to church, but the time of my family's church changes each year. So now church is at 2pm instead of 10am. My family seems to be doing well. Rona and Hamill (3yrs & 15mo) were sick last week, but are better. Hamill is actually walking now. He was causing trouble, knocking everything off the lower shelf of the bookcase then climbing inside. We watched Smack Down. The kids LOVE it. They kept asking me if it was real. haha. MnM's girlfriend (19yr) braided my hair Marshallese style. I had a little cornrow going down each side of my face, then two backwards french braids with the rest of my hair next to them. Mama gave me a new Marshallese skirt. It is BRIGHT orange! I love it.

I went home before church, so that I could get some work done before tonight. I walked to the Ebeye side "bus stop" to wait for a truck. Some children saw me so they came over to see what the ribelle was doing. I had my iPod so I let them listen to it. We danced a little. They were so funny. Eventually a truck came. I sat in the front with a guy who actually lives about two houses over from me. His English was really strong so we talked almost the whole ride. He actually was one of the people who helped design the causeway. He told me a bit about it. The first half of it cost four million dollars to build, the government hired an outside company. The second half the people here built. The causeway is still not finished and may never be because of money.

Well, I am going to go write a final. Later tonight Stefani and I are going to hang out with 2 year old Sebastian. He is coming over! Maybe we'll blow bubbles :D

Getting ready for Finals

Just want to write a quick update... I need to get into bed!

Finals are this coming week. So I have been busy writing study guides and tests, and will be busy grading. We have Monday off for Nuclear Victims Day to remember the people who died and suffered from the US testing nuclear bombs on Bikini Atoll. You know Spongebob lives in the Marshall Islands on Bikini? There is an episode with a reference to the bombs...

I can't believe after next week I will be starting my last quarter teaching here. It is so unreal how fast the time has gone.

I am knitting a lot. I have learned so much from Andrea. Maybe I'll post a picture of everything I have made so far, and what I am working on.

MISS YOU ALL

Valentine's Day

Some of the 90 cakes we decorated.

Valentine's Day was a bit of a stressful day for us on Guegeegue. Andrea was running a fund raiser for her school. Her students asked friends and family to order Valentine's Day cakes and cookie grams. Andrea and teams of students made the 90 cakes and all of the cookie grams. Andrea worked around the clock trying to get it all done. So Stefani (with her cake decorating expertise) and I helped her with the cakes. Stefani taught the students how to make the frosting, make flowers from frosting, and how to frost the cakes. Andrea's house was covered in sugar, frosting, ramen, and ants by the time we finished the cakes. It was crazy!

Me, Stefani, and Staci at the Valentine's Day Dance

After decorating from 11am until 6pm Stefani and I ran to our school to help with the set up for the Valentine's Day dance. We set up, got dressed and ready, ate dinner, all in time for the dance that was supposed to start at 7pm, but ended up starting at 8pm. The dance was funny. I use the word dance because that is what it was supposed to be but in reality no one danced. Maybe a better term would be sit-in-the-dark-listening-to-music-with-friends, or hovering-outside-to-scared-to-enter, or even hang-out-in-sara's-classroom-too-nervous-to-put-on-a-dress. Haha. Anyways, it was really fun and the students seemed to have fun as well. That is what counts right?