Merry Christmas!

Ants and sillybandz...

I hate ants. I think they are now one of my biggest fears. Last night, I stupidly left cookies out on the table in Tami and my room. Between the window and the cookies, sat my laptop. Of course, the ants coming from the window COULD have gone around, but no. They marched straight through my computer and to the cookies and back. Almost 24 hours later, there are thousands of ants still inhabiting my computer. I set it in a box for 20 minutes, and when I came back it was full of ants. I am covered by ant bites and can't believe how many thousands are in my computer. Hopefully I get them out before they do any damage...but how much damage can ants do..right? On the plus side, it's 9 pm and we still have power! That's a nice change from the power being off 8-12 every night for the past two months.
I know I should write more, but it's really just the same thing every day. Though I still like being here, its becoming tedious and repetitive. Its funny because today I was reading my journal (that I kept for like a month when I first got here) and I used to think everything was new and exciting. I guess its because it was. I remember thinking that lesson plans would be so hard and teaching would be hard too, but that's the easiest part of being here in Palau. The thing they don't warn you about is boredom. They don't tell you that a small thing like ants and destroy your day or not being home for Christmas will make such a big impact. I just wish I could be at home sometimes, but I know that wouldn't make me happy. Being here makes me happy. It just takes a little reminding. The kids make it all worth it. Whether its kindergartners swarming me at recess, first grade asking for piggy back rides, hugs from third graders, boy talk with sixth graders, or just my own kids telling me they love me, I love them all!
Today I was in such a bad mood, and just kept trying to get the ants out of my computer while the kids were doing their work. Shayne kept asking the same question over and over and over after I answered every time she asked. Right when I was about to snap, I went back to my desk and sat down. A second later I feel a tap on my shoulder and Daichi is standing there holding a sillyband in the shape of a heart. He just puts it in my hand and walks away. It was funny how something so insignificant could make my day so much better.

13 days and counting

This year is full of new experiences. So far in the past 5 months:

1. I wrote out 16 science tests today, by hand, because the copy machine has been broken for a few weeks.


2. I haven't had power in the evenings for more than two months.


3. I kissed a jellyfish.


4. I've learned to scuba dive, and now it's one of my favorite things.


5. I've taught someone something that they'll remember forever.


6. Complete strangers turned into best friends.


7. I have seen myself change lives.


8. I have been completely alone.


9. Been close enough to a water snake to lick it.


10. Slept all night outside in a hammock in the rain.


11. Swam with the sharks


12. I've drank coconut juice out of a fresh coconut.


13. Eaten the brain, eyeball, and liver of a fish we just caught.


14. Achieved inner peace and contentment.


15. Realized that I love kids.


16. And soon, hopefully touch a shark!

In just 13 days I'm leaving for Manila in the Philippines! I am so excited to get to have the experience of seeing a new country and take a little break from school. There is a tiny island called Donsol off the coast of the Philippines which is home to the whale shark. The biggest shark on record, these giant animals only eat krill! So of course, I have to swim with them. The best part is that if the sharks let you, you can even touch or RIDE them! How amazing is that? That list of the new experiences I've had is so small but it's fun to think of all the new things I've done. I'm sure that in another 5 months, the list will be tripled, if not more. I can't wait!

Catch up

Due to the lack of motivation, you can obviously tell that it's been a while since I've blogged. In part with the lack of power in the evenings, I've actually just been busy with teaching and other reoccurring things. I really should keep up the habit though, and I'm sure you avid readers are waiting for another post, so here it goes. It might be a tad choppy and long, so this is my apology in advance.

1. Today, as per our agreement, I subbed Jeanine's kindergarten and she taught my kids math. All was going smoothly until Kai dropped Gian Gabriel's toy car down into the rain gutter. All 9 kinders gathered around and deliberated on how to get it out. I brought out a long stick, and Kai came up with the brilliant idea of hitting it down the gutter and trying to push it out the other end. Inch by inch, minute by minute he struggled to push it closer and closer toward the hole. Finally his hard work paid off, and the toy car was free! The other kinders cheered and hugged Kai like he'd just won the Olympics, and all he could do was scream "yea!".

2. At one of our weekly visits to Emimalei I decided to order something different from the menu. No, this is not the interesting part, in case you were wondering. The next day after eating there, I woke up and couldn't open my eye! It was completely swollen shut and the other eye was half closed. I talked to the principal and he told me to take the day off. The next day it was even worse, so he took me to the hospital where they diagnosed me with an insect bite. Though the clinic is a nice facility, they actually had no idea what they were talking about. I was prescribed zyrtec and later found out that I had an allergic reaction. Apparently my vegetables were cooked in sea food, and never trying it before, I didn't know I was allergic. Eventually the swelling went down, and I returned to school with one eye closed and one eye open.

3. Ichiro, one of the boys previously mentioned when I did special blogs on my children, got 100% on his spelling test. This is most likely the only 100% he's ever received and he couldn't believe his eyes when I handed back his test. I was so proud of him! After going back to my desk, I saw him excitedly show Mizora. Instead of showing off her perfect score as well, she gave him a huge smile, high five, and said "great job!". I was so touched that even though she could have told him that she gets 100% every week, she didn't. She just enjoyed his happiness with him.

4. I know we're not supposed to have favorite children, but I do. Among those adorable few, is Makani. He is always leading the class and is pretty much the most adorable kid I have ever seen. He used to have a little mohawk, but sadly that's gone now. Anyway, last week in our spelling test I saw him throw a note. Of course, I had to go get it and see what it said. "What's the answer to number 1?" it said. I was livid! Of course I dragged him out the door and right to the principals. We didn't get that far though. As soon as we got outside the door he sat down and said "teacher, I'm so sorry. I didn't know the answer so I needed help". I knew he was wrong, he knew he was wrong, but I just couldn't send him to the office. I used that opportunity to explain to him what grace was, and how God gave us grace when he died on the cross. Then I explained how I was giving him grace too.

5. There are two new SM's here from Germany. They're already a couple, but because they're not married they have to live separate. That means that the girl, Rebecca, will be moving in with us. In case you didn't know, we live in a shoebox. There isn't enough room to stretch in our rooms, let alone walk around. But, because they don't have another place, she moved into Tami's bedroom. Of course, this meant that Tami moved into mine with me. Needless to say it's very cramped and full, but it should be a fun adventure for both of us.

6. The power situation. First, let me say that we have full water back which is such a blessing. Unfortunately, we have no power in the evenings and at random times during the school day. It was supposed to be fixed in the middle of November, but we found out yesterday that it might not be fixed until next March. Sleeping without aircon and showering in the dark isn't so bad, and is actually starting to become a habit. The only problem is that I can't talk to anyone back home anymore because that was our skyping time. It's sad, but on the other hand, it does get me to go to bed early!

7. Speaking of family, my mom was here last week! We just had the best most amazing time. I wish that I could write and explain every detail, but I'll just have to give you the basics. She got here at 2 am, so we had to wait around at PMA from 2 pm to 2 am on Friday because the boys are the only ones with a car and Austin offered to pick her up. After a long day of waiting, she finally arrived. We took her back and showed her our apartment and after talking for another two hours, went to sleep! The next day was Saturday so we went to church and potluck. On Sunday we went to Sams and she took a refresher dive to practice. We got to go all around the dock and it was lots of fun. We saw tons of fish, and even a three foot giant shrimp! Monday and Tuesday she came to school with me! I took advantage of her superior teaching skills and kindly let her teach my class. Luckily, she loved it. We did tons of Thanksgiving crafts with the kids and they learned a lot of phonics and spelling. Then on Wednesday we had our own little Thanksgiving party. In the morning Austin's class came in and we made home made playdough for them. Then we made cornucopias and dressed up as pilgrims and indians. At lunch, everyone brought in food for our huge feast! It was so fun to see them all dressed up in their cute little outfits. After lunch we had an indian vs. pilgrim war which they absolutely loved! Thursday was our actual Thanksgiving, and we were invited to eat dinner on the roof of Surangles (the biggest store in Palau) with the Whipps family. Before that we went to the Dropoff and swam in their amazing pool for free! Oh! I almost forgot. I got my hair cut. It is completely the shortest it's ever been, and I'm still not quite sure how I feel about it. It is much lighter, but I think it'll have to grow on me. (hehe, get it) Anyway, after swimming we came back, got ready, and headed over to Surangles. The view from the top is AMAZING! You can see so much of Palau, and we even watched the sunset! They gave us such a huge feast of food and it was so fun hanging out all together. Afterwards we watched a movie on Surangles life and how he made Surangle's. Friday, Jeanine, Tami, my mom, and I went on a jellyfish lake tour! We started off going to an amazing snorkeling spot where we fed the fish. Then we went to jellyfish lake and my mom just freaked out. She loved it, and even kissed a jellyfish! Then we went to another spot where we went snorkeling again. My mom said it was the most beautiful place she ever saw in the whole world, even more than the Great Wall of China and the Pyramids of Egypt. I'm not sure if I agree, but it WAS pretty spectacular. Then we ended the day by going to milky way and putting the sulfury sand all over our bodies! Saturday we went to church, and originally planned to have a picnic. We went to PMA so the boys could join too, but forgot that the boys don't have power from 2-6 pm, so we were stuck with cold Thanksgiving leftovers. We still had lots of fun getting coconuts and talking until sunset. There are supposed to be three coconut sticks, but Victor broke all of them trying to get my mom coconuts. Of course she gets the idea to stand on his shoulders and try to reach the top. It actually worked, and we all enjoyed coconuts! Sunday was the last day that my mom was here, so of course we had to go to the rock islands! All the SM's got up early and we went scuba diving! Because my mom was flying that night, she snorkeled with Tami. It was amazing! We saw SO many fish and amazing coral. We even saw some spotted manta rays, turtles, and some big sharks! I was kind of behind the group, and as I was swimming I saw a sleeping shark in the sand. He was probably about 8 feet long and even had a barracuda sleeping beside him. I, being me, tried to sneak as close to him as I could without waking him up. FAIL. When I got about 12 feet away, he opened his eyes and looked at me. I don't even know how scared I was at that moment, but I didn't moved a muscle. He started rising off the ocean floor and began swimming away. Then, he turned back around and starting swimming towards me. I swam away SO fast. It wasn't until after that I realized that I actually wasn't left all alone, but that Austin was behind me watching. As I swam away from that shark, I noticed another one above me. After that, I hurried to catch up with the group. At the second place we dove, everything went great and the diving was amazing. When I got back up, I got to hear a story from my mom about her and Tami snorkeling. Apparently they didn't notice a shark that was 3 feet away from them until he was almost under them. My mom of course freaked out and hid behind Tami, but they just swam around and eventually it went away. Unlucky day with sharks I guess. That night all of our Palauan host families threw a dinner for us and then I had to say bye to my mom as she headed back home. I feel so blessed that she got a chance to come and meet everyone here (they loved her) and see Palau. Palau is really one of those places that you can try to explain, but it'll never come across right. No one will ever understand how beautiful it is here and how amazing my kids are. It's a privilege that my mom could come and see it all. It's great that I can now talk to both my parents about Palau and they will have an idea what I'm talking about.

8. Last, but not least, Christmas vacation. While my mom was visiting here we worked it out so that I can spend Christmas vacation in Manila! I am so excited to get to travel to a new place, and there are so many fun things to do there. Were starting off the coast of the Philippines on an island called Donsol. It is renown for being the only place in the world where you can swim with whale sharks! I told everyone back home that before this year was over, I was going to pet a shark. Now, I get to live that dream, and I might even get to ride one! You see, whale sharks are the biggest type of shark, but they only eat krill and other plankton. It's pretty much my goal in life right now, so I'm so excited! Another thing we'll get to do is take a firefly tour. There is an underground cave full of millions of fireflies that we can boat through and enjoy. It sounds magical to me. It's also one of the only places in the world with a volcano with a perfect cone shape. If I'm lucky, I'll get to ride a donkey up to the top and see the view from up there!