Where the rainbow ends

I found out today that Palau is also known as "where the rainbow ends". The reason I found this out was because I saw a beautiful rainbow! But I'm getting ahead of myself. Today we woke up at 6:30 am to go scuba diving! We arrived around 7 and went over the quizzes from Friday. Then we loaded up the boat with all our gear and headed out. It took 45 minutes to get to this spectacular lagoon that we would be using as our pool. I took so many pictures of the beautiful land and water, and even got a glimpse of where Survivor: Palau was filmed! Then we arrived! White sandy beaches, clear blue water that I could see all the way to the bottom, and everything was warm! We hooked up our BCD's and regs and put on our tanks. We spent the first 4 hours learning how to breathe underwater, how to take our regulators out, and how to attain buoyancy! It was so fun and we saw tons and tons of trigger fish by our heads. After a short break, we went back for the second lesson. This time we learned how to get water out of our masks, take our masks completely off and breathe without them, and take off our gear and put it back on in the water. There were a lot of things to cover, and I really hated not having a mask, but it was still tons of fun.
During lunch break we had some free time, and I decided to go snorkeling. Partly because I hadn't seen many fish yet, and partly because a Japanese tour boat was there and they were throwing dead fish into the sea, and those attract sharks! I found a pretty blue starfish and got to hold it. I also saw those fish that have two eyes on the same side of their head-it was blending in so well! There were also tons of trigger fish, sea cucumbers, parrot fish, angel fish, and literally thousands of others that I can't name. And then, the sharks. I was swimming along when I noticed the first one directly beneath me. I was a bit afraid because I had just eaten chicken and didn't want them to notice me. But they didn't notice me at all! There were about 15 swimming down below me, and one even started coming up toward me! All I could do was stare in amazement. How cool is that, that I can be feet from such a dangerous animal and still enjoy myself. I took lots of pictures, and even swam after one, but decided that would be a one time thing when he turned and looked at me!
After lunch we went back for our third dive and learned how to tow divers, swim without air, breathe from a broken tank, and lots of other cool stuff! We finally finished up around 5 pm and started heading back to Sams. On the way back, a rainstorm hit! The boat was bouncing around and the rain was pelting down so hard that it felt like a million bee stings on my face. Jesse and Hayley were nice enough to give me a towel so I could shield my face! Abruptly it stopped, and as we rounded a corner we saw a beautiful rainbow! I thought about God's promise to never flood again, and that got me thinking about all his other promises. Right now I want to know that he will never forsake me. I read Philippians 4 and read the part that says to be content over and over. It's something that is really important here because you never know what a day will bring.
When we returned from diving, it was already 6:30 pm! And I hadn't even started my lesson plans for this week. After getting some assistance on how to make the beastly washing machine eat my quarters, I headed off to my classroom to make lesson plans for 10 subjects! It took about two hours, and I still felt unprepared. God, please help me be a good teacher. I want to so bad! I want my kids to love me and I want them to learn a lot.
Now I'm sick. Along with the boils all over my body, I haven't been able to feel my hands for three hours and my throat is so closed that it rasps when I breathe! I hope I can go to school tomorrow. Not that I have a choice. It's just the worst time for all of these things to be happening. But I guess that just affirms that I'm doing the right thing being here. Take that Satan! Actually..satan. You don't even get a capital letter. I hope if you're reading this you are praying for me. I need as much as I can get.

Itchy, Scratchy, and Happy

I feel like Job. There are boils everywhere. I have so much in common with him right now that it's funny. I followed God's call when he said go to Palau. I tried to be his faithful servant and do what he wanted. Now I'm here and I love it, but I am in total physical pain. There are hundreds of teeny bubbles on my body. I can't walk because there are so many in between my toes! My ear, my chin, my thigh, my ankle..so so many bumps! And there is nothing that helps. Going in the water only makes it worse, and I'm in the process of getting my divers certification.
Today was the second day of school. We started out with worship and then I headed over to my classroom. After a worship with them, I told them to line up and they did! In a straight perfect line! And they walked into the gym! It's funny how such little things can make me so happy. After we got to the gym we waited for all the other classes to get there too! It was party day! That means we played school wide games and tried to involve anyone. Unfortunately, my kids don't have a two hour attention span even for games. After about 45 minutes I heard nonstop "Can I go to the bathroom?", "Can I get a drink?", "Can I call my mom?", and "This is boring!" Kylie was so adorable and clung to me the whole time. After games, we went back in the classroom for snack time! That was pretty fun until some of the boys decided to wrestle. I finally got control again and read them a Bernstein bears story! Then it was recess for the rest of the day. I pushed them on the swings and held their jump ropes. Then we played a game called cat and mouse with 3B. That was lots of fun. Except of course Makani wondered off and I had to track him down. But all in all today went quite well.
After school we waited for the boys to come from PMA and then we went to Sam's to start learning how to scuba! When we got there we met the instructors, Kostas and Alex, and singed some wavers. We then watched a 45 minute video and took a quiz. Then a break to get our gear and learn how to use our regulators, air tanks, and all the other fun equipment. Out of the water it is so heavy! Then we watched two more videos and took more quizzes. After 3.5 hours we finally got to get in the water! Even though it was only for a swim test that was pretty tiring it was still a really nice change of pace. After that we packed up and headed home. Poor Tammi can't dive so she had cleaned the whole apartment for us! I tried to do my laundry but the machine ate all my quarters!! Sadly, they were the last, so no laundry for a while. We have a dive Sunday at 7 am, and we won't be home until 5. I don't understand how I am supposed to do lesson plans when I don't have any time, or even my schedule yet! It's quite stressful, but I guess that's in the job description.
This evening we went to youth vespers at the church. It was the first time I got to meet a lot of the high school, but Kevin and Ralph were there (friends and alumni of PMA) which was cool. I can't remember if I've mentioned them before, but we went out to lunch with them a few days ago and it was really cool getting to talk in person, instead of just on Facebook. Worship was great. We read in Matthew about the salt of the earth and the light of the world and it was cool hearing what others had to say. We also met Jose, a nice man from the Philippines who is here as a journalist. It was such a great day, and while I have been writing this I've even felt less itchy!
It's crazy but I already am in love with my kids. MY KIDS. They are all so unique and special and love so easily. I wish this Internet would let me upload pictures because they are just so cute! There is Mairee who tells me she loves me every day and calls me "Miss Chels". Sora who came new today but still jumped right in. Shayne who sings me songs and loves when I read to her. Makani who never listens but still brought me a hot dog for lunch. Ichiro who screams "teacher! teacher!" every few minutes wanting to show me something. Mariah who can sit and play with blocks quietly for hours. Mizora who always says goodbye and gives me a hug. Krystal who leans her head on my shoulder when shes tired. Martin who tried to add me on Facebook. :) Ked who asks to pray all the time. And Kylie who jumps on my back, shares her lunch with me, won't let go of my leg, and tells me all about her life. I'm so fascinated at how great they are to me, even though they're loud and messy. It's crazy to think that there has only been two days of school.

Finally taking a breath

The worst feeling in the world is being consumed by a single thought. Only one goal, one wish, one desire, one burning, fiery passion. Right now, for me, that is itching. I have Swimmers itch, which is when tiny bugs get into my body and die, and then I produce an allergic reaction. It's like poison ivy on steroids. I feel nothing but an itch. I have no idea what to even do during the day because my skin itches so badly. There are so many bumps all over my body, and they just keep growing and appearing in new spots. My face, the back of my knee, my toes. It's so distracting.
On the up side, today was the first day of school! We arrived at 7:30 for staff worship where we sang songs and had a short worship thought. Then we went out to meet the kids! Mine were already lined up by the door with their parents waiting to meet me. Instead of the shy, timid kids that I imagined, I had 10 screaming 2nd graders. They all shouted "Hi Miss Chelsea" as I arrived, as if they'd known me for years. They all plowed into the classroom, showing me their shoes and new backpacks and a marble that they found on the ground. After I finally got them settled, I explained who I was and then it was time for chapel. Shoes went back on and we trampled off to the church. They filled up a whole pew! We listened to Dr. Flores's speech and sang some hymns. Then it was back to the classroom. After playing some games to get to know the kids names, we all went to the gym for recess! I taught them predator tag and we played freeze tag, duck duck goose, and some other new games they taught me. Then we went inside and I explained the rules and procedures. There are procedures for everything! When they arrive, when they need to go to the bathroom, when there's a fire alarm, when handing in papers, when changing classes, when getting my attention, and when leaving for the day. They were all so sweet and precious and energetic. Oh my goodness, I can't imagine how kids can talk so much and only say one sentence! Mariah wanted to show me her singing, and how she will be a pop star. Shayne made me a house of sticks to keep on my desk. Mikani told me how much he loved basketball and reading. Ichiro told me he didn't know how to read. They told me they loved me. They hugged me. Kylie drew me a picture. Martin told me I always had to be it in tag. Ked needed help packing his backpack. Mizora wanted help sharpening her pencil. And on and on and on it goes. We had lots of free time to play games, with blocks, with stencils, and read. We also visited Carl in the library and they were quiet! For a few minutes anyway, then back to the chaos. I honestly don't know yet how I will teach them anything. It is such a huge challenge and I just want them to learn! After school, when all the kids had gone home, I straightened up and then went to the bank. I opened a bank account so I can get paid! Then we went to Surangles and got tons of drinks. This weather makes me SO thirsty. We waited until evening and then headed back to school for a meeting with the board members. They were all very sweet and helpful, and my "mother" was there and gave me food! It was so nice. I really like her and her family. Jeanine, Tammi, and I spent the next three hours making dinner, talking about politics, and I explained many things about America to them. It was quite fun and a perfect end to a crazy day. And just think, it happens again tomorrow! On the up side, tomorrow is our first meeting with our dive instructor! It should be so nice to finally get started!

Mom and Dad,

Dear Mom and Dad,
I miss you.
I wish you were here with me to enjoy this amazing place.
It is so beautiful and unique that it's hard to explain.
Mom, I wish you were with me on the first day of school.
I wish you could see my room and appreciate all the hard work.
I wish you could get to know all my friends and help me cook and clean.
I wish you were here to help me when I got hundreds of tiny bumps and didn't know what to do.
Dad, I wish you were here to encourage me.
I wish you could see the amazing culture here.
I wish that you could see where I live and how well I'm doing on my own.
I wish you could go snorkeling with me and enjoy the nature.
I wish that you were both here to see how just one week has made a difference.
I wish you knew how easy it feels to write in a journal, keep up a blog, and talk to God.
I wish you could see me squish a spider and not even scream or freak out.
I wish you could watch me being called Miss Chelsea.
I wish you could hear me singing hymns in church.
I love you.
I can't wait to share my adventure with you in real life.
I know you'll understand what a life changing event this is.
I wish I knew how to explain everything about Palau.
I wish you could see through my eyes.

It's too bad..

It's really too bad that the Internet is so slow here, because if it weren't I could show you the amazing beauty that is surrounding me. It's too bad that this blog can't even upload one picture during the whole night, because if it could you would see God in nature like I do. Maybe one day... But for now my descriptions will have to suffice. Today was the first day of pre-school. We left our house at 8 am, surprisingly on time for this island. We drove about 20 minutes to PMA with many other teachers to learn what will be going on this year. Hours later, 4 to be exact, we had only had an instruction on grading software, a tutorial on lesson plans, and some information on classroom management. We took a break for a delicious lunch provided by the PMA staff and then we were back to work for another 4. Fortunately, in the next 4 hours we covered class sponsors, homerooms, dress code, chapel, attendance, fire drills, newsletter, handbooks, earthquakes, field trips, work order forms, tsunamis, medical treatment authorization, week or prayer, bus policy, supervision, course outlines, flag raising, Internet use, vehicle use, teachers curfew, air conditioning, staff nights, staff meetings, the calendar, church activities, security, duplication, sick leave, power usage, diving, pay periods, washer/dryers, grades, and a bit more. All in all it was an extremely long and tiring day. The sliver lining was that there is a pretty good chance the week of prayer speaker in October will be my dad! That would just be fantastic, so as soon as Nelson told us that they needed one my hand shot up.
After hours of sitting in one place talking about the same things, we were finally done! Victor offered to get us fresh coconuts from the trees and so we headed up to the top of the hill. Apparently Victor poking at the coconut tree with this long stick thing attracted some attention, and soon the whole group was out there trying to get coconuts. We broke one open with a machete and drank straight coconut juice! It tasted like milky sugar water, but it wasn't so bad. When we finished we broke the coconuts all the way open and ate the meat inside. There were many different kinds, some tough and some soft, but they were pretty good! I don't think I've ever had fresh coconut before!
After that fun little moment and our trip back to SDA, the girls decided to head into town for a few groceries. We went to a small grocery store across the street and I found pear juice! There were also pringles but they were about $3 so I decided against that. Then we went to Surangles and got the normal eggs, bread, jam, but we splurged and got a can of big franks and some soda! We really shouldn't go grocery shopping so often...

Ants!

There are ants everywhere! In my cereal, in my laptop keyboard, in my nose! I can't escape the hundreds of tiny little things. Why ants?! So today started off as a very different day. I woke up at 8am to the sound of boys screaming my name outside my window! Turns out Austin, Car, and Victor had come by to make us girls breakfast! We scurried around trying to get ready while they made us rice, toast, and eggs! We decided that it should be a new Sunday SM tradition! After that we were supposed to go kayaking. The time that Nelson, the principal, gave us was 11 am. If you don't know what they say about island time, then I'll explain. Nothing starts on time! If they say 9, it starts at 9:30. In this case, we sat around in the gym until 12:30 when we finally got to leave! We took cars down to the beach, but Jeanine, Tammi, and I got to ride in the back of the truck with the kayaks! It died about 5 times before we got to the beach, but it was quite an experience! After we got there, Ben and I got a double kayak and kayaked out to an amazing cave in the rock islands! It was one of the most beautiful things and the water was so warm! We found a ledge about 25 feet up and some of us jumped off it into the water! Then Austin found an even higher ledge, maybe 30 feet up that only three of us jumped off. It was so breath taking and extremely fun!
After that we got to snorkel all around! I saw tons of beautiful fish and coral. It's hard to believe that God created it all, down to the last spore. Victor pointed out an anemone, that when you touched it recoiled so fast! It was amazing! There were parrot fish, clown fish, a puffer fish, and so many others I didn't even know about! After snorkeling, we paddled back and came back to SDA for a dinner put on by our host families! My host family is so nice! They are Uchel and Lisa Tmetuchi and have two songs, Sils and Ked. Ked is going to be in my class this year and is really sweet! I talked to them a lot about Palau and all the wonderful things there are here. It turns out that Uchel went to USF so he knows a good amount about where I'm from too. They are such nice people and I am so excited to get to know them, as well as Ked because he will be in my class! Then we walked back to our apartment and said goodnight to the guys. I felt like today was such a great bonding day and we had such a blast! There were so many amazing things to take in and enjoy. Tomorrow we start pre-school. We have to leave at 8 am to go to PMA for meetings! I hope I can get my classroom set up in time! I just looked at the time...I've been trying to download 5 pictures to this blog for the past 57 minutes. Hopefully they'll download before tomorrow morning!

Finally Sabbath

It was a beautiful first Sabbath here in Palau. I woke up early, around 6, and got to skype my dad! Even though the video doesn't work at all it was just such a blessing to hear from him! After that I got ready for church which started at 9 am! We walked over and sat in the sanctuary listening to the opening before Sabbath school. Sabbath school was all about music and what types are better to listen to, contemporary or hymns. After that we went to church! It was funny hearing the sermon translated into Palaun and them giving two hymn numbers for each song. They introduced all the SM's and we all told the congregation where we were from, who we were, what we would be studying, and what grade we were teaching. After church was over we went downstairs to a fantastic pot luck! It was so delicious, with tons of different foods! I helped out in the kitchen and met some awesome ladies, as well as a little girl who is going to be in my class! After lunch we decided to go on a walk, and ended up walking about 6-8 miles down the road in Koror. We passed beautiful water, chickens, some kids who were going to be attending PMA, and tons of coconuts! It was so hot though! I was sweating the whole time and would have given anything for some water! When we got back to SDA we took nice refreshing showers before vespers. Then we went and I got to talk to Fonzie, a guy I met who lives here and knows tons of island secrets. In vespers we heard Jeff's testimony on what brought him and Misty to Palau and then we headed back to our apartment for a yummy dinner of grilled cheese! Or in the case of Tammi, peanut butter, jelly, and cheese!