Yikes...it's been over a year since I last posted. I also realized I really ramble A LOT.
2011 consisted of:
- Getting to know students and families better. My favorite.
- Settling into a church.
- Celebrating Chinese New Year for the first time. I finally learned the difference between fireworks and firecrackers.
- Hosting a visitor in Singapore for the first time - thanks for coming, Clarissa!
- Spending 5 weeks of summer in Wisconsin with family - I got to enjoy cool weather, driving, shopping at Target, people I love, and lots of dairy.
- Welcoming new teachers, staff, and students to our school.
- Surviving an outbreak of chickenpox among the students and my 28th birthday.
- Sharing in the weddings of several friends (the best excuse for buying dresses and eating cake) - congrats Zach & Janice and Stephen & Bea.
- Travelling to Bali and enjoying beautiful rice paddies, sunshine, and snorkeling.
- Completing my first half-marathon. I walked, but I finished!
- Christmas holiday/service trip in Boracay and Manila with three great friends (who else would endure my stressed out moments?).
And lots more.
2012 is off to a very full and blessed start, and I can only hope the rest of the year continues this way.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Last Week of School...and my office lights
This is our final week of school before our three weeks of holiday, and it's nearly over already! It's been a reasonably quiet week in the office so far (unless you count the unfortunate red-eyed child who was stuck in here yesterday...), but busy, busy, busy otherwise. There's been basketball games, our open house, parties, and now tonight the elementary students are having their Christmas program. It's also finals week for the high schoolers.
In my attempts to be Christmas-y, I hung a big "Merry Christmas" banner and lights in my office. Now, all the lights I've used in the States had two options: you could set them to stay on constantly or blink. The lights I bought here in Singapore came with a box that allows them to do EIGHT different things. They have names like "slo-glo" and "twinkle flash" but it should really be "sparkly insanity" and "may cause seizures". Some of the settings are pretty, but I have to wonder who programmed the other ones.
In my attempts to be Christmas-y, I hung a big "Merry Christmas" banner and lights in my office. Now, all the lights I've used in the States had two options: you could set them to stay on constantly or blink. The lights I bought here in Singapore came with a box that allows them to do EIGHT different things. They have names like "slo-glo" and "twinkle flash" but it should really be "sparkly insanity" and "may cause seizures". Some of the settings are pretty, but I have to wonder who programmed the other ones.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Just over a week to go...
...until Christmas Break! We get an entire 3 weeks off of school here, which is amazing. I don't even know what I'm going to do with all that time off yet.
That said, I feel like I ought to talk a little about Christmas in Singapore as compared to Christmas in Wisconsin. For one thing, it's HOT here. If it's not hot, then it's rainy. No snow, no icicles, no chilly breeze to make you wish you'd worn an extra layer of clothes. Sometimes, I'm incredibly thankful for the warm weather and other times I really miss peeking out a window late at night and seeing the sparkle of moonlight (or, well, artificial lighting...) on a blanket of snow.
Another thing is that there aren't tons and tons of Christmas decorations: if I walk around my neighborhood, I might see a Christmas tree in a window and the Fairprice (grocery store) has decorations up. To see lots of decor, you need to go to a mall. The malls are decked out with trees, garland, lights, and other totally random decorations in every color of the rainbow. Orchard Road also has plenty of decorations. If I was a really awesome blogger, I'd show you all pictures - but I'm only a mediocre blogger. : )
A few things that have stayed the same:
Kids' Christmas plays. Here at school, the elementary kids are putting on two presentations complete with music and costumes. There are posters up around the school and sometimes I get to hear them singing Christmas songs. So fun! I'm excited to see their big shows!
Christmas at church. The church I go to observes Advent, which I really love. If you're not familiar with it, it's basically a period of waiting for Christ's birth and Christmas. Every Sunday during the four weeks leading up to Christmas, a family from the church lights a candle in the Advent wreath. The church is also getting ready for a children's Christmas presentation and some other activities. Two weeks ago they had carolers standing on the steps leading up to the sanctuary - I loved it!
Coffee shops. Walk into any Coffee Bean or Starbucks and they have the Christmas-themed cups and drinks just like in the U.S. (You can make mean faces at me, but I really like Coffee Bean better - as a non-coffee drinker, I'm loving the tea lattes...)
So, those are just a few observations. I've been trying to get into a Christmas-y mood and hung lights in the First Aid Office - they haven't caused any seizures yet, so I think it's okay. :)
That said, I feel like I ought to talk a little about Christmas in Singapore as compared to Christmas in Wisconsin. For one thing, it's HOT here. If it's not hot, then it's rainy. No snow, no icicles, no chilly breeze to make you wish you'd worn an extra layer of clothes. Sometimes, I'm incredibly thankful for the warm weather and other times I really miss peeking out a window late at night and seeing the sparkle of moonlight (or, well, artificial lighting...) on a blanket of snow.
Another thing is that there aren't tons and tons of Christmas decorations: if I walk around my neighborhood, I might see a Christmas tree in a window and the Fairprice (grocery store) has decorations up. To see lots of decor, you need to go to a mall. The malls are decked out with trees, garland, lights, and other totally random decorations in every color of the rainbow. Orchard Road also has plenty of decorations. If I was a really awesome blogger, I'd show you all pictures - but I'm only a mediocre blogger. : )
A few things that have stayed the same:
Kids' Christmas plays. Here at school, the elementary kids are putting on two presentations complete with music and costumes. There are posters up around the school and sometimes I get to hear them singing Christmas songs. So fun! I'm excited to see their big shows!
Christmas at church. The church I go to observes Advent, which I really love. If you're not familiar with it, it's basically a period of waiting for Christ's birth and Christmas. Every Sunday during the four weeks leading up to Christmas, a family from the church lights a candle in the Advent wreath. The church is also getting ready for a children's Christmas presentation and some other activities. Two weeks ago they had carolers standing on the steps leading up to the sanctuary - I loved it!
Coffee shops. Walk into any Coffee Bean or Starbucks and they have the Christmas-themed cups and drinks just like in the U.S. (You can make mean faces at me, but I really like Coffee Bean better - as a non-coffee drinker, I'm loving the tea lattes...)
So, those are just a few observations. I've been trying to get into a Christmas-y mood and hung lights in the First Aid Office - they haven't caused any seizures yet, so I think it's okay. :)
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Oh So Thankful
Today I celebrated my first Canadian Thanksgiving...in Singapore! It was a special treat to be able to have turkey, stuffing, and all kinds of other delicious things and all in the company of a great group of ladies.
We had to list three things we were thankful for, and mine were the following:
1.) Lots of emails from family and friends back in the States recently. This is so encouraging and gives me that extra little boost that I really appreciate. It's so nice to know that there are people out there thinking of me.
2.) New friends in Singapore. It's wonderful having fun times and good conversation with some of the great people here and is definitely making this new place more and more like another home.
3.) My job - it comes with it's own set of unique challenges and stresses, but God has been so good in helping me to handle each one as it presents itself. I'm learning yet again that He is good and faithful each time.
Further blessings abound...let me share a few:
- No major injuries during sports games the last week and a half!
- Hearing from the director of one of our sister schools in Turkey via Skype during the staff meeting today (the cream puffs were also good)!
- Getting to watch a baptismal service at the church I visited this last Sunday & hearing one lady's awesome testimony!
God is good...all the time.
Please be praying as our school has its annual Carnival this Saturday! It's going to be a busy time, and we get a lot of visitors to the school. A few moms and I will be on first aid duty - let's hope for tons of fun & no injuries!
We had to list three things we were thankful for, and mine were the following:
1.) Lots of emails from family and friends back in the States recently. This is so encouraging and gives me that extra little boost that I really appreciate. It's so nice to know that there are people out there thinking of me.
2.) New friends in Singapore. It's wonderful having fun times and good conversation with some of the great people here and is definitely making this new place more and more like another home.
3.) My job - it comes with it's own set of unique challenges and stresses, but God has been so good in helping me to handle each one as it presents itself. I'm learning yet again that He is good and faithful each time.
Further blessings abound...let me share a few:
- No major injuries during sports games the last week and a half!
- Hearing from the director of one of our sister schools in Turkey via Skype during the staff meeting today (the cream puffs were also good)!
- Getting to watch a baptismal service at the church I visited this last Sunday & hearing one lady's awesome testimony!
God is good...all the time.
Please be praying as our school has its annual Carnival this Saturday! It's going to be a busy time, and we get a lot of visitors to the school. A few moms and I will be on first aid duty - let's hope for tons of fun & no injuries!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Like, Love, Etc.
Another weekend over. It's really true that time flies when you're having fun.
"Big" stuff from this last week:
- Attending the Singapore Slingers basketball game and cheering like a crazy lady (they won!)
- Seeing some of our students play in a fabulous benefit concert
- Hanging out late and catching the last train on the MRT home
- Walking through the Helix Bridge
- Visiting another new church and getting to see the kids' songs and play for Children's Day
What I wished I had this week:
-Instant ice packs, pre-wrap, and a sam splint.
-Pizza fries.
Little things that are making Singapore a home:
- The Cheers store in the MRT station. Once every week or two, I stop in for an ice cream bar to eat on my way home. Every time, they offer me a voucher for $5 off overseas shipping.
- My teva sandals. I finally bought a pair last weekend and now I feel like I can explore this place without sore feet, in typical i-care-about-comfort-before-style fashion.
- Our talking elevator. Nothing like being greeted with a cheery "Going up?" when you get home.
Regarding work:
These kids are starting to get to me. We start our eigth week of school today, and as I get to know them more, I find that I feel bad when they're sick or hurt - especially some of the students that I've seen multiple times. I want to make sure that they sleep and eat and use tissues and wash their hands - but I can really only control what they do in my office and, to an extent, what they do at school.
"Big" stuff from this last week:
- Attending the Singapore Slingers basketball game and cheering like a crazy lady (they won!)
- Seeing some of our students play in a fabulous benefit concert
- Hanging out late and catching the last train on the MRT home
- Walking through the Helix Bridge
- Visiting another new church and getting to see the kids' songs and play for Children's Day
What I wished I had this week:
-Instant ice packs, pre-wrap, and a sam splint.
-Pizza fries.
Little things that are making Singapore a home:
- The Cheers store in the MRT station. Once every week or two, I stop in for an ice cream bar to eat on my way home. Every time, they offer me a voucher for $5 off overseas shipping.
- My teva sandals. I finally bought a pair last weekend and now I feel like I can explore this place without sore feet, in typical i-care-about-comfort-before-style fashion.
- Our talking elevator. Nothing like being greeted with a cheery "Going up?" when you get home.
Regarding work:
These kids are starting to get to me. We start our eigth week of school today, and as I get to know them more, I find that I feel bad when they're sick or hurt - especially some of the students that I've seen multiple times. I want to make sure that they sleep and eat and use tissues and wash their hands - but I can really only control what they do in my office and, to an extent, what they do at school.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
2 Months
Today marks two months in Singapore. On the one month anniversary of my arrival, I got food poisoning and puked in a bush. Today, I'm the the head-full-of-phlegm phase of a cold. I'm hoping the third month anniversary of being here doesn't involve being sick. : )
It's been a good week so far, and I'm reminded that I'm so blessed to be able to do this job. I get to experience another country, work with wonderful staff and kids and families, and the amount of stress I deal with on a daily basis has gone way, way down. God is so awesomely good. Sometimes I wonder what He has in store further down the road, or how all the different things I've experienced are going to come together, or even if they're ever going to come together in a way that makes sense to me.
It's been a good week so far, and I'm reminded that I'm so blessed to be able to do this job. I get to experience another country, work with wonderful staff and kids and families, and the amount of stress I deal with on a daily basis has gone way, way down. God is so awesomely good. Sometimes I wonder what He has in store further down the road, or how all the different things I've experienced are going to come together, or even if they're ever going to come together in a way that makes sense to me.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
The leaves are still green
I've been thinking a lot about autumn in Wisconsin lately...I miss ripe tomatoes and making salsa, the changing colors and the way the trees on Rib Mountain look when I drive past, and that crisp, chill -but not cold! - weather that's perfect for sweatshirt-wearing. It makes me think about riding my bike through piles of leaves, apple picking, and making pie.
The more I think about these things though, the more I realize that I haven't done very many of them during the past few years. Bike-riding and apple-picking all happened in college. Singapore is a lot different, but it's bringing with it a new host of experiences worth remembering.
I know I've talked about the stages of transitioning to a new place before, and more and more I realize I'm in that second phase where differences make themselves more apparent and you notice so often the things you miss: Taking cheese fries out of the oven. Sitting in the tiny wedge of space between my futon and the coffee table. Shopping at Target and Festival Foods.
It makes me a little sad to write about it...I've been in Singapore for almost 2 months and I think it's almost time to get a tear-jerker movie so I can have myself a good, healthy cry.
Let me say that there are so many things to love about Singapore too - the plethora of fruit juices, huge thunderstorms more often than Wisconsin could ever supply, plants and flowers and trees every where you look, and the wonderful community of people at our school. I'm curious to see what kinds of things are going to stick with me from here, the things I'll miss sometime far, far in the future.
The more I think about these things though, the more I realize that I haven't done very many of them during the past few years. Bike-riding and apple-picking all happened in college. Singapore is a lot different, but it's bringing with it a new host of experiences worth remembering.
I know I've talked about the stages of transitioning to a new place before, and more and more I realize I'm in that second phase where differences make themselves more apparent and you notice so often the things you miss: Taking cheese fries out of the oven. Sitting in the tiny wedge of space between my futon and the coffee table. Shopping at Target and Festival Foods.
It makes me a little sad to write about it...I've been in Singapore for almost 2 months and I think it's almost time to get a tear-jerker movie so I can have myself a good, healthy cry.
Let me say that there are so many things to love about Singapore too - the plethora of fruit juices, huge thunderstorms more often than Wisconsin could ever supply, plants and flowers and trees every where you look, and the wonderful community of people at our school. I'm curious to see what kinds of things are going to stick with me from here, the things I'll miss sometime far, far in the future.
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