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.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
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.
Friday, September 3, 2010
3 weeks down!
The students and I have survived three weeks of school with no life-threatening injuries: Thank You, God! This really is a heartfelt praise, because I guess I forgot just how accident-prone kids and young adults are. They knock each other over in P.E., fall off things, and get well-acquainted with the sidewalk...on pretty much a daily basis. Tripping down the stairs is less frequent, but has happened twice already. A large chunk of me wants to wrap every last one of them in bubble-wrap, but with Singapore's heat and humidity, the prevelance of eczema, and the current fashion trends, I don't think that would go over very well.
Learning names is something of a challenge too - I have no seating charts to go by, and it's a random draw of which 350+ students are going to walk in each day. Names are important though. I remember when I was younger, it was crushing if someone I considered important didn't remember my name (or worse, used one of my younger sisters' names!). I'm trying to make an effort to remember them, but it might take some doing!
There are, of course, a few familiar faces already. One kid I've seen a few times popped in after school for something and I asked if he and his parents were going to come to the open house tonight. He said he thought so, and I suggested that it would be nice for his mom and dad to see his classroom and his teacher. "And you," he announced - which I'll admit made me just a bit tickled pink.
Learning names is something of a challenge too - I have no seating charts to go by, and it's a random draw of which 350+ students are going to walk in each day. Names are important though. I remember when I was younger, it was crushing if someone I considered important didn't remember my name (or worse, used one of my younger sisters' names!). I'm trying to make an effort to remember them, but it might take some doing!
There are, of course, a few familiar faces already. One kid I've seen a few times popped in after school for something and I asked if he and his parents were going to come to the open house tonight. He said he thought so, and I suggested that it would be nice for his mom and dad to see his classroom and his teacher. "And you," he announced - which I'll admit made me just a bit tickled pink.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)