Um, My Mom is Making Me Do This...

2-1-09 No, really, she is. Sorry about the hiatus between posts, but nothing really has happened in the last two weeks that I felt worthy of mention on this here blog. Well, nothing of great interest has happened in the last two weeks--maybe minor interest, but nothing spectacularly great. However, my mom has bugged me that I haven't posted anything in "three weeks!" and so I'm trying to come up with something to proffer. (And, Mom, it's actually only been two weeks. This week is week three, and I'm posting this.)

I have decided to take the Advanced Dive course. Today (Sunday) we were supposed to go diving on a deep dive (past 100 feet), with the added plus of the dive being from a boat. (Both are types of dives that we have to take as part of the course.) We woke up this morning with the skies gray and heavy-bellied with clouds that were wind-whipped and pouring rain. We quickly decided that diving was a no-go for today, for the rain makes the water very cold (relatively, of course), and traveling anywhere by boat in such wind would have been miserable, difficult, and probably foolhardy. So we didn't go--and, even though I did want to go diving today, I am glad that I did not. It has rained on and off all day, and the winds haven't died down. For what's supposedly the beginning of the dry season (although I don't know the exact date of its start), it sure has rained a lot today! My shower tonight will be freezing cold, but it will be fresh water, and that will be very nice.

This week is midterms, and I'm in the middle of writing tests and filling out paperwork. I think I have almost completely exhausted my supply of books to read in my "spare" time--I've read a couple of the books more than once, though.

Maybe I should just post some more pictures. Yeah, that seems like a good idea. To iPhoto I go, so that I may choose which pictures you see below! More later.



The books that I teach out of (as well as my poor waterbottle that has been so abused by accident)



Emily showing off one of our new sponges (we had used our first sponge until it practically fell apart.)



Oronia and I at the school picnic (O-row-nee-ah)



Jeo, with one of his normal grins

A Picture

This is me (obviously), all geared up in my scuba stuff. The picture was actually taken after the dive to the ship at Shell. Also, that's the best that the vest (BCD) has fit me the entire time. Yay for being under 200 pounds!

A Union Visit, Parent/Teacher Conferences, A Fantastic Dive, and One VERY Cool Class Period

1-15-09 This week had a variety of good and exciting happenings. First of all, the chaplain and missions' coordinator from Union (Emily's school) came to Ebeye. Pastor Rich had been working his way from island to island, visiting his student missionaries, and on Monday evening, he came to Ebeye. Emily, Ryan, and I went to sit at the dock to meet him when he arrived. It's always very interesting to see a visitor's eyes widen when they see the prices at Triple J.

Because Parent/Teacher conferences were on Tuesday evening, we had no classes during the day on Tuesday. Instead, we (Ryan, Pastor Rich, Lorraine, Landen, Megan and I) went diving at Shell Island (and Emily went snorkeling). We geared up at Hidao's house, rented a taxi, and rode out to Shell. It was a very bumpy ride in the back of that truck!

Once at Shell, we unloaded and set up our equipment. My tank decided to have some issues, but it was easily fixed. We made our way into the water, swam out to where Ryan indicated, and descended. I had no problems getting my ears to equalize, and, of all the dives we've done so far, this is the one I've felt most comfortable on. We kept swimming ("Just keep swimming, just keep swimming") and kept going deeper. The blue around us kept deepening as we descended, and I kept thinking, "Are we ever going to get there?". Suddenly, the ship we were headed for just appeared out of the blue murkiness. I was thrilled, as if I were the one discovering the rusted, encrusted wreck that lay forlornly on the bottom of the lagoon. We went closer and we actually swam through a hallway. (Don't worry, Mom, it was all cool. Even though we were eighty feet underwater.) As we swam away from the wreck, I passed a small bit of coral that was growing on the edge of the ship, and there were these tiny little black-and-white striped fish swimming around it. They were very cute. During our safety stop, we looked at some very awesome coral (purple, blue, and yellow) and saw lots of fish, including more the the black-and-white striped ones (but they were bigger than the ones at 80 feet). We finished ascending, got out of the water, rinsed off ourselves and our equipment, and took the equipment back to Hidao's. Then we went back to the apartments, took showers, and ate.

After I ate, I went to the school in order to check my e-mail before the beginning of Parent/Teacher Conferences. When we started the conferences, I was ambivalent about how many parents would actually show up. But I was pleasantly surprised when ten out eighteen parents showed up! I had some very good conversations with parents, and then we went back to the apartments and feasted on splurged-for pizza, sodas, and ice cream (I think Pastor Rich helped get it, though, so maybe it's not a full splurge.)

For this semester, I was assigned/volunteered to teach a communications class. It was originally supposed to be only a public speaking class, but I protested that none of our students would want to take a class with the words "Public" and "Speaking" in the title (because most of them don't like speaking in English in general). So I said that I'd throw in information about other forms of communications (like televisions, radios, and the Internet) and do public speaking as part of it. The kids were supposed to sign up with the principal for the class they wanted, and they knew that they would end up in a class if they didn't choose a class. We started the classes on the 12th, and I was honestly disappointed. Why? Because my class was full of the kids who HATE talking in class, who HATE speaking up, and are usually quiet in general. I went through my lesson about the model of communication, using the students to illustrate it and then drawing it on the board. I had them then draw it down, so that they could study for the quiz on Wednesday, and then I unsuccessfully tried to get any of them to stand up front and talk. All I wanted was them to get up and say like a sentence about what their favorite thing to do was--and none of them would do it. No one would take the plunge.

Wednesday came. I administered the quiz (which most of them passed with full points!) and tried what had not worked in the last class. I even went and sat at one of the students' tables, in order to vacate the front of the room. As I sat there, I was still talking, trying to get them to go up front and say a sentence or two, nothing epic. I knew it would pointless to follow through on my lesson plan because of their reluctance to speak, and so I sent up a little prayer. Then I had a flash of brilliance that I know must have come straight down from God, because I know I was at a loss for what to do. The idea was to get all of the students up front, and so I said, "Okay, everybody up front now! Up, up up!" At first they were a bit reluctant, but they ended up all standing along the blackboard. I got them to pair off and ask each other what their favorite thing to do was, and then I tried to get any two of them to introduce each other. No takers. I was seriously getting frustrated, but that was only my minor feeling. What I felt on the whole was that the particular situation was a challenge, and one that was fun to try and tackle. The whole point was to get them to talk, and I would try almost anything to get them to talk. So I grabbed one of the freshmen who are in the class (one of the boys who were most likely to be the first to speak) and asked him what his favorite thing to do was. He mumbled, "Swimming," (which, by the way, wasn't true; it's actually basketball) and I told him that one of my favorite things to do was write. So I got him to stand next to me, and across from the other kids, and introduced him to the group. Then I made him introduce me. After that, other kids would step forward and do what I had asked them to do, until all of them had spoken at least a sentence. By this point, I was very excited but was containing it very well. I asked them if it was hard or easy, and some of them were honest and said that it was hard. I asked the ones who said it was easy why they had thought it was easy, and they pointed to their empty seats and said, "No one was watching." After that, they asked if they could sit down, and I agreed because they had done so well being up front. Funny thing is, whenever a pair introduced themselves, they were standing in front of the desks and facing the board, where everyone else (including me) was standing. So, even though there wasn't anyone in the seats, anyone who spoke actually did speak in front of the entire class--I just don't think that they were/are aware of that fact, even though I tried to tell them. We'll work on the them-standing-up-in-the-front-of-the-room as we go. But I got them to talk and it was really thrilling!!

More later.

New Year's Eve until the Beginning of Third Quarter

1-8-09 The year 2008 passed into the year 2009 rather anti-climatically. At least, after the large New Year's Eve party that we had at the church. There was food--potato salad, chicken, rice, pasta salads, and random desserts--the typical fare at a Marshallese potluck. Good thing there wasn't any Kool-Aid! We listened to music, had conversations, listened to a New Year's sermonette, and finally ate. Then we listened to the little kids sing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" (they'd learned it for the Christmas Program) and then we went home. The party ended at about 9:30 or so. A group of us got together and played Scrabble. After that petered out, it was almost midnight, and Ryan and Emily and I were stuffing the couch cushions back into their covers (well, I was sitting in a chair, spinning and watching) as the clock changed from 11:59 PM to 12:00 AM. So, the passing of the one year into the next was rather anti-climatic.

What was annoying was trying to sleep after 2009 had arrived. Apparently the Marshallese way to celebrate the New Year is with loud music that has its bass line jacked up to a subwoofer that shakes the entire house, go singing loudly from house to house (and I am quite sure that some of the revelers in those groups were staggering), and in general being loud all night long. For a while the music quieted, only to re-start at about 6:00 AM. *sigh* That was one long New Year's Day.

But New Year's Day turned out well, for it was also Jhan Dale's birthday. He made up a bunch of food, and the whole group got together to celebrate. We sang, we feasted, and then we watched "August Rush." That is one very good movie! I was about to cry until Jonas ruined it all by going, "Ashlee, don't cry!" Then we all headed off to bed.

Sunday through this last Tuesday I spent in prepping for the return of school on January 7th. I have no idea why we started on a Wednesday, but I'm glad we did. I typed up the rules I've been trying to enforce, and made this week my rule review week. I even had a quiz today over the rules, and most of the students did rather well on the quiz. This semester I'm teaching (of course) four classes of high school English and my world history class, but I'm also teaching a communications class. It's an elective, and so I don't know who will be in my class just yet, but I'm hoping some of them pick the class because they're interested. A large portion of it's going to be public speaking, but I also want to teach about different forms of communication, like the radio, the television, movies, and the Internet.

I got back into the swing of things yesterday (Wednesday) and at some point of the day I realized something that is rather important to me: that I had missed teaching!! Ponder that, all ye who know me. :)

Anyway, if anyone's planning on sending me a package of goodies, please be on the lookout for flip-flops. My mom's been looking for some, but I understand that it's winter where you all are (it's winter here, too, but it just doesn't seem like it) and so it may be difficult to find. But I'd rather get flip-flops in the mail than have to pay for some that are really overpriced, and so I hold out hope. :)

It was really nice to get all those emails from people who read this blog during Christmas break--it helps me know that people ARE reading it, and that makes me press on. (Well, that, and the facts that one, I wanted to do this, and two, it helps me with a requirement for a class I took last semester.)

Well, I'll write again when something more happens! Perhaps I'll write about another typical day. We shall see. More later.

A Bit of Diving, A Trip to an Island, Board Games and Boxes

12-31-08 All right. For Christmas Day, we had a potluck dinner and just hung out with each other. We would have traveled from place to place, watching the various dances that the Marshallese do to celebrate Christmas, but it was pouring down rain and was windy. But it ended up being fine, anyway. We played board games and talked. I had a good time.

On the 28th, six of us (Megan, Landen, Jordan, Ryan, Jhan Dale, and me) went diving. Ryan took us to see an airplane--well, it was a propeller and part of a wing of an airplane, but it was still very cool. It also was a hundred feet down. So, yeah, that was cool as well. Although I'm still breaking in my mask, and therefore, it still fogs a good deal, the underwater part of the dive went really well. However, my BCD (or Buoyancy Control Device; the vest a diver wears that the tank is connected to) decided to keep re-inflating after I had put some air in it so I could float better at the surface (you're supposed to do that), which, besides being possibly dangerous (if it had happened underwater) and being uncomfortable, was very annoying. The problem really was with the hose that connects the BCD to the air supply within the tank; for some reason, it wasn't shutting off. So, Ryan disconnected it and we went on the dive. It was the first dive where I went really close to the red section of the air gauge, even though I was breathing like I was supposed to. Jhan Dale thinks it was because of the BCD's constant reinflation that I was down on air. So, we finished up the dive and Ryan had me surface. When a diver surfaces, they're supposed to re-inflate their BCD so they can rest comfortably on the surface. I know how to do that, both with the hose connected and without, but I couldn't float well enough to be able to fill it without the hose. I tried to find the hose, to re-connect it to my BCD, but couldn't find it. So, there I was, treading water with all my equipment on, trying to find the hose, and I just have this abstract thought go through my mind: "So, I can totally see why the book says that the most injuries happen at the surface when a diver panics. 'Cause if I was panicking right now, that would be bad. Good thing I'm not panicking." At this point, Ryan had now surfaced and he swam over and was like, "Re-connect your hose." I replied, "That's what I've been trying to do." So, Ryan says, "Put your snorkel on," and so I did, and so he found my hose, re-connected it, my BCD reinflated, and then he disconnected it again. Then we all floated and kicked our ways back to shore. It was a fun dive.

On the 29th, we took the church's boat out to an island that's past the channel. (The channel is a gap between islands in the atoll where there isn't a reef for the waves to break on.) This particular island is mainly uninhabited. I say mainly because only one family lives on it, and it's a very long island, longer than Ebeye, I do believe. Also, Ryan told us that the family that lives there sometimes lives in Ebeye, and with it being the holidays, that's where they probably were. We got a late start, again (but not due to us), but soon enough, we were speeding along the islands. We passed Shell, Googeegoo, and Nge Nge (the island that Emily calls "the Island of Evil," for that's where she hurt her foot), and then we were in the channel. It was both exciting and scary. The people in the back of the boat got soaked, and those of us in the front got bumped around, especially when we would go down a wave and hit hard. It was like a roller coaster, without safety restraints and without going upside down. I just laughed the whole time--because I thought it was fun and because I didn't want to yell every time we hit hard. So I picked to laugh instead. Right after we got through the channel, the engine just stopped. It was because it had run out of gas, but that was why we had brought some, so they re-filled it and we sped on again.

The island we went to is called Bigitch, I do believe. I mean, I don't know how it's spelled, but everyone says, "Big Itch," and so yeah. Anyway, this island is the type that people actually imagine an island in the middle of the Pacific to be like. Tons of palm trees (and coconut), sandy beaches, and clear water. There was some very nice snorkeling--I saw lots of fish and some VERY cool-looking coral. One downside was that the water would suddenly change from warm to cool, and I would suddenly start getting cold (there may be more downsides to the temp changes, but I won't share that at the moment. I'm waiting on something, first.). First, we all ate. Then we all went off and did various things--Jordan and I went snorkeling, Megan and Landen went for a walk, Emily went looking for shells on the oceanside, etc., When Jordan and I came back, we waited until everyone else was ready, and then we all went snorkeling again. There were some Kwaj boats anchored offshore (it seemed that Kwaj people didn't want to anchor and come to shore, like we had done), and so there were some other snorkelers. When we had finished that, we decided that we had a half hour yet, since the tide was coming in, and we didn't want a very rough channel crossing on the way back. So I ended up walking on the beach, talking with Jordan, and looking for shells. I didn't find any, but Jordan did. We also got to talk to a guy from Kwaj who had been spear-fishing on the oceanside and was now heading back to his boat. That was fun. Then we headed back, and the ride through the channel was a lot calmer than when we were coming through the other way. The ride back was uneventful--no scary engine stops or anything.

On Tuesday, we had more of a down day, sort of. I woke up early (for 6:50 AM during break is early), because Emily, Ryan, Kiba, and I went to Beach Park to jog/walk. For me, it ended up being mostly walking, but that's okay, I completed two entire laps during the time we jogged, and for me, that's a good thing. After that, we went to the school, for the Internet had finally been fixed, and checked our email and such, then went to the post office. I got some cards in the mail, and I really appreciated the one from Mrs. Schulz. She's been following my posts and sending me encouragement through the mail. I just love her cards! (And by the way, Mrs. Schulz, I can read your handwriting perfectly fine. I have never had a problem reading it.) There were also a lot of packages, two of which for me!! One of those packages I had been waiting for since OCTOBER, and so I was very glad to finally get it. It turns out that it went to Guam first, then made its way from island to island to get here. Thank you, Jessica and Larry and Cindy and everybody else who stuck things in there! There were two big bottles of A-1, a bottle of 1000 Island, Sweetarts and books (of which I was very thankful to get), but what I was the most excited about was all the notes and letters from my friends at school--even though they're two months old, they still made me smile! I especially appreciated the Dutch Blitz game that Ashley Seymour sent me--we almost immediately opened it up and played for like two hours. I just love that game! Although it was a bit slow, considering that none of us had played in a while, and that we were only playing with one deck (because I learned how to play while using two decks of cards; now that is a fast game!), but we sped up as time went on and when we got a fourth player. Instead of keeping points, we were just playing to count how many times one of us Blitzed out--I got at least two Blitzes, and that was good for me. We also played a couple games of Scrabble.

The second box I got was from school. It was my Christmas box, and I knew it was coming. It was sent in enough time to reach me by Christmas, but what happens is that boxes for Ebeye don't get as high a priority as boxes for Kwaj do, at least around Christmas time. But let me tell you, yesterday felt more like Christmas! I opened the box from school, and was very excited to find the note that told me who had filled the box. It was three of my friends from Southern who also work at Timber Ridge Camp--Ryan, Baylie, and Danny. I was so excited. (Actually, I found the music CDs with Baylie's handwriting on it, and I thought to myself, "Oh, cool, they asked my friends to help out!" But it's actually much cooler than that. In the note, Ryan told me that the three of them had decided to "adopt" an SM, and that they had decided to adopt ME! It was very awesome. I am currently listening to the music you sent me as I write this. Thank you, you three!

After I had opened my boxes, that was when we decided to play Dutch Blitz, because I had found out in August or September that Ryan and Jhan Dale and Emily all know how to play, and that's the perfect number to play. When some students showed up to hang out with Jhan Dale, Emily and I decided to go back to the post office, because as we were leaving, another shipment had been coming in, and we had seen at least one box that belonged to people here in the apartments. So we put skirts on over our shorts and went forth. We came back with five more boxes--one of which was for me! It was the last box that I know of that I had floating around the US Postal System. This box was from my mom, part of the bunch of boxes she had sent a while back--and I had gotten all the rest of those boxes. So I gleefully opened my last box, knowing that I had my film camera inside, along with various other things. My mom has been asking me if I had gotten a certain sweet surprise, and I hadn't, but this is the box that had that surprise inside. All over the place. Somehow, the marshmallow cream that Mom had sent had oozed out a little and gotten onto some of the things, but nothing was ruined and everything was easily cleaned (except the book and the comics, because paper doesn't do too well under water). But most of it was still inside, under the seal, so I really don't know how it came out. Oh, well. Emily reminded me that it was much better than her package that had come dripping with a nasty-smelling liquid. I agreed. So, thank you Mom!! I really enjoyed getting the comics and my AFM. It was a very good read, by the way. :)

That brings us to today. It's New Year's Eve, and we are, of course, planning to stay up until the year 2009 arrives. Of course, you all won't think it's 2009 until it's 2009 where you are, but that's life in a different time zone. I'll tell you how it went in another blog. More later.

Pictures!

Me in November

Kiba the puppy when he was small and cute

Shoes are how we tell who's home


The Ocean on a Windy Day


Our Apartments' Balcony

I'll post more soon, but I need to go. More later.

News Update--From Final Exams until Christmas

12-25-08 Merry Christmas! Final exam week went by fairly quickly. I even got my grades turned in by last Friday (but that may be due partially to the fact that I had six tests right in a row, and no tests on Thursday morning. However, I had everything graded by the end of Wednesday, and quite happily logged into Skype on Thursday morning to be surprised by my friend Desi also being online! One reason that this was so exciting is that Desi is a fellow student missionary--but in Africa. There's still a fair bit of time difference (she was headed to bed, I had just started my day), but it was good to have a conversation with her. It was definitely a boost!

Last Thursday was our Christmas program. It went really well, compared with other programs we've had this year. After starting a half-hour or so late, the groups flowed smoothly and the kids sang and everything was good. Well, not entirely. My sophomores had refused to practice, like I said two posts ago. We had gotten to the Wednesday before final exams, and they still wouldn't practice. They would just sit there and stare at the blackboard blankly. Frankly, it drove me up the wall. Blessedly, I stayed calm in front of the class (though I really wanted to explode, and, for those of you who know me rather well, you know that would not have been a good thing) and it was only through God that I stayed calm in front of the class. I ended up venting to the coordinator for the program, and when he had the sophomores during the next period, he asked them if they would practice. He got no answer, and so he said that they didn't need to be in the program. Instead, our principal had them clean the rooms where we had the performances (before and after) and they were still required to come. I don't know how many of them actually showed up, but a few of the ones who usually behave did. Figures. On Friday, one of my sophomores' moms told me that they had all known the song. *sigh*

You know, I remember my sophomore year of high school. It wasn't that long ago, you know. I remember how most of us thought that a lot of stuff we had to do was "stupid." So, in a way, I can identify with the class I sponsor. But here the apathy is much deeper. In my class, we would still get things done, whether we thought it dumb or not. We still participated. I've talked with our principal about my class--and part of the problem is that no one in the class wants to be a leader. At least, no one wants to be a leader in the sense of getting up front and getting things done. They would all rather have someone else do it. Then there's me, the sponsor. It's my job to help them lead, not to lead. And it isn't for lack of potential, either. There are lots of leaders in my class--they all just want to do different things, none of which are what they're supposed to be doing. They have the potential; they lack the motivation. Last Monday (12-15, I think), we were supposed to plan for our class party on the 19th. Okay, that's not difficult, we've planned class potlucks before. So, I write the list of foodstuffs needed on my blackboard and ask, "Okay, who's bringing what?" Crickets. (Well, if there were crickets on Ebeye, which I think there aren't.) I finally got most of the food volunteered for, and asked if they wanted to do anything else, like play games or something. No answer. So I sent them on to geometry class. Friday came, and I had six kids show up on time to eat (a seventh had to join another class because she came late). Six kids is one-third of my class--and most of that one-third did not even bring what they were supposed to. The kid who lives across the street from the school didn't even show. *sigh* I ended up combining my party with the party of Emily and the juniors. It ended up being a fine little party, but I still was disappointed. Despite thoughts that they wouldn't show, I was hoping that they would.

Enough of my angsty venting. Here's something funny that happened during the last performance (which was the Kindergarten/Preschool). Little kids began running out of the room and scrambling to the street. Why, you ask? Oh, because the Christmas parade one of the churches was holding was throwing candy to the kids. It was also blaring a siren that was completely annoying. Our little kids on stage kept singing, though I'm sure that they wanted to be running to get candy as well. I actually have video of their performance, and every so often, there's this blur that runs past. It would be another small child, dashing towards the door. We staff were just silently laughing and trying to pay attention to the kids on stage. They did a really good job of singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."

Sunday, December 21st, was a day that I spent mostly in bed. Somehow, I got laid out by some sort of illness. It wasn't bad enough for them to call up a taxi and take me to the hospital, but I did stay in bed most of the day and try to sleep. I had about two good hours of sleep once I moved to our principal's couch (because their house was dark and quiet, unlike my bedroom, which gets direct exposure to sun almost all day long). I slept all night, and am now (as of Thursday) feeling much better. I don't know why I got it, but I'm really glad it's gone.

We've had no Internet for about four days, and I haven't felt the need to pay money for the Internet at NTA (I am cheap like that). This post may be a reason to go to NTA, but I'd rather have the school have Internet, because it's cheaper to me. (No, it's not free. Ten dollars of my stipend goes to using the school's Internet. Not a hardship, considering that then I have reliable (well, most of the time) access to the Internet. Plus, the Internet being off is due to NTA, not to the school. And so here I am, using the Internet at NTA, to check my email and post this.

Tonight we're going to have a Christmas dinner and just hang out with each other. Last night we had a Christmas Eve party--we exchanged gifts, using the Steal game method, and then played chess and Uno and had conversations and such. I actually won a round of Uno! Yay!

Oh, I almost forgot. I have broken the two hundred pound barrier. That's right. For the first time in a long time, I weigh less than 200 pounds. I came in at 197.5 pounds, and so I went out and got celebration pickles and Pringles. They were expensive, let me tell you. The jar of pickles (it was a big one, because I wanted to economize and because I wanted to share) cost me $6.15. Oh, but they were good! And very much worth it. More later.