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My Dad Is An Ironman!
(You get two today! and a promise I will pick up the blog pace!)
My dad completed his first ever Ironman today! Oh how I wish I could have been there, but thanks to modern technology I was able to follow him the whole race and sorta see him cross the finish line. I can’t not explain you how nervous I was. My dad has been talking about this for years and been actually training for the past year. It all came down to this. I knew that short of something medically going wrong, he would finish, but man, my nerves were all a tangled mess and I watched intently on the little blue arrow that was my dad travel across the 140.6 mile course. As soon as I knew he crossed the finish line, there was this overwhelming sense of relief and pride that came over me. I have always thought my dad could do anything. He has always been my hero-and today he did something that not a whole lot of people can say they have done. Complete an Ironman in under 14 hours!!! Oh man, the cheers ran high-thank goodness he finished over my lunch or my students might have thought I went crazy! So I can officially say my dad is an Ironman..and I am getting a shirt that says that:) and while I am so sad I missed out on the actual event, I know that he knew how much I was cheering for him and that Saipan is where I am supposed to be. Plus, they took lots of pictures and I got a review of it from him just over an hour after the race!I love you dad! Way to go! -
"You will gain 25 pounds in Saipan"
This was one of the first things that was told to me upon arrival to this island. I just laughed it off thinking, “No way.” However, this is the 3rd weekend in a row we have been invited to multiple cookouts. You see, in Saipan, people get together every weekend and have potlucks. Everyone brings something and you get together. You don’t even have to have a reason! I love it because I think it is such a beautiful picture of community. You see these cookouts always have the most wide array of people-locals, young, old, people from near and far, lawyers, teachers, housewives-you name it and you can probably find it at a Saipan BBQ. Which also means that there is ALWAYS an amazing amount of delicious food. Hence why I believe it is not entirely unlikely that one might gain 25 pounds. Just about everything revolves around eating. But as I think about it, I wish it was more like this back home. Why do we have to wait for holidays like Labor Day or birthdays to get together with friends? Can we not just enjoy eating a meal together just for the sake of sharing and fellowship? It’s the same way even during the week with my friend Anna. We eat together almost every night and while, food is not cheap here, we have just come up with a system that ensures that neither of us feel like we are contributing or spending more. We are able to enjoy each other’s company, save on leftovers, and no one is worse for the wear. I believe that this is a huge part of living in community. Sharing meals. I love this aspect of my life in Saipan. And I love looking around at the people I am sharing the meal with and knowing that there are not many other places where you could find such a random mix of people all enjoying each other’s company and eating each other’s food!
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Hard reminder
One of the other teachers who has been in charge of prayer for our mornings meetings this week has been sharing The Beatitudes with us from The Message. I don’t normally read that version, but I have been studying the Sermon on the Mount and I thought I would read through all of them tonight. (and maybe get a jump on what she is going to talk about tomorrow 🙂 ) So I came across this..You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.Wow-talk about what I needed to here. I try to make my life appear perfect. Flawless. That I have my act together. But lately, even living in this beautiful place, I have sorta felt at the end of my rope. But lo and behold, that is when I am most blessed. When I am not trying so hard, I can let God do the work. I can let Him be in control and I can just follow His guiding. And all of a sudden, I don’t have to worry about the future, or having a plan, or acting like I have it all together. I can just be me, and let God be God which ironically tends to work out better anyways. So other than planning a few vacations, I am just going to work on letting God be God and enjoying each and every day that I have here. I can’t do this on my own so thank goodness I have someone to help me!You May Also Like
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Running and Sunning
So week three is down! Hard to believe we are heading into week four and that I have been here for almost six weeks. It feels much longer than that. I believe this is one of the few places in the world where time moves much slower. Perhaps it is because the weather is exactly the same everyday. Literally, it’s always around 85 and sunny and usually it rains at least once throughout the day. Everyday. Same thing. Which is amazing honestly because I hate cold weather so I am not at all complaining. It stays this way year round too which is even better.
I do not have a car in Saipan which I love because driving is among my least favorite activities. But because of that, I walk a lot. For example, yesterday, I walked to a local farmers market, ran 3.5 miles, walked to the beach, walked to a restaurant for lunch, walked to a pool, and walked to a different restaurant for dinner. Whew..makes me tired typing it out. Although, I should note that in all of that I probably only walked a little over 2 miles not counting my run. I notice that when I walk, I pay attention to so much more. I notice the trees and the flowers and the people and the buildings and of course, the ocean. Yesterday, I was just reminded once again of the creative God we serve. Everything was beautiful and as I was running, you could see at least three different colors in the ocean water. It was breathtaking.After my run, I spent the rest of the day hanging out in the sun. We didn’t have power most of the day, so outside it was. Thank goodness it didn’t rain! I read some more of my book and spent the day relaxing. An art form I am slowly learning to enjoy. Relaxing.But time to run! Write later. -
It’s Finally Starting to Feel Like Home
I got two more boxes today! I am only waiting on the final two, although, I can’t imagine what more I could need! I got the few decorations I sent myself today..mostly stuff from Africa, but it was nice to put stuff on my walls! So instead of huge white walls staring at me, a part of Africa is covering them. Which makes this feel a little more like home. I am getting settled in, organized, and back into a routine. My apartment is looking a little more like I live here and am not just visiting. Which also means it is slightly messy all the time, but it wouldn’t be mine if it wasn’t like that. 🙂
I have become good friends with one of the other new teachers-Anna. I am pretty sure God sent her here for me:) We eat dinner together at least three times a week and it’s becoming a more and more regular habit. Food here is expensive and neither of have microwaves so instead of trying to figure out what to do with leftovers we just both pitch in part of a meal and eat dinner together. The company is much better and I think it’s much closer to a Christ-like community. And we have spent the past two nights planning trips to Bali and Japan. It’s like having a partner in crime to travel with and to enjoy life with. Almost all of the other teachers are married so it is nice to have someone to share meals with, to go to the beach with, and to (hopefully) travel the world with. Plus we get along really well which is a major plus!I am getting more and more comfortable with teaching each day too. It’s not getting easier yet, but I am slowly learning lessons. Like explaining the activity before they turn on their computers or else I will have to explain it 15 more times. (I don’t even have 15 students!) and the importance of planning, but also being able to think quick with something doesn’t go as planned. My students are growing on me too. I have a feeling they are going to steal my heart before too long. Especially my younger ESL students.And I have taken up running again. Which is one reason I know this is becoming more like home and not just a vacation. Although, I will admit that teaching on an island is probably one of the sweetest deals you can get. Sure, it’s hard work..but to walk from your classroom to the beach in less than five minutes is an alright trade-off!So one month in and all is good:) -
I found this interesting..
I read a few blogs regularly, but one of my favorites is Tom Davis’s blog Red Letters.I found this a quote that I liked on his blog today and followed it to the original sourceÂwhich is where I found the below quote. The letter it comes from took me a long time to read, but there was some really thought-provoking stuff in it. But I liked this portion because this whole trip so far has been a lot of facing my fears and trying new things.ÂAnd if only we arrange our life in accordance with the principle which tells us that we must always trust in the difficult, then what now appears to us as the most alien will become our most intimate and trusted experience. How could we forget those ancient myths that stand at the beginning of all races, the myths about dragons that at the last moment are transformed into princesses? Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love. Â –Rainer Maria Rilke
I don’t have many more thoughts..I think that says it pretty good.You May Also Like
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No Walk in the Park..but perhaps a Walk on the Beach
So week two is almost done..thank goodness! Â
I have had a rough week and I am ready for a few days to re-focus and re-energize. To anyone who thinks being a teacher is easy, they are so wrong. And trust me, those few months off in the summer are so needed because the work of a teacher never ends. I am always planning, grading, writing notes or a test, and even when I think I am finished, I will run out of time in class or get done too soon and then have to re-arrange my whole plan. Â Â
I have realized this week how much of a perfectionist I am. Failure is just not an option in my life and therefore, when I feel like I don’t get it or am behind, I get frustrated. I mean, I am now on day 9 of teaching. That’s it..9 days under my belt of teaching on an island I have been on less than a month. I didn’t go to school to be a teacher and I have students that for the most part don’t speak English as a first language. Some of them barely speak English at all. I have 8 different classes everyday and have students from Kindergarten through 8th grade! So honestly, I realized that I am way too hard on myself. I mean, I haven’t killed any students or cried in front of them yet. I am working my butt off and doing the best job I can do. I just have to let myself learn and grow as a teacher. I will get the hang of it and get into a groove. So instead of stressing myself out over feeling like a failure, I need to recognize that God will give me the strength I need and that asking for help is not a sign of failure, but of wisdom.ÂOverall though, I love being a teacher! It is seriously one of the greatest jobs ever. And teaching on a beautiful tropical island is pretty good too:)Â -
Forbidden Island
(you get two posts today!)
So today we hiked to Forbidden Island. Aptly named because the locals believe that there are spirits living there and therefore will not go near it Although I believe it should have that name because of the hike to get there! My legs are going to be sore tomorrow! However, it was so worth it. We hiked down the side of a mountain basically..if you can imagine a mountain on and island..and then ended up at this small collection of caves and pools that you can swim and snorkel in. First of all, we hiked back into this cave and found a small pool of water you could swim in and another small pool filled with sea urchins! So cool-kinda scary, but cool. You can’t swim there because sea urchins can puncture through shoes! Then we hiked back out to this small pool where you can snorkel. First, I decided that an underwater camera may be my next purchase. I can’t even begin to describe how beautiful the fish were. And how many different kinds-I don’t think I have ever seen that many different kinds of fish..except at an aquarium. They were beautiful. It made me realize how creative of a God I serve. That He would create all these different beautiful fish. and as I sat in awe of the fish I looked around and saw a group of people-as different as you can imagine, all coming together to stand in awe of God’s creation. It was a beautiful picture.All of these experiences just draw me closer into the amazing God we serve. As I stand in awe of His creation, I can’t help but think that I want to praise Him with everything in me. Because truly, sometimes I feel that I can hear the rocks crying out. So may my voice be louder than the rocks and may God have all the glory as I explore His amazing creation! -
First Week of School
So I did it! I made it through my first week of school without killing a student or quitting my job. Actually, it was really good. I learned a lot though! Teaching is a whole new world for me so it was a week full of learning for both myself and (hopefully!) my students. I have 8 classes a day-all different which is a lot to begin to with. Add to that equation that I have no curriculum or books for any of the 8 classes and you a new dimension to the difficulty. Finally, add to it that I have students from Kindergarten through 8th grade that don’t speak English as their first language and you can come to the conclusion that life is busy! and that perhaps I am doing alright considering all of that. And let me just tell you, to anyone that thinks teachers have an easy life because they get three months off in the summer has NEVER been a teacher! The work pretty much never ends and I am putting in way more than 40 hour work weeks all to make pennies compared to most jobs. But am I in NO way complaining-I love my job!! I love being a teacher and I especially love being a teacher here. The kids are great-they are adorable and so fun. They have been so gracious as I try to learn their names and struggle through attendance each day. And I mean, leaving work and heading to the beach has its perks too:) Although most of the time, I spend my nights grading papers and preparing lessons. I am sure as time goes on it will get easier and things will fall into routine. Or at least I am really hoping that it does.
So one week down..who knows how many more to go, but I am sure each one will bring new challenges and rewards-so is the life of a teacher!You May Also Like
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Dangerous Territory
so I found a puppy. She was sitting in a ditch and I was walking home from the store. Now first of all, I am not allowed to have pets in my apartment or on the school grounds. Secondly, I live on an island with an overabundance of dogs so unfortunately this puppy is sort of out of luck. But I love her. I put her in a very safe spot and checked on her this morning. Still alive. Tonight I brought her some water-she drank three small cups. She is covered in fleas and probably not going to live much longer. But I have been reading Irresistible Revolution and it hit me. Life is about stepping into dangerous territory. Like getting attached to a puppy that I can’t keep. But here’s the thing..it’s not even about that. It’s about loving and giving. And it’s about so much more than a puppy. It’s about loving the people around us..even when it’s messy. Even when it means we may get our hearts broke. Or they may run away. Or be covered in “fleas.” Or that we may end up looking like a fool. It’s about giving away so much of ourselves that there is nothing left. Because after all, isn’t that what Christ did? He sacrificed His own life for ours. So while I am not naming the puppy, I am going to love it. And I am going to love my students with everything in me. Because life is dangerous-but that is also when life is the most rewarding.
