Let there be Break!

Christmas Parade! 

And on the eighth day God said, “Let there be Christmas Break” and there was Break. And the joyous sounds and parties were the eighth day.

This last finals week we tried something different – having half days for four days and then the class Christmas parties on Friday. So with that schedule, we had two 1½ hour test blocks to give the students a few last minutes to study and then enough time to complete their exam. And… the entire afternoon off. So it was definitely a success in my book!

Friday was our high school Christmas party. Since their Accounting class didn’t really happen, and that was the only test they had on Thursday, I told my seniors that they didn’t have to come to school the next day unless they just wanted to come to decorate. So the next day the majority of them showed up and spent the morning blasting their music and taping various signs, ribbons, ornaments, and paper origami pieces around the room.

Some of the other participants

The party started around 9:00 the next day, but because of island time we really didn’t start until much later. When half of them were there I got them going with a game of Ninja, and then quickly figured out once again that these kids just really don’t seem to like games. They wanted to just ‘listen to music and talk to their friends.’ Fine. Not like I had games and other stuff planned that I was excited for! Oh well. So I put on Elf, and then we had lunch.

Santa throwing candy to the kids

The best part was when we started the gift exchange. Rosina acted as Santa, calling out ‘Merry Christmas Motoky, from Viki!’ But there was a tiny catch; Sharlyn was by the huge speaker they had brought in, and when somebody’s name was called, the music started (super loudly) and they were supposed to dance before they could receive their gift. I say ‘supposed to’ because some people didn’t dance. Fine. I hadn’t included myself in the gift exchange, and when I saw they were doing it that way I was kind of glad.

But I definitely thought that too soon… “Merry Christmas Miss Carissa, from Minako!” Rosina called out. Shoot. And since half of the kids had refused to dance, I decided I wouldn’t follow that crowd and got up, went to the middle of the room, and did my white Adventist two left-feet dance.

They clapped and howled with laughter.

I grinned.

And all was well.

After the parties we hurried off on our decorated truck to join the parade. Participating in a Christmas parade in Micronesia consists of decorating your vehicle, blasting holiday tunes, and throwing candy to the kids on the side of the road. The last part is the most important. Unfortunately, on our way to join the parade we hadn’t yet bought candy, and that didn’t make the parade-watchers very happy.

Especially the older ladies… we passed by a group of kids and an older lady who were all just anxious for candy, and we called out “Sorry! We don’t have candy yet! We will come back!” The kids just frowned and turned away, but the older lady’s face twisted and she ran a few steps after us, throwing dirt and yelling curses – I think – in Chuukese. I wasn’t going to be surprised if she pulled out a machete. Calm down, lady. The candy is for the kids.

Mary and Joseph

We finally met with the rest of the parade, bought the candy, and we followed the parade back the way we came. This time, we could throw candy and feel much better about ourselves. It was so entertaining to watch all the kids run screaming up to the truck as we tossed out the teeth-corroding goodies.

When we reached the school, we got more candy and handed it out to the locals, and by handed out I mean threw high into the air so that we wouldn’t get mobbed by the children who were crowding us… these kids are the best.

After a night’s stay at Blue Lagoon Resort with Mecha and Jules – complete with restaurant struggles, movie attempts (“You made me think”), all-night air conditioning, kayaking, and hot showers, I was off to Kosrae to spend Christmas with my family. It’s so good to be back and be reunited with friends and family. An early Christmas present, that’s for sure!

Earth Day

We had Earth Day on November 25 this year, and so here is a literal spattering of pictures of that day. I always have difficulty making the pictures go where I want them to go... any suggestions? Anyways, the high-schoolers worked hard, and got lots done!

Motoky

Sherane

Leiann, Rosina, Annette

Sharlyn, Sherana, Minako, Leiann, Jill, Bua

Praise

Jake, Faith

Madison

Looks fantastic! 

The daily grind

I’ve been meaning to write this post for quite some time, and since it’s almost halfway through the school year I think I should be able to write my schedule without any trouble…

I wake up at around 6:30 and instantly want the universe around me to just pause so I can go back to sleep. The power has just turned back on around a half hour ago, and when the weather is hotter than normal it makes for an uncomfortable and fitful night. But the digital clock keeps counting up, so I roll over and start the getting out of bed process.

Some 3rd graders playing marbles

I’ve never been fantastic at having daily devotions, but while over here I’ve been trying, and so that is one of the first things on my agenda. The early morning weather is the coolest that it’s usually going to be, so I may start having my devotional time outside. Genius!

Volleyball during break time

Next is breakfast. Six girls sharing one stove can be a hassle, but we don’t seem to have too big of a problem with it. Sharing is easy. My menu can consist of oatmeal, pancakes, rice, bananas, and the occasional apple. I can’t express how much I miss berries and smoothies…

Staff worship is supposed to be at 7:45, but nobody gets there on time so we all trickle in once we’ve finished all the last-minute preparations for that day. We sing a few songs, have a short devotional, and make our way through various bits of staff news. Then, when Mr. John says “Ok, thank you,” we’re off to our classes.

I’m the twelfth grade advisor, so my job is to have worship with them in the mornings, get their report cards together, keep them from ditching school, and planning various high school activities and the senior’s graduation. This year we’re joining with the eighth grade class for graduation, so that cuts down on my personal stress and even has their graduation land on my birthday!

So, here’s the breakdown for my teaching schedule:

8:45-9:30 – 11^th grade Chemistry

9:30-10:15 – 8^th grade Science

10:15-10:30 – Break time!! I get back into the apartment, switch out my books, and then sit down and don’t usually move much until a bit after the bell rings again. This slow island pace really is starting to claim me. Must resist!!

10:30-11:15 – 12^th grade Physics (who would have guessed I would have ever taught this!?)

11:15-12:00 – 10^th grade Biology – (Brittle stars and mitosis and hyphae…)

The crowd for English Day

12:00-12:30 – This is the wonderful half hour we have to eat. We have a few more teachers coming December 11, so my schedule will change a bit. We’re going to be adding one more class to all the grades and will be ending at 3:00 instead of 2:00. So, though that means a bit more work for me, I get a 15-minute longer lunch break!! For lunch we usually just eat whatever leftovers we can find, or I’ll make a quick pot of pasta. As mentioned in an earlier post – carbs, carbs, carbs.

We usually close the door to enjoy a little bit of quiet, except for the occasional day when a dog’s pathetic whining is all that we hear. The poor dog follows one of the local workers to school and gets tied to a post on the other side of the house for the extent of the day. Too quickly though, the time is up and I head back out the door for my last two classes.

12:30-1:15 – 4^th grade science

1:15-2:00 – 9^th grade Earth Science

At 2:00 the beautiful bell rings out its delightful chorus and the busiest part of the day is over. I pick up the classroom for a bit, do any after-school meetings or tutoring, and then back to the apartment I go.

Since the power goes off at 3:00, my afternoons consist of me trying to avoid the heat while somehow being productive and lethargic simultaneously. During this time I usually indulge the social media monster, play with two of our elementary students, do some grading, plan for classes, watch movies, or do something along those lines.

Monday is my town trip day, and that usually takes until around 5:30. We leave around the same time the bus does, usually make 5-6 stops, and I spend too much money and curse the prices. But, town trips are one of my favorite times of the week – it’s a chance to leave the campus! I usually see a couple of my students when we’re over there, and it’s always fun to hear a random “Hi, Miss Carissa!” when I’m not expecting it.

Sunset from our porch

When the power turns back on at 6:00 and as the afternoon drains into evening that is when productivity hits. This is when supper is made, assignments are graded, and workouts are sweated. Evenings are filled with simple joys and visits from our two favorite aunties – “What’s happening?”

As 9:40 hits I usually try to get to bed, because the night is long and power-less, and morning comes sometimes too soon, and sometimes not soon enough. We pray for it to rain the whole night and that there will be no rats scuttling around in our room. 

And that’s the daily grind.