Getting into the Christmas spirit

Well....I guess Christmas to me this year means going home and visiting the people that I love the most in the whole wide world, and so I guess I haven't been thinking about decorating my classroom and what-not. 

Anyway, the first grade teacher has been doing a wonderful job in decorating her classroom for Christmas, and I realized (after many pleas from second graders to decorate our classroom too) that I was being pretty "Bah Humbug-ish" in not doing the same thing. 

It's a pretty strange feeling to be decorating the classroom in 80 - 90 degree weather, but somehow making snowflakes, paper chains, and hanging up tinsel and stars has gotten me in a Christmas-y mood....the fact that I'll be home in 12 days, and that I've almost finished my report cards might be playing into that feeling as well. :) 

And just in case I take myself too seriously...

Recently I've procured a cold that is going around the station, and so I've been sneezing and blowing my nose quite a bit of late. 

Yesterday in class though, I got a good laugh when after I blew my nose one of the second graders said, "Oh, Miss Garcia, I thought you were using your pencil sharpener."

So apparently when I blow my nose it sounds like an electric pencil sharpener....who knew?

Celebrating Thanksgiving...a little differently

    Well, Happy Thanksgiving....it's been a little of a strange day as I had classes this morning, and I am one of only three other people on station to recognize American Thanksgiving. It's easy to get down about being away from home on a day like today, and knowing that my entire family will all be under the same roof celebrating together. 

     Honestly though, it hasn't been a bad day at all. Last night I ran a "pie social", and with everyone's help we had quite a variety of pies...and even some ice cream! We played some Thanksgiving games, had some silly competitions, and I think, for the most part, everyone had a good time. There were quite a few different nationalities represented, (most of which don't celebrate Thanksgiving at all...or at least not in November), but I really appreciated the fact that they were willing to celebrate Thanksgiving with me...even if it is an American holiday. 

    This morning I received a whole bunch of the sweetest "Happy Thanksgiving Miss Garcia" cards, which one of my fellow teachers put together, and had appear from all different places (one my desk, at my seat at breakfast, from the kids, etc.). Today also just happened to be my afternoon off, so this afternoon I was able to call home, and this evening the girls on station are coming over to my house to eat leftover pie (I made apple and banana cream pie), and to make some Christmas cards. 

     So yeah, way different than a typical Thanksgiving, but special all the same, and hasn't left me unthankful in any way! :) Happy Thanksgiving ya'll!

Dorm Mom For The Evening

Last night I got to fill in as Dorm Mom for the girls' dorm because the real Dorm Mom had to help out with an emergency off station. 

I actually had a really good time seeing the girls in a different element, and although I'm okay to not do this full time, I enjoyed very much the opportunity to do it for the evening. 

The evening consisted of helping making sure all the junior girls got their baths, and got ready for bed on time, reading stories to them, doing devotions and prayers with them, handing out their "medicine" (such as salt to gargle, eye drops etc.), and tucking them all in. It was adorable as they all wanted a kiss goodnight (even the bigger girls), and they wanted to sing a song before the lights were turned out. 

I'm not exactly ready to be a mom yet, but the little tastes I get of motherhood here and there are always quite enjoyable. 

A Proud Girlfriend....

I know that this has nothing to do with Sakeji, and little to do with me, but yesterday Chris was hunting and didn't only shoot one deer, but two! 

The coolest part was that I was actually on the phone with him before the doe walked up, which is when I hung up momentarily, until I received his text that said "Call me!" I figured that meant he had good news and called back right away to find out that right after he'd shot the doe, a buck walked out and he'd shot that too! It was cool to get to share that moment with him, even from the other side of the world...and I couldn't help but tell everyone I saw that Chris shot two deer on his first day hunting this season! 

It must be nearly end of term....

     The children are having a lot of trouble sitting quietly and still, and I've been reminding them the class rules all week! We must be getting down to the last few weeks of the school year!
     The way I feel that today has gone is a lot like the following poem that I found in a poem book in my classroom! Here it is:

      "When a knight won his spurs
       In the stories of old - 
       He was - 'Face the front, David Briggs,
       What have you been told?'
       With a shield on his arm
        And a lance in his - 'Hey!
        Is that a ball I can see?
        Put - it - a - way.'

        No charger have I
        And - 'No talking back there.
        You're supposed to be singing,
        Not combing your hair.'
        Though back into storyland
        Giants have - 'Roy,
        This isn't a playground,
        Stop pushing that boy!'

        Let faith be my shield
        And - 'Who's eating sweets here?
        I'm ashamed of you, Marion,
        It's not like you dear.'
        And let me set free
        With - 'Please stop that, Paul King.
        This is no place for whistlers,
        We'd rather you sing!'"

          - Allan Ahlberg (Please Mrs. Butler)

On the receiving end

Yesterday the second grade class received a big box of brand new books from a Christian School in Michigan. It's always exciting to get new books, and since my second graders love to read, having a larger selection to choose from will make the last four weeks of this year way more exciting. It was just rather strange for me, being on the receiving end of something like that. In the past I've been involved in that type of thing more than once, and now to be getting a box of books for my own class, and thinking of ways to show them my (our) appreciation is different...but in an exciting way. 

I was overjoyed as we opened the box to find one of my favorite books as a kid "The Story of Ferdinand"! It was a book that I had been particularly wanting in my classroom, and I was also excited to read it aloud to the kids this morning. As I read it I put on a Spanish accent, and the kids found the story very entertaining!

Anyway, we've had some fun making thank you cards, and taking pictures to send back to the generous school. I thought that I'd share some with you'll as they are pretty adorable pictures...or perhaps I'm just biased because they're my kids!

God's little encouragements when I need them most

     These past few days have been pretty stressful and challenging...partly because we are at the hardest part of the term, partly because I've never been away from home this long before and so I'm getting homesick, and partly because I'm missing my Chris. 

     Anyway, I've had a few sweet little things happen lately that have been encouragements to me and little boosts to keep me going, but I'll just share two. 

     Apparently the kids at the orphanage were playing house the other day, and decided to role play real people. Some of them decided to be "Mama Hannah" (and play guitar), and a few other ones wanted to be "Mama Jessica"! It was so sweet to hear about that, and to know that even though my work at the orphanage is pretty small and insignificant, it is still making an impact (however small) on these kids! And that's encouraging! 

     The other thing was the sweet piece of paper that I found on my seat this morning at breakfast. One of the seventh grade girls had decorated a piece of paper with lyrics from many of the songs I have taught them in Assembly times! Some of the songs were all the way back from first term, and we haven't sung them in a while! It was just cool to feel so loved and accepted by one of the students, and to know that maybe those Scripture songs that I've been trying to teach since term one are really stuck in their brains, and maybe really will make a difference in their lives!
      These little acts that I've seen, coupled with some other encouragements from other people have just reminded me how loving and faithful God is, and how even something as small as my stressful weekend is not beneath His notice!