Happily ever after 10 months...or maybe just day.

Hi Y'all! How is everyone doing? I hope everything is well back in the States. I must admit I feel very out of the loop on what is happening in the world. But, I do have lots to tell about my first days of teaching. So let's get to it!

Monday was my last day to get ready for school. My last day to decorate and my last day to lesson plan. As the day faded away my nerves set in. I spent the day in my classroom and at 9p.m some of us walked down the street to get ice cream (which has become a routine that I love). All of us kept mentioning how nervous and unprepared we were. What better way to calm down than eating an ice cream cone?

When we got back on campus a truck was leaving to go to the hospital. The niece of our principal had lost a lot of blood and needed some desperately. They asked those of us who didn't know our blood type to hop in and go get it tested. So even though I still had MUCH to prepare for the next day I felt the urge to go help. 

The truck was speeding down the pot-holed filled roads and at first all I could think about was how if we crashed my life would be over. Then I thought about the urgency the driver felt to get there quickly and I realized that this little girl needed us to fill her up with more life and soon. I prayed the whole rest of the way that one of us would have this girl's blood type. It turned out that three of the guy's did and they were able to give blood. 

That night I learned two things. I learned that I have O positive blood(do I trust the results of this hospital though? questionable) and I learned I am in Pohnpei for a bigger purpose than teaching. I am here to love and care for all the people here. I was so nervous for my first day of teaching, but my God is the same God that chose Moses, a nervous speaker, to lead the Israelites home. Going to the hospital the night before school turned out to be exactly what I needed. By the way, my friends Lindsey, Cierra, and I stayed in our classrooms until 2a.m preparing for school. Woohoo thank you to my adrenaline rush.  

So that brings us to the first day of school! Oh boy, I was more nervous than I anticipated. I saw my students and parents lined up at my door and stood from a distance just watching and breathing. Right when I got to my classroom teacher Ms. Williams kicked in and the nerves flew out the door. I had so much fun meeting the students and singing with them! I was laughing in the middle of the songs from excitement. About 30 minutes later though I ran out of things to do! I quickly realized that I had a lot to teach. These second graders are probably more on a kindergarten/ 1st grade level. I made it through the day by improvising(yay heads-up seven-up). I was really pumped to get back in there the next day and review our procedures, rules, and teach happily ever after for 10 months. 

This is the part in my story where happily ever after turned into lets just make it through the day and I'll be happy. The next two days were rough. I have 15 students and the boys outnumber the girls. I have a few mischievous boys, one in particular, that keeps me on my feet all day. It goes like this, "boys, get in your seat. Go to your seat...go change your card and SIT DOWN." Yes, sometimes I don't like the teacher Ms. Williams. I just want to hang out with cute kids but that just can't happen on the teacher side. 

So yeah, it was a lot of repeating myself, getting discouraged after assessing them in different subjects, and and getting my serious face perfected. But, then there was the playing freeze tag with them at recess, and singing at the top of our lungs in class so that the whole school could hear, and pictures of me drawn, and laughter filling the classroom. I love each one of my kids, even the troublemakers. I love this opportunity. I love the friends I have made here. I love sitting in everyones apartment grading papers. I love riding in the back of trucks looking up at the stars. I love rope swinging into the ocean. I love that I have accepted that my classroom is being shared with a frog family. I love feeling God's presence when we sing to Him. 

Woo this got long! If you finished reading this I thank you. I still have so many other stories but I have to save some for when I get back too. Your support and prayers mean the world to me. I love you all and comment if you wish. It makes me really happy. 

Much love.