Patience…to accept the truth

Uh, two days into school and I am already ready for my week to be over so I can go back to the farm. I swear some days I walk into my class room and think I just walked into the chaos that might surround an accident on the New Jersey Turnpike during holiday season! Kids running every which way, pencils flying through the air, a thousand people yelling TAYLOR…HELLOOOOOOO, desks flipped upside down on the ground, drawings all over the board...anything…you name it. I have to ask myself how it got like this between the time they finished their last class (which should have been less then 2 minutes ago) until when I get there. It baffles me.

I got a card from my mom the other day though that had an absolutely wonderful quote on the front. (For some reason I am loving quotes these days) The beginning phrase was “May you have…” and then one of the items was, “Patience…to accept the truth.” That saying is so relevant here and is something I truly need to listen to. I attempted to go into school with a new mind set Monday morning – one of patience and understanding – but it is tested SO much starting the very second school starts. I think it was better, remembering to have patience and think of what Spanish class was like for me just starting out, but it was still hard. I just need to keep trying different strategies out and find out what works best for these kids. They seem to really respond with hands out activities and activities related to their lives – so now it is just a matter of being able to think of daily activities like this to keep them interested and learning. It is very easy to wonder off if a teacher is standing up there talking and you have no idea what is going on. Some kids get every word and some get absolutely nothing. It is just a mater of time and patience I suppose. I need to accept the reality of my situation, and realize I can’t teach like I would normally imagine teaching. This is the Marshall Islands and is worlds different from anything I have ever known.

Anyways, aside from school and its daily frustrations (with its occasional breakthrough moments) life here is normal. I got a HUGE blister on my palm from husking all the coconuts for my oil – so I had to put that project on hold for probably a day. I finally started exercising again, and boy is that interesting. Coconuts are now my substitute medicine ball and I can imagine it would be quite a hilarious thing to watch! I run on the beach about 20 minutes down, then turn around, and then I do lots of random exercises with coconuts and palm trees. You have to be quite inventive here with your workouts – but it definitely makes for some variety in your routine. (Limited variety…if that is possible?)

Tomorrow I am going to get the materials from the farm with the truck driver so we can start our compost. We started a gardening unit in science class this week, so our project at the end of the week will to actually make compost as a class! It is also my way of not having to gather the grass and stuff all by myself and have 15 kids help me. Haha tricky!

Oh…side note…MAGGIE HAD 4 KITTENS!!!! I haven’t figured out what I am going to name them, but I have four little kittens sleeping next to my bed every night now. They are so adorable. Daddy (that's the name of my brother - strange, huh?) found them in the shed in front of the house yesterday and came running to find me! I was so excited. I went in my house, found a box and a shirt and made them a nice little kitten bed. ☺ So fun!

HOLDING OUR NEW KITTENS!!