A Day In The Life Of....

When I originally decided to write this, it was to show the everyday struggles that my students go through.The past three days, however have been unlike most days, with trips into town and special visitors. So in order to get the full understanding of the students lives I wanted to make sure to include a couple days.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010
7:00 am: Wake Up and Shower
7:30 am: Walk over and grab some breakfast
8:00 am: Student Sponsored Mass (no assembly)
9:00 am: Chemistry Class, Section 1
10:00 am: Chemistry Class, Section 2
11:00 am-11:45: Lesson Planning
11:50 am: Lunch
1:20: Senior English for College (combined class with all of the seniors today!)
3:30 pm: Some of the Australians arrived for an immersion project
5:00 pm: Girls Depart....We depart with the girls because Caro's parents are here :) and they were taking us to dinner
6: 15 pm: 6 miles later (because of the road) we arrive at the lovely Saramen-Chuuk community apartment
7:00 pm: Delicious dinner at High Tide, special thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Burns
9:30 pm: return to Saram
10:00 pm: plan to go to bed....but of course spent the whole night talking with the ladies :)

Thursday, September 30, 2010
5:45 am: Wake up and get ready to go...
6:00 am: get to the girls bus stop
6:30 am: get picked up from the girls bus stop
7:45 am: arrive back at Xavier campus
8:40 am: Morning Assembly
9:00 am: Chemistry, Section 1
10:00 am: Chemistry, Section 2
11:50 am : Lunch
12:30 pm: English, Section 1
1:20 pm: English, Section 2
3:30 pm: Track Practice
5:00 pm: Girls Leave
5:30 pm:  Dinner with the Boys for our Australian guests
7:30 pm: First Study
8: 30 pm: Second Study
9:30 pm: Boys leave our offices if they don't have any questions, some shower
10:30 pm: By this time on most nights is when I head back to my apartment to go to bed.
11:00ish pm: Finally fall asleep (maybe)

Friday, October 1, 2010
7:15 am: wake up, shower, eat breakfast, maybe have time to prepare lessons or check email (if there is power or internet)
8: 40 am: Morning Assembly (today is Palau's Independence Day and Chuukese Constitution Day so there were lots of announcements)
9:00 am: Chemistry, Section 1
10:00 am: Chemistry Section 2
11:00am: English, Section 2
11:50 am: Lunch
12:30 pm: English, Section 1
1:30 pm: Begins my two free periods for the day, in which I am writing this!
3:30 pm: Coach Girls Fitness
4:15 pm: Coach Basketball
5:00 pm: Girls Leave
6:00 pm: Dinner
(no night study on Fridays :) so now begins our relaxation until Sunday, as for us, we will still probably be in bed by 9pm!)


I had a couple reasons for writing this. First, I want people to really understand the drastic differences between the girls and the boys at this school. The girls, I feel, have a much more tough and demanding schedule then the boys have. When we were dropped off on Wednesday, it still was going to take maybe a half an hour to a full hour to get the rest of the girls home. The girls already have to wake up super early to take a bus, that is not in good condition, to ride on rides that you cannot even call roads everyday. Some girls even ride in the back of flat bed tucks. And if it does rain that day, they have to find their own way of keeping dry. There is also a bus that has a consist pattern of not being able to make it up the "Xavier hill," one because of the roads and two because the bus's mechanical condition. The buses are over crowded, over heating, and really, the only true joy in being on that bus comes from the wonderful girls that ride inside. These girls do it day in and day out....everyday for four years! They do not complain, though they know its tough. I just give these girls so much credit!!

Then there are the boys, who wake up before I do, around 6am and go through the motions have 6 classes, hours of homework, fitness, and completely their work until about 10pm. I am just shocked by how hard these kids work! They really do so much, and sometimes do it without electricity, email, hot showers, and all the other luxuries that we are used to having.

Again, I am so impressed by what great students I have. They really have such a long day, but do it day in and day out without complaints! Even after talking to some of the Australian high school boys that came to visit were shocked by how hard these kids worked and how they got up everyday and do it. They really do just have to much drive and determination. They come prepared to my classes and may of them have straight A's. They really bring me so much joy and happiness and I am reminded constantly when I talk to them why I am here and why I signed up. They are wonderful and I am honored and humbled to have met these students.

Other then having a crazy, exciting week, things on the island are great! Thank you everyone for all the support you have been giving me, whether through letters, emails, packages, and especially for all of your thoughts and prayers! It really is wonderful to have a great support system from back home and beyond. Love you all!

Love from Micro!

Ems <3

a 17 year old poet

These are just some of the wonderful poems I have received for homework from my darling, but very creative and funny students:

What Is School Like?
School is like a prison,
we can never leave.
School is like an island,
were all trapped.
School is like pie,
it's good at first until you reach the crust.
School is like a toilet,
it is full of germs.
School is like a salad,
you have to put something on it to make it better.
School is like a stupid cat,
it never dies.
School is like a garbage truck,
it smells, it's big and you can hear it from a mile away.
School is like a baby,
it always needs your attention.
School is like a shark,
it just keeps chasing you.
School is like going to jail,
you never want to go back.


Love Is Not What You Think It Is 
My darling, my lover, my beautiful wife,
marrying you messed up my life.
I see your face when I am dreaming,
that's why I always wake up screaming.
Kind, intelligent, loving and hot,
this describes everything that your not!
Love my be beautiful, love my be bliss,
but I only hooked up with you because I was pissed.
I want to feel your sweet embrace,
but don't take the paper bag off of your face.
My darling you take my breathe away,
what have you stepped in to smell this way?

Let Go and Let God

            Sorry it has been so long since my last entry! Things in Micronesia are going pretty great! I’m really starting to settle in as a teacher, fitness coach, and basketball among other things. My students are wonderful…even at all hours of the day. Though the schedule here is quite strenuous, I think I am also starting to get used to being busy all the time. For those of you who don’t know, St. Xavier is a boarding school in which the girls live at home or with host families on the island and the boys stay in a dormitory here on campus. Our school day starts at 7:45 am and continues with activities and studies until 9:30 pm. It is quite a long day of teaching, coaching, mentoring, and lesson planning. But, again as hard as it is, I am here, I am needed, and I am really having fun with it.

            One of the many challenges I have been facing the past week is missing friends and family from back home. Though it is only two years, I sometimes find myself forgetting that I will have great friends and the best family in the world going back to me. As one friend put it, “home will always be right here waiting for you.” I have been lucky enough to have amazing friends and family in my life! And though it can be lonely here, I am so thankful and gracious for those friends and family who help lift me up and believe in my strength and give me strength through that. They pick up my spirits and make me believe in myself once more. I do not know what I could do without them! I know I am completely blessed to have these people apart of my life. Also lucky enough that they love me so much they send me wonderful emails, letters, and even a package or two!

            I am also further putting my trust in God. Letting my life, my stress, my anxieties all go to him. Tonight Fr. Dave was in charge of porch prayer. (Every Tuesday night the faculty at St. Xavier goes onto the porch before dinner at 6 pm and someone leads us in porch prayer.) The prayer night focused on the slow work of God and waiting for his works to become, not anticipating the works, but waiting and knowing that God will take care of you. But the concluding prayer was:

We thank you, Lord,

For our enthusiasm to get things done

And to achieve results.  

We thank you for the energy of our commitment.

But we ask you, Lord,

In imbue our dedicated hearts

With a spirit of patience and endurance

That corresponds to the gradual way in which your reign is relised among us.

May this patient spirit save us

From restlessness, agitation, and frustration in our work

And yield in us instead the peace of heart

That frees us to see the fruits of your Spirit in our midst.

Another line that stuck out to me was during the reflection was:

Give our Lord the benefit of your believing that his hand is leading you,

And of accepting the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.

           

            I think this really struck home with me because of how much I miss friends and family. But it reminded that God is with me throughout this whole experience and how powerful that really is. So for now, I am going to Let Go and Let God guide me in much of this journey and really pray and put more faith in him.

            Life on the island has really been wonderful, and very blissful. We went to the Oriental Restaurant on the island on Saturday and had a delicious meal. We have also had great and beautiful weather, it has not been below I would say 75 degrees and though it has rained, it has been during the night and really helped to cool things off while were sleeping.

            I also picked my basketball team last week! I have two teams, Black and Red (Xavier colors), with 12 girls on each team. It was a lot of fun and I am really looking forward to working with these girls as well as spending time with them on and off the court. We also had girls orientation this weekend in which the girls and their parents came up to campus on Saturday. We had a wonderful mass, great introductions, and then we broke off into parents and students. The students talked about situations that might occur in host families or in general with the girls’ families and our session was about improvements, changes, and parents recommendations/opinions/feedback. It was really great, especially to be involved from the parental aspect. It sounds like they are going to try and start a PTA/PTO here which would be wonderful not only for the students but for the faculty and administration as well.

            Well that’s all the energy that I have for now to write J I am in my office with some of my students, and like always, it is getting a little loud and silly in here.

Nepong annim! (Good Night!)

Em

We Can Only Be So Prepared

I'm sorry this post is so short, but I thought this moment of my day needed discussed. In orientation I remember learning about how to teach. Stephanie and Trevor, our instructors told us, "we can only teach you so much.....like how to teach a lesson, but not what to do when two dogs walk into your classroom during your lesson and start to fight. That is up to you!"

Well yesterday, a dog walked into my chemistry class in the middle of lecture and pooped in the middle of the floor and walked out.

Expect the Unexpected. :)



Lots of Love from Micro!

Fall in Love, Stay in Love....

During orientation we received a writing from Pedro Arrupe, in the back of our binders. Arrupe wrote: 


Nothing is more practical than finding God,
that is, than falling in love
in a quite absolute, final way.

What you are in love with,
what seizes your imagination,
will affect everything.
It will decide what will get you
out of bed in the morning,
what you will do with your evenings,
how you spend your weekends,
what you read, who you know,
what breaks your heart,
and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.

Fall in love; stay in love,
and it will decide everything.


Many things have touched me in my life, but I still want to know what is the driving force behind my life. What am I meant to do? Where do I go from here? What do I do after Micronesia....? With many of these questions pondering in my mind, throughout the last week here, especially this morning in particular, I realized the love I have for Chuuk and for my students at Xavier. Though I have only been teaching a week, I feel so blessed to be apart of these student's lives and happy to be apart of the culture. I also have so much gratitude that God has allowed me to give my very best each and every day, with lots of energy and enthusiasm. Xavier has allowed me to stop focusing so much on the future and really, truly helped me understand the present. Though thoughts may linger once in a while in the back of my mind, I find such a comfort in Xavier and its students. They remind me constantly of keeping my mind in the present and I am very excited to be apart of that.  Who knows if teaching is something that I "love" or could still possibly "fall in love" with. But right now I know it is the best for me and all I can do each and every day is be the best I can for my students. 




Miss and Love You All!
Em 

Settling In

Hello Everyone!

            I hope everyone is doing well since my last update. We have had a couple exciting things happen here in Chuuk, but nothing too exciting. Last week started with a trip with the JVs to Pisiwi Island which is a picnic island, an island were people from Chuuk go on picnics or to swim for the day. To all the islands other then Weno, the one we are on, we have to take a boat to it and back. So sometimes when the waves are chopping, the boat rides can get rough. All the trips we have had have been pretty good thus far. We were able to swim and snorkel! The snorkeling was so beautiful! I saw so many fish and coral reefs….it is really amazing what is at the bottom of the ocean. We also picnicked there with sandwiches, snacks, and watermelon! Me and Caro ended up getting into a watermelon seen spitting fight then core throwing fight with Tyler and Charles! It reminded me so much of home and being at picnics with my family and all the fun we had. 

            We stayed over night at Saram to go to my first ordination mass and saw Father Patrick become ordained into the priesthood. It was such an exciting event. The mass was very beautiful and was my first big Chuukese mass. One of my favorite things about the Chuukese mass here is before the first reading they do a liturgy procession of some sort and sing and do a cultural dance down the aisle as they hold the Bible with candles on either side. It is such a beautiful thing.

            After the mass we went to the ceremony-which include lots of Chuukese food! It was so good, and some of the food we had included CRAB LEGS! They were so delicious. We also got to witness some of the traditions of Chuuk. One tradition they have is during a ceremony of this sort, groups from the community sing and dance-while they are doing this people throw candy and cigarettes at them. They also go around and “shower” them with a spray or two of perfume. It was so cool to watch and really great to see some of the culture. I am really enjoying learning about how different the Chuukese culture is from my own culture.

            On Monday we went with our second year Mike to his host families house. His host father had past away a year ago, and in traditional Chuukese tradition, they had a family get together in remembrance of him. Again, lots of delicious food! But myself, Peaches, and Mike all got SO much food!! We brought it back to Xavier and gave it to some of the workers who work days up here to take home to their families. Mike’s host family is so wonderful and his mom told some great Chuukese stories. We have been lucky enough to have seen her a couple times in the past week and have had great conversations with her.

            The rest of the week was filled with St. Xavier High School Orientation! Wahoo! The staff that I will be working with here is really wonderful and I am looking forward to bouncing off ideas and hanging out with all of them. Everything is so different but I really like how we come together like a family-it really is a great place to work!

            I have also been working on my lesson plans! I know I will have to work a little harder on Chemistry then I will be working on English but I am so excited for what I have planned!

            We took a break on Tuesday and headed down to Saram from a JVC, independent volunteer, and Peace Corp get together. We played dizzy bat, water balloon toss, and birdie on a perch. The night was filled with lots of laughter, lots of spaghetti, and of course Werewolves….a new Chuuk volunteer favorite!

            This weekend we went to another island-Fefen. This is an outer island of Weno (the main island where I live) and it’s also where of my students live. It was much different from Weno in a country versus city way. Weno is much more city-like, more populated, more markets, stores, and has cars. Fefen, like most of the outer islands, doesn’t have cars and is, just less busy. But I really like that we get the best of both worlds up at Xavier. We are kind of in the middle of nowhere since we are up on the top of a hill, but we can easily be in the middle of town within an hour.

            Anyways Sister……has been a nun for 50 years and was celebrating her Golden Jubilee. We went to a mass on Fefen and then to another ceremony after. All the Chuukese parties include food, but this was the most food I have seen at one event in my entire life. There was SO much FOOD! And what I really like about all of the ceremonies we go to, almost everyone gets food. If you show up you get a smaller to go box. Then if you are a guest you get to go inside or to another line and get even more food. Everyone is so generous with what they give to everyone!

            Other then that we are back to orientation and lesson planning this week. School at Xavier starts next Tuesday, and I am really excited for it! I have really began to realize how hard lesson plans are and also how much time all my teachers put into our classes. Along with that I have really realized how much it really takes of a person to be a good teacher-one that really was effective in teaching the whole classroom by not only their lesson, but how they live their in lives and the excitement they bring to the classroom. And I am so thankful I had so many of those in my life. I just hope I can be like that.

            The craziest thing I think though is sometimes I still wake up and wonder where I am-I forget sometimes that I am on this island in the middle of a giant ocean. I also sometimes think-this is crazy, who in their right mind does this? Then I look around and see this wonderful community that surrounds me and Xavier and at Saram and I think that maybe I’m not so crazy. But I am really on this island, I see it when I look out my bedroom window, when I eat my meals, when I go to mass, when I am in my office. I can see the ocean from almost every angle of my day. Yet, though I should feel so small, with the people that are here with me and are at home praying for me, I have never felt more supported. I really miss my friends and family at home, but I know this is where God wants me to be. I know I can’t change the world, but I hopefully can change someone’s world.

Ne Pong! (Good Night!)

Emily

Settling In

Hello Everyone!

            I hope everyone is doing well since my last update. We have had a couple exciting things happen here in Chuuk, but nothing too exciting. Last week started with a trip with the JVs to Pisiwi Island which is a picnic island, an island were people from Chuuk go on picnics or to swim for the day. To all the islands other then Weno, the one we are on, we have to take a boat to it and back. So sometimes when the waves are chopping, the boat rides can get rough. All the trips we have had have been pretty good thus far. We were able to swim and snorkel! The snorkeling was so beautiful! I saw so many fish and coral reefs….it is really amazing what is at the bottom of the ocean. We also picnicked there with sandwiches, snacks, and watermelon! Me and Caro ended up getting into a watermelon seen spitting fight then core throwing fight with Tyler and Charles! It reminded me so much of home and being at picnics with my family and all the fun we had. 

            We stayed over night at Saram to go to my first ordination mass and saw Father Patrick become ordained into the priesthood. It was such an exciting event. The mass was very beautiful and was my first big Chuukese mass. One of my favorite things about the Chuukese mass here is before the first reading they do a liturgy procession of some sort and sing and do a cultural dance down the aisle as they hold the Bible with candles on either side. It is such a beautiful thing.

            After the mass we went to the ceremony-which include lots of Chuukese food! It was so good, and some of the food we had included CRAB LEGS! They were so delicious. We also got to witness some of the traditions of Chuuk. One tradition they have is during a ceremony of this sort, groups from the community sing and dance-while they are doing this people throw candy and cigarettes at them. They also go around and “shower” them with a spray or two of perfume. It was so cool to watch and really great to see some of the culture. I am really enjoying learning about how different the Chuukese culture is from my own culture.

            On Monday we went with our second year Mike to his host families house. His host father had past away a year ago, and in traditional Chuukese tradition, they had a family get together in remembrance of him. Again, lots of delicious food! But myself, Peaches, and Mike all got SO much food!! We brought it back to Xavier and gave it to some of the workers who work days up here to take home to their families. Mike’s host family is so wonderful and his mom told some great Chuukese stories. We have been lucky enough to have seen her a couple times in the past week and have had great conversations with her.

            The rest of the week was filled with St. Xavier High School Orientation! Wahoo! The staff that I will be working with here is really wonderful and I am looking forward to bouncing off ideas and hanging out with all of them. Everything is so different but I really like how we come together like a family-it really is a great place to work!

            I have also been working on my lesson plans! I know I will have to work a little harder on Chemistry then I will be working on English but I am so excited for what I have planned!

            We took a break on Tuesday and headed down to Saram from a JVC, independent volunteer, and Peace Corp get together. We played dizzy bat, water balloon toss, and birdie on a perch. The night was filled with lots of laughter, lots of spaghetti, and of course Werewolves….a new Chuuk volunteer favorite!

            This weekend we went to another island-Fefen. This is an outer island of Weno (the main island where I live) and it’s also where of my students live. It was much different from Weno in a country versus city way. Weno is much more city-like, more populated, more markets, stores, and has cars. Fefen, like most of the outer islands, doesn’t have cars and is, just less busy. But I really like that we get the best of both worlds up at Xavier. We are kind of in the middle of nowhere since we are up on the top of a hill, but we can easily be in the middle of town within an hour.

            Anyways Sister……has been a nun for 50 years and was celebrating her Golden Jubilee. We went to a mass on Fefen and then to another ceremony after. All the Chuukese parties include food, but this was the most food I have seen at one event in my entire life. There was SO much FOOD! And what I really like about all of the ceremonies we go to, almost everyone gets food. If you show up you get a smaller to go box. Then if you are a guest you get to go inside or to another line and get even more food. Everyone is so generous with what they give to everyone!

            Other then that we are back to orientation and lesson planning this week. School at Xavier starts next Tuesday, and I am really excited for it! I have really began to realize how hard lesson plans are and also how much time all my teachers put into our classes. Along with that I have really realized how much it really takes of a person to be a good teacher-one that really was effective in teaching the whole classroom by not only their lesson, but how they live their in lives and the excitement they bring to the classroom. And I am so thankful I had so many of those in my life. I just hope I can be like that.

            The craziest thing I think though is sometimes I still wake up and wonder where I am-I forget sometimes that I am on this island in the middle of a giant ocean. I also sometimes think-this is crazy, who in their right mind does this? Then I look around and see this wonderful community that surrounds me and Xavier and at Saram and I think that maybe I’m not so crazy. But I am really on this island, I see it when I look out my bedroom window, when I eat my meals, when I go to mass, when I am in my office. I can see the ocean from almost every angle of my day. Yet, though I should feel so small, with the people that are here with me and are at home praying for me, I have never felt more supported. I really miss my friends and family at home, but I know this is where God wants me to be. I know I can’t change the world, but I hopefully can change someone’s world.

Ne Pong! (Good Night!)

Emily