A week of good times!

Since I haven't written in awhile let me take this time to fill you in on the past few days. So much happens in a day!

First let me start by saying today is Independence Day for Palau (October 1) which means NO SCHOOL!! It's so nice to have a day off in the middle of the week and relax. There are a lot of festivities and boat races and what not at the bridge that we will be going to later on today. Good times!

Last weekend a group of 10 of us went with Nelson (our principal) to one of the outer islands called Pelelui. It was so much fun!! It took 2 1/2 hours to get there by boat. (The boat wasn't going very fast) While there we saw beautiful sunsets, all kinds of WWII ruins, went caving where the Japanese stayed and made bombs during WWII, went swimming at a watering hole, went to the highest point on the island, and went body boarding, not to mention I collected some pretty amazing shells. :-D Pictures are coming soon!

Last week I was also bitten up by really tiny microscopic mosquitos. At first everyone thought they were sand fleas but it turned out they weren't. Anyways, they were all over my calves. I had at least 30 bites on each leg, no joke. They all started itching at the same time and I wanted to rip my legs off they itched so bad! Luckily, Ms. Betty, the same lady that fixed up my jellyfish sting had just the right NATURAL remedy and knew just what tree to get medicine from and fixed me up good. I am proud to say that though it still LOOKS like I have leprocy on my legs and it's not very attractive, they do not itch anymore which is fine with me!

On other news...the past couple weeks have been amazing with my kids. I rearranged their desks into groups and it is going so well. They love the competition. One boy actually said to me that school is starting to be so much fun. YAY! Yesterday we went on a small field trip to the health fair down the street and got free t-shirts, water bottles, and first aid kits. They had a blast! Oh and one more thing...my class loves to brake dance! I have great video and pictures of them brake dancing. We have so much fun.

Well that is all for now. Until next time! Love and blessings to all. :-D

Lice Anyone?

Thank goodness it's Sabbath. This week was such a trying and frustrating week. It's been everything from at least one of my kids going to the office each day to finding out that 7 of the 15 kids in my class have lice! Let's talk about the lice ordeal first...

So one of my kids came to me saying her head was really itchy and after her mom (the librarian) inspected and found lice, I decided to do an inspection of my whole class and found that 7 of them had it...BAD! Royally freaked out is what I was. I don't handle bugs or anything crawly or any animals really very well so I was not ok with any of this. After going to the office to see what I should do next, whether to call their parents or write a note home, I found out that it is a normal thing for people to have lice around here! WHAT!! Nobody warned me about this! Anyways, the whole office staff just laughs at me now and jokes arounds about lice whenever they see me because apparently it was very humorous for them to see me freaking out like this. Clearly, after that day I went and bought some lice shampoo and treated my hair even though my roommate Ale checked my head thoroughly. Mercy. All I have to say is I have a lot of hair and I WILL NOT be getting lice this year if I have anything to say about it. YUCK!

Anyways, as far as the rest of my week is concerned I'm just glad it's over and I have a chance to start over this next week. I must admit it's very frustrating to hear from my children every day that Ms. Brittany (their teacher from last year) was so much more fun and they don't like me and I'm no fun etc. I finally made it very clear to them that I am not Ms. Brittany and though I may be much more strict than her, I can still have fun with them but they have to be willing. They haven't said anything since then so hopefully that worked.

All that's left to say is I'm super glad it's Sabbath and that I have time to relax and recuperate. Please pray that next week will be much better and that patience will come easily for me and the children.

Till next time... :-D

Sometimes you just gotta laugh

So today has been quite the day let me tell ya. My day started out rough in that the 2 trouble makers in my class named Genesis (boy) and Rois (girl) both decided that today would be a great day to reek havoc on me. Now keep in mind they are not accomplices on any missions to cause me stress...they totally work alone which makes it even more difficult to handle. Needless to say, both of them ended up in the office today (second day in a row and it's only Tuesday). Of course every time they return to class from the office they are sweet little angels, but I just don't understand why it has to come to that point.

Anyways, after school I totally got the urge to bake, mostly because it's a great stress reliever and I really just love to cook and bake. Since we just got paid yesterday, me and my 3 housemates walked to the grocery store, Surangel's, which is only a couple blocks up the road from our apartment. When we were done shopping rainy season graced us with it's presence...not just a sprinkle but a down pour. Seeing as how we were all in our school uniforms and they needed to be washed anyways...and we just wanted to play in the rain...we did as the Palauan's do and just went on our way in the pouring down rain. Good times really.

On the way back to our apartment (in the rain) I lost my left flip flop in the very deep river of water that was racing down the side of the road. Meanwhile, my housemate Haslel's right flip flop broke...so together we could make a pair! That's not all....haha....my other housemate Katie slipped and fell flat on her bum on the slippery sidewalk. Luckily nothing happened to my other housemate Ale. Hilarious trip is what that was! What a sight we must have been!

Anyways, we finally made it home and I am proud to report that I am happily baking 2 chocolate chip pumpkin cheesecakes (I know right...interesting combo but sounds yummy to me). Since I had extra pumkin from the cheesecake, we decided to make pumpkin pie as well, but of course the recipe is enough for 2 pies. So right now I am baking 4 pies!! Great therapy baking is....I digress...Today has been full of up's and down's but God sure does now how to make me laugh when I'm down. I'm so thankful for that.

I sure do hope this finds all my loved ones doing well and in good spirits. Keep your heads up and know that you are not alone and God is always there to make you laugh when you need it the most. Much love and blessings till next time. :-D

Oh How I love Palau!

Oh how I love Palau. Life here is so simple. I love not having to worry about getting anywhere at a fast pace or committing to things I don't want to do. I love the freedom that I have to be a follower of God and to show others the passion I have for serving Him. I love that I am humbled more and more each day through the students that I teach, the experiences I have, and through the other SM's that have quickly become my new family. I love the challenges that I face because that helps me know that I am learning how to have patience and strength in a higher power than myself. I love teaching my third graders. They bring a smile to my face everyday. Even when I am tired and having a bad day they recognize this and try everything in their power to make me feel better. I love the scenery and the beauty of the 300+ Palauan islands. They are so gorgeous and I often feel as though I am living in a postcard. I love that I am growing more and more each day in the direction of Salvation. I love my Lord and Savior for putting me in this place and for showing me that there is more to life than busyness and pleasing people. I am here to serve, and that is just what I'll do. :-D