3 months mark, Spring concert, letters from Andrews and swing dancing.

It is a Sunday night and Lonnie, Karissa and I just cracked a coconut open and ate it as a snack before bed. Earlier this evening us Andrews students, received envelopes from the university which contained a whole bunch of thoughtful letters from our friends from school. I was just sitting in my little chair beaming. Thank you so much everyone for the letters, the movie clips, and just for thinking and praying for me. It means a lot, truly. Oh, it was just so nice, I feel overly blessed to the point where I just want to burst sometimes….thank you thank you thank you J After reading the letters, we all (Blake, Daniel, Lonnie, Lance, Karissa and I..all the sm’s here right now) played skip Bo then telephone Pictionary with the principal. It was a very good close to the weekend since I have been sick the majority of the weekend.

I’ve been sick quite a few times here, more than a lot of the sm’s. My immune system has never been too great, so I was actually expecting worse. People say that in the islands people generally gain a lot of weight, but maybe since I’ve been sick so often it’s balanced it out for me, so I’m about the same if not under now. Being sick away from home is never fun,( especially when your trapped in a tiny tiny little room the size of a closet with no air conditioning) neither is getting your wisdom teeth out, but you know, I’m healthy, and I’ve learned from each experience, so it’s alright.  I’m doing mighty fine here.

 All the sm’s here are super excited because Spring break is coming up this Wednesday! Tomorrow is Spring concert, so basically only two days of teaching this week. My second graders are sing, “His banner over me is love” and I am so excited for them. I’m playing my guitar while they sing and do hand motions that I taught them. Getting them under control to learn this song was a little difficult, but the 8 girls in class of course behaved like ladies, while the 18 boys ran around the classroom chasing each other with pieces of wood (who knows..haha) and dancing on their desks. They sound like a handful, and yes they are, but they are such blessings. I can’t describe how much patience and understanding God is teaching me here. It feels unreal. I have been here for almost 3 months now…in a 3^rd world country, as a teacher…My major is not even teaching. How did I learn to love these kids so much? How did I even get here? God knew..(Just caught a lizard that was on the ceiling…I’m getting pretty good at catching things; specifically mice) Whenever I’m around them, I feel like a proud mother, the proudest. You know how every parent feels that their child is the best….yeah, that’s how I feel about my students. They look to me as their mother, and I care for them like my children, so basically they are my children here….some of the best children here, yeah they have their faults, but don’t we all?… Man, am I going to ache for them when I leave….Okay, back to the concert. Each grade is putting on a song and we’re performing it for the parents. Which usually consists of a small portion of the parents, because sadly not many parents are very concerned about their childrens education or school performances. I’m really excited about tomorrow and look forward to smiling at them super big. Haha. I can just imagine the look they’re going to give me. Everyday in class I like to goof around with them. So when I’m writing on the board, for some reason even before I’m finished writing they “need” to see what I’m writing, so they tell me to move, “Missah move.” So then to teach them patience, and to just have fun with them, I wave my arms infront of the board swaying back and forth flailing and laughing at how I’m counteracting what they demanded. They all yell “Missah!” super disgruntled. Haha

Which reminds me about smiley faces on their papers. So after they finish their assignment I go around and check them, or they bring it to my desk and I grade it and give them a smiley. I learned that they like their smiley’s plain. No mustaches, no buck teeth, no beards, glasses, nothing. Haha. But you see, I like to spice up the average smiley. So I started doing that on their papers, and you should hear the groans and complains they give to me. “Missah……” which I quickly follow with “Misterah….” Then we just laugh and I go back to the board. But they really hate those smileys. What they do love is dancing.

I twirl them around at recess and swing dance with them and they love it and just follow me everywhere, even the boys. Kids from different classes join in and I lose all my free time to spend in the teachers lounge because I have piles and piles of little kids all over my arms and legs. That may be why I get sick so frequently… I’ve recently discovered a great technique to get them off. I’ve been learning a bit of Marshallese, as you may have guessed. So I’ll say, “Lah leh!” (Look!) and point and they fall for it, every time, no matter how many times in a row I’ll say it. It’s great. But I try not to do it too much because with all the stray dogs roaming around, they attack those that are running. I’ve had to push quite a few off the kids, big dogs, but for the most part the dogs near the school are protective over us since they know us well. But occasionally you’ll get some crazies. Dogs are everywhere. Big dogs too. I have not seen any small ones yet. They’re all beat up and look like zombies just standing in the streets. A lot of them are nice and then you get a few that will most likely get shot by the police. They do that here. When they don’t see a collar on a dog and they don’t like it, it will be shot. My favorite dog, Mangie, who has been with me since the day I got here, is supposedly on the hunt to be shot. She just had puppies and is such a sweet dog, but kids always joke around with her and hit her with wood, or poles and so she gets scared and now anyone (mostly men) walking around with something in their hand she will growl and bark at. The police think she’s mean, so she’s on their hit list…The other day a giant big brown dog looked me in the eyes the other day when I walked past it alone, and before I knew it, it was right behind me growling and snapping at my leg, but as I had mentioned I have made many big dog friends here near the school and that dog was chased clear to the other side of the island. I also am less afraid of dogs since I’ve been here, so I will just kick them when they come at me.

The dogs aren’t the worst part about walking around the island though. In fact I love them. Standing out is probably the worst.  Some of the comments, the remarks, the stares, being mocked in front of my face, getting hit on..the “woot woots!” whistles, whispers, cold shoulders, stares…whenever they do that, I really just wish they would get to know me. I’m not much different than you. Yes I am one out of the 4 blonde people on this entire island of 15,000 people, but my intentions are good. I am a person. I hear you whistling you’ve been doing it for the past 5 minutes, I have ears as well….It’s just quite different. But I understand, I am different here than everyone else. I look different, talk different, So I am going to be misjudged. Jesus was misjudged. I am not worthy enough to compare myself to him, but He says that the struggles we face in this world, He felt all of them and never have I had a time where I needed that reminder so much than here. We don’t talk to others about this, especially the people here, but all of the sm’s we understand, and know how each other feels, because, same situation. I feel the need to end on a good note, because Ebeye is a good place with good hearted people. I understand their misjudgment, everyone does it, being in a different perspective now when I’m the minority, it’s new to me..and those are only some of the people. The other half is very friendly, and always says “Yokwe” and “goodnight” and will make conversation with us while we’re at the store. Kids come out of all nooks and crannies and run at us and will just jump up and down and try to look at us and hold our hands. I’ve been told by many many kids that my eyes are “Jaguar eyes”. They ask me if all I can see is yellow. It’s pretty funny, and it is a legit question for them. I walk around the island and I hear “Miss Em! Miss Emily” at least 20 times around the island, minimum. Half of those teens and kids, I have no idea who they are, things travel so fast here…time travels fast here.

I have been here for almost 3 months now…crazy. I have 2 months left. I’m going to make the best of it, and shine whatever light I can to them in the darkness that they may be in.

One thing I feel is necessary to mention before I sign out is just how much we underestimate how much our teachers in academy, or elementary or school in general cared for us, and how much work they do. I look at my teachers in Academy and am amazed….they loved me so much, still do. They still write to me! Even here in Ebeye.. I didn’t see it as clearly before, but now I see. I think about the future of all the kids at this school, their safety , their happiness, the problems they’re having at home, all before I go to bed …..I wish I could take their burdens upon myself and leave them weight free. Thankfully, we have a Savior that has done that for the both of us, and He loves all of us, even more than we could love each other. It brings me comfort that their future and my future rests in His arms. My mission is to show them the way to His arms, and that is what I will do. Show them the way to their Savior.

Prayers for our little Marshallese brother Jikko. He was hit by a car the other day and broke his collar bone and is all torn up. He got released from the Hospital today, but he's still in a lot pf pain and is a little bundle of energy, so he is struggling with the fact he can't play with the others kids...Thanks everyone. Take care, avoid cars, and God bless!