The Best Gift

It's Thursday night for us, about a week since my last update. My predictions were correct it sure does get busy around here. I've been thinking, I definately don't mind telling you all about the different things that are going on around here, the thing is, there is no way for me to fully update you so please ask me questions, I'd really love that.

Oh yeah, the island, seems so long ago.. The island, Black Coral, that we spent our weekend on, was a beautiful little island and was about a thirty minute boat ride from the shore. Luckily Mr. B our boat driver/ principal, was able to meticulously navigate us through the coral maze that protected this oasis of paradise. The island was about the distance of a rock throw, and filled with little straw huts that were about 12 by 10 feet. Just enough for about two hammocks and your bags. Well Tommy and I picked the weak link of all the huts and decided to try and set our ENO hammocks up in it. Yeah you probably guessed it, we just sped up the collasping process and quickly went with plan B in the trees. For the SM's [Student Missionaries] the island i think was a well needed break, for me it was a great time to crack open some coconut and get to know these guys. We played a fun series of 'Mafia' for those of you who havent played this game before, you truly are missing out. We also got a good amount of snorkeling in, throughout the weekend I saw a total of 3 different sharks. Yes they were different because you could get so close that I could measure them, the smallest at about 2 feet, the longest at a good 7 feet. They were Coral Sharks, nothing harmless. One swam between Laura and I, and we were only 15 maybe at the most 20, feet apart. On the Island when we first set foot there were like a pack of dogs. On of the first dogs we ran into was obviously the mom of the pack. My dog Mollie had some serious enlarged nipples at one point in her life, but these things were incredible. I'll write an entire blog on that some other time, but the pack of dogs(minus the mom) were really upset we were there and were barking like crazy and wouldn't let us get anywhere need them. Luckily for them, I say 'them' because they would have been sorry if they had tried barking into the night during my sleep. But Luckily for them,this summer I had watched that Dog Whisperer on the discovery channel. The name of the dog whisperer is Caesar, and the episode I watched was how to establish dominance with an uptight dog, like such that the pack leader on this island was. He said there are "Dog Lovers" and then there are "Pack Leaders". I now am a pack leader, thanks to Caesar. Mom, your a lover, but we need those so its okay. =) So after my 5 minute session with the dogs Tommy and I had some followers for the rest of the weekend. A few of the dogs were still puppies, and at first I didn't know there was even owners that lived on the island so I named her after the island and was making plans to bring her back to the mainland since she looked like she was starving to death. I trained her with a certain call, so no matter where I was on the island after my call she came running with her ears flopping and her ribs showing. we later found she had owners and I decided not to steal her away, though it was tempting.

This week I've been working with Brittany, I mean Ms. Hernandez. The culture is that it is of great disrepsect if I call her by her first name, supposedly because the kids aren't even allowed to know it, I'm still figuring the details out on that one. Though Lemuel [an amazing friend i mad at Cohutta Springs who is also an SM] just found out that a huge 'dis' or as some might say 'put-down' here is to call someone by there fathers name. Normally that would be honorable or just weird, not so much a disrespect, welcome to Pohnpei. So i did a little research about the 2nd graders and I found that last year the class was split and suppposedly teachers from both classes are saying it was the naughty class. Yup well combine those two naughty classes into one and you'll have the time of your life. =) The boy McCall I talked about before, is now doing so well, he's just about up to pace with a good amount of kids in the class. He is a super learner considering the English language is still all very new to him. Brittany, the main teacher, and I are always looking for ways to calm the kids. This is what I've come up with so far. Super prayer mixed with trying to run them crazy tired during recess and then topped off with breaking out in song whenever they start their beast murmur that even me screaming in a speakerphone couldn't pierce. Thankfully Brittany has a very strong voice, and when need be, she definitively knows how to break it out. In the past few days I think I've sang every bible song ever written, along with adding at least one new verse to each one, just to extend the time. I also have a table full of flowers and notes with pictures of people dancing from the girls and then an assortment of picture drawings from the boys of really big muscle men some equipped with fire shoes to help the muscle man fly. They really are so adorable, although I do see why they say your practically guaranteed to come down with lice, even more so if you work with the younger elementary kids, and your chances keep going up if it seems like you've constantly got at least one kid attached to you throughout the day. Also this week I got to sub for the Sixth grade [okay i just started itching my head], I really had a good time with them, although I was more of the bad news bearer seeing I administered about 3 tests for them that day. Also we're in the process of trying to find a way to get ID cards to prevent such happenings as the one in "Throw Down" by not letting any outsiders on campus.

So the last few days all the SM's have been receiving all these packages from friends and family and I since I've only been here for barely a week i thought there was no way possible for me to be near that list. Well my amazing mother baffled me for the millionth time. Yup I got a whole crazy care package in the mail TODAY!! Now honestly if she had just put a rock in there I would have still been ecstatic. Nope not only did she have paper, which I've needed like crazy, but Beef Jerkey!! There were many other much needed items and many other just moral boosting ones, but the best gift of all in there was.... can you guess? A PENCIL SHARPENER!! I actually opened the care package with the teacher I work with in 2nd grade, and we were so excited we just embraced each other right there in the classroom. So thanks mom, it's amazing how needed and important the little things are when you don't have them. Well I really have to run, but please send me some questions. I haven't accessed all my emails, so if you've left me an email, I apologize I will do my best to get back with you.. Thanks for everything.. Hey Megs