An interesting day.

It’s amazing how many emotions you can go through in one day. Earlier today I was playing football in the middle of a gym with (120 little kids running around playing every game all on top of eachother, no seriously volley ball, basketball, tag, jump rope, soccer, CHAOS) a group of my boys and loving life. I was Qbing telling them all plays and they were SO excited. It was amazing, I was having so much fun. Haha I made them huddle up, and acted all serious and they got so in to it. It was crazy, with no rules, or anything but quite fun. I went from that to a terrible lunch period where everyone was yelling and screaming. (barely got to eat) then trying to make my kids understand science for like a full hour, helping each one individually do a stupid (easy) worksheet. To get them prepared for a Test tomorrow.  Then, I surprised them by making cupcakes and having a surprise birthday party for the kids with august birthdays. This was chaos until we went outside to play duck duck goose. I made the kids pretend they were ninjas so they would be quite for the other classes that were still in class. This made me laugh because here all my kids were running around campus jumping and being ninjas. (myself included of course) BUT then it started raining all of a sudden so we had to run back to the classroom. (didn’t even get to finish a session of duck duck goose) This led to everyone all loud and disruptive. Finally school was over and I had six or seven kids stay to work on their math assignment for the day, (it was just review over stuff we had already learned and they hadn’t gotten like half way through it) I was tutoring them and going through every problem individually but some of them wouldn’t even pay attention, and I was SO tired and trying to help them. Finally I only had three left. I was trying to explain rounding. For instance a problem was the number 59. the assignment was to round it. So I would tell my kids ok, is this number closer to 100 or closer to 0? And they would look at me like I was a crazy person. So I said. Alright, when you have a number 50 or higher, you round up so it would be 100. but if you have a number 49 or lower then you round down to 0. So is the number 59 bigger or less than 50? And they all looked at me and said “less?”  I didn’t know what to say. So I would repeat the question like five times. I did this with every problem. This is COUNTING. I kept saying, well lets count. Do you count up to 59 from 50? And they’d say “um…no?” I felt SO helpless. When kids left and I was on the verge of tears. I felt so over my head today. I don’t’ know how I’m supposed to teach kids like that anything that’s remotely close to 4^th grade. and I’m putting everything I can into it. I didn’t even know I was this patient. And yet today I was seriously about to yell at a girl, “are you THAT stupid?!?!”  So I’d really appreciate prayers. I need it. My days are kind of like roller coasters here. either absolutely amazing, or frustrating and exhausting. Last night I read a text in Isaiah 58 that said “The Lord will guide you always, He will satisfy your needs..you will be like a well-watered garden. Like a spring whose waters never fail.”  Sunday I felt like a spring that just had a flash flood and was erupting everywhere haha but today I felt like my spring was drying up pretty quickly. I had to keep reminding myself of the promise that God made to me. I have a lot of needs right now, but I know that he will meet all of them and fill me completely. I just didn’t’ feel like that today. I felt like my garden was dying and withering right in front of my eyes. Not to depress anyone J I really wish I could have music time with just me and God here. like have access to a piano and room, just for myself. It’s so healing to me. Sigh…

Anyway thank you so much for being supportive at home. I just received  my first package (thanks Gramma Haskins!) and it made my heart smile J Its nice to know I’m not so far from home when I feel lost! And most of all I can’t thank you enough for your prayers, I need them now more than ever!

Lots of love, Courtney  

An Awesome Day

I woke up this morning hurting everywhere. My skin was burning, my wrists and joints were aching, my stomach was churning, I had a full week of 23 attention consuming children ahead of me, and yet I got out of bed rejuvenated. Ok, so my body  was most definitely not rejuvenated, but my longing for adventure was. I had been aching for an exploration all last week, and did I get one Sunday!

            I woke up Sunday morning at six o clock, and by seven there were sixteen of us (amy and I were the only girls) and fifteen surf boards climbing into our faithful read truck ready for a day out on the water. I was AMAZING. The driver for Pohnpei Surf Club graciously took all of us out for the entire day on his boat for only the cost of gas. It would have normally cost $500 to go out with a group, but we only had to pay $20 each J  First of all, I can not even begin to explain how breath takingly gorgeous seeing the island from the water was, and what was even more incredible was seeing the water in stunning shades of blue I could have never imagined. I’d never seen such beautiful colors in my life. Hmmm J Amy, Matt, and I sat up at the front of the boat hanging over, with the wind blowing in our faces, it reminded me of the lake but even better. We started off the day with stopping at a surf spot. We all grabbed our boards and started surfing. The waves here are definitely different (and slightly more intimidating than at home), but I braved them anyway. Getting an obscene amount of salt water up my nose (my sinuses have never been so thoroughly cleaned), being held under water for a good amount of time, getting scratched up by coral, but enjoying myself the entire time. Some of our guys are seriously REALLY good surfers. Like I’m not sure if I’ve ever surfed with guys this good, the surf is really like the reason they came haha so my surfing capabilities looked rather sad compared to them. However, there were a few other boys who never even caught any waves, so I was feeling ok with myself J I then decided to catch my breath so paddled over to amy (who was of course snorkeling to her hearts content) where we held on to my surf board and floated, watched the guys, took in our beautiful surroundings, and talked about life. We then hopped into the boat, and our driver continued around the island stopping at another spot. Some of the boys continued surfing but I decided it was time for snorkeling, so we jumped into the water to explore! This carried on for like three more stops. It was soo fun! We’d either surf or snorkel, each spot being a little different. Then when I felt tired I’d lay at the front of the boat and close my eyes feeling the boat gently rock and listening to the islander music our driver was playing. This enjoyment had dire consequences however, I haven’t been this sunburned since I was Puerto Rico (Laura it made me miss you!!) Yes parents, I put on sunscreen (two or three times!) but apparently the Pohnpein sun has a mind of its own. My goodness! I am sunburned inside of my ears! Its crazy! Haha Lets see, ok back to snorkeling! I saw a shark! I was super excited, we had been looking for one all day, and I saw the most BEAUTIFUL fish! They were poka dotted, and striped, the most amazing colors, I can’t even explain them in words, there were so many! I think my favorite one might have been a bright turqoisish blue one with black zebra stripes. It was so me. Ha. Oh, and well…the beautiful parrot fish…um…well about that. So, we were taking turns spear fishing (I ‘tried’ but didn’t catch anything, I think I just subconsciously didn’t WANT to catch anything haha), when Eric (one of the guys, who’s obsessed with spear fishing) climbed into the boat with a parrot fish. He killed it and began scaling it right there. I would have been sad but I was just so curious! This new explorative, culture side of me has been quickly immerging. Anyway, he cuts it in squares (like you do with a mango) and pours soy sauce and lime juice on it. I was like you’re just going to bite into it RAW?! And the boat driver explained to me that its like everyone’s favorite food here, and like a real treat. To eat a fresh and raw parrot fish. Suddenly I turned to Eric and was like, can I have some? Next thing I know I was biting into a raw fish, sitting on a boat in the middle of the ocean just off a gorgeous island, and surprisingly it was actually yummy! I went back for a second bite haha I couldn’t believe it! Lets see here…talking about spearing fish. The FUNNIEST moment of the trip happened yesterday too. Amy had been swimming around with the spear for like half an hour or more trying to catch a fish, when I see here swimming towards me with the spear in the air. She goes, “Courtney, I caught one!” I smiled really big and was like “Great Amy! That’s Awesome the guys are going to be so jealous!” When she took of her goggles and I realized that she was crying. No wait, not crying, SOBBING. It. Was. Hilarious. I about died. Here she is floating in the ocean holding here fish that she had tried to catch for almost an hour, crying her little heart out because she felt so terrible. I was dying laughing! She just kept saying “It started twitching! I didn’t think it would twitch! I hurt it!” and this would send me into a fit of histarics once again. Lol. Ok, so lets see, what else. Oh, as we were heading back to the island we stopped at a few more places to snorkel and we saw a manaray! They are HUGE! I couldn’t believe it! I wanted to swim with it but only got to see it from the boat. Still was super cool though J Then after being exhausted in the most remarkable way, I drifted off to sleep as we took the enjoyable and lengthy trip back to the dock. Followed by a delicious dinner of rice and grilled veggies, and watching ‘how I met your mother’ with the roomies. 

Some how that trip made all the hardships, stressful class periods, and exhausting days worth it. As of today I’m back in the classroom for a week, but its nice to know that another weekend adventure is on its way. I must admit, Friday and today have already been getting better. I think my kids are starting to get a better feel for the type of teacher I will be, and some of them are really trying to do there best, like in everything. I have about four boys that I can tell just adore me, and man do I adore them. They all have tons of energy, but are smart and when I tell the class to be quiet, try to help and get everyone quiet too. Also, I took some extra time to read to my kids Friday, and they all crowded around me, sitting on the floor and even standing next to my chair. It was soo funny because one of my boys named Burt (who I thought was going to be a problem at first, cuz he kind of acts like he thinks he’s super cool) started giggling in the middle of the story and couldn’t stop. This led my entire class to start giggling, followed by myself. When I tried to get them to quiet down Burt went into a fit of giggles once again, and I just could not for the life of me tell them to be quiet without giggling myself. So we all just stopped at laughed, it was great.

Today I was just really tired from yesterday, but not as much exhausted as sleepy and sunburnt, which in my book is much better. J I think Wednesday I’m going to throw a little birthday party for my class, for the kids who have birthdays in August that is. Also because they have two tests this week (plus a spelling test), so I figure they deserve a break! Doing this once a month for the birthdays in that month will get slightly costy, (from making them cookies, or cupcakes or whatever) but I figure that it will give the kids something to look forward too, and will make them feel special. I don’t’ exactly know what they all get from home on their birthdays. This leads me to something else. I was reading one of my girl’s papers today and she mentioned that her dad died this weekend. I’m not sure if this is true (I just read the paper tonight, and she went home early today, plus she doesn’t have very good writing so I’m not entirely sure if that’s exactly what she meant) but it has me very concerned. So I’ll find out what’s going on tomorrow, but if you guys could really keep that in your prayers I’d greatly appreciate it. Also, I have a girl who has been bullying this adorable sweet girl named Zara (she’s from Australia) and it has been very hard for me to be as sweet to her because it makes me so mad. I just found out though that her father died last year, so I’m worried about her. Clearly she doesn’t know how to deal with her feelings in a positive way. (as you can see my social work side is kicking in) So if you guys could pray for her too, I’d also appreciate it. Besides that, prayers for my energy and stomach would be great! I’ve been having some problems with my stomach and it just adds to the stress of being a brand new teacher. Anyway, love everyone at home, sorry this blog was so long, I just had so much to tell! J   

So…the last two days have been EXHAUSTING, and no, not in the amazing I just wakeboarded all day on a wonderful lake way. Wow. I just keep telling myself that these first few weeks are the worst. I don’t even know where to start. I love the kids here so much but I just feel like I’m over my head. Like I’m wearing myself out too thin already and its only been two full days! I just got another girl in my class Monday (that makes 23 with no aid) and she doesn’t speak ONE word of English. I was like, what?! What am I supposed to do?! So I talked to her father and am trying to arrange for her to get tutoring from one of the teachers aids for the other classes that speaks pohnpeian. Also I have these two twin boys in my class that LITERALLY ask thirty questions a day. It is actually quite amazing. Lol its only been two days and I’m pretty sure my patience has never been tested so very much. Also I don’t think my voice has ever been so tired! And I’m used to talking a lot! Its actually sad. My kids are struggling so much academically. It is very frustrating because the school wants us to use the books we have for their grade but they aren’t ready for it. Some of my kids can’t even really read. Like maybe a sentence. For instance I’m supposed to be teaching my fourth graders multiplication and long division etc. but they can’t even add. I went over some adding with them out loud, went over problems with the class, and then was on my feet going from desk to desk helping every kid the rest of the period. Then I reviewed every single problem and answer with the class again all together. It was exhausting, and when I just graded my papers I was slapped in the face with the fact that most of them failed the assignment. Like only a few kids got anything higher than an 80% like maybe three. And it was just adding! This is all supposed to be easy review. Also, when I went to teach bible and passed out the bibles my class has (I only had like 12) the kids couldn’t even all use them because most of them were missing so many pages. Plus, my class doesn’t have bible books cuz there aren’t enough. Haha just many challenges like that. It’s just so hard because I have like four brilliant boys that are so excited about learning and want to do everything and move on, and the rest of class is just struggling so much. I seriously don’t think I ever sit down in my chair for more than twenty seconds at a time no exattuaration. Its crazy. However, there is something that MADE MY DAY today. My kids were working on a social studies sheet, and one of my boys raised his hand very concerned. The students were supposed to match a resource from a specific state with a job someone living in that state might have. Haha one of the answers was “cotton” (with the matching answer being a clothes factory or something) and this little boy looks at me with the most earnest eyes and asks, “Miss, are they talking about cotton candy, or the cotton that you make clothes with?”  I had to look away after I answered so he wouldn’t see me laughing.

 

After grading papers, and being depressed I headed back to my apartment just in time to grab my snorkel and jump on our faithful red truck. My grumpy mood soon brightened with a trip to the ocean. Amy and I swam out to this reef through open water where people go fishing. One of my buddies, named Zack he’s in sixth grade, who I love to death told me has lots of sharks, so one of the guys lent us a spear cuz they were going spear fishing. We decided that this was a more frightening experience than an enjoyable one. Haha it was really murky for some reason where we were and you couldn’t see anything below you for a long time while you swam out. I was like huh, there could totally be sharks right under us and we’d have NO idea. Then, the coral wasn’t too great, saw some pretty little fish, but nothing amazing. Still waiting to do some awesome snorkeling at an actual place for snorkeling. Hopefully we’ll be going this weekend J So after we swam back there we were all jumping off the roof of this building thing into the ocean (its about fifteen feet up, maybe a little more?). The guys were all doing gainers etc. and I was suddenly inspired to try a front flip. Haha I have no idea why considering that I’ve NEVER done a front flip off anything before. Like not even into a swimming pool haha my friends know that I can barely manage one on a trampoline. But I just went for it, and totally landed it. Didn’t over rotate or anything. It was pretty cool, now the guys want me to do a back flip haha so we’ll see. J Its so nice to have a support group, like all of us going through the same thing. It seems like we’re all struggling with the same things and are all exhausted, and its nice to be able to all leave after a frustrating day and just have fun together. I’m really enjoying getting to know everyone better here, and am looking forward to getting closer through the year.

Oh, and last night Amy and I made an amazing original dessert! Her dad had just sent her tortillas in the mail, so we fried bananas and rolled them in tortillas with butter and brown sugar and then baked them in the oven. They were SO good, and well…quite unhealthy. Haha but the boys really enjoyed them. I’m quickly realizing that this is going to be my crash course in cooking year! Anyway, I need to try to catch some sleep and grade some more papers. I don’t think there will ever be enough hours in the day! Miss everyone at home, thank you so much for your prayers, I really need them right now!

God truly is so good. One of my friends said, “There is no where better to be than where God wants you to be.”  I can honestly say that I feel like Pohnpei is exactly where God wants me to be this year, and it is a great feeling. J

a good day :)

Today was AMAZING. This weekend actually. It is Sunday night and I am officially exhausted. But in the amazing way, like after a full day of wakeboarding at the lake J I am falling in love with an Island called Pohnpei. Sabbath we went through town telling people about a free health fair we were having and it was really cool to see more into the culture here. I have decided that I am never complaining about our apartment again! There is quite a bit of poverty here, we are so lucky in America. Seriously, I feel quite spoiled living at the academy here. Then, at the health fair, I ended up sneaking out and just playing with the kids all evening, it was SO fun. Haha I was soo tired, I need to get in shape! At the health fair I got my blood sugar taken just for fun, so Ryan poked me with a needle to get some blood and I jumped cuz I was really surprised. Haha the kids thought it was SOO funny, so they started calling me Miss Pokey Hand. I was like what? What are you calling me? And then they’d just run from me. It was so funny. This led to numerous games of hide and seek, dance offs, the game Drop, and fits of giggles. After we left, Amy, Joel, Matt, and I had a photo shoot in the rain. Haha we had to drive back in the rain, so we were already soaking. It was quite fun J Joel and Matt, have me pretty convinced that I want to move to Australia (that’s where they’re from), haha at least a visit J

Today we woke up and a group of us went out to this little island to teach some kids how to surf. It was amazing. I really don’t know how to put in words. It was like today wasn’t real. We pretty much spent the entire day in paradise. Got to teach some kids how to surf, ate rice and barbequed chicken (I had a little, trying to live up the culture thing) and then we took out the boards for a little. The board I was on was literally half as small as mine and half as wide, I didn’t think I was going to get up at all, but ended up catching a wave. I didn’t stand up though haha I was too scared of falling into the coral. When I got off my board I was in only like a foot of water, if that. I am realizing that if I’m going to surf here I need booties cuz I was just standing on the coral, and then waves start crashing in. Its slightly intimidating I’m not going to lie! Some of the guys actually got cut up, but I ended up being ok J Oh, and Amy and I learned about Fire Coral the hard way! She decided to grab it thinking it looked pretty, and I accidently kicked some while pushing a little girl on her surfboard. It burns! So now we know to stay away from that J We’ll definitely be going back to that island, it only costs five dollars to get over there, and then ten dollars for a little hut to spend the night (which you can split between five people) so I’m quite excited to say the least. Now I just need to get some sleep before my first full school day tomorrow! I’m sure I’ll have many stories about that, hopefully good ones! 

So the first two days of school are officially over! I’m not going to lie, the first day was exhausting! Everything I had planned was over in like an hour, and then I was like oh dear. What do I do?! Haha but today was much better, and I was well prepared J my kids require every ounce of my attention at every second, but are absolutely adorable. I am really looking forward to getting to know them all better. Today I read Winn Dixie to them for like an hour, and had them draw a picture or a scene from the story I was reading them. And they loved it. I was doing the voices and everything, it was quite fun. I’m definitely going to enjoy that aspect of teaching J We also had math today, and oh dear is there a lot of work to be done there. I am supposed to be teaching them times tables and division and all of that stuff but today as we were reviewing adding and subtracting I realized that they are far from ready to move on to anything else yet. I went over their assignment with them and did like four examples with them. In the end I ended up doing every single problem with them on the board, and sometimes with them individually again as well. It was pretty tiring. I don’t know how I’m supposed to teach them other things, its going to be a  lot of work. I have this one little girl named Zara from Australia who is absolutely adorable! Besides that the other 21 of them are all islanders who insist on saying Miss! Miss! Every second J. Teaching is going to be much more work than I thought to be perfectly honest. But I think it will just be especially difficult at the beginning, I need to get the hang of things, and as Amy and I are discovering already, learn things the hard way J

Much to my delight Amy and I are finally figuring out how to eat here. That was quite discouraging but now we have a rice cooker (I ruined are first batch of rice last night. Worst pohnpeian missionary ever. I swear I followed the little instruction manual!) and have found that we can get carrots, and cucumbers for our vegetable supply (even some frozen veggies occasionally! )And have decided that the pricey apples are worth it for our fruit supply along with a never ending supply of bananas. The locals put bananas in EVERYTHING haha they are quite delicious however.

Last night two of the guys came over and had a lesson plan party with Amy and I. It got kind of late, (ten is late for us now haha so much for a college schedule!) and my silly side kicked in full force! The laughing was great stress relief but I’m pretty sure I traumatized these two innocent guys that barely know me. There were just like oh my goodness whats happening?! Now we’re all about to go find a swimming hole or something cuz its sooo hott! I’m seriously like over heating here. and I’m still waiting to go surfing! Ahhh!!! And maybe snorkeling soon J I hope we get to do something fun like that this weekend! 

Sooooo in about eight hours I will no longer be Courtney but Miss Breann J I can’t believe school is starting tomorrow!! My classroom is as tidy and clean as it’s going to get. Well. Besides the little bathroom I have in my classroom. But lets not talk about that. I’ll have to get some pictures up of my room and kids soon. Friday I think I’m going to have all my kids put their hand print in paint up on some poster board that I got and then we can put them up on my bare walls J Oh, Amy and I recently discovered that we have a few new roommates. One being a mouse that decided her computer chord was absolutely delicious and worthy of chewing, a gecko the size of a woolly mammoth (and company), and wandering ants that find my bed as comfortable as I do. I was the lucky one to first site the mouse haha it was so funny. I had just put a delicious chocolate cake in the oven for Shaun’s birthday and was sitting down when I see something (literally) crawling out of our stove. I was like WHAT is happening?!?! And then I saw that it was the little wire eating culprit. We unfortunately didn’t catch him, but I was perfectly fine with that cuz he didn’t eat my chocolate cake. Otherwise the wrath of Miss Breann would have rained down upon him. The girls are rather terrified about our new little oven dwelling roommate but I think he’d look rather cute if he was wearing a bowtie…anyway, oh my I’m so excited about tomorrow! I can’t really sleep, which is exactly why I’m writing on my blog right now J decided to use up the good old internet card. Oh dear, that can get a little expensive. So tonight Mr. B (the principal had everyone over to celebrate Shaun’s birthday. It was so amazing. They cooked an incredible meal for us (my favorite meal since I’ve been here) they even made three birthday cakes and had ice cream! But that wasn’t even the best part, there was fruit and a, wait for it…drum roll….salad!!! Amy and I were SO excited. We’ve been going crazy, it’s so hard to get fruit and veggies over here. but tonight we had cantaloupe and the best pineapple ever and watermelon and rice and these deep fried banana things, and fish (it was actually really good) and grill cheese sandwiches (definitely a treat, considering we can’t afford cheese). So that was really cool. Oh, and Mr. B has a piano! I’m not going to lie, that is something I’ve really been missing. There is just something about sitting down at a piano and singing that makes me feel whole. When we went to church on Sabbath there was a piano and I was soo excited until they started playing it at church. I’m pretty sure I have NEVER heard a piano that out of tune. Haha it was actually pretty funny. Definitely couldn’t sing to that one J well…I probably should get some sleep so I have some energy tomorrow. Oh boy. Now the real adventure begins. Oh and by the way I have twenty students and no teacher’s aid! One of the third grade classrooms only has eleven kids and an aid. I was like huh… haha so this will be fun! J

So I have decided! Its official, I am definitely going to be able to get used living here! J it is soo beautiful and the people are so sincere and welcoming. They threw us a welcoming party last night. there was literally tables of food! and the woman did a pohnpeian dance for us, so fun :) On Sabbath almost all of the SM’s came over to our apartment and we made spagetti. It was awesome. We have such a great group of random missionaries! Much to my delight, we have two Australian boys J I love their accents, but I have quickly learned that I am supposed to never relate them to New Zealanders, haha so our potluck was fun. We seriously had like twelve of us in our little kitchen. I think that will be a tradition that we start, and I’m looking forward to it. Then we went to these twin waterfalls way out in the jungle Sabbath afternoon. Haha if my Father saw the way we get around here, he’d probably have a heart attack J its awesome, we all climb in the back of these like old truck things, one of them kind of looks like a little fire truck and we all just stand and hang on while we are like off roading through the jungle. Oh and the waterfalls..AMAZING. Oh my goodness! I’m trying to put pictures up as soon as I have enough internet! It was sooo beautiful! We climbed all over them and jumped off and swam in the pools. I was most definitely in my happy place! Then it started pouring rain and everyone found shelter under this little metal sheet thing, but not me! I was loving the rain! Its so warm, needless to say I was drenched and smiling ear to ear J Oh my, may I please deviate from the topic of hand and inform you that I am currently sitting on my bed typing this attempting to eat a bowl of granola without breathing through my nose because it smells like pig! Its rather difficult…anyway Sunday morning wasn’t quite as enjoyable as sabbath I must admit. I went to see my classroom and let me tell you, there is SO much work to be done! My classroom is ridiculously dirty and stuff is kind of just all over the place. It was slightly overwhelming cuz I wasn’t sure where to start. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many spiders in one setting, good thing I’m not terrified of them. It just made me realize how amazing we have it in the states, even like our “ghetto” Adventist schools. Wow. All of the desks are rusted badly, the floor is uneven cement that is almost black, I don’t think I have enough books for some subjects etc. oh, and the books are all wet from the humidity and gross. I wish I had better materials to give to my kids..It will take much cleaning and organizing before I can start decorating my classroom or doing anything fun. And on top of that I have to start my lesson plans! School starts Thursday, so I’m excited but a little nervous cuz there is so much to be done. And I am still waiting to go surfing, we haven’t been able to go to a beach or anything, however we did go to this like lagoon yesterday and a few of us jumped off this roof of this like abandoned house thing into ocean that was fun. The boys are hilarious, they all have nick names for themselves, and I’m pretty sure they just decided that Amy and I are worthy of being nick named as well. Apparently they have decided that I’m seaweed haha I’m definitely going to enjoy getting to know everyone better. I can tell, we have an awesome year ahead of us. The beginning is just a little stressful! Anyway, thanks for your prayers, I really appreciate them and need them! 

i'm here!

I’m here! Wow. I don’t even know where to start! So flying in was AMAZING. I was soo excited, I got out my camera and next thing I know we landed and I didn’t take one picture haha I was so in awe that I forgot. It is so beautiful. Also the island is much bigger than I imagined. I still can’t believe that I’m here and am going to be here for ten months, that sounds so crazy to me. I’m trying not to think of it like that because I’m not sure if that excites me or scares me right now. Our apartment is…well…not quite what I expected, but we are doing the best with what we have! We just went on a total cleaning spree today scrubbing the kitchen and floors etc. it still looks kind of dirty but at least we know the truth! oh, and I must mention that we have some interesting/terrifying neighbors. Amy and I were introduced to the pigs that live right outside our window and behind our apartment upon our arrival. I honestly thought there were baby dinosaurs being tortured outside our room. I was completely unaware that anything in the world could make such a horrifying and loud sound. So THAT will be fun. Oh, also we have discovered a few roommates as well. Apparently the lizards here are on steroids and love our kitchen.

 

            Yesterday we were taken to the “grocery store” to get supplies and food. When I walked in I almost cried. Lol I was like there is NO way I can live off of this for a year! It was very small and had limited and very expensive food. For those of you who know me, you will know how important food is to me haha and luckily we took a trip to the store once again today. I almost broke out into song when we walked into this grocery store! I was like thank you Jesus!! It was literally eight times as big and even had soymilk! I was sooo excited! I will be more than fine J they even had Oreos, however they were seven dollars haha the food is really expensive here its crazy. I seriously think I’ll be living off of spaghetti, rice, and apples.

 

So apparently humidity and Courtney to do not mix well. I am pretty sure that I will take eight showers a day. Oh my word. Its crazy! I really hope I get used to it. And worst of all my feet, ankles, and fingers have swollen up like balloons! I’m pretty sure that I know what it’s like being pregnant! Haha my feet are the worst. It sucks because they are so achy! I hope this is an adjusting thing and I get used to it because it kind of hurts! Lets see…oh, and also our apartment flooded last night haha luckily it wasn’t Amy and I’s room. There is something wrong with our pipes or water or something, because like our shower will just randomly turn on, and then the kitchen sink will suddenly be on full blast etc. I think the maintenance guy is going to look at it and try to fix it soon though! We have our fingers crossed..Also the smell of our apartment and just pretty much everywhere is going to take some getting used to. I think its because its so wet it is almost like everything is mildewed. Oh well! There definitely many things to get used to!

 

In general I guess I am kind of in a daze. This place is quite different than what I was expecting, but then at the same time I don’t really know what I was expecting. To be perfectly honest the living here is much more primitive than I anticipated, and also English isn’t as predominant as I thought it would be. People speak in more of broken English and in very thick accents so it’s hard to understand. We were told that our students will have English as their second or third language and I for some reason didn’t realize that. Currently the school is going through some transitioning and we don’t exactly have a principal. It’s a little confusing as to where we’re supposed to be etc and like the SM’s haven’t even all officially met or had a chance to do ice breakers or anything. That is the thing that has bothered me the most, because even if we’re all confused as long as we stick together and are a close group I think it will all be fine. So for anyone who is reading this, if you could keep that in your prayers that would be wonderful.

 

Oh, I think I forgot to mention this, so um…when it rains here…it RAINS! Oh. My. Goodness. I didn’t even bring an umbrella lol I don’t know WHAT I was thinking! I can’t wait to go to the beach or water or something. I guess the water is ten or fifteen minutes away? I hope we still get to go a lot cuz I was hoping to go like every day (of course) oh, and I’d love to go explore I seriously just want to hike through the jungle. We’ve only been at the school and church. And I haven’t gotten a chance to catch up on sleep yet either, we’ve been so busy moving in and cleaning etc. I’m so exhausted! Speaking of which, I’m going to try to get a nap in before we have vespers, but just so everyone knows I’m here safe! Thanks for all your prayers, this is definitely an interesting transition and I’m not exactly sure how I feel about everything yet. But I know God has amazing things planned for me this year, and regardless of how I feel, this is where I am supposed to be at this time in my life, and that God has guided me here. It will just take some time to discover exactly why that is. Thanks for everyone’s support! J