Dear Friends,
It's been a while since I've updated!! To be perfectly honest, I haven't been in a very good place personally lately. As we learned at my training, the first stage of culture shock (the honeymoon phase) is followed by the second stage of culture shock: the frustration phase. There are many obstacles one must face when thrust into a new culture: language changes, environmental changes, food changes, changes in the way people interact with one another, among others. Sometimes it is incredibly difficult to accept and deal with these changes. Sometimes it's lonely because I can't communicate very well with those around me. Sometimes little things that would not normally make me angry do. Oftentimes I feel let down because something culturally will take me by surprise or will get in the way of things I had planned or wanted to do. And sometimes I miss home, family, friends, my car, and familiar surroundings very much.
But, the truth of the matter is that this is where I'm supposed to be right now. I've spent a lot of time reading and journal-ing and searching for God through it all. I am convinced that this is where He wants me to be and that no matter what happens (good or bad), He is holding my hand the entire way. One thing that has been offering me a wealth of comfort and encouragement is the devotional book that I got for Christmas called "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young. I can't even begin to express how amazing this devotional is. I feel like sometimes, it was meant for me to have during this time. So many times, the daily entries, written from God's perspective, have spoken directly to issues that I am facing. For example, yesterday's devotional was:
"Make friends with the problems in your life. Though many things feel random and wrong, remember that I am sovereign over everything. I can fit everything into a pattern for good, but only to the extent that you trust Me. Every problem can teach you something, transforming you little by little into the masterpiece I created you to be. The very same problem can become a stumbling block over which you fall, if you react with distrust and defiance. The choice is up to you, and you will have to choose many times each day whether to trust me or defy Me.
"The best way to befriend your problems is to thank Me for them. This simple act opens your mind to the possibility of benefits flowing from your difficulties..." ~Sarah Young, Jesus Calling
The truth of the matter is that, at the end of the day, I love being here. Some days are frustrating and I want to throw in the towel, but other days are so incredibly perfect and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Most days (and I think most teachers would agree), I love my students, and many days we have a great time. As we've grown more used to each other, I've found that I can even joke with them. Such as yesterday in Class VI, I was erasing a high part on the blackboard with the chalk duster and I accidentally dropped the duster on me, covering me with white chalk. All the students started saying "Oh! Sorry madam!" "Sorry!" I just turned around and said "It's OK! I like it when the chalk makes me whiter than I already am!" Then we all just laughed and laughed. There are other things that I look forward to every week, such as volleyball and the Sunday night prayer meeting. These few opportunities allow me the chance to bond with other foreigners (mostly from the US and UK) who understand me (culturally and language-wise). Also, the Sunday night prayer meeting offers me a chance to worship and talk about God in my own language (and sometimes we get to eat American food!! :D )
Well, here's what I've been up to this weekend and week so far:
Friday, the students were let out of school early so the teachers could start grading the monthly tests. It was a LONG and tedious process that dragged out for 4 1/2 hours (11am-3:30pm). All the teachers were required to help grade all tests, so I graded just about every Class in Math, Science, and English. Thank goodness they didn't ask me to grade Kiswahili!! LOL!! At one point, I was so hungry that I had to sneak out and run to the house so that I could raid my snack stash. But, we got most of it done and finally I was able to return to the house where I pretty much wanted to crash. I had had lunch plans in town with some friends from the Sunday night Bible Study, but we had to re-schedule for dinner because of the grading. We went to a place they call "Street Chicken". There, you are served half a BBQ'ed chicken that has been marinated for 24 hours (I think that's right) and chips (which are sort of like french fries). It was DELICIOUS!! And, I was still so hungry from not eating much for lunch that I felt like ordering a whole second plate, but I didn't. Haha!! The whole meal, including the drink was less than $4!! After dinner, we went to Chris and Emily's house to watch the movie Hugo which I thought was a pretty interesting movie (and apparently just won a ton of awards?).
Saturday, I woke up around 7am, ate breakfast, did a longer yoga routine, and washed clothes. I had a few hours to hang out around the house before I was to meet up with Chris and Emily for lunch. We continued our tour of Morogoro restaurants Saturday for lunch at Ricky's, which is a huge hang out for white folks and serves all kinds of foods from America and some Chinese/Indian dishes. I got the chicken curry which was pretty good, but not spicy like I was expecting. My favorite part, though, was the dessert: ICE CREAM!!! All together my meal (drink, entree, and dessert) were about $6!!! (fyi for those who are sponsoring me: the money for eating out is coming out of my own personal funds and not my missionary funds because I consider this a luxury and not a necessity to my trip) Anyways, Saturday afternoon was laid back and Nathan and I watched the movie Pirates of the Caribbean! (such a good movie!!)
Sunday morning, it was raining and I didn't want to get out of bed, but I did. (haha! I love early morning thunderstorms!) Church was held in the pre-school building because of the rain and the fact that the church building does not actually have a roof (they usually hang up tarps). There were actually a few songs that were sung in English which was really nice. A small group of us (the new English choir) was supposed to perform, but apparently nobody told anyone we were supposed to perform, so we didn't get to. Oh well, we'll try again for next week!! Sunday night was the prayer service and afterwards we had a cook out. It was AMAZING!! I had salad for the first time since I've arrived! Also, there was delicious macaroni and cheese, chips, hotdogs, and for dessert we had chocolate mousse. I ate 2 huge plates full of food (don't worry I didn't take everything. Haha! There were plenty of leftovers).
Monday, was school. I found out on Saturday, much to my frustration, that now that it is March, the school is extending it's hours. I was told that instead of getting out at 1:30pm, we would all have to stay until 4:30pm. Needless to say, I was incredibly stressed out about how I was going to handle this sudden change. It would have been nice if someone had given me a bit more warning and I could have been a bit more prepared. But, unfortunately, the people here are not always the best at communicating these important kinds of details to me. It can be very frustrating to find out about everything at the last minute (and we're talking, sometimes right before it happens). It's definitely getting some taking used to because I'm used to having a plan and a routine and sticking to it.
Well, on Monday, I found out that the school was actually going to be getting out at 2:30pm and that some teachers would be required to stay for "tuition" (which is really tutoring. I have positively NO idea why they call it tuition seeing as tuition is money that you pay for something like school, or maybe tutoring). Anyways, this month there is no extra tutoring in English, so I am not required to stay until 4:30pm. I was so relieved to hear this and know that I would still have time in the afternoons to wash my clothes and get things done that I need to get done (such as practicing Kiswahili and washing my laundry) and still have time to be involved in church activities and such. Also, this gives me some time to figure out how I will be able to re-vamp my schedule and make the necessary adjustments for when I will have to stay later in April. All in all, I learned a big lesson that I shouldn't stress out, and all I need to do is to trust God and "In all things God works for the good of His people" Romans 8:28
Today was an average day at school. Nothing exciting happened except for the fact that the monthly tests were returned. I was horrified to find out that every single test (minus one which was a 100%) for the Class V students was graded incorrectly. I found out because so many students came up to me to ask why certain questions were marked wrong. I had to re-grade every test this afternoon. Just an example of how bad it was: one student who should have gotten a 92% was given a 40%!! Some tests were just about right, but many of them were completely wrong. I've decided that from now on, I am the only teacher who is allowed to grade the English tests for classes V-VII. I know for a fact that all of Class VII's tests were graded correctly because I graded them all while the other teachers were grading Kiswahili. However, there seems to be some debate over whether or not the Class VI tests were graded correctly, but I didn't have enough time today to figure it out. I have requested that the students return with their exercise books tomorrow so that I can take a look and see.
Well, I think that just about covers everything. I hope that you're having a fantastic week so far and that you are remembering that no matter what's happening in your life, God is always with you. All you have to do is to trust Him and He will lead you through it!!
"In all things God works for the good of His people!" Romans 8:28
May the Lord Bless You and Keep You,
~Christine
No comments:
Post a Comment