School Systems

Soooo, I started this entry a while ago and have decided that I should finish it!

Lately, I've been reflecting on how different it must be to grow up in schools here in Tanzania compared to the US. One day, I was teaching music class to Class VI and I was trying to teach them about proper breathing technique when singing. I had them put their hands on their stomachs so they could feel the in and out motion of their diaphragm as opposed to the up and down motion of their shoulders. Some of them weren't getting it and I was seriously thinking about making them lay down on the floor with their exercise books on their stomachs. But, I simply can't bring myself to do that. Here, the floors are concrete and are forever covered in a layer of red dirt (which of course would stain their clothes). Yes, the floors in US schools are dirty too, but not nearly like here. Back home there are janitors to clean and mop the classrooms. Here students "sweep" the classrooms every day and they never get mopped. There is no electricity in the school and the windows are like chicken wire with open holes to naturally "cool" the rooms. Classroom resources are non-existent as is any form of playground equipment.

Here, children have to grow up so quickly in so many ways. If a child falls down, no one picks them up and comforts them until they stop crying. They simply have to brush it off and keep going. First graders through seventh graders must travel far distances to school, sometimes involving public transportation, sometimes not. But, there are no school buses that go around to each child's house. Sometimes they are alone and sometimes they are in groups, but either way, there is no parent supervision. In the US, many parents don't even like their dear children to ride the schools buses that are provided by the government. Instead, they physically use gas and time to cater to their children and drive them to school. All of these things just seem so silly now.  Do we really have to hold our childrens' hands through everything? Now I'm certainly am not saying that we should make our first graders walk miles to school, but shouldn't we consider a better way of doing things here? 

It just seems to me that the children back home have almost no responsibility and the children here have too much. But then, how do we find the happy medium between these two cultures? How do we in America take care of our children without baby-ing them and using up excess and unnecessary resources? I know at times it must be tempting to just go ahead and do what we've always done because we have the time and the means, but who are we really benefiting in the end?

Well I hope this has given you something to think about and I also hope you have a great week!!

May the Lord Bless You and Keep You,
~Christine

A Surprise Visitor!!

In some ways my life here in Morogoro seems so mundane and ordinary, but in other ways it feels extraordinary. So much of my life revolves consists of only the necessities of life: eating, breathing, washing clothes, cleaning my room/bathroom, grocery shopping, etc. But, peppered amidst all of the ordinary is the extraordinary. For example, yesterday the CUTEST black baby goat literally walked into my English class just as I was about to give a test. Apparently, it was eager to learn English too. It was definitely one of those "only in Tanzania" moments. I gently guided it back outside as the class and I laughed over the scenario. I remembered seeing that goat the other day as I was walking to the International School for a run. As I passed it, it began jumping and dancing in circles like it was so happy and had no care in the world. If only I could learn to be more like that baby goat: dancing and leaping through life, always eager to step into a new classroom to learn something!!

Here are some updates on my comings and goings for the last week:

On Friday night, some of the missionary ladies and I had a movie night at Linn's house. It was a great time of just hanging out and relaxing. We watched the movie "When in Rome" which I've seen before. I'm not really the romantic comedy type, but I still really enjoyed the chance to get out and do something different for a change. Rick and Linn let me stay the night afterwards which was great. It was kind of like a mini-vacation!! It's so nice once in a while to have a chance to be in a western-style setting and just have a break from all of the cultural stress for a while. I'm finding that I'm used to a lot of things now and as long as I don't deviate from my personal routine too much, I'm good.

Saturday, we didn't end up having ultimate frisbee because not enough people showed up. So I came back to the house and did laundry, cleaned my room/bathroom, prepared for Sunday, and practiced yoga. We had rehearsal for the English choir that night. I've been teaching the choir some more modern songs. Originally, we were just singing hymns, but I think it's time we started branching out a bit. I think they really like it a lot more than the hymns which is nice! I personally LOVE modern worship songs, but I'm still a sucker for the old hymns. :)

Sunday, I got to preach at church. Talk about something I never imagined happening in my future. Haha!! I had plenty of time to prepare (unlike many other events that have happened to me since being here.) My Swahili teacher, Baba Sesi, translated and I think it went well. I chose the topic of faith and how we need to place our faith in God. I talked about what faith is: how the dictionary defines faith and how the Bible defines faith. Then, I discussed how God has proven that He is faithful to those who are faithful to Him by using a few of the countless examples from the Bible (Sarah and Abraham had a son, God led His people through the wilderness, Daniel was saved from the lions den, Jesus was born which fulfilled to prophecy). Thus, I concluded we should trust Him. Finally, I discussed how when we place our trust in Him, we can do amazing things. Like how Peter walked on water, but the moment he took his eyes off of Jesus, he began to sink. We should not allow ourselves to become consumed with the problems of life. We need to keep our eyes focused on Jesus and He will lead us through it all. All in all, it was a trusty three-point sermon (I'm sure any preacher back home would be proud), and I think it went over well. I mean, I haven't really heard anything good or bad from anyone. They want me to preach more, as in 2-3 times a month!! I said I'd definitely be willing to preach again, but I think that they need to hear from other members of the congregation as well. I guess we'll see what happens. Sunday night was the prayer service and then I returned home for karate, dinner, and bed.

The week has been rather un-eventful, save for the appearance of the goat mentioned earlier. I've been reading a LOT lately, but I haven't had much else to do in my free time. I counted how many books I've read since January and I'm on book 17!! I'm currently re-reading The Poisonwood Bible. I'm not sure who all has read it, but I had to read it in high school. I have to say that it is cracking me up reading it from my new perspective!! I can relate so much better to the events of the story and many of those things have happened to me! For example, it made me laugh so hard when Rachel's character is talking about the dress style and how it is inappropriate for women to show their legs. She talks about how women have to "make themselves decent" before leaving home. Which means that they wrap another piece of cloth over their skirt. You will see that all the time here. Also, it made me laugh to read what things the family had decided were important to bring: cake mixes, makeup, nail polish, all types of weather clothes. They had so much stuff that they had to pile it onto their bodies and hide the cake mix and pans under their clothes. Haha!! Of course, that makes me think about the things that I brought because I had decided that I couldn't live without them. I even kind of laugh at myself for bringing my hair straightener which I haven't even gotten to use since I don't have a strong enough converter and I'm afraid of frying it. Thus, I pretty much wear my hair up in a clip or a ponytail every day since I can't make it look nice. It's fine and no one really cares anyways. Haha! For the most part, I think I made some really wise decisions about what to bring. Though, I have to say that I've got a LONG list of things to buy at the store and pick up from my room when I return. :D

In addition to reading, I have been trying to practice my Swahili, and I've been teaching my private piano lessons and teaching the ladies from church English. When I return from my trip home, I'm going to pick up another piano student; an adult who can help train others. I've asked Nadina who she would recommend since she knows the people in the congregation and knows who would actually follow through. Although I have been working with her, she's hoping to go to Drew University in New Jersey this fall as long as she can make arrangements for living. She's wanting to get training so that she can help train church leaders here in Tanzania. So far she has been able to cover everything with scholarship money. The only obstacle standing in her way is her inability to cover the costs of accommodations. Unfortunately, I don't have any connections in New Jersey, so I haven't been able to help. If anyone has advice or would be willing to assist, let me know!!

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1

May the Lord Bless You and Keep You,
~Christine

Facing the Giants

I've been fighting a lot of battles lately. A LOT. I feel as though I have been David fighting a whole slew of Goliaths every day for the last week and a half. Today, I'm finding myself completely exhausted and very much in need of rest.

Some of my biggest challenges are at the school right now. Somehow I think that because I am white, people think that I can magically do more than most people can. But, unfortunately, I'm human too, and I can't do everything. Lately, it seems that every student is getting on my case about grading things. It hasn't been a problem in months and I've got a rhythm down, so I'm not sure what happened. I've been having multiple students coming to my desk asking me why I haven't marked their exercise book in two days (it has never been unusual for me to wait a couple of days to check their work). I'm trying to be patient, but when I tell them I'm getting around to it, they just get angry at me. And when I try to send them back to class, they get even more frustrated. I'm not sure what to do. I can't get them to leave me alone and I'm afraid that I'm completely losing my patience.

Another thing that has really messed me up lately is this whole pen pal activity. It was great at first and the students were so excited to send their first letters. I was excited for them and I loved seeing their excitement in their faces as they tried so hard to make their letters perfect and draw all kinds of pictures. Last Friday was a very exciting day. They were completely ecstatic to finally receive their first letters from their pen pals. I told them at that time that the pen pal activity was no longer a class assignment. That they were no longer required to continue writing to their pen pals, but if they wanted to, they were welcome to. I also told them that if they wanted me to, I could give corrections to any further letters that they write. Well, this has completely rocked the boat for me. Not only do I have a pile of new letters accumulating on my desk, but I have stacks of exercise books I'm trying to grade to keep everyone on that front happy. And, like the other students, these students won't let up. If I don't get their letters back within one class period (40 minutes), they come running, wondering why I haven't graded their letters yet. I try to explain that I have a bunch of classwork I need to grade first, but I don't think they believe me. They just keep returning. I appreciate their enthusiasm, but right now, I just don't have the capacity to share in it.

The next battle is a new pen pal activity with Classes V and VI with students in Japan. The purpose of this activity is to write an informative letter explaining Tanzanian culture. Well, let's just say that this whole activity has not gone over nearly as well as the first pen pal activity where the students were simply writing friendly letters. Although I had a talk with each class about culture and they are able to easily discuss verbally many parts of their culture, their ability to write about it is completely limited. It's been like pulling teeth trying to get them to write even 4-5 sentences about clothing or food in Tanzania. Thus, the I've had to grade 36 letter revisions every day last week. And let me just say, it's completely exhausting (plus I had a perpetual headache that continued throughout every day last week. I think it was a weather thing, but it was definitely made worse by all the grading). And what makes it worse is that the students are just as exhausted as I am. All they want is that piece of colorful construction paper so they can write their final draft. Only a few students have reached that point yet and it's frustrating for those who have reached that point. But, I won't give it to them until they have a good letter. Like every other situation, I have an entire group of students who simply won't leave me alone. It's like they think that if they frustrate me enough they'll finally get what they want. But, I won't give in. They need to learn how to express themselves appropriately using English. I don't care how many drafts they have to write, I'm going to help lead them to a good final product. (in my education classes we called it scaffolding. The student is doing the work, but the teacher is there to offer support and help the students build on their skills.) It's really rough right now, but I'm hoping that the reward will be great in the end.

The next big fight is with Kiswahili language. I feel like many people expect me to already be fluent in Swahili and I'm sorry to disappoint them, but I'm not. I even started letting up on my own personal practice during the time I had decided that I was going home to graduate school this June. But, now that I've chosen to stay longer, I've realized how much practicing and learning time I've missed out on. So, now I've put all this pressure on myself to catch up on Kiswahili which is not helping my stress level. There are just so many things I don't understand and I'm trying to be patient with myself as I try to learn and understand it. But, it's really hard to simply be unable to communicate with the people around me.

Thus, I feel completely beat up by the time I return home each day. I know that God will not give us more than we can handle, but right now I'm agreeing with Mother Theresa: I just wish He wouldn't trust me so much. I just have to keep reminding myself that when I signed up for this, I knew it wasn't going to be easy. And honestly, nothing that is really worth doing is every going to be easy. So, I'll just keep pressing forward and praying to God for a LOT of patience. Lord knows I've been needing it, especially today.

I just have to keep reminding myself that break is only 2 weeks away. I think we all need it; the students and me. Many of them study pretty much all day every day. They are at school from 7:30am - 2:40pm and many stay after school until 4pm for tutoring. Then, after that, many of the students meet to study and practice more. They even meet sometimes on the weekend for even more practice. I know they must be completely exhausted with so much work and not enough time to relax and play. They have so much working against them: lack of resources at school and home to prepare themselves, teachers who are not well equipped to teach, illiteracy within their families, poverty. It must be tough trying to overcome all of that and find success. In some ways these students are my heroes. Not only do they have to fight so many obstacles, they're trying to learn three languages (Swahili, English, and French) and all at the same time. And, I'm complaining about trying to learn one new language. *sigh*

Well, I think I need to close things up here. In any case, any prayers you can offer will be greatly appreciated. Prayers for endurance and patience especially. I leave you with this verse that I am clinging to for hope and encouragement:

"We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." Romans 5:3-4

May the Lord Bless You and Keep You,

~Christine

"Real Life"

So, now that it’s May and I’m only a month away before facing American reality again (even if only for a short 2 week visit), I’ve been thinking a lot about reality. It occurred to me recently how often I think of America as “real-life” and Tanzania as “dream-life”. I think of going to graduate school and then after I graduate, I’ll begin my “real-life”. How silly is that?

I think as Americans, we really get caught up in this mentality that what we are experiencing is not nearly as real as what we will experience in the future. We’re so focused on reaching towards new goals that reality can no longer please us. We think: “Oh when I get such-and-such a degree, then my life will really begin.” Or, we think: “When I meet my future spouse, that’s when my life will really begin.” Again, how silly is that?

Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s good to have goals (and I think that here in Tanzania goals and goal setting is not stressed enough), but I think that we take it to an extreme in America. We can never be pleased with what we have because we are only thinking about what we don’t have. It doesn’t help that the media pushes this on us, even when we don’t notice it. I can’t say that I ever noticed it all that much, but that’s probably because I was so used to it. But, I think that when I return it will be very “in your face”. Comparatively, the media here in Tanzania is almost non-existent, and I can’t say that I miss it. It’s actually freeing that holidays are taken down by about five notches of pressure. It’s crazy the things we do to ourselves, stressing over a specific day because it’s marked as “special”. I mean, seriously, the candy isle during Halloween or Easter is bigger than the ENTIRE supermarket here. I never spend more than 5-10 minutes in the supermarket here. Seriously, I’m going to have to have someone go with me on my first visit to Wal-Mart and they’re going to have to hold my hand.

Anyways, as we constantly strive towards the better future, we forget about the present. We forget to take the time to appreciate what’s happening now. I forget that what’s happening now is “real life” too. And in so many ways, this has been the most real life I have ever known. I am living along with the poor. I am learning from them and I hope that they are learning from me. I am hand-washing my clothes at least every other day and I am forced to take public transportation or walk. I eat rice and beans at least once a day and the amount of food variety is severely limited. And, nothing here is easy, not even picking up a package from the post office. Teaching is hard when the only resources you have are a blackboard and a piece of chalk. But, in some ways all of this is freeing. I’m actually participating in my life. People and things aren’t doing the work for me; I am forced to do it all myself. I guess it gives me a sense of accomplishment knowing that I can do these things for myself. In the future, if my washing machine ever breaks, I’ll be able to hand-wash my clothes if I want to. ;)

My calendar that I brought to Tanzania with me has a wonderful quote on it this month directly relating to this topic: “Regret lives in the past, yearning in the future. But, true peace lives only in this moment.” I’m striving to find that peace during my time here. To simply live in the moment and not in the future. It’s a little bit difficult right now because I have a trip to Europe and home coming up within the next month. I keep thinking about how excited I am to see Switzerland, Italy, and France, and then how excited I am to see my family and friends when I return home. But, I want to still take advantage of my time here. It does make it easier to leave, knowing that I’ll be back in mid-July. But, I want to focus on now and what’s happening now in this moment. I want to keep fighting find the peace that the world and American society especially denies us. How ironic, right? Fighting to find peace? But, it’s the truth when we’re bombarded with so many different elements. But, I think that once we make it a habit, it becomes easier; a way of life. I hope that you, too, will fight until you are also able to find peace in your life.

I’ll leave you with this verse:

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” ~Philippians 4:7

May the Lord Bless You and Keep You,

~Christine

A Week of Chaos and Excitement!!

Well, I had intended to make this blog entry sooner, but my internet has been out of commission for the last few days. It’s been really tough to get a connection and even tougher to do anything once I do get a connection. It’s been taking about 30 minutes for me to send just one email. It’s terrible!! I just renewed my internet on Sunday, so I should be having really good service right now. I’m supposed to get 30 days of internet access; 2GB at a fast speed and once I use that up, I get the rest on a slower speed which usually isn’t too bad.

Everything seems to be on the fritz, though. Even the power and the water have been really touch and go lately. I guess when something fails, everything fails all at the same time. Oh well… It’s just part of living in a third world country.

This week has been a very busy and exciting week for me. A friend of mine, Sara, is currently living in Japan and teaching English at a school there. She asked me if I wanted to do a pen pal activity between the English language learners here and there.  The goal is for the students to write about things that are important in their culture. Well, the students wrote their first letters and it was a disaster. I had taken a lot of class time to explain culture to students and we came up with an entire list of cultural aspects they could write about. I told them I wanted to write about at least 3 of the different things (food, clothes, religion, arts, language, etc.). Well, I got the first letters and most of them didn’t even write about one!!!! They simply wrote about themselves just like the first pen pal letter they wrote to the students in Shreveport. Even the ones who did write about culture just wrote: We speak Swahili. We wear skirts and dresses. We eat ugali. One student’s letter was a grand total of 6 sentences.

Well, that doesn’t tell anyone hardly anything. So, we had to have a discussion about how to write an informative letter. We also had to discuss how to write about different cultural aspects. For example, many girls wrote about clothes, but they wrote that everyone wears dresses and skirts. I had to remind them that the boys do not wear dresses and skirts and they need to write about what the boys wear too. Also, some wrote about how you have to wear “long clothes”, but never explained why. So, we had to talk about that. The main problem with the food is that they just made a list of foods, but that doesn’t say anything about the food. I want them to build use vocabulary to talk about how the food tastes, looks, how you make it, ect. So, we spent the whole week, writing and re-writing these letters. I had hoped to be done by Friday, but by Wednesday, that was no longer looking like an option. It doesn’t bother me, though I think the students were upset that we weren’t done by Friday. We’re just going to keep working on it. I can see that this is a really good activity for them because it’s really forcing them to have to think and fight with the English language. That’s what they need, though. It’s through our fights that we grow the most, and they will be better for it.

Next, (and this is SUPER exciting) I have finally received all my packages!!! I’m SOOO excited! How this came about is quite a story, but I’m just glad that it’s over now and that I understand what I will need to do in the future. Well, on Wednesday, Nadina’s husband went back to the post office to find out about my packages and he found out that that post office has not been received any mail from the main post office in months!!! Honestly, I’m not sure how I received word about my aunt’s package back in April, but no word about my mom’s packages. Well, once I found this out, I marched right over to the post office and pretty much demanded to know what was going on. I was sent to the sorting room where I explained what was happening and showed them the card for the school’s PO Box. At first, they only handed me a package that had been mailed to MATT way back in NOVEMBER!! I can’t even begin to imagine how long it’s been sitting there!! Anyways, I asked if there was anything else for that PO Box and they handed me the first package that my mom had sent me back at the beginning of February. I asked again if there was not anything else and you would not imagine the stack of mail that I was given for the church, school, and myself. It was like all the mail for the last 3 months (including two notices that my mom’s second package had arrived)!! So, as it turns out, the first of my mom’s packages has been here since MID-FEBRUARY! And the other one has been here since MARCH 30!! First of all, I was so excited and relieved that they have arrived in good condition. But then I was simply LIVID that they had been here for SOO long and I had NO idea!! I was able to walk away with Matt’s package (which was school supplies) and my smaller package without any problems or having to pay any money. But, I was forced to return Friday afternoon to do the whole customs thing to receive my other, larger package. It took 3 hours and they had to open it up with me there to see what was inside. But, after paying a hefty $40 in import fees and taxes, I was able to walk away with a wonderful package full of goodies from home. Thus, the day ended well enough for me.

Finally, this week has been really tough for me, emotionally and spiritually, as I have continued to wrestle with whether or not I should stay for another year. It was really hard because every time I made a decision in my mind, it would always seem like the wrong decision. It was so overwhelming to think about and finally I messaged some other missionaries in the area for help. I just really needed to talk to someone who would really understand where I was coming from. They invited me to spend the night on Wednesday and I was super excited! I had a great time getting to play with the kids and help prepare tacos for dinner. It’s always strange to me being in an American home environment after being in a Tanzanian home environment for so long. Well, after talking it through out loud with them, it became clear to me that I needed to stay. I’m so glad that God has blessed me with such wonderful support, not just at home, but also here. It was really hard to reach out for help, but God rewards those who stretch themselves beyond their comfort zones.

Although, I have admittance to the University of Utah for this fall, and even though I accepted at first, I have emailed them my regrets. I have talked to my recommenders and they have all agreed that they will re-recommend me this fall when I reapply. I understand that this is a pretty big risk, but this is the adventure of a lifetime and I’m not going to let it pass me by. It occurred to me the other day that I am living my dream. I’m not sure how many people actually get to say that, but I’m sure it’s not that many. It’s completely overwhelming to realize that I’m doing exactly what I feel like I was made to do; at least for now. I’ve been dreaming about coming here since I was in 7^th grade. It just doesn’t make sense to me why I should have so much passion for so long and it only amounts to six months. I’ve come to love it here, and even though it is hard quite often, I’m growing and learning so much, even as I am teaching. I’m just not ready to move on yet. Thus, I’m leaving it to God and I’m trusting that if it’s His will for me to go to graduate school, it will happen. I have my bachelor’s at least, so it’s not like I’ll be completely hopeless to get a job even if I don’t get into graduate school.

Thus, I shall continue to run the race that God has placed before me with everything that I have in me. I still plan to meet my parents in Europe in June so we can tour Switzerland, Italy, and France. Then, I will be home for a couple weeks at the end of June/beginning of July. Although I am really looking forward to this time with the precious people I have missed so much, I am also really glad that I’m going to be returning here afterwards. I’m SOOOOO excited!!! I’m getting to do all the things I wanted to do when I was growing up. I always wanted to be a world traveler and have the opportunity to live with and learn from other cultures and here I am living it!! Honestly, I don’t feel like I could be more blessed!! :D

“But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Phillippians 3:13-14

May the Lord Bless You and Keep You,

~Christine

Visiting a Children's Home Here in Morogoro

This week has been a really good week so far!! I mean, it's pretty much over now, but it really has been nice! The rainy season has definitely picked up the last couple weeks and it's cooled down drastically. I've actually been sleeping with a sheet on at night and NO fan!!! It's been really nice during the day, too. I have to say I was really expecting the rainy season to be a LOT more rainy than this, I mean, I was expecting torrential downpour all day every day for a month and a half. But, in reality it reminds me a lot of Louisiana during the summer time, rain showers off and on, mostly in the afternoon/evening time. So, it's definitely something I can handle. 

This week started off well and Monday was a pleasant day at school. Tuesday was International Labor Day, so we were off. Somehow, America never got this memo, or if they did, they decided that they were just too good for the International Labor Day, and had to come up with their own. Well, even though I was off, I ended up being SUPER busy! I ran first thing in the morning and caught up on washing my clothes. I'm not sure if anyone will actually believe me, but I actually have come to really like hand washing my clothes. I've got a rhythm down and everything. Sometimes I doubt if things are really clean or not, but I just have to remind myself that it's got to be better than when I started. Concerning clothes washing: a down side to the rainy season is that it takes a lot longer for clothes to dry because they have to be draped across chairs inside instead of being out in the heat and the sun. Also, because it's cooled down so much, it takes longer. But, it's nothing I can't handle. :D

In the afternoon, Stephanie and Shantelle (other missionaries here) picked me up and we headed to the Agape Children's Home. It took us a while to find it, but we finally did. (Stephanie and Shantelle had been there once before and had wanted to go back, so they knew the way for the most part. Of course, there are not street signs or road names here, so you have to use various buildings and landmarks to figure out where you are. It's definitely a challenge!) Anyways, we finally arrived and got to talk with Christina, the director, for a while. I had met her at the Easter Sunrise Service and we had been trying to plan for me to come for quite a while and I'm so glad that it worked out. Her life story is simply amazing and inspiring. Even though her parents are from Germany, she grew up in a missionary family and now she is also a missionary. There's also some crazy events that led to her being here in Morogoro. There were a lot of problems with the previous locals who were put in charge of the orphanage. Lots of lying and people doing witchcraft. But, now she is in charge and things are going well. There are almost 30 children there and they are hoping to get more. There are different buildings on the campus for boys and girls and each building has it's own "mama" who takes care of the children. It was really nice and I was really impressed with how well things are kept up and the children seemed to be well behaved.  I'm going to post some pictures at the end of this blog for you to see.

While we were there, Claire, Stephanie's middle daughter decided to take off her shoes. She decided that since the other kids were not wearing shoes, that she shouldn't wear any either. She wanted to be just like them. I thought it was so cute and such a simple act. It reminded me of how God can teach us so much through children. When we go to another culture to minister, we are called to become like those people. To live like them, to speak like them, and to become a part of who they are. Although we can never be completely similar, once we find a way to understand and adapt to the culture, that is when we are able to minister effectively. We can't force people to change their ways, but instead we must meet them where they are and lead them to the better path.

While we were there, I got a chance to teach a mini music lesson to the children. It was really fun and I hope that they learned something. Tina was able to translate and together we were able to help the students understand a few music concepts. We learned some rhythms: quarter notes, eighth notes, half notes, and quarter rests, we learned solfedge, and how to sing a round. I ended with "Jesus Loves Me" and taught them hand signs to it.

That evening I met some other missionaries for dinner. Some friends of theirs who are currently in DAR were visiting for a little while and they wanted to have a big get-together. We had chicken and chips (french fries) to eat and then we played a game called Mafia. We used to play this game all the time in talented theatre in high school because you have to practice making up stories and keeping a straight face. But, the way they play here is slightly different. We were never allowed to say who our card was, even if we wanted to. But, I was really surprised here that everyone was revealing who they were (especially if they were the doctor or the police officer). Anyways, just another way that I'm having to re-learn how to do some things in a new environment. In any case, it was fun, and I'm glad I got the chance to just chill out for a while.

The rest of the week was business as usual at the school. I gave tests to Classes V and VI and I am SO impressed with how much they have improved since I first arrived this January. I can visually see and hear how they have improved in their English and I am just so proud. I think of how far Class V has come and I am overwhelmed! I remember those first few weeks when everything was only about just trying to get them to be quiet so I could teach. Yes, we are still WAY behind in the book, but now we are moving forward at a steady pace and they are actually learning something! No one got below a C on this past test!! Now, yes the lowest C is a 40%, but STILL!! Those kids were getting like 10% F's before. Thus, they are getting MUCH better!! I'm SOOOOOO proud of them!! :D

It just makes me never want to leave because I know how much more they can accomplish if we just keep working. It's going to be so hard to head home in June. I can't believe that it's only just over a month away. I wish time would slow down so that I can soak all of the last few weeks in. I feel like things are going to be very different once I get home; I'm never going to see the world the same way again. The person who came here and the person who is returning are two different people. In some ways I feel like this is where my heart truly belongs; on the mission field. It's like I was made for this, so I wonder why I'm going home. But, I have an opportunity at graduate school now, so I guess I've got to take it while I've got the chance.

Well, that's all I've got for now. I hope that you've also had a great week and that you have a great weekend as well!! I'll leave you with a quote that I found at the back of a book I read recently:

"...though we may feel comfortable both places (mission and home countries), we never really totally fit anywhere again. The advantage is we have a clearer idea of what it means to be a citizen of heaven, that this earth is not our home."

May the Lord Bless You and Keep You,
~Christine