Sunday Post

Well, it's time for my Sunday post and I'm not sure what to say.  I have some stories but no pictures.  And a picture is worth a thousand words.  I'd have to write over three thousand words if I were to tell you about the three things that pop into my head.  Too many words. 

My three stories would be about the monitor lizard that lives under my house, my adventure last night on my scooter and the downpour of rain that kept me from riding my scooter to church today. 

I need to remember to always keep my camera with me like an extra appendage.  I can't tell you the number of times I have wanted to kick myself because I didn't have my camera with me and thus missed an opportunity to capture something in this culture that amazes me. 

One of those moments would have been last night while I was riding my scooter.  I was stopped at a red light behind some vehicles (cars and motorcycles), and soon I was hemmed in all around by other vehicles.  I could have easily, without having to stretch at all, reached over and touched the guy on the motorcycle beside me.  There is a "lane" but it really is meaningless.  If I can find a tiny space beside you in this lane that will help me get a little closer to the front of the line, I will squeeze into that space.  When the light turned green, we all moved, like water flowing out of a pipe.  It made me nervous but no one else seemed to mind.  Guess it might not have been the best time to take a picture.  :o)

I have a monitor lizard living under my house.  I've never actually seen him but the other teachers and the kids have.  One day this lizard was in the ceiling of one of the classrooms (thank goodness not mine) and was thrashing around so badly that the lights went out for about five minutes.  We think he may have gotten tangled up in the wires.  Monitor lizards are another of those critters that are supposed to be good.  They eat rodents and snakes.  So I say live and let live, right?  Just as long as he doesn't bother me. 

Here is a picture of a monitor lizard.  Not our lizard; just an Internet picture.

I don't think ours is quite this big.  We think ours is probably about 3-4 feet long.  Big enough, I say!

I am a fair-weather Christian.  This morning when it was time to go to church, it was raining cats and dogs.  So I didn't go.  I guess I could have gone and arrived drenched. But I chose not to.  I have not yet mastered driving my scooter while holding an umbrella over my head.  Doubt that I ever will. 

I'll try to keep my camera with me all the time this next week so I can have something interesting to share with you.

Til next Sunday!

This 'N That

Cheechucks (actually a phonetic spelling of the Indonesian word) are very skittish.  Capturing them on film (ok, the digital equivalent), can be tricky.  But I was able to get a picture of one in my kitchen.  I will include the progression of photos so you can see that he (why do cheechucks always conjure up the male gender?) was actually quite small.  (Wow, four parenthetical phrases in this paragraph. English teachers - too many?)



Close up

 

 

A little farther out

 

All the way out.  As you can see, he is very tiny. 

 

As I was waiting for these photos to download, one of this critter's relatives sauntered across my dining room floor and stopped in the doorway.  Before I could get my camera out and creep over toward him, he had scuttled off.  They are fast and that is what spooks me about them.  I really don't mind them - even in the house because everyone tells me that they keep the population of unwanted insects down.  And that must be true because I rarely see a cockroach.  Better a cheechuck than a cockroach.  I just wish they wouldn't move so quickly - it freaks me out.

 

Off of lizards and onto something else.  A couple of Sundays ago, the church I attend asked everyone to wear their traditional clothing.  You need to know that in Kalimantan (Borneo) there are many different people groups.  The largest group and the most Christianized are the Dayaks.  Many of the members of this church are Dayaks.  Here is a picture of a group in traditional  Dayak dress. 

 







Notice the gentleman in the center with the large headdress - he is a very talented musician; plays the keyboard for worship. 
 

Although I cannot understand what is going on in church, I enjoy going.  I continually remind myself that one day in heaven, I will meet these lovely saints and then I will be able to talk to them and join them in a universal language praising God.  I actually get tears in my eyes when I think about it. 

 

One last thing that might interest you.  On my walk down the hill to the grocery store, I spotted these tall gray buildings.   Their only purpose is to attract the birds whose nests are used in bird's nest soup, a delicacy in Chinese cuisine.  These kind of buildings are all over Tarakan - just tall empty concrete buildings for attracting birds.  I've heard tell that one bird's nest is very expensive.  A kilo of nest can go for around $2,000.  No wonder there are so many of these buildings around town. 

 

 

 

 These are all shots of the same building - just different angles. 

 

That will do it for today.  I'm trying to post every Sunday.  So check back next week.  

Peningki Hill School - Middle/High School

The number each student is holding corresponds to his/her grade level.

 

This is my current class.  From left to right: Hattie Underhill, Taylor Moore, Caleb Moore, and Isaac Underhill.  At the end of September I will have one more boy - Britton Forney. 

What a great bunch of kids.  Although teaching is always a lot of work, these kids make it enjoyable.  They are all polite and eager to do well. 

Hattie and Isaac's father is a pilot/mechanic.  Caleb and Taylor's dad is one of the teachers this year. Their moms are busy taking care of family business.



You know you are going to have a good year when you tell your class, "Let's take a crazy picture now," and this is what you get. :o)

Now please indulge my musings. If any of you have spent much time talking to me, you know that I don't feel like a true missionary here. I can't speak the language (although I'm trying to learn) and therefore don't have opportunities to engage the people here. But on the other hand, I came to help the missionaries that are here doing just that.

I repeatedly hear from missionaries and organizations that support missionaries that one of the major causes of attrition is concern for their children's education.  Missionaries leave the mission field because they don't have quality schooling options for their children.  And that is where I step in.  I hope that my coming here to teach MK's will alleviate some of the stress parents feel about their child's education.

So I will look for opportunities to interact with nationals but I will be content knowing that I am doing what God has called and equipped me to do - teach MK's. 

My Scooter

Last time I was here I had a red one.  This time I opted for a blue one.  I'm talking about my new  Suzuki Nex.  :o) 

It is nice to have a bit of independence while here.  Without the scooter I am dependent on the MAF ladies for rides to the stores.   Not that any of them resent helping me out.  On the contrary, they always are very gracious and willing to give me a lift.  But it is nice not to have to always be asking for help.  I hope that isn't pride but thoughtfulness.  :o)

My scooter arrived Friday.  On Saturday morning, one of the other teachers, who is a pro on her scooter, offered to ride along on hers while I followed closely behind.  I did fine - came home all in one piece without a scratch.  And I don't mean on me; I mean on my scooter. 

 Driving a scooter is a bit stressful for me. (Understatement)  One of the hardest parts is getting out my driveway, around the bend and up the incline to the gate.  When I was here before, I got to the point where this wasn't difficult for me.  But yesterday, it left me shaking at the top of the hill.  I'm sure I will get back to the same comfort level as before.  I just need some time.  :o) 


The driveway
 

The curve and incline



A look back down the driveway.  This is my house (above) and school (below).

Check back next Sunday for more news.  Have a great week.

 

 



School Starts Tomorrow

Since you can read (thanks to a teacher), you can see that tomorrow is our first day of school at Peningki Hill School.  Peningki is the name of the neighborhood so there really isn't a translation for that word.   I think I'm ready for school to start.  No teacher is ever completely ready.  There is always one more idea that would be good to use.   But in less than 24 hours, students will be arriving expecting me to know what is going on.  And by 8:30 tomorrow morning, I will. 
 

Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth grades; taught by Aunt Lynne

Third, fourth and fifth grade classroom; taught by Uncle Chad

First and Second grade classroom; taught by Aunt Mary


 

This is the view from my classroom window out onto the local cemetery. 

You will notice that the teachers go by Aunt and Uncle.  This is a tradition amongst missionaries from time immemorial.  As a child in Brazil, I called the adult missionaries Aunt and Uncle.  I have no idea where the tradition got started but it seems to span all continents.  I like the tradition.  Because essentially, the families that are serving here with you become your family.  So for this year, I will be Aunt Lynne and I will relish the title.  :o)

My classroom

Here are a couple of pictures of my classroom.  Disclaimer:  it is still a work in progress. 

 I live in what is called the "schoolhouse."  The walk-out basement is the actual school and the upstairs is the house where I live.  The school has three rooms:  two classrooms and a library.  This year we are very fortunate to have three teachers.  Therefore another classroom was needed.  Since I only need one bedroom, the third classroom (mine) will be in one of the spare bedrooms of the house. 

Now for something totally unrelated; a picture of what we use here to remove fingernail polish; varnish remover. :o)  The yellow sticker is the price:  5,500 Rupiah which roughly equals 55cents. 



Next week I'll post before and after pictures of making my house into a home. 



At Home in Tarakan

I've been in Tarakan for eleven days now.  The trip from my door in Oklahoma to my door in Tarakan took 52 hours.  That's counting airline check-ins, airport layovers etc.  I was allowed to bring three suitcases with me as far as Jakarta.  After that, I could only check one; the other two had to be shipped separately.  They arrived in a timely fashion so I quickly had access to all my stuff.  I thought it was interesting how the two suitcases came wrapped.  Kind of kept them protected from harsh treatment, I guess. 

A few days after arriving one of the ladies gave me this delicious pineapple.  Although green, the bananas were ripe and very sweet. 

A cheechuck (gecko) story before I close.  As you may remember from my posts two years ago, I have a lot of geckos in my house.  I allow them because I am told they eat bugs.  I would rather have geckos than cockroaches.  But I don't want them in my bedroom.  Any room except that one.  I've heard stories from the other missionaries of cheechucks dropping on them while they slept.  Shiver!!
Anyway, I took my laundry off the drying rack (see the picture below this story of my clothes drying room), and into my bedroom.  I picked up a hand towel to fold and a cheechuck was clinging to it.  Believe me that towel flew out of my hand.  But I didn't want the gecko in my bedroom so I kicked the towel out the door into the hallway.  Thankfully, the cheechuck ran away, but left a bit of his tail behind which was still wiggling.  I should have taken a picture of the wiggling tail but I was a little disconcerted and not thinking rationally.  Picking up the still-wiggling tail with a wad of Kleenex, I disposed of it in the trash can.  Adventures.  They make good stories.  "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger."