One Month

Friday, September 03, 2010
10:30 PM in Kolonia, 4:30 AM at home

It is hard to believe I have been here a month. I was thinking about it last night, and I’m not sure if I can’t believe that it’s already been four weeks that I’ve lived here, or if I can’t believe that it’s only been four weeks that I’ve lived here. Months aren’t really something I can easily visualize here. The days I get, they’re exhausting enough. The weeks I can reckon, too – I can’t wait until the end and Sabbath. But months?

This week has been pretty swell. It flew by so fast! I woke up this morning and realized it was Friday… and then I realized it was Friday! Classes went smoothly this week. All my classes had chapter 2 quizzes on Wednesday, and I graded all Wednesday and Thursday nights… and I’m still not done!

Had a little bit of drama (well, my students did, I didn’t.) During the Environmental quiz, one of my students threw a bottle at another. I took it away, and one young lady got so enraged (hey, at least I got something other than a bored look, right?) she decided she wanted to verbally describe me. Although I think her comprehension is off (I’m not sure if this explains her grades, or just says I’m failing to teach my students proper science), because she got my confused with a female member of the canis instead of the homo sapien. But at least she knows I’m a mammal and got my gender right. It was oh so satisfactory to hear. It was even more satisfying to fill out that demerit slip…

Early warnings for grade are coming up on Monday. And looking at the blue book, I’d say things aren’t going well for a lot of them. That whole “is it me or them?” question has crossed my mind a few times this week. But for now, I’m going with “them”, because I have students getting perfect scores in my classes, and the ones who are failing never turn their homework in on time. And then there’s the kid in my physics class who came the second week of school, right before the first quiz, so I gave him two days to catch up before having him take the quiz. He didn’t show up the first day I offered him to take it or the day after when I stayed behind and didn’t get to go shopping. So he got a 0 on that one because I had to hand the quizzes back to the class. So this week he was absent every day except yesterday… I told him he could take the quiz yesterday afternoon, or I’d give him a 0, because I was handing quizzes back today. I told the principal, who prefers to run things on a grace system, and wanted me to be lenient. I feel like I’ve been lenient enough. But he talked to the student’s parents with me at the senior meeting that night, and we agreed that he would make up the quiz this afternoon. Guess who didn’t show up…

This afternoon we made a mad dash to the Post Office to get stamps. I’ve been needing more all week, but the PO closes at 3:30 here, and I don’t usually get out of school until 4:00 except on Fridays. We left at 3:20. I have never felt more like an impatient American. I was overcome by an overwhelming need to get a book of stamps… and there was theme music involved (“shooby dooby doo wah…”) Turned out to be a pretty rewarding trip – I got stamps AND packages! Food from Mom, Grandma, and Cindy. Plus a letter from Rebecca and a postcard from Robyn. I. Feel. Loved. There are pictures all over my wall now and food in my cupboards. Life is pretty sweet.

Well, life is sweet, and bittersweet as well. This evening we all went to the hospital on the way to vespers to visit Joseph. He’s a soccer player that a lot of the staff members and students know. Earlier this week he was at the track sitting near the edge of the road, and a drunk driver came around the corner and literally ran over him and another guy. The other guy’s face got ripped up really bad because he got dragged by the car, but Joseph got the worst. He has a broken pelvis, lots of internal bleeding, and possibly a ruptured spleen? He’s been in critical condition at the hospital here, which can’t offer him much more than an IV and more blood. They’re trying to fly him out to Guam by Tuesday, which is too late, but they haven’t been able to raise enough money to buy a plane ticket for someone to accompany him. We went and sang and prayed with him, and our presence seemed welcomed, but it was hard to watch him in so much pain. I don’t think he even had a fan in the room, and there’s not much for pain med beyond your typical Tylenol. It pulled on a lot of the SMs emotionally tonight. It’s one of those times where you know God could save him, but you know if He will, and you’re afraid to sound overly optimistic to the family incase things don’t work out. The medical situation here is an eye-opener, too. It was more primitive than I expected it would be. I saw a couple of my students at the hospital, guys that play soccer with Joseph. It was interesting to see them in a sober mood instead of the I-don’t-care attitude they give me in class.

So prayers here would be appreciated. Not for me this time, but for Joseph, his family, and his friends. Life can be rough sometimes, and I undeservedly still don’t know what that’s like.