Sunday, September 22, 2013

"I See Skies of Blue and Clouds of White"

Hello Ev'rybody! The title of the blog is a tribute to the wanna-be-summer weather we have been experiencing in Lima lately. Don't get me wrong, I miss fall.  I miss the colors, smells, and temperatures.  Well sorta. I am getting excited about not freezing as much so the idea of summer does sound pretty nice.  Lima is kind of in a spring-like season.

This past week one of my sweet students, Jakob, was abruptly withdrawn.  Jakob's brother, Silas, was born about a month premature and the doctor's discovered some intestinal problems.  So the family headed home to the States to seek medical answers and treatment. We all hope this is not a permanent move, but Jakob and his family could be gone until next semester or not return at all.  Please join me in praying for his family, especially Baby Silas.  Jakob and his younger brother, Derek, will be enrolling in a school in Texas. Pray they can transition well...for however long their stay is.  We miss Jakob already!  He loved school and you could tell.  He could tell me more information about animals than I thought possible.  He always loved to share things about Scripture, too! Love and miss him!

Another adventure I had this past week was getting my eyebrows threaded!  It was super painful and hard to explain in Spanish what my request was. If you know me, I have gone through many stages of brow looks - unibrow, too-thin brow, arch issues/over plucking brow - and now I am mildly happy with my brows.  All in all, it was a good experience and only 20soles for brow and lip - about $7!  Win for the pocketbook! And now I have a new place I can go to in the city!

This coming up week we have Spiritual Emphasis Week at school. A team from the US has come  to serve by sharing Bible stories, crafts, and games. They even brought teacher treats. The word on the street is they are ready to spoil us!  Please pray for the team as they minister and enjoy Lima. They will be kept very busy and you know Satan loves to complicate lives/hearts when glorifying God is at hand.  Also, pray for the kids as they hear the Truth in many different capacities.  I pray conversations between small groups or teachers/students will only spur the students on to know Him in a personal way.

A joy-spot for this week: My roommate, Jess, made real apple cider. Talk about hitting fall on the head. We enjoyed roommate bonding and fellowship. I really do feel so blessed to do life with these ladies. From sweet hugs (Gabbi) to New Girl/Jake Johnson marathons and TONS of quality time (Missy) to enjoying/discovering our new city together (Katelyn), and to teaching me all the ins and outs of the market (Jess) I love them all. They all bring so many different things out of me.

More joy-spots! My good friend, Sarah, got engaged!!! WOOHOOOOOO!!! And friends, Kristin and Van are adopting a baby girl!  YAY!!!!!!!!  I get so upset when I feel thousands of miles away from all the excitement in everyone's lives.  I feel guilty of getting caught up and settled in my world that I have hard time releasing the tight grip I have to my Stateside life.  I am figuring out balance.....slooowwwwlllyyyy.  I have realized, though, that I am happy to be any part of your lives as God as ordained it even though I wish it were more.  I feel like I should break out into Michael W. Smith's song "Friends," but I shan't. :)  You're welcome.

After praise and worship tonight, you KNOW I am going to be sprintin' home to watch the Emmy's - the red carpet at least!

Go strong this week knowing YOU have a purpose! :)

Love love,
Megan :)

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Cultured.

Hi world!  This week has been quite a busy one! Here is a breakdown of my week:

Monday.  A new second grader was enrolled. She is sweet and speaks practically no English.  She keeps calling me "Teacher, Teacher."  So we are working on being at a name-based status. It is cool to watch Grace (a late start second grader as well) help out the newest second grader, Cielo.  Grace shows Cielo the ropes and you can tell she has transitioned well to school. (Grace had a bit of rough patch acclimating, but has turned a corner! PTL!) I now have 14 second graders in my class.  They are getting better about doing the Daily 5 routine but sometimes they baffle me with their choices.   They have sweet hearts and want to please.  We are working hard at our manners and independence! I want to share their names so you can be in prayer over them: Sarah, Donna, Bryce, Layne, Oliver, Lucas, Beltran, JeongWon, Daniil, Cielo, Kianna, Mone, Jakob, and Grace.  I have changed up my furniture in my room, but it still doesn't all fit!  I will take a picture of the maze! :)

Wednesday. I ignored the warning and bought Peruvian q-tips.  I put it in my ear and the cotton remained in my ear. I tried to get it out even enlisted my roommate.  No such luck. I went through out my day having muffled hearing and aching beginning to start.  I went to a doctor that afternoon.  He extracted the substance.  I was expecting to feel immediate relief but it actually hurt more. Apparently, when I tried to get out the cotton swab I managed to bruise my eardrum. He did a hearing test and seemed concerned. The whole time I was thinking, "I can hear just fine! It's my eyes that are bad!"  Here is what I have learned from this experience: 1. I would do something like this.  2. Cotton swabs don't belong in your ears and now I know the CORRECT way to clean your ears. I am happy to share these new insights with you.  3. For the money I was paying, a "free" hearing test was totally ok.  4. I work with some of the best people.  Rebecca took me to and from the appointment, translated the paperwork as well as spoke Spanish, and Lindsey (our school nurse) sat with me and understood any medical lingo. They definitely took care of me.  5. NEVER buy Peruvian q-tips.

Thursday. Jess (a roommate) and I went shopping for presents for Gabbi's (roommate) birthday celebrations.  Jess took me around Mira Flores and I got some cute scarves and accessories as well as some nice pottery from Jess' pottery guy. (She has a connection with a boat load of places.)  We had to stop at Dunkin Donuts and get a snack!  It was a nice! After a large and quick shopping trip to Wong, we dashed over the Gabbi's birthday dinner at Danika's.  Danika's is an Italian restaurant in town. It was super good.  A nice atmosphere and the waiter tried so hard to work on his English with us and we wanted to practice our Spanish.  We ended the night with the Wobble (birthday style) and our house favorite, Bruno Mars' "Treasure."  To say that I love these girls might be an understatement. They are fabulous and I so glad that we LIKE each other on top of able to live with one another. :)

Friday. Katelyn (roommate) and I went to the symphony. It was a delightful experience. I might have fallen asleep during some parts of it (because I was soooo tired), but the clashing cymbals awoke me quickly. :)  We are planning on making more dates to experience more of Lima life.

Saturday. The day started out with a  baby shower for the Baby Graham.  They are having a little girl at the end of October. It was nice to hear how God worked on her about marriage and a baby before all this had planned out.  She was talking about how she wrote a list of things she wanted in her husband.  Everyone began to get chill bumps, sitting in amazement on how God had orchestrated her meeting her husband.  I was thinking about how I had written my list several months ago and I haven't seen anything happen yet!  :)  God's timing, not mine. 

Later Saturday. We (all the roommates) headed to Mistura. It is a LARGE food festival that has different expos of different kinds of food. There was a whole expo for chocolate.  We decided it would be best to divide and conquer so Missy, Gabbi, and I were in a group together. I haven't laughed that hard in a while.  We looked (and probably sounded) like such gringos.  We ate cow heart, guinea pig, a gyro-ish wrap, and CHOCOLATE - hot chocolate, brownies, muffins, fudge. It was DELISH.  It almost had a fair like atmosphere - crowds and dirty feet.  It would have been amazing with funnel cake and some rides, but you take what you can get.  Mistura was set up along ocean so the view wasn't so shabby. :)

Missy Parks. Missy is head of member care with the NICS organization.  My school is part of that organization.  She came to check in with everyone especially the newbies to see how the transition was going. She also but Reese's Peanut Butter cups! What a gem! :)  She was such a breath of fresh air. She spoke words of encouragement and laughed along side of us.  Something God has really been teaching with this whole foreign country move is to not compare my experience to anyone else's and put unrealistic expectations on myself.  In devotions one morning, Missy shared this thought that has stuck with me thus far. "When you compare yourself to others, you are comparing your inside to their outside."  SOOOO TRUE. :)  I may not get everything here as quickly as others around me or may not feel as confident to speak Spanish in front of a native, but that doesn't devalue me or my experiences.  I think it is impossible to go throughout the week and not have an "Oh, I wish I was in America" moment, but I am being so stretched by being here it is hard to imagine life. Growing can be painful and uncomfortable, but is cool to look back and see how you have grown.

Wow. What a week!  I am thankful for these new experiences and friends to share them with!

You is kind. You is smart. You is important.
Have a blessed week,
Megan :)

Sunday, September 1, 2013

1 Month Anniversary...Plus some days!

Hello!  I have been in Peru a little over a month and some days it feels like a few days and then others a few years that I have been in this foreign place. Every day I think this home does feel more home-y than the day before.  Here are a few things that have been going on in my life recently:

  • The Amazing Race: Lima Edition.  This event actually happened a week after we got here but I forgot to share with the world wide web all the excitement that it brought. Our veteran staff organized an adventure where we had to run all across Lima to get to see some of the popular sights and experience the culture.  Our adventures included: a juice bar, skateboarding park, different modes of transportation, climbing steps and sticking our feet in the ocean, the Presidential palace, Larco Marthe Burrito Bar, and more parks than I can imagine. We had to go to "Cat Park" and find a cat to take a picture with - either petting or holding it. I volunteered to do the capturing of the feline (with gloves of course), but all the creatures ran up the trees when we got close.  It was a wild ride. I was proud of my team. We worked well together and thankfully the three of them were fluent in Spanish. :)  We were only given a certain amount of soles to spend, too.  There are pictures some where on someone's IPhone so I will have to try find them! It was a great time.
  • I have been church "shopping" for a few weeks now.  Not knowing Spanish seems to limit some things. I have been to my roommate's church a couple of times.  The community is great and all around my age, but hard to understand everything going on not knowing Spanish.  I went to a new church today that is near Larco Mar.  The pastor is a gringo (aka - not a native Peruvian or white).  I am SUCH a gringo.  More on that later though...  The people were nice and we saw several other school staff there. The church definitely felt like my American church I had left so that was a nice piece of "home". They had the flashing lights and contemporary music going on. The Gospel was shared and 14 people accepted Christ so God is definitely moving in the church.  I think I will attend another week, but it was definitely encouraging to find a place to worship with other believers - all not being my staff. :)  After church, we went to Larco Mar and had lunch. Larco Mar is a shopping area that overlooks the ocean. It pretty much looks as beautiful as it sounds.  Shops inside the area even include some reminders of home: Steve Madden, North Face, and GAP (coming soon).
  • School is going well. We are busy learning the routine and content.  I have great parents who are warm and inviting. They want to help in anyway and want to invite me over to dinner at their house. One even offered to cook American food!  :)
  • Independence. I think of that Destiny's Child song "Independent Woman" when I hear that word. I am learning slloooowllllyyy how to be independent here I am challenging myself to cook more in the kitchen - crockpot recipes and such - but still a start is a start.  I have taken a cab several times by myself.  I have tried to make conversation with the drivers because I feel aca-awkward if I don't. However, as soon as we talk we have a language barrier about 18 seconds after starting. I just smile and nod or shake my head/throw up arms; TOTAL GRINGO.  But it is nice to be able to do some things on my own. The other day I am pretty sure the cab driver was talking about a beautiful monkey. I even did the monkey noise to clarify. I don't know how you work that into a cab conversation so I think something was lost in translation somewhere...if I had to guess!
  • This week I had my Sunday School teacher (from when I was a fresh professional/graduate) pass away. It has been hard to be so far away during a time of loss. I wanted so badly to be with my friends and former church family to celebrate a man who taught me so much from the Word and about the character of God. We had great memories of the group of us going to the beach in the summer and sharing what God was doing in our lives while enjoying the setting.  Gary had a great laugh - the most contagious.  He brought so much joy and leadership to our class.  His heart was to follow God's heart. I pray I can follow his legacy to the dedicated degree he did.  His passing away, made me homesick.  And not just homesick for my family and familiar places, but homesick for times gone by.  I have been blessed with so many friendships/mentor relationships over my years that I am who I am because of these people.  Thank you all for those who have invested and mentored me....from childhood - Mom and Dad, Barbara Finch, Lisa Travis to youth/young adult - Ray and Christina Strauss, Paula Vauter, Meredith McCaleb, Christina Chartney, Cindy Fain, Lisa Kohen, Anna Emamghoraishi, Dixie Swezey, Stacie Sherry, Ann Singleton, Klista Storts to older adulthood....Gary and Susan Milsaps, Terri Ingram, Julie Welborn....the list could go on. :) Thank you for your spiritual leadership and encouragement in my life.
  • We should be painting the house soon so I will have more pictures to add!
Thanks everyone for hearing my heart. I think I like to use this blog as a public journal if anything. It is good to reflect to see how God is working my life.  I hope my journey can draw you closer to Him and share some laughs along the way.

You are loved,
Megan

Saturday, August 10, 2013

My 8th Go Around...

Morning, blog-lovin' world!!!  It's Saturday a.m. and in my mind I want to venture out of this warm bed and make coffee, but my body doesn't want to fight the elements of a cold house. :) What to do, what to do!

Last Saturday, our director's family hosted a Panchamaca (I probably butchered the spelling!).  Passed down from the Incas, it is like a show and feast wrapped in one. We watched as the workers dug a hole in the backyard, heated it with rocks, and laid layers of food.  My friend Kaite and her husband, Casey, were the godparents of the feast. They did the ceremonial first lifting of rocks and blessed the food.  After an hour the food was ready and the feast began. I tried guinea pig for the first time.  It really did taste like chicken...slimier but chicken none the less!! We had all kinds of vegetables and meats to gorge ourselves on.  It was a cultural experience. :)  Then dessert came and that was AMAZING.  It was like a Milky Way cake. Enough said. 

This past week was my 8th first week of school.  Where did the time go?????  I have such a small classroom and (now) 14 students.  They are all so sweet and a bit chatty. I was just plain WORN OUT after our first day. But these kids are definitely trainable. :) They seem excited to learn and get into a groove of school. I am overwhelmed with all this new curriculum I need to learn.  A couple of days this week our power went out after school.  It is kind of hard to work without power. Oh Peru!  Anyways...I am fostering a love inside of their hearts for Jesus Jams. Their spiritual needs are different from my kids last year, but I am excited to see how God grows us all this year.

I went to my first Spanish speaking church on Saturday. The people were friendly, but I was a bit lost in the sermon. I recognized the songs we sang because of the familiar tunes and was even able to pick up some Spanish words.  It is hard when you want the fellowship of other believers, but aren't being spiritually fed.  We went out to Chili's with some of the new friends. It was a great time of fellowship. It is nice to be  making friends with people outside of the ICSL bubble.  My friend, Maca, told me to marry her brother.  Matchmaker, matchmaker make me a match....???????

The roommates went out for "Mexican" the other night. You might think Lima has a stash of Mexican restaurants but that is simply not true.  :(  The food was good and the sombrero hats were heavy. I was a bit disappointed when they didn't serve chips with salsa as we sat down. I think when we go back we are going to suggest/ask if that option could be available. Maybe that is just a Stateside thing though.

Our last roommate comes on Sunday. It will be nice to have a full house. Pray for Katelyn as she transitions.  I have had 2.5 weeks here and am finding myself get frustrated and I have had time to settle. I know Katelyn will be busy from the moment she lands so pray for her mind, body, and soul.  I guess that makes me the veteran now, but I don't think I could do a whole lot for her...with my lack of Spanish or being directionally challenged! :)  Katelyn will be teaching music.

Right now, I want to feel more settled and in a groove than I am. I find it very frustrating. I have been teaching for 7 years...why is this still so hard some days???  I would also like to feel more independent and brave than I am in this city. Prayers would be appreciated! Some days are more of me fighting against myself than fighting the freezing cold shower!

Have a blessed week,

Megan :)

P.S. I have included pictures of the Panchamaca and pictures of the girls at Chili's. (these are the same photos as the ones that are on FB) :)





Monday, July 29, 2013

Peru 101

It has been almost a full week (minus a few hours) since I have landed in Lima, Peru.  When I arrived at the OKC airport, I was informed I would only get three of my four bags to Peru.  You could say I was a bit frustrated and a repacking my suitcases like mad person! Looking back God provided - in the small things.  1. I had my parents to give all of my "extra" stuff to hold onto till Christmas. 2. The airport is a bit smaller than the ATL scene so security was a breeze after spending so long repacking. 3. Since I didn't get 4 bags I saved $150.  I definitely wish I could have had everything go with me, but I am learning to do without.

The house. Getting off of the plane, I stepped into winter.  The houses don't have AC/heat or insulation.  We actually were having issues with getting hot water in our house.  So taking a shower was torture...cold before, during, and after the shower. It is hard when you never get the feeling of warmth.  We are bundled up with scarves, winter coats, and powering space heaters. I think I might be coming down with a cold because of the sudden climate change. There will be 5 girls in my house. The house is great - lots of space.  I have met 3 of my 4 roommates. They are a blessing - all so very different from one another.  Gabbi is a hugger and loves to encourage everyone. Jess is a team player and an AMAZING cook.  Missy is the perfect lounging buddy who has done so much to get me acclimated to my new surroundings.  She and I were good friends before our international adventures began last year. (We met at PFO and have remained good friends.)  It is great to have instant community with the ones you live with.  Our last roommate will come when paperwork and everything Stateside gets finalized. She will be teaching music for our kiddos.  We have gone shopping and I have gotten lots of cute decorative items for my room. When I am finished decorating, I shall post pictures.  I can't forget to mention that you don't flush toilet paper down the toilets in Peru.  It was hard to get used to and (let's be honest) I am still not liking it.  I will appreciate the sewage protocol that much more when I come home for the holidays.

The city. The first stop I had once arriving in my new home was Starbucks. :)  We ventured to the grocery store, Wong, on the 2nd day here.  Independence Day was Sunday and Monday. The employees at the store are all decked out with capes and fun hats.  The carryout service is crazy!!! They walk your groceries to your house and put them on your kitchen table. There must be some type of maximum number of meters they will walk but you aren't allowed to tip them.  Crazy! And I thought Publix had a great carryout service.  I have had some DELICIOUS food.  Ordering food and buying groceries is a bit difficult because of my lack of EspaƱol.  I think I am learning by immersion but I need to start my Rosetta Stone lessons. :)  I have gotten Dutch and Spanish confused more times than I can count!!!  The mall is AWESOME!!!  They have moving walkways at an incline that can hold shopping carts as you ride.  It was a cool experience.

The school. I have 13 little ones on my class roster and even more girls than boys. I can't wait to meet them!  My room is just tiny and trying to make it work will be interesting.  Pictures will be posted once it is cute-ified.  It is great having some of my Suriname crew with me in Peru.  However, we are realizing how difficult it will be to maintain our friendship with all the crazy  going on. It is not as easy to see each other as it used to be! But they are still my people! Our school is renting space from Union Church.  It is not ideal for the needs of our school, but the school is actively looking for a new place.  So...join us in prayer!  The school is growing out of the space we have which is a GREAT problem to have!

Prayer needs... Having already lived overseas I feel like I should have a bag full of tricks.  That is a true and false statement.  Being in a completely different country, I feel like I am starting all over.  Since Suriname was so small, it was easier to get around independently. I am having to learn how to hail and barter with taxi drivers.  Not to mention learn my learn way around the city.  So....please continue to prayer for this adjustment period. We have such an encouraging and helpful staff here, but it still takes time to find my own place in this city and school. 

A Grateful Heart. The summer at home in the States when by quickly.  I was blessed CONSTANTLY by my sweet friends and family loving on me in countless ways. I wish I could have rested a bit more, but I am grateful for the precious time I had.  Thanks for the encouragement along this journey.  I love you all.  Here is a bit of visuals of my new world. (These are the same photos as facebook...fyi!)







Thursday, July 11, 2013

Hop, Skip, and a Jump to Current Tales

Hello! Let me sum up the end of the Suriname adventure, talk about being home home (that's America), and share the excitement I have about starting my life in Lima, Peru.

Suriname Shenanigans. We finished the year strong.  I was impressed with how well my students performed on their achievement testing. It was a nice pat on the back and reinforcement I must have done something right this past year. I have been encouraged to post a new label - Pinterest fail.  I have attempted many projects that haven't worked. For example, the failed Father's Day gifts. The students wrote sweet notes to their dads on a mug. I was supposed to be able to bake the mug so the writing would not come off. Epic fail! Instead, all the dads got mugs they can have love notes rewritten on. Oops! We did a mini-unit on The Wizard of Oz.  It tied in PERFECTLY with the last dress up day.  All students (including me) where the main characters from the story.We did a mini unit on poetry.  I was thrilled with the creativity and sweet things they had to say about each other and their 2nd grade school year.  The last week of school was filled with birthday celebrations, wacky water day, and movie marathon day. During the wacky water day the teachers had a little mud wrestling. It was fun to say the least. 

Packing up was/is never easy.  I have gone from having so much in the States to packing a couple of suitcases (and having a couple of boxes shipped) to packing up two suitcases.  I wouldn't consider myself a hoarder, but I have grown attached to some material objects.  I am a sucker for the sentimental stuff.  BUT with packing comes with the goodbyes.  Whenever you do real life with people, especially other Christians, there is a unique and strong bond among people.  This was a special time in my life where I was surrounded by some people who poured themselves into me daily.  The staff of IAS have become part of my family.  We had a fun trip to Galibi to see sea turtles lay eggs (kinda awkward to watch!), weekly dates to B-fit followed up with a bike ride to McDonald's, game nights galore, and did I mention a PARTY BUS?!?!?!  We have gone through a lot this past year...some unexpected....but God has used this set of individuals to have me draw closer to Him.  We constantly joke about having to build a RAFT (say goodbye) to one another, but it was not the easiest thing I have done.  It is hard to say goodbye to ones you know you won't see again.  I am grateful to modern technology that allows many friends to only be one click away! These students taught me so much about friendship and their hunger to know God was infectious.  They have such teachable spirits. It was a pleasure for me to walk alongside of them during this time in their life.

Stateside Shenanigans. I am living out a suitcase while jumping from house to house. It is stressfully fun. I only have about a month at home which allows limited quality time with friends and family. I feel so blessed and encouraged by all of these friends and family I get to hug and share my life with.  I have enjoyed good food and great company.  And to those who have let me borrow cars or been my personal chauffeur, you are a gem. I appreciate you to the moon and back.  I was able to go to Vegas to be serenaded by Celine Dion. It was a dream come true. I ALMOST cried when the concert started but I kept my composure.  The sights and sounds of the city were a bit overwhelming coming from my frugal way of life.  But it was fun to mark that adventure off of my bucket list.  Trying to get paperwork done in ATL has been a BEAST. All I want to do is get on the plane and get to Lima. But in the midst of the chaos I DEFINITELY see God's handiwork. 

Lima life. Transitioning from Suriname to America to Peru in one month's time is a doozy. It is emotional and SO many decisions have to be made. I have a hard time prioritizing my time and responsibilities when I want to say "yes" to it all. I want to be prepared (with my 4 suitcases) without spending a fortune.  I want to be mentally and professionally prepared, too. I am excited about this new venture God has placed me on.  I am stoked that I have three of my Suriname girls to start our Lima adventure together.  It also has been so encouraging to have my friend, Missy, on the other side.  She has walked through the Lima transition and has given me some insight on my class and classroom.  It only encourages excitement about this new beginning.

While I have FAILED MISERABLY at consistently updating this blog throughout my Suriname travels, I do want to do a better job while I am in Lima, Peru.  I hope you come along for the ride!

Following His lead,
Megan :)

P.S. I already have a hashtag ready for my Lima adventures: #Limalife  Get excited all you hashtag haters. :)

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Sheryl Crow

As Sheryl Crow sings, "I think a change will do you good," there are a few changes that have happened recently and it is time to share. :)  Nervous yet...?????

Change 1: I turned one year older.  As I creep closer to 30 my life is not exactly where I thought it would be but I am SO GLAD about the lessons God has taught me over the years.  I am grateful I am not the same person I was 10 years ago. I know my college friends and roommates were introduced to a dramatic basket case that (hopefully) has mellowed out some!  I have wanted to live overseas for about 15 years and I am overjoyed that in God's timing and provision it has happened when and how it did.  I celebrated my 29th birthday surrounded with students I adore and co-workers/friends that love and encourage me daily.  I have included some pictures of the fun day.  Some friends and I went to The Optimist (an Italian restaurant) for my birthday dinner. It felt a little like Olive Garden minus the breadsticks and salad, but it was tasty! I hadn't been there yet so it was neat to try something new. The weekend following my birthday we had a joint birthday party - Suriname meets 1920's.  It was fun to get dressed up and play Taboo. Our crew would be LOST without that game.  I was introduced to balloon volleyball which involved flailing on the bed and lots of laughs. It is definitely a new fave of mine.  My birthday well wishes almost made me a little homesick. My love tank was so full I wanted to hug everyone and cry because I missed them!  I am so grateful for the friendships I have had over the years that have encouraged me in countless ways. I am excited to see what happens in my 29th year of life. :) 

Change 2: The Mission House roommates (Carmen, Steph, and I) had to move.  So our party Saturday night was surrounded with moving boxes and the weekend was spent cleaning and packing. The way our living situation worked out I moved into my friends' house (Sherry and Shelby) and Carmen/Steph found a house down the street from me. My new house is closer to the school and stores I frequent. I do miss my roommates, but my new ones have been so kind to me. I am one blessed girl.  I miss my old house - so much space - but I did get luck again and my new digs have a dryer. :)

Change 3: I have lost two students to their home countries and I going to lose another student in a week and half. If you have been keeping track of my student count that puts me down to four students again.  Of course I am sad to see the students go and it does change the classroom's dynamic but I am glad I had the opportunity to meet them. They have blessed my life so much even if they were part of my world for what seems like the blink of an eye. Prayers are appreciated as we transition from all the kiddos leaving. It is not the easiest thing I have gone through but God is good.

Change 4: (Probably the biggest development...)  Without boring the world with all the details, I will not be returning to Suriname next year to teach.  My contract was for two years, but because of a separation between the local school board and the organization (NICS) all contracts are void at the end of the school year.  The news of the separation came in November and following that I was forced to make a decision about what I wanted to do. The separation felt as if my parents were divorcing....I just got here....This wasn't supposed to happen....I just sold my belongings...What does this mean....What is my life going to look like...Who is the board.....A confusion of emotions and rationale came like a wave over me.  When I signed my contract I didn't foresee making this decision for another year.  But the situation is what it is. I have spent time seeking Godly counsel and prayed about it and reached a decision to leave.  With all that being said, I wanted to stay with the NICS organization and a position was available at another NICS school in South America.  God opened the doors and I am SO EXCITED to share that I will be teaching 2nd grade at the NICS Lima, Peru school for the next two years.  When I interviewed for the Suriname job I also interviewed with the Lima school. I really liked the school and country but didn't have a peace about moving there. I had an indescribable peace about moving to Suriname.  I don't regret moving my life to Suriname. I have met incredible people.  I have learned and grown so much. I believe God is the Potter and I am the clay.  This pot is not done being molded. I will take so much from my Suriname experience.

So my geographical location may change but I am still journeying.  Let's enjoy this wild ride together.

You are loved,
Megan

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Holiday Highlights

It doesn't take a super smart person to recognize the date of last time's post and this current post.  It is true...I have fallen behind (again) along with forgetting my password for about a month.  But there also is much that has gone on in my world that I was/am still trying to process.

After a while, my new life has become my normal life - the bike rides to school, the dogs, the interesting food, and the countless mosquito bites all have become "normal" to me. In the beginning everything seems so drastically different so EVERYONE will want to know EVERYTHING.  Now most of my life seems so natural that I don't think about how I still need to share what is going on in my world.

The school hosted an American Thanksgiving feast on Thanksgiving for the students and parents but it was not required for staff to attend.  SO... Mr. and Mrs. Gee (also known as Poppa and Momma Gee) and Fabienne (our amazing secretary) loaded up the bags and went to French Guyana for a few days. Fabienne's friend was going to let us stay at her house for free and enjoy her pool! So EARLY Thanksgiving morning we were picked up my a taxi and rode for about two hours to the river, left Suriname and entered French territory.  After getting our passports stamped, we found Budget and rented a car and drove for about 3 hours to where we were staying. Seeing a nicer beach was so wonderful, working on my tan, and visiting the European Space Center were fun (and educational) parts of the trip.  It was nice to escape to somewhere else for a few days.  Instead of mom's turkey with stuffing we had Brazilian pizza for dinner. :)

The Christmas season was super fun with my class.  The school put on a super cute Christmas concert and they sang and danced their hearts out!  I was even asked to do the dancer's makeup. I guess this diva title is more fitting that I was aware of!  It was a great time to gather the school and parents together to celebrate the Reason for the Season.  I will try to post pictures.  I did a Christmas Around the World unit with my kids. Having international students it was cool to celebrate other cultures.  We were busy learning and crafting!  Within my class we did a gift exchange. It was precious.  They kept it a secret all week and were so excited to have their person open up their gift!  I got in on the fun and was given some fragrant perfume (in an apple bottle, of course!) from one of my students.

I was able to go home for Christmas and see some sweet faces. I treasured every moment I had with all my friends and family. It was a whirlwind of a trip.  I can't thank enough those that let me borrow cars, sleep in beds, fed me, and planned special excursions.  I am truly grateful for your generosity.  I had some much quality time all jumbled into a two and a half week span my heart couldn't handle much more! Seeing Ms. Mitchell's class and all the questions they had for me was a definite highlight. I LOVE those kiddos! Walking into Target and Wal-Mart was a splendid experience. I typically live off of $100/week but I managed to spend $50 in Wal-Mart in 30 minutes.  Maybe it is a blessing I don't have access to such goods on a regular basis. :) 

I don't think I was upset about leaving America and returning to Suriname when the time came. I was more like...."I don't wanna go back to work!" It was great to have three weeks off, but I wasn't nervous about returning to Suriname since now I knew what to expect. Since being back I have gotten two new students...that makes 7 in case you have lost count.  I have five boys and two girls.  My two new students don't speak much English and one is quite shy.  I ask something energetically and get a stone wall response.  We are working on it though! :)  We celebrated the 100th day of school last week and dressed up like 100 year olds! I had lots of fun and so did the kids. I have included a picture for those that don't have Facebook. :)  I had so much baby powder in my hair that I whipped my hair later in the day and clouds of powder choking me.

Yesterday, February 9th, I went over to my friend Sherry's house to have a fun girls' day with some of her kiddos.  (Hindsight I should have brought my kids over too) We did nails, hair, makeup, Just Dance, Sing It and art projects. It was fun to love on them.  My eye makeup was rose colored. It looked like I just had my eyebrows waxed and my eyes were inflamed. :)  Of course we played Truth or Dare which revolved around sharing the name of your school crush. (Oh to be 9 again!)  They roped me into the game and I said "dare."  So tricky...they said, "I dare you to tell the truth."  It was a great day. :) It reminds me of why I am down here to spend quality time with these kids. My heart was full.

Lately I have been thinking about my amazing kids and how smart they are.  They care so much for each other and know so much about the Bible. I want them to understand God in their minds and hearts. Not to be so full of knowledge that they miss a relationship with God.  Pray along with me...ya mind???

Coming up...
-My 29th birthday!!!!! (My roommate Steph has her birthday on the 19th so we are having a joint birthday party at our house. The theme is going to the Roaring 20's since we are both turning 29 and leaving our 20's behind. I am sure it will be fun! We aren't dull people!)
-Moving houses...I am not sure where we will be going but pray that I can keep a sweet attitude about it all. I really like my house and hate to leave it. I have told the girls we are stealing the dryer...it may be ghetto-fabulous but it works (only if you duct tape it closed).

I hope you are doing well! Please drop me a line and let me know how you are!

You are loved,
Megan :)