Yet another fun filled, action packed week here in the Marshall Islands

Today is a holiday here on the island, I'm not exactly sure as to what its for, I asked some of my students, but none of them could give me a straight answer, just its a holiday, duh.......I knew that already, oh well, its a day I don't have to teach.  It didn't stop me from getting up very early.  I've been getting up at about 4:30 for the past 2 or so weeks.  I really don't care though, I feel fully rested and fine, so its all good.  I also go to bed around 8:30, so really its a full 8 hours of sleep.  

 

I was amazed this morning when I read an email from my dad.  I wasn't so much amazed that he sent me an email, but I was surprised at something he said.  He said that he'd see me in just 255 days.  I hadn't been thinking about how long it was until I actually come home, but that really doesn't seem like that long.  I know when I think about it in months, it does, but just 255 days, not to bad, but then at the same time, it is kind of a long time.  There is part of me that says that I've been here long enough to experience what missions is like and now I'm ready to go home, but there is another part of me that is so thrilled that God is using me to help out over here, and why would I want to go home any earlier than God has plans for me to go home.  I guess its kind of a constant struggle, especially when you know that your family and friends are having so much fun back at home.  It can get really tough, but then you just have to remember that you are doing good here too.  

 

I'm working on getting some pictures posted to picasa, so that you guys that keep up with my blog, you will be able to see some pictures as well.  

Well, I should probably get going on other things now.  I hope all of you are doing well.  

This is the link for my blog pictures:  http://picasaweb.google.com/stbaker1986/BloggerPictures?authkey=sjU7ZMfxyYE#

 

Priorities, you have to have priorities

Something that being a Student Missionary has taught me this far is to analyze where I put my priorities.  In the states it seems like there is more time to do things, but maybe thats just because I'm a student there, here I'm a teacher, and have to be a "responsible adult."  I'm still not quite sure what that means, but hey I'm not getting in trouble, so I guess I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing.  I figure as long as I do what I'm told and put my spin on it, its ok.  

Another thing this experience so far has taught me is the importance of solitude.  Right now I'm alone in the room, which is amazing.  I'm listening to Rich Mullins, and very comfortable.  I don't know what I would do if I couldn't take quite a bit of solo time.  People ask me why I'd want to, I reply why wouldn't you want to?  Its kind of interesting, they go on Marshallese time here, which is "you start when you start, not at a time."  I used to think this would be terrible for me and I'd hate it, but I've come to realize that I'm not going to change them, and they aren't going to change me, so I'll just bring a good book and be there up to 45 minutes early and just read, more alone time usually.  It has also allowed me to read more of the bible.  I'm reading so many new things, or re-reading so many "new" things.  Its amazing that God can re-teach you the same lesson multiple times through the same story, or a new lesson through the same story.  Its like how did I forget this or how did I not see this before?

Well, It think my laptop battery is about to die, so I should probably bid adu.  I hope you all are having a good weekend back stateside.

Well, its been over a week......

Ok, so its been over two almost, I've been kept so busy this past few weeks.  This week is the school Student week of prayer.  The topic has been Hero's of faith, following the chapter in Hebrews about faith.  It has been interesting watching how the students react to hearing such things.  Most of the islanders are christian, but few are really christian.  I dare to say that few SDA's are true christians, but not to get onto that tangent, it has really been cool.  

We have finally settled out for the long haul.  We as teachers finally have most of the same students every week, and mostly everyday.  Its kind of an unknown novelty that I hadn't ever thought that a teacher thought about, but I do on a regular basis.  I'm also getting to see a whole new side of students, and getting to experience it first hand.  My teachers told me when I was in grade school and high school that they had seen it all and that we weren't even scratching the surface of what students before have done to try and cheat and disobey the rules.  Well, I followed the rules, which around here makes me a teachers pet, but thats because following the rules just because they are the rules is an anomaly.  I'm sure my students think they are being very sneaky and all, but just like my teachers told me, I've seen it before and its not new.  I just can't get that through to them, they don't listen all that well to reason.  But Mr. Baker, I'm not chewing gum.........chew.......chew.......chew.......  You get the point, they try to lie to coverup the most odious things.  Oh well, every school has such things, I think its inherent to teaching and being around students.  

There is a line from a very funny movie I like.  The main character is being blamed of stealing millions of dollars from the US government, when he is asked about it he so coothfully says, "All I wanted was an honest weeks wages for an honest days work."  That seems to be the philosophy of all my students, they want the grades really bad, but don't want to dish out the work to do them, and its not like we as teachers sit and mischievously say, who can we fail today either, we do try and make it so everyone can pass.  Alas, even with our help, some don't even try.  Probably one of the most frustrating things I've learned as a teacher.  I've also come up with the top 10 things you as a teacher might say:

1. If its as good a copy as any copy machine can do, your probably looking at someone's feeble attempt to cheat.  
   
2. If you are looking out the window, you probably aren't taking to good of notes, are you?
3. Doesn't it make it hard to find the right figure when you are in the wrong chapter?
4. Just because one student does it, it doesn't make it right, they will get in trouble too!
5. Don't be sorry, just don't do it again.  (applies to anything from talking in class to chewing gum in class)
6. The key to getting a question right on a test/quiz/homework is answering the question.
7. If you don't turn your homework in, you don't have a grade for it......amazing how that works.
8. When it says, "what do you think"  I want to know what you think, not what the book says.
9. There is a 99.8% chance that if you come to class late, you have missed material, you will need it in the future.
10. And my all time favorite:  Student asks, is this important?  Would I take time to say something that's important?

For those of you who keep up with this blog that are teachers, I'm sure you can relate to this, especially if you teach in the islands.  I know I'm not the first teacher to say these, and won't be the last, so I dedicate this list to all you, my fellow teachers who have towed the rope, who are towing the rope, and who will tow the rope of teaching.  

So this last sunday, we went to a private island and spent the whole day there.  The one really cool attraction was a sunken WWII airplane.  At low tide, you could easily swim down to it, it was about 10ft under the water.  At high tide however, it was like 20 ft down.  I went during low tide, and had a great time exploring the wreck, I wish I had SCUBA stuff to aid in my explorations.  We all got pretty sunburned, but now mine is pretty much gone, I can still feel it when I take a hot shower, but hey, it was worth every minute of it.  

Oh, for those of you who aren't from UC, I have some news.  My team of IRR students were deployed to do Search and Rescue stuff in texas in leu of the hurricane that just went through.  They left 7p Sabbath the 13 I believe and they will be back the following weekend.  Please keep them in your prayers as they are down there.  Not only is it the team that I have trained with my whole college career, its my girlfriend as well.  

Well, I should wrap this up and get it posted, so you guys can know what I'm doing.  I hope to talk to all of you guys soon.  Take care.

SB

  

Another week, now one month plus

Well, it doesn't quite seem possible that it has really been a month since I left the states.  Its not like it seems like its been less, but its kind of hard to imagine that I'm 1/10 of the way done with my missionary experience in Majuro.  Things have been really going well.  Just like any classroom, there are problems, but that comes with the territory alas.  I guess I still live under the LE motto "Do your best, God will do the rest, and you will be blessed"  I've spent a month doing my best, God has been doing the rest, and not only I, but others have been blessed.  

Yesterday night we went to our first funeral. I didn't know the man personally, but around here, that really doesn't matter much.  If you know people who know them you are pretty much required to go.  It was a beautiful service I'm sure, but it was all in marshallese.  I'm not to fluent yet in marshallese, so it was just alot of sitting on the floor and listening to alot of people talk.  Thats another thing, everyone who knew the person talks, if your important and you didn't know him you talk, you get the hang of what I'm saying.  You pay a $1 and get free food though, its kind of different, it can go for weeks to.  They seal the coffin and watch it for weeks sometimes........I don't quite understand it, but its not mine to understand.  

Its kind of sad, its been a few days since I've been able to swim, and right now is the best time.  2 times a month, we get really high and really low tides.  They are fun to swim in, you get out past the breakers and you are riding waves, which is a really fun thing, then you get to see what its like not on the reef.  I haven't been out because I'm still trying to get well, for the most part I feel really good, but my nose is still clogged occasionally, which is kind of frustrating.  

So this sunday the church is having a get-together on one of the islands that you have to take a boat to get to, I'm pretty excited about going.  I'm hoping that we get to have some swimming time on a nice sandy beach, at the school we have coral, not sand, which coral is nice, but not nice to run on.  

This week I had two classes that had tests, its amazing how some students that you think are going to do really well don't, and ones that you don't think are listening to you are actually doing well.  I know I shouldn't be surprised at this anymore, but it sure amazes me still.  So for now, the internet doesn't work at the school, we have to go to a resort and buy some food to use the internet, which I guess it is a small price to pay for having some communication with family and friends.  Well, I should probably get working on other things now. 

The end of another week

This week was really awesome. We were challenged at the start of the week to look for the small things and see how they touched us. Well this week I did see the small things. Monday was really cool. When was the last time you got in front of 60 yelling 1-2nd graders and telling a kids story. If that doesn't start your engine, you need a replacement. There is nothing you can say that would be wrong. I was being cheered for every word I said, which at the start seemed really frustrating, but if I could get my High schoolers to have even half that much energy when I taught about anything I'm supposed to teach them about it would be amazing.

I got this from my coligue's blog, Emily who is in Ebeye.

1. Power is a privilege, NOT a right.
2. Fresh water (and drinking water) is a luxury.
3. You can kill big roaches with flip-flops.
4. When it rains it pours, literally.
5. Little geckos on the wall are “cute”.
6. Pizza, or what they call pizza and what we think pizza is are totally different.
7. Teachers talk about their students with other teachers. (Who knew?)
8. It’s hard to teach students who don’t really care if they pass high school, much less go to college.
9. Fresh fruits and vegetables are like gold!
10. Food costs twice as much here.
11. Rain can come through the ceiling during a rainstorm, even if there is a floor above you.
12. Rain makes everyone antsy.
13. “I want to go back to Union again…” (I miss it SOOO much!)
14. Most students at the school can sing and harmonize very well—they sound amazing!!
15. Sending emails and MySpace messages between people just isn’t the same as seeing them. L
16. Air Conditioning is a HUGE blessing, but so is a good ocean breeze on a really hot day.
17. To have a textbook for a class: good. To have a teacher’s manual: great. To have enough textbooks for students: amazing. To have a teacher’s manual and enough books for students: priceless. (Appreciate what you have!)
18. The taxis (small trucks) that drive around and are sometimes safe, sometimes not.
19. Kids that live a few blocks away from school will take a taxi to school. (Now that’s lazy.)
20. Cold showers are somewhat refreshing.
21. I REALLY miss my family and friends at home.

I changed it slightly for how it is in Majuro not ebeye, but the jist is still the same. For all of you who I'm sure want to send me an actual letter or note, you don't have a clue as to how to do that, but you won't have that excuse for long.

My address is:
Stephen baker
P.O. Box I SDA Mission
Majuro, Marshall Islands 96960

Well, I should probably get offline, its nearly sabbath. So with that, I wish all of you guys back stateside a happy sabbath and a good weekend.

The end of week two

Hi all,

I've come to the conclusion that I'm only going to be updating this about every week. I can only sporadically get onto this site. Its kind of frustrating, but alas what can be done.

My week went fairly well, I have no big complaints except for the fact that my family is all heading up to Yellowstone for our annual family reunion. I don't get to go this year, just like I haven't gotten to go for the past 3 years, its kind of frustrating, but oh well, thats ok. I don't know what the plans for tomorrow are yet, SS, church, and lunch are always good guesses though. Other than that though.........its up to what is going on tomorrow.

Today the High Schoolers picked faculty sponsors, I was told by 2 of my senior classes that they were going to vote for me. I told them I would do it if they wanted me to, but it seems like just one more thing that I have on my plate. I'm already teaching and preparing for 5 classes that have students of varying levels of English able to be spoken. Any teacher that thinks they are really good at teaching should come to a place where they don't know the native language and see how they do. Its not that I have just one foreign language either. I have like 7 in any class period. I have a rule in class that says that they can't speak in any other language than english, but its really hard to enforce, seeings as though some are translating for me.

I hope that the weeks continue to go the way they have been. If they do, I'll continue to love teaching. I know I'll have ups and downs throughout this year, but I also know that with God's help I'll make it through them unscathed for the most part. So far I am, and I have no scars from swimming either. Our vice-principle on the other hand got bounced off the very sharp reef yesterday while surfing, I'm glad I had better fortune than he did. I nearly did get bounced off the reef. I was snorkeling and I looked up into the face of a 8 foot wave about 10 feet off of me, about to break, I dove as fast as I could and missed it, when I came up for air, there was another 8 foot wave about 5 feet away from me, I nearly didn't get to breathe, but I made it through that too.

Well, I'm coming to the end of my time on the computer. Its almost the Sabbath here, so I hope I have a great sabbath, and I hope you all do as well. I miss all of you guys.

SB

Its been a while

Ok, so it’s been quite a while since I’ve updated this blog, sorry about that. While I was in Hawaii, they had this site blocked, so I couldn’t update it. The last few weeks have been very hard and very frustrating. I haven’t started classes yet, but I’m getting there, we start classes in 2 days. I’ve gotten part of my lesson plans done, and it wasn’t to hard to do, the harder part will be doing the weekly lesson plans.

When we touched down on Majuro, we were accosted by 90% humidity. The thing that made it worse was that there was no wind. The nice thing about where the school is located is there is always a breeze. It’s getting to the point that we as a group don’t even notice the humidity any more. The 12 hour days are really nice too, it allows for more sleep at night. So far for the time I’ve been here I’ve gotten no less than 9.5 hours of sleep every night. I doubt that I’ll get that much sleep while school is going, but its been nice so far.

So far the communications on this atoll are not so great, but I’m working on getting them up better. Right now I only have occasional internet and I get to use the Satellite Phone sometimes. The last few days we have been sitting through 5-7 hours of meetings everyday. It’s been kind of frustrating, for those of us that don’t do well not moving for hours upon end…….its all good I guess though, we all need to know this in the end.

Well, I should probably get back to listening to the lecture that I’m supposed to be listening to. I’ll try to keep this blog updated as much as I can.
SB