Thursday, February 25, 2010

Okay keeping my Lenten promise, I am updating!

So what has happened in the last week. Well Mary and I had a visit from a few of the seminarians we taught over Christmas. I was very happy to see them. I'm afraid I appear very clingy with the priests and seminarians from there. Well its their fault for making Mary and I enjoy our time with them.

Still teaching at the middle school and am still surprised that I enjoy it. I enjoy it in the moment that I am teaching but I absolutely HATE preparing for lessons! Its a necessary evil, though, as not being prepared would make me not enjoy my in the moment teaching as it kind of did yesterday when I forgot to translate an English paragraph from a textbook for the English reading part of their lesson. I ended up fumbling through my English-Indonesian dictionary for about 10 min of my lesson. That was not enjoyable.

We visited my Indonesian teacher and his wife in their home yesterday evening. I appeared rude because I spoke very little because I was exhausted from having taught all day. I tried to think of things to say but focusing on speaking and listening to a foreign language when you're exhausted is even more difficult than when you're not exhausted.

I just remembered I wanted to tell you about the electricity in Indonesia. Okay the lights go out practically everyday here. Two to three days out of the week they go out at night which makes making dinner a real pain in the ass. Have you ever tried to make a dinner in the dark? It sucks. The lights stay out the entire night so there's not much to do after dinner except talk in the dark and pray in the dark and then its off to bed. I have tried studying Indonesian in the dark and its no fun. Imagine how difficult it is for students who have no electricity to study every night?

Okay my ride from the internet place is here so I have to cut this short. Until later.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Happy Lent!

I have no idea what to write. I come up with some great stuff when I am at my house one hour away from this internet place but when I get to the internet place I completely forget. I know I know write it down but I'm much too busy and lazy to do that.

So a few tidbits:

I chased a cow out of our front yard the other day in the dark and laughed the whole time I was doing it.

Started Indonesian language classes last week because I'm desperate to learn this language. Its such an easy language and yet its more difficult for me to learn than Italian. Probably because its nothing like Spanish.

Mary and I started teaching at the middle school across the street and I love the kids there...well so far, you know how middle school kids can be. Well you know how American middle school kids can be. Indonesian ones seem more respectful. I'm still trying to remember to pray before starting class (its a Catholic school) but I'm not accustomed to it as I only attended public schools in America and we all know prayer in the classroom there doesn't fly.

Had a visit from our program head a week ago. We told her about our joys but mostly about our pains and she really heard us out and we hope for some improvements in our situation. Its not a bad situation but it could definitely use some tweaking.

Oh I got some Italian Corn Flakes, along with Italian salami and a wedge of Italian parmesan cheese. Absolutely delicious. This is one of the perks of having the program your in based in Rome.

Oh recently had a parish visit from some of my favorite priests, those of the Claretian order. Twelve priests and all are very similar in their manner of treating Mary and me like terrible teasing older brothers would. I affectionately call them "horrible holy men."

Mary and I were trying to think of children's songs to teach of to our young students. We realized that we remember next to nothing and what we do remember we know different versions of. Tip to any future missionaries who can't remember children's songs: do not go on mission with an American who spent her childhood in Germany and to any of those who are with missionaries of other western countries- good luck.

Okay I will try very hard to update this blog more frequently. I will make it a Lenten goal.

That reminds me I'm trying to improve my spiritual life for Lent which means some sacrifice. I got five hours of sleep last night trying to do a Catholic book club discussion with Mary, pray a rosary, and do the readings for the next day's Mass. Mass here by the way is at 5:30 am and I went to sleep at midnight-ish. Oh yeah I'm trying to go to daily Mass five times a week. I expect I'll be on my way to sainthood by the time I leave here...okay don't laugh too hard. Gotta go, gotta eat...what should I have rice, rice, or more rice? I think I'll go with rice. Haha. Just kidding I have come to love the food here.