Palau Culture: The Bai

 We got to visit a bai over Christmas vacation.  A bai is a traditional meeting house (sometimes for the community, sometimes for men only), and the one we visited was from the late 1800s, but has been kept up to this day.  This one was in Airai.  Here are a few pictures to give you an idea of what it's like.

The beams depict different legends and symbols that are important to Palau

 

 

The spider is an important symbol in the bai (we also saw some real ones next to the paintings that were very big)

The rooster is also an important symbol (there were a lot of them on this bai--each one different)

We got to see not only the outside, but the inside of this bai.  It was really amazing--intricate, colorful, and rich with history and symbolism.  It made me realize what a unique culture there is here, even with the infusion of American, German, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese traditions.  Hope you enjoyed the pictures and understand a little more about Palau culture.  Until next time...

Sickness and Subbing

Last week was busy…at least for me.  Beginning on Monday, a mysterious illness started taking down people left and right.  First one SM got sick, then another and another…  That meant I had to sub for different grades when an elementary teacher had to stay home.  Altogether, I think 8 student missionaries got sick—some with a nasty but short-lived stomach bug, and some with a cold or virus.  One of the local teachers got sick too, but it was for a pull-out class so that just meant more recess time for the kids (at least that’s how I handled it…).  Thankfully, only two people stayed home at a time, so between the coach and I, we were able to cover for the missing teachers.

So this is how my week looked:

Tuesday—Spent Valentine’s Day subbing for the kindergarten class.  I didn’t manage to get a lesson plan, so we mainly played that day.  Made valentines, and parents handed out cupcakes at the end.  The kids were so cute…but I never knew so many tears could be shed over just one offhand comment or a misunderstanding.

Student 1:  “Ms. Hillary!  She called me stinky!”

I go over to the offender.  “What did you say to her?”

Student 2:  “She called me a stinkbrain first.”

 

Back to Student 1.  “Did you call her a stinkbrain?”  

Student 2: “I didn’t!  I was talking about the crane.”  She points to the crane doing construction across the street.

Me to Student 1.  “She was talking about the crane.  She didn’t even say you were a stinkbrain.  You shouldn’t call her stinky even if she did…”

Students 1 and 2:  “Sorry.”

Someone else starts crying.  “They won’t let me play with them…”

I go over to the group.  “Why won’t you let her play?”

“She can play with us.”

I call the student over.  “Come over and play.”

She’s still crying.  “No, I don’t want to!”

At least it’s only 4 hours of this.

Anyway, teaching that class made me think of how God must look at us sometimes.  We get bent out of shape over little things—somebody looks at us the wrong way, or our cupcake falls on the ground, and we get in a bad mood.  But it’s really not that big of a deal.  If we could see the bigger picture, life wouldn’t be such a rollercoaster.  Don’t make mountains out of molehills.

Playing in Kindergarten

Now I realize that the kids were asking me to fix the situation because I was the adult, and they trusted me to take care of it.  And actually, it was amazing how easy it was to clear things up (most of the time) with a few words of wisdom or a little pat on the back.  I guess we should be that quick to bring our problems to God, and that quick to accept His comfort and voice of reason and to let the issue go.  Short-term memory loss about little problems and disagreements can also make things a lot easier.  Many times, once I talked to the students about letting someone play with them, it was cleared up and they began playing happily together as if nothing had happened.

Wednesday—Two people are sick, and I’m teaching 1^st grade now.  They’re so cute, seriously.  Moments from the day included 8^th graders coming in to play with their little “brothers and sisters” for one class period, and one girl sobbing because her favorite 8^th-grader “left” her to go to class and she wouldn’t get to see him until after school.  Everything is a catastrophe when you’re that age…

Thursday—1^st grade again!  The kids were crazier today, or maybe it was just me.  They grabbed food from my lunch box, refused to do work, and were so loud I couldn’t hear myself talk sometimes.  

“I’m looking for quiet, good students to send to recess,” I tell them above the din, and a couple dash to their seats and try to look qualified.  

“Ms. Hillary!” one screams.  “I’m being quiet!”  

 

“Ms. Hillary!” bellows another.  “HE’S MAKING NOISE!” 

“Ms. Hirraly!”

“Ms. Hillapree!”

“Her name is Ms. Hillary!” yells my ESL student, who’s an expert now.

“Ms. Jen—I mean, Ms. Hillary!”

“Ms. Pillary…what’s your name?”

 There’s one who simply won’t stay in his seat, and that encourages others to run around with him.  I almost lose my keys under a grate.  One kid tries to pull down my skirt.  The girl who cried yesterday runs away to see her favorite 8^th-grader.  

When I send them off to computer class, I go into the library and pray.  And when I come back to the kids, I’m smiling.  Things might not be perfect, but God is there for me.  We’ll make I through…

At the end of the day I have them make get well cards for their teacher, Ms. Jen.

Two more people are sick.

Friday—All the teachers are back at school, making a valiant effort to be well.  Thankfully, even though they haven’t all recovered, it seems like they’re on the mend. 

I’m back in the library with my books.  It’s quiet.  I made it through.  I didn’t get sick.  I survived both kindergarten and 1^st grade.  I’m ready for Sabbath.

Keep praying for us.  There are so many little problems to deal with, so many tears to dry, so much drama, so many decisions to make when you’re dealing with a motley crew of 12 to 25 kids.  We need grace to be patient, kind, wise, and positive.  I’m glad we have a big God who knows us and our kids better than anyone.  

And I’m thankful we’re all feeling better now!

"From the end of the earth I will cry to you, when my heart is overwhelmed.  Lead me to the rock that is higher than I"  Psalm 61:1

"For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, 'Fear not, I will help you."  Isaiah 41:13

"For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly."  Proverbs 2:

Inauguration Day in Palau

The capitol building all decked out and the lawn packed with people

Some of us went to visit the capital in Melekeok on inauguration day to see the hoopla.  We didn't stay long, but here are some pictures to give you a glimpse of a Palauan inauguration.

Senators walking up

The media!

Ms. Jen and I enjoying the event

That's all for now!  Pray that the president and senators and delegates (some of whom are SDA church members) will make wise decisions for Palau and its people.

ESL Tutoring

So I’ve been doing a lot of ESL tutoring lately.  I should call the students ELL (English Language Learner) instead of ESL (English as a Second Language) or even EFL (English as a Foreign Language) since the kids I tutor know so little English.  I’ve been getting more ideas and figuring out techniques that will help, but I have a long way to go in figuring out how to teach each student what they need to learn, especially since I don’t have a program or guidelines, and the students are all at varying levels and ages.

Here’s a glimpse into my day as an ESL/ELL tutor.

The basics

8:45:  A ten-year-old Chinese boy (I'll call him Tiger) comes in for tutoring.  He is energetic, a boisterous kid who runs around doing karate chops.  He can speak some English, and understand more, but not enough to participate much in class.   So he uses his energy bothering other students—poking them, pushing their stuff, making heart shapes with his hands to tease them about being in love with someone.  It’s hard to engage him since he needs to be moving or playing games.  I’ve been playing a memory game with cards that have pictures of food and household items.  Today Tiger surprises me by acting interested in filling out his alphabet notebook with words for each letter.  We’ve gotten to E so far.  He even tells me some details about Chinese New Year in his broken English.  He says they ate octopus, got new clothes, and there are fireworks.  I’m glad he’s trying to talk.  I help him start a notebook entry about it.  

10:00:  Two students from 4^th grade—an 11-year-old Korean boy (I’ll call him Sparky) and a newly-arrived Chinese girl (I’ll call her Lotus).  The boy is energetic, talkative, but can’t always find the English words for things, and can’t do most of his schoolwork.  He’s always telling me about Korean customs (for example, he is considered 12 years old in Korean years, and he loves kimchi) and lately he’s been wild about magic tricks.  He loves to show me some coins -- “See Ms. Hillary, 2 coins this hand, 1 coin this hand,” he shuffles them around in his hands, hiding the extra one.  “Now 1 coin this hand, 2 coins this hand.”  Then he slaps them all together. “Fwwaaah!” he makes sound effects. “4 coins!”  

In fact, Sparky likes doing magic tricks more than concentrating on his spelling words, which is what he’s supposed to be learning.  But he’s not a bad magician…  Meanwhile, Lotus knows hardly any English, and is very quiet.  She is like a deer in headlights, and is probably missing her home.  But she is sweet and has an excellent memory.  Today Sparky brought in a little device like a mini laptop that can translate languages into English, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese.  We had fun with that, but it’s hard to tell what they’re doing when he types something in, shows it to Lotus, and they giggle.  Hmm…

11:00: Tiger is back, and this time he actually cooperates in reading a Dr. Seuss book.  He seems to understand it to some degree, and we point at the pictures and laugh.  Finally we’re connecting…I’ve been praying, but should have more faith that I can get through to these kids.

12:30:  A Chinese girl from 3^rd grade (I’ll call her Butterfly), plus Lotus, come in.  The Butterfly is more advanced, but doesn’t know what most words mean.  She has some English assignments to complete, so I help her by drawing pictures and explaining what each word means so she can fit them into sentences.  She also translates them for the other girl.  They seem to get along nicely, and they actually exchange phone numbers during our session.

1:00:  Two Taiwanese kids from 1^st grade (I'll call them Squirrel and Chipmunk).  The girl, Squirrel, talks a lot and can read English, but still struggles knowing all the words.  The boy, Chipmunk, is much quieter and understands less.  We read a couple of storybooks together and then play Simon Says.  They love coming in.  The girl is trying to practice my name and uses it a lot.  

“What’s your name?  Ms. Hirraly?”  

“Ms. Hillary,” I remind her.  

“Ok, Ms. Hillary.  Ms. Hiarry.  Ms. Hirrary.  Ms. Hirraly.”  

“It’s Ms. Hillary.”  

“Ok, Ms. Hillary.  Bye, Ms. Hillary.  Ms. Hirrary.  Ms. Hillary.  Ms. Hirraly…”

2:30:  A 14-year-old Chinese girl from 7^th grade comes in (I’ll call her Apple).  She doesn’t do anything but math at the school, and sits all day writing Chinese in her notebook and being shuffled from class to class where she can’t participate.  I feel bad for her.  She seems to be getting better about communicating and learning English words, but doesn’t know nearly enough.  She is sweet and cooperative, and the best sessions are when we try to talk together.  What do you like?  Do you have a pet?  Did you visit China during Christmas break?  Do you have a boyfriend?  (That last one she asked me.)  It’s a struggle to communicate, but I really want to see her succeed.  It must be so dull to be in school all day and do next to nothing. 

So those are the kids I’m spending time with each day.  I’m getting to know them better and it’s fun to start seeing their personalities.  I hope to see them progress a little in their learning, but I guess the most important part in the end is that they know I care, their teachers care, and that they can learn and succeed if they do their best and keep moving forward.  I’m praying God will help me reach them even in small ways.