Election Season

 It's campaign time here in Palau just like it is in the U.S.  It's interesting to be in a different country and see how politics work.  The island is so small that it makes it a kind of a tightly-woven web with everyone knowing someone who knows someone who is in the government.  Elections are November 1.  There are no annoying TV ads to deal with (and we don't have a TV anyway), but there are a lot of people with signs and t-shirts and stickers promoting their favorite candidates.  We're praying that God will lead in the elections so Palau will be in good hands.

And interestingly enough, people in Palau are praying for the U.S. elections too.  We might be out here in the middle of the ocean, but we're all a part of the same planet.  And with all the communication and technology to keep us connected, there don't seem to be any true islands left in the world today.

United Nations Day at Ngiwal

 So apparently United Nations day is a big deal in Palau, so we got to have a day off from school (for Monday), and on Sunday there was a celebration with a parade and traditional food and programs at Ngiwal (which is one of Palau's states).  They called it Olechotel Belau Fair.  The different classes from PMA (Palau Mission Academy) had food booths to raise money.  They were selling things like rice, pancit, hotdogs, chips, cookies, brownies, water, and coconuts (I got a coconut that was really good).

 There were also a lot of souvenir booths with a variety of items, from cheap toys to beautiful woven baskets.  And there were also dead toad purses.  Because you use what you have on hand.

 The parade was actually pretty cool.  There were different nations represented, from Japan to Fiji (that's Fiji above).

 The Palau group was dressed traditionally and chanting in Palauan.  They would go up and salute/greet the president, queen, and other dignitaries and then keep marching.

Man blowing a conch shell for the opening

 This was the one guy from Spain who was proud to represent his country.

Below is the U.S. army representing...

 And there's the Pathfinder club!  They were actually more impressive than the U.S. army because there were so many of them and they had the bright blue shirts.

 There were also floats that had people dressed in traditional clothes on them.  Above are some guys in a canoe, and below are some guys who did a dance for the dignitaries.

 And there was a big float that demonstrated the first birth ceremony which is a big part of traditional Palau culture.  They said (and I;m hoping it's a legend) that the midwives used to cut the mother open to get the baby out at birth, so the mother would always die.  The first time they figured out how to do a natural birth where both the mother and baby survived was on Babeldaub, and after that they would always celebrate the life of the mother and baby when there was a birth. 

The women on the float danced and sang to show what they do at the ceremony.  It's a big deal here.

Anyway, that was United Nations day and Olechotel Belau Fair.  It was hot, noisy, and enjoyable, and it taught me more about the culture here. 

Hopefully I'll have some more time to post this week.  Keep checking back.

Some Fun Stuff

Drinking coconut water at the night market--there were stalls selling traditional and fast food

Baby Gecko!

October 1:  Palau Independence Day

Fireworks at the Capitol building

School Life

 

So I haven't talked much about school for a while.  I've been putting pictures of tropical islands and flowers and wildlife and fun day trips.  But the rest of the time--during the week--it's a lot of work.  In general, my schedule has been looking like this lately:

4:30--Wake up and have devotions and get ready for the day

6:30--Leave on a little bus with no cushions, seat belts, or a.c. to take the 20-30 minute trip to the school (I actually kind of like the little bus, so don't think it's that bad)

7:30--Worship in the library with all the teachers

8:00--School starts

8:45--I begin teaching Social Studies for "my" 7th grade

Riding back from school on the bus

9:30--I teach Spelling or Music (and since I don't teach music, we usually sing)

10:00--I teach Social Studies for 8th grade

10:45--Recess

11:00--Computer or PE (and one of the teachers will finally start teaching computer, so I don't have to improvise any more!  Yay!)

11:30--Lunch

12:00--I teach Social Studies to a different 7th grade

12:45--I teach Reading to my 7th grade

1:30--Recess

1:45--A break!

2:30--Trying to teach a Chinese student English

3:15--Go back to class for clean-up and dismissal

3:30--Take care of errands, grading, letting kids into the library to use the phone or check out books

4:30--Leave to go back to PMA where we stay (although sometimes we leave later)

Evening:  Grading, lesson planning, preparing lunch for tomorrow, etc.

8:30 or 9:00--Get to bed so we can do it all again tomorrow

Where my new classroom is above the gym

And things are definitely not easy.  It's not a vacation.  It's not fun all of the time.  It's been hard for me to figure out grading and behavior management for my class (sometimes they just won't listen, and I'm not much of an authority figure by nature, so it gets interesting).  For the past few weeks I've felt like I never have enough time for everything, and it's been hard to get into the swing of school when I had to jump in part-way through for an indefinite amount of time.  I had to move my classroom up to a stuffy, noisy little room above the gym to make room for a different class (I call it the Crow's Nest).  I still don't know when or if there will be another 7th grade teacher to take over in the future.  But Mr. Nelson (the vice-principal at SDA Elementary) has been very understanding, patient, and helpful.  When I'm getting too stressed, he'll help me out.  He really cares about the students and teachers in his school.  And things have been getting better as I've been learning.  It's been a series of ups and downs, and we still have a long way to go.  I still need to figure out how to keep these kids under control...

It's been a good experience though.  The kids are lovable even when they're acting up.  We're getting to know each other a little better.  And soon I'll have a slightly different schedule that gives me more time for ESL student tutoring (since there are a lot of other students who can't speak much English).

Don't forget to pray for the other Student Missionaries here.  Everyone has their stresses and problems--some have family members with major health issues, which is a real weight on their minds.  Some have been sick themselves (it's not easy to stay healthy in a school full of kids who may or may not wash their hands).  Some are just stressed with the daily tasks of teaching and working.  It's hard to budget time in order to get enough sleep while taking care of all the grading and planning.  It's also not easy to jump into teaching in a new country with very little experience.  But when everyone is so kind and understanding--the principals, the teachers, the student missionaries--it makes it easier.  I really appreciate the support that people are showing here for each other.

Inside the classroom...

I hope this verse doesn't sound too melodramatic, but it's been running through my head, and on a small scale it kind of reflects the struggles we have to face:

"We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair...cast down, but not destroyed" (2 Cor. 4:8-9)

And then I like the verses before it:

"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."  (vs. 6-7)

So even though we are having our personal battles, trials, and challenges--within and without--I'm praying that God will use us to shine light here in Palau.  That's what we're here for, and the power is from God, not us.

"Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities...in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong" (2 Cor. 12:10)

"My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" (vs. 9)

So yeah, that's the reality of life here.  It's a mixture of high times and hardship, recreation and roadblocks.  But I think it's worth it because challenges really do make you grow.  Going through the fire really does make you stronger--especially if you have God holding your hand.

Thanks for the prayers and support!  It really does make a difference.  :)

Spiritual Retreat Part 2: Peliliu

On Sunday we woke up and left fairly early on a boat to go to Peliliu, another island in Palau.  It was kind of stormy and the ocean was a bit rough, but it was kind of fun.  

When we got there we set to work fixing up the Peliliu SDA church by raking, power-washing the outside, and cleaning inside.  The guys also took down a little shack and cut new posts for it (which was the hardest job, since they had to go to the mangroves and literally find posts to cut in the sweltering heat).

 

Peliliu Church 

A sea turtle we found on Ngemelis.  We let it go safely.

I guess this is called a coconut crab?

After this, we drove down a long dirt road in the jungle (I finally saw a Palau Fruit Dove flying into a tree there!) to a little sinkhole.  We also saw some tanks from WWII, since a battle was fought on the island.  We swam in the sinkhole, which had a little cave at the back, and got nice and cool again.  Almost all of us jumped in, even Miss K, who was able to conquer a fear of heights and water that day.  :)

Driving in Peliliu

Tanks from WWII

Sinkhole!  It was bigger than it looks.  The jump in was about 10 or 15 feet

Going back...

Finally we came back to Ngemelis and packed up.  It had been a long, tiring day, but we had really enjoyed it (at least I did).  We got to do some service work, enjoy the beauty of two islands, and have fun together.  I guess the stress was worth it, although if I could do it again, it wouldn’t be during mid-quarter grading time…