Monday, October 15th:
My sore throat was worse this morning, so I kept my talking in
class to a minimum … it helped me realize that I probably need to say much less
than I do! In my fifth grade classes, we played multiplication Bingo. It was a
good way to review the essentials (which they are desperately in need of). The
students drew their own Bingo cards and wrote a multiplication fact in each box.
I called out the answers, which meant they had to think about the problems
backwards. The winners got a “No Homework Pass.”
Two days ago, I mentioned in 5A that the students should not try
to bargain with me after I’ve written their name on the board with an X. (They
usually ask, “Miss, if I be good, you will clean my name?”) I told them they
ought to be good because God sees them and they are responsible to Him. I
didn’t think anything of it, but today when I reviewed the rules, the student I
had been specifically addressing said, “And we should be good because God knows
we are good, not to have our names cleaned.” I was shocked, and then I was
thankful that they are hearing some of the things I say. Better the important
things, than most of what I stammer out. (As a side note, I stammer a lot in my
classes. The kids don’t make fun of it, for which I am thankful, but it makes
me rely on the Lord to give clarity of thought and to keep it from becoming a
distraction.)
In sixth grade, they finished their surveys and drew a bar graph
and a circle graph to represent that data. I think they had fun doing the
activity and collecting data. It was sad to see how many of the groups couldn’t
work together … something I would like to improve, Lord willing. God was very
gracious and I had enough strength to teach the entire day. After school, I was
just about to leave (actually praying that the Lord would give me wisdom as to
whether I should stay or go home to rest), when the curriculum coordinator
asked me to take report cards to grades 5B and 5A. Not only was it an
opportunity to be helpful, but I also got to see the “responsible” teacher’s
comments for 5B. Thankfully, they were the same as I would have written, so it
was encouraging to know that I don’t have unreasonable expectations.
Walked home after that and took a nap. Then Sarah and I cleaned to
get ready for our company. At 6 pm, the team met up at Sarky’s. When it came
time for Sarah and me to order, the owner remembered our pizza preference
again. It is strange (and nice at the same time) to be settled in enough to be
a “regular.”
We stopped at the small secondhand store near Sarky’s before going
home. I picked up some utensils, a utensil container, a large mug that seemed
perfect for fall tea, and a glass. (Which reminded me of Dan, since he likes
drinking out of glass – me too!) By the time we got home, I had body aches and
a high temperature again. My throat hurt worse too. Took some vitamins, drank
some tea and went to bed.
Tuesday, October 16th:
Thankful to be feeling a little better when I woke up. My classes
went well and I didn’t have to strain my voice. Three boys from 5B ended up
losing their break. It is tough to “stick with it” when I’m not feeling well,
but I know that in the long run consistency is more important than the severity
of the discipline.
As I am writing this in hindsight, there wasn’t anything memorable
about my classes. When I got home, I mentioned to Sarah that we had used so
many GBs of Internet. No sooner had I said it, than the Internet disconnected
and told us we needed to recharge. We won’t be able to recharge until the 25th.
In the meantime we have the option of paying for 10GB for the same amount that
we normally pay for one month, or we can limp along on “borrowed” Internet and
wifi at Texas Chicken… I think we’ll try to hold out if we can.
Around 3 pm, the Mareen crew (that’s the name of the alley where
John, Mary, Henry, Sarah and I live) headed over to A&L’s. We visited until
the group from “Amreeka” arrived. After they rested and got cleaned up, we headed
off for dinner at Shindokah Restaurant. Thankfully one of the local friends
from CSM Erbil had driven all of them up in an H1, which was at our disposal
during their time here. We were able to ride to the restaurant together (all 16
of us). It was a little tight, but a lot of fun.
After dinner, we went back to A&L’s for candy and the “Name
Game.” Team Duhok knows how to have a good time! Since there were an odd number
of adults, I ended up playing for both teams – the perfect situation for a
competitive person! It was a late night when we were finally dropped off at our
apartment. Two of the college girls stayed with Sarah and me, so we showed them
around, then headed off to bed.
