September 23rd and 24th: Baby (chick) Steps Forward

Sunday, September 23rd:

Despite the uncertain start to our day (with the school rep picking us up and Mary needing an escort to class), God blessed in tremendous ways! My first class went well. "Pedro" is really trying hard in class and I haven't had to reprimand him. In fact, he came up to me at the beginning of class to find out which homework assignments he is missing. We did an activity in class that I guessed my first class would like, but my second class would probably hesitate over. I had them make their own multiplication tables. The first class dove right in; students asking me if they were doing it correctly after they were already halfway through. My second class was as predicted. "Miss, we don't understand." "What, Miss?" Interestingly, when we used the class as a multiplication table (R is in the first row, first seat, he would be 1. S is in the second row, third seat, so what number would she be? 6), the students who have the hardest time sitting still and paying attention were able to answer the fastest.

My sixth grade classes were amazing! On Thursday I told them to come prepared for a discussion about why God created math. Many tried to give me their answers at the beginning of class, but I made them wait until the last fifteen minutes.

"A week ago we learned that God created math when He created the earth. So, today we're going to talk about why God created math."

I got all kinds of answers. "So Adam could count the animals." "So God could number the stars." "So we can go to the market and buy things" ... I stopped the discussion, "Wait a minute, did Adam go the market?" Bursts of laughter. "So if Adam didn't need to buy things, why would God create math at the beginning? You are giving me ways we use math, but think about a tornado. How do you know a tornado has been through the area?"

"Because of the carnage." (Big vocab word. You can tell Miss Julie was their literature teacher last year.)

"Right, because of the things you see on the ground, the effects of the tornado. You are giving me the effects of math. But explain to me the tornado itself. Why did God create math?"

The students started getting closer and closer, "So we can learn." "To understand."

"To understand what?"

One student answered, "Gravity."

"Now you are getting closer. What other laws of nature does math help us understand?"

We made a long list including the rising and setting of the sun, our breathing and heartbeat, the existence of the mountains, land, and water.

"We take these things for granted. We know them to be true. But what defines them? How do we explain them?"

The light is beginning to dawn on their faces. "Math?"

"Exactly! Math provides us with a framework to understand ..."

"God's creation!"

In one of my classes, a student piped up, "Miss, we don't have to worry about those things because God rules them. He makes sure they happen." I explained that God controls them, but has given us math to understand them. She replied, "Oh ... so then we can develop the earth based on what we know." Exactly. Math is important.

Such an answer to prayer, especially with these students who have so fiercely resisted my "new" style of teaching. I had students telling me at the break that this is the first year they have actually done well in math. Others are more subjective, “Miss, every year I HATE math, but this year, I love math.” And then I had a teacher come up to me. "Miss, the students were asking me a question that I think you had asked them." I sucked in my breath, "Uh-huh." "Something about the natural elements and why is math important. I told them I didn't know. I hate math! Then they told me that Miss Helen says, 'Math is everywhere. That it explains all the nature around us.' This is really good Miss. Before, they only have teachers that tell them that math is numbers and plus and minus. They don't understand that it is important and that they need it all the time." I am relieved. And then I am thrilled. The students' understanding of what I am teaching them is growing. Multiplying really. If each student passes on one idea to two of their friends, the exponential effects of that ... well, eternity will tell! :)

After school, we had a fun surprise. The shipment from America came in! They brought the gray crates into the resource area and started cutting off strip ties. After counting up our boxes and checking the contents, we (and by that I mean, Andy, John, and one of the school guards) carted them back down the hill to a taxi. Several students asked about the boxes, but only one of them offered to help us load them into the taxi (I was very pleased that he was one of my students!) Once we arrived home, we dove into the boxes and unloaded them. I brought a lot of books and school supplies (special prizes for the students who meet their goals at the end of the semester). Unfortunately, the drill that Grandpa gave me is missing. I will have to find out if it is still in America or got lost in transit. At 5pm, I was able to Skype with the family, which is always an encouragement.

Monday, September 24th:

We were given a ride to school again this morning. After her first class, Mary went with the school administration to the security office to file an official complaint regarding the Facebook threat. We hoped she would be back before John needed to teach his classes, but we had a backup plan just in case.

Grade 5B started out noisier than yesterday. “Pedro” is still doing well. By the end of class, I had written a lot of names on the board since students were out of their seats and talking to each other. As I was showing students their phase averages (grades), someone erased all the names. Still trying to figure out how to deal with that problem… We had a discussion at the end of both fifth grade classes about facts. Our discussion led in the same direction as sixth grade, but I wanted to use terms that they are using in math. We made the connection that facts are not just “multiplication facts” and “addition facts,” but truth and reality. We listed examples of facts on the board. Then I asked them how we explain facts to other people. “In English.” “Arabic.” “Kurdish.” “No, we use a universal language. Do you know what it is?” In 5B (despite the growing chaos), one student guessed it. “Math!”

6B is usually my best class, but today they were pretty noisy. We worked through the lesson and then I had them work quietly on the problems while I showed everyone their phase grades. I hope it will help the less-motivated students to turn in their homework before the end of the phase. I ended up staying with them into the break to answer their questions and make sure they knew which assignments they were missing.

When I walked into 6A, they were silent. Yesterday I told them (I actually wrote it on the board since I couldn’t talk over them) that if I walked in and the entire class was working quietly on their warm-up problems AND they could listen quietly during the entire lesson, I would let them have a day of no homework. I was impressed that all of the students were trying so hard … especially since I came in half way through their break! They still had 15 minutes before class started. I let them off the hook and told them to enjoy their break. During the break, I talked with John and since Mary still wasn’t back from the police station, we went to our back-up plan. I explained to his 7^th grade class that I would be teaching them (well, supervising them) simultaneously with my 6^th grade class. They needed to read the lesson, then start working on the homework problems. If they weren’t working when I came back to check on them, they would have to copy sentences for me for the rest of class instead of going to the garden. I talked to two of my 6^th graders about cheating; then started class as everyone finished their warm-up. I was thankful that my 6^th graders wanted to impress me, since being out of our normal routine could have easily led to bedlam. After I explained the lesson, they started working on the problems in the book. I told them it would be really hard to earn a no-homework day since I would have to leave and check on 7^th grade and there would be opportunity to find them talking when I got back. They actually did really well. When I went back to 7^th grade, they were just finishing up the problems. I quizzed each student on the lesson before allowing them to leave, and then rushed back to 6^th grade. They were working quietly and I was able to reward them with no homework just as their next teacher walked in. Phew! The 45 minute session felt like ten minutes, but it was a good test to see how well my students can do when they know what is expected of them. Thankful to see the blessings…

I met H, her husband, C, and their son after school for juice and cookies. (I tutored her son last year and he is now going to CSM – an answer to prayer!) We drove to a place right around the corner from our house. I’d been there once before with Julie. It turns out that H and C know the owner; he was very friendly and generous. I had a pomegranate slushy and we ordered a variety of cookies that tasted really good. We had a nice talk and caught up on the events of the summer.

When I got home, I took a quick nap and finished grading homework. At 6, the team met up at John and Mary’s to find out how things went at the security office. On the way over, some of the neighborhood boys were coming up the stairs. They were holding a box with … baby chicks! Unfortunately, they only spoke Kurdish and mine doesn’t reach beyond market and taxi lingo. Through hand gestures, I realized that they were trying to give me the chicks! I told them I had nowhere to keep them, but they were insistent. Sarah came out and recorded some of our dialogue. After asking them what I would do with the chicks, they tried the little English they knew. “I love you. You take.” I finally remembered the magical phrase that means no. “Supas. Supas,” I said. Or “Thank you. Thank you.” Almost immediately, they picked up the box, turned and walked down the stairs. It was one of those random, awkward experiences that make for a good laugh. Over Pizza Hot and French Fries, Mary told us about her morning. She said the “report” went well – lots of people reassuring her that this was Duhok and she’d be safe. We were comforted knowing that Duhok is still in God’s control and we’d all be safe for that reason. Ice cream for dessert, then I played with Zander in the living room. Henry got new toys in the shipment from America, so we built a city out of foam blocks. Henry joined us. At point he could not stop giggling as we knocked over the blocks and tossed them in his direction. A fun way to end the evening.

April 7th through 8th (Days 90-91): Out of the Normal Routine

April 7th:
As I thought about Christ last night, how He took on the lowly form of man and bore sin that was not His own upon His shoulders, I was comforted in knowing that 1) He understands the pain I feel as I struggle under the sin that others place upon me; 2) That God is with me as I face this trial, He has not forsaken me as He forsook His own Son in wrath and complete justice; 3) Christ's work was not purposeless and I can rest assured that God's purpose in giving me almond-shaped eyes and bringing me to this place will be accomplished.

Went to the market with Mary, Stacy and Julie (Lisa is not feeling well, perhaps dehydrated from yesterday's picnic.) Had a nice time shopping together, even though I didn't really buy anything. When we got home, I found myself struggling to sort through my thoughts. I wasn't feeling motivated to do anything and couldn't relax to take a nap. Mary was feeling tense too, so I went over to her place for a cup of tea. We encouraged one another then went over to Lisa's for dinner. (Stacy went to church for an Easter service in Arabic.) The guys went camping, so Julie took Zander and picked up Texas Chicken to-go and we ate in at Lisa's. We were able to Skype with Lisa, our team director back in Nashville. I hadn't heard directly from Dave or Lisa regarding the need for us to stay at home, so it was helpful to have Lisa answer my specific questions. After the call, we sat around and talked - just the ladies' perspectives and it was reassuring to know that the others felt that they were receiving the information second-hand as well.

Stayed until after 10, then Mary and I caught a taxi home (the driver didn't really want to give us a ride - it sounded like he was trying to make other plans with someone on the phone, but we made it home.) Didn't fall asleep until after 1am.

April 8th:
Woke up at 7am ... felt much better about the situation we are in. The information from last night provided a framework into which I could sort my emotions. I realized that the circumstances surrounding our temporary removal from school were causing unrelated issues to surface that I hadn't dealt with. It was like trying to put three puzzles together at the same time. Our conversation with Lisa helped me separate the pieces and I could deal with each one in their turn. I spent several hours this morning praying about a specific individual that I had worked with in the past who has come back into my life and needs encouragement. On the one hand, I don't want to act in my own strength to say the "right" things; on the other, I don't want to shy away from the opportunity and responsibility to point him to the Lord, knowing that if I rely in God's strength, great things might be accomplished. As I finished pouring out my concerns and cares to the Lord, I was struck with the marvelous thought that when we come before God, we have His undivided attention which He gives simultaneously to all His people! Amazing when I compare that to the way I have to divide my attention in the classroom and that is only for 20 students.

After I finished my time praying, I checked Facebook and read a startling message from the person I had just been praying about. He talked about the influence I'd had in his life ... I hadn't expected to ever find out whether that time made a difference or not, so my heart overflowed with praise to the Lord who gives us "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think." I am really praying now about how I can encourage him that it's still not too late to keep from doing things he will regret later in life.

Still dumbfounded, I got a message from Mary inviting Stacy and me over for a crepe brunch. We had some amazing crepes with Nutella and banana. John was back from his camping trip and he told us about their experience hiking the mountain and sleeping in a cave. After crepes, we went to visit Stacy's Assyrian friend (the one who came over awhile ago and was sure I must be Buddhist because of my appearance.) On the way, the sky was overcast and we felt a few drops of rain. We saw R's newborn niece and I was able to thank her in Assyrian (some of the staff at school are trying to teach me Assyrian words and phrases).

As we left, the sky cleared up and we had a beautiful view of the city.

Stacy fixed Egyptian molokhia for lunch and we ate with the Nelson's. I wasn't feeling very well, so went home and took a good nap. I think the lack of sleep and dehydration from the picnic are finally catching up with me. Still not feeling a hundred percent when I got up, but went with the rest of the team for dinner at Sadir restaurant. As we left, a thunderstorm burst down on us. The lightning was beautiful and vivid; the rain came pouring down and we were soaked by the time we reached home.

Not feeling well, so thankful to go to bed early...

February 22nd and 23rd (Days 45-46): A Hard Fight and then Showers of Blessing

February 22nd:
Walked to school this morning (two mornings this week I've been picked up on the way by a parent and then by the "school bus"). I brought my orange date bread (Great Grandma Grace's recipe) to the teacher room and encouraged a few of the teachers to try it. They seemed to like it. It wasn't until later in the day that one teacher told me he had five or six pieces and thanked me for bringing it. Encouraged that God may continue to bless this endeavor and help me connect with the teachers.

I noticed an overall theme throughout the day. Our last few class assignments have been very insignificant - the most recent being to "draw three kinds of weather and how they make you feel." The majority of the students turned in their best drawings so far based on this assignment. I was really encouraged that they were making major improvements and that classroom management was going much better. In the back of my mind, I wanted to take the kids back to drawing concepts from Scripture. Yesterday (with the rowdy class) was the first day to try drawing out the parable of the sower. It was really difficult - the students were back to bad behaviors from the first week of school; I had to explain the "story" repeatedly; and the students who had made the most progress turned in sloppy drawings. During each of my classes today I saw the same problems. Even though the entire class would become silent as I told the "story," the moment I tried to explain what they needed to draw, disruption would ensue in some part of the room. By the time school had ended, I was exhausted (I've not been sleeping well the past few nights anyway) and discouraged. As I reflected on the day, I was finally able to see that it was all spiritual opposition I had faced in trying to present biblical concepts. Even though I was in some ways discouraged by the students' behavior, I was also encouraged in realizing that our work at the school is obviously a threat to the enemy and he will do what it takes to keep us from bringing truth into our students' lives.

After school, I made apple spice oatmeal bread for our team meeting. We had another great meal and enjoyed celebrating Dan's birthday. After our Skype call with Dave and Lisa, we had a good time focused on worshiping God, specifically for His works of creation. For prayer requests, we have been writing them on a slip of paper and then exchanging them, keeping the ladies' separate from the men's. Last night, the guys mentioned that they would like to know what was going on with the entire group and so we shared our requests verbally, going around the circle. By the time we were done, almost all the women were in tears. We laughed later that the guys need to be careful what they ask for. :)

When I got home, I was able to Skype with Grandma and Mom. It was good to catch up with Grandma and hear about daily life back home (she is faithful to send emails too so that I don't seem quite so out of the loop). Mom and I had a good heart-to-heart and I told her about my struggles of the week. I asked her to take some prayer requests to Bible Study, praying specifically for the enemy to be restrained and for the students' hearts to be opened. Went to bed comforted, knowing that the church would bring these petitions before the Lord.

February 23rd:
Still slept a little fitfully, but didn't get up until 8. Had a good time of prayer and devotions. I spent most of the morning catching up on emails and then wrote in my journal. At 11:45, I visited with Mary over a cup of tea and then met with Julie at a juice shop around the corner. It was nice to have some one-on-one time with each of them.


Hurried to my afternoon class, praying ardently the entire way as I wanted to present Part 2 of the parable. Throughout the class, I could see the enemy trying to create distractions. There were moments when the students wouldn't be listening and I couldn't speak over them, so I just prayed silently. Afterwards, when I would speak, everyone would get really quiet! One student in particular kept acting up, but God enabled me to just continue through the lesson and work with the other students. In the end, over half the class drew really good pictures about which part of the parable they are most like. Some drew pictures about how their friends "eat" up the truth that is in their mind by telling them not to listen, others drew pictures about having hearts like rocks, and others drew pictures about how they were upset because a relative died and then they went and got something new and that helped them feel happy. It was very hopeful and I was given eyes of faith to see beyond the indifferent students and look at the ones who were actively thinking about the assignment. One in particular has not been motivated to draw at all and I've been worried about cultivating a relationship with him. God did the work and brought him around because today he really listened and drew a thoughtful picture about loving his neighbors even though others say to him, "You should hate your neighbors." There are a lot of prejudices here and it is hard to see the pressure placed on the kids to adopt the same prejudices. I was thanking the Lord the entire time knowing that others had been praying faithfully for me last night! [Got an email from Dad telling me that the Lord woke him up at 2:30am or 1:30pm my time and had him pray for me!]


A good afternoon at home, then went to visit one of our neighbor boys who was recently diagnosed with leukemia (he doesn't know the extent of his illness, as his family is keeping it from him). Later, went to John and Mary's for dinner, a movie, and some popcorn.

February 5th through 7th (Days 29-31): One Month, Magnums and a Hair Trim

February 5th:

Beautiful weather again! Today was a holiday, so we didn't have any school. I was especially thankful since I am a little sore after yesterday's carpet cleaning. Loafed around the house until 10, then Stacy and I ran some errands and went to the market. I bought some large pots for cooking. (We have a small sauce pan, one small pot, and a frying pan, so it is difficult to cook anything on a large scale.) I'm looking forward to trying refried beans soon! :)

For lunch I heated up some food that the neighbors brought over. Around 1, Andy came by with the rug (thankfully it didn't rain last night or today, so it was completely dry). He also brought a new modem that he picked up for me last night. Hooray for internet again! John came over at the same time and replaced our entry light (he had just gone out and bought a new bulb for it). Then Mary and their little baby boy joined us, and Stacy and I had a fun little gathering in our apartment for 20 minutes or so. Can't get over how helpful everyone has been - I am really blessed to have such a considerate team.

Later, I went out to Holland and bought some jeans (they are actually Wranglers!) Then took a taxi to Mazi. I picked up the staples that I like to get from Mazi to last me the week (juice and yogurt) along with kitchen tools (a spatula and measuring cups) and "specialty" items (tortillas and whole wheat penne). My "big" adventure for the day was the taxi ride home. Unfortunately the driver didn't know the location that we usually use as the landmark to get us home, so I had to give him step-by-step directions. I really don't know any useful words outside of "straight ahead," "left" and "right," so the driver had to put up with me as I repeated the same phrases over and over without really being able to give him any general information about the final destination. Thankfully, we worked it out and I ended up at home.

The little neighbor girl was out in the alley and helped me carry my bags upstairs. She came in and then wandered around, looking at things. I decided to make the most of it and asked her the Kurdish names of things. I tried to write down the phonetic spelling of the words so I'd remember them, but I think that interacting with her was more important. Since she didn't speak any English, we couldn't really communicate outside of pointing at things and saying their English and Kurdish names.

Ate more of the neighbor's rice with some bread from Mazi. Then I cooked up a kilo of potatoes (in our new pot!) and made mashed potatoes - some for freezing, some for breakfast burritos, and some for fried potato pancakes. Mom and Dad talked to me on Skype (the brothers were at Grandpa and Grandma's house) and we had a good 1.5 hour conversation.

February 6^th:

I have been here exactly one month. Thankful for all the things I have learned in the last 30 days. I still feel like I have a long way to go. I am prone to compare myself with fellow team members and think that I should have accomplished more by now, but I must continue to trust that God will direct me where I need to go and lead me through the lessons I need to learn. In many ways the time has flown by.

Had my 8:30am class this morning. They were good and attentive. Walked home afterwards and passed John and Mary on their way to class. It was fun to see familiar faces! Stacy and I ran some errands, then came home for lunch. The neighbors brought even more food last night. (Since it was a holiday, they had a party to celebrate and shared their food with us - it will take Stacy and I several days to finish ALL the food they brought). After eating some of the food for lunch and getting geared up with an ice coffee, I headed back out for the 1:45pm (rowdy 4B) class. I was greeted with pounding desks – not fists on the desks, but students picking up their desks and pounding them on the tile floors. Several of the boys were also in the mood to fight, so it took a little while to get them all settled down (not to mention I had to physically put myself in between them to get them to stop).

All the classes (including 4B) are settling into our new system – first we review concepts learned, then practice new concepts in our art books (today they had to “draw three emotions”), lastly they get to work on a graded project that incorporates all the lessons so far. For the projects this week and next, I am having each class work on a collaborative poster. The students are paired up and working on a section of 1 Cor. 13. For example, a team might have to draw “Love is patient” or “Love is not arrogant.” Next week, I will tape all the pieces together so the class will have one large poster. The best poster will go someplace prominent in the school so other students can see it.

Before allowing the class to leave, I told them they had to sit down and “be perfect.” (Usually I release the students in the order of who had the best behavior in class.) It took 7 minutes before everyone was perfectly still (even then there were a few minor exceptions – the students were getting tired of waiting for the one lone student who would not obey, so finally one of the students forced him into his seat and sat on him – I decided to fight the “no physical contact” battle another day, glanced around for the split second that everyone was sitting, and then dismissed them with a relieved sigh.)

After class I did some laundry, read my emails, and went over to visit with John and Mary around 4:30pm. We enjoyed a cup of tea, talked about how the Lord had brought us here, and then walked to Sarky’s Pizza for our team meeting. It was fun to have the whole group together… at last. Our end of the table split a cheese pizza and a veggie pizza – really yummy! Unfortunately the restaurant was out of finger chips (French fries have a lot of names around here)! We took our time and chatted, then left when the babies started to get fussy. On the way home, we stopped by Holland and picked up ice cream bars (Magnums). Stacy and I went over to John and Mary’s to enjoy our ice creams and talk about games, movies, and dreams.

February 7^th:

Overcast this morning. They say it will snow in the mountains this week. Went to the 9:15am class and had a good lesson. The students were a little fidgety, but once they began working in their art books and on the brainstorming part of the project, they settled down. In each class I have a handful of students who show real artistic talent – it is fun to see what they will come up with as I challenge them with different types of projects. Though the other students may not be naturally gifted, most have shown improvement in the last month and I am beginning to see where their strengths lie. This is a real encouragement to keep pushing all of the students and challenging them to step outside their comfort zone.

After grading art books, I went home for lunch with Stacy (more of the neighbor’s food), then went back to school to prep for my afternoon class. I was going to try something new and take the students to the art room to work, but the administration ended up having a meeting and only announced it about an hour beforehand. I switched to plan B and got the posters ready to take to their classroom. I had a few minutes to observe Lisa teaching a 6^th grade art class – neat to see what the older kids can do – then headed up to 4B to see what another day would bring. More fighting and general rowdiness, but I tried to get them started on their posters right away and that helped settle everyone down. Only two of the groups turned out mediocre posters, the other nine groups really worked hard to incorporate detail, action and emotion and I was pleasantly surprised with their illustrations.

Walked home in the rain and got pretty wet, ate an after school snack, then left for Dan and Julie’s house. I was going to take a taxi, but there weren’t as many driving by (usually they are back-to-back every second), so I ended up walking the whole way. I was pretty wet by the time I got to their house. After a cup of tea to help me warm up, I trimmed Julie’s hair! I was a little nervous getting started, but some of the things I’d learned from my hairdresser and past experiences began coming back to me and I think it turned out alright.

Caught a taxi on the way home. The driver was impressed with my Kurdish – ha! He didn’t know the “usual landmark” either so I had to use my three Kurdish directions. Thankful to arrive home warm and dry. Fixed a “burrito” for dinner – I fried up some potatoes, mixed in some chicken (from the neighbors) and cheese, then folded it all up in a tortilla with salsa (which I found at Holland the day they had Soy Sauce). Perhaps not authentic Mexican, but it tasted good!

Updated my blog in the dark with no electricity. It sounds like a storm is brewing outside. 

January 9th and 10th (Days 3-4): Classes and Students

Here's my roommate Stacy, standing in the front door of our apartment. We walk through the "gate", up a flight of stairs and our door is on the left.

On Monday, January 9th, I went with Stacy to her two art classes - one at 8:30 and the other at 1:45. We came home in between (home is about a 15 minute walk away). Below is the view on my way to school! It is really beautiful and it hasn't been as cold as I anticipated. There is no frost, but there can be a cold wind in the morning. In the afternoon it warms up as the sun comes out. If you look on the left, you will see a long white wall, halfway up the picture. At the top of this wall, on the right, is the school.

The 8:30am class is a 4th grade class.

They are very good students (it might be because I have them first thing in the morning...)

The 1:45pm class is also a 4th grade class. However, they are much more challenging! Again, this might be because it is the last class of the day and they are ready to go home.

After the 8:30 class, Stacy and I walked to Mazi (the local supermarket). It is quite a walk (probably 30 - 45 minutes from the school.) When we got there, we discovered that it was closed all day. There was no rhyme or reason - that is just how things are in Iraq! :) Surprisingly, these things have not bothered me. Instead, I have focused on enjoying the profitable conversations that Stacy and I have shared during the long walks and the things I get to observe the more I am out and about. After we got home and ate lunch, I took a nap before the 1:45pm class (a wise decision!)

The first couple days it was difficult to sleep through the night and I would wake up from 2am to 5am and then get up at 6am. Sometimes, I just got up at 5am and had more time for prayer/devotions. By the afternoon I was ready for a nap.

After the 1:45 class, Stacy's friend came over to practice her English.

(As I am writing this, the electricity just shut off - a regular occurrence - it only shuts off for a few hours though and we have a back-up generator that should turn on a few minutes. Just thought I should mention this aspect of daily life).  We were invited to the friend's house, where we were shown around and introduced to her family and then offered NesCafe. Hospitality is very important here. I am learning to follow the rhythm of the culture which is slower and less abrupt than the task-oriented rhythm of the American lifestyle. (The generator is on now, but this means there will be no heat for awhile).

Stacy and I walked to Andy and Lisa's house, which is about 20-25 minutes away. We ate dinner together, then enjoyed a time of fellowship and worship as we read "Abiding in Christ" by Murray. After praying together, it was time for our Skype call with Lisa and Dave (the Director of Team Development and the Executive Director at Servant Group International) back in Nashville. We met a prospective couple during the meeting, which was ironic since just under 4 months ago, I was the prospective teacher meeting everyone in Iraq through Skype! The meeting started at 9, so by the time we finished and walked home, it was after 11pm. I was exhausted and finally got a good night's sleep!

Tuesday morning at 9:15 we went to another class. This class is also fairly quiet and attentive. After class, Stacy and I went to the market for cake mix and I bought some things to clean the bathroom. We came home and rested, then I headed off to the 1:45 class to teach by myself! It was especially challenging as the rowdy boys in the bunch wanted to test my limits. They began the class by yelling at the top of their lungs. (One little girl gave me a rose at the beginning of class) :) After the boys quieted down, we had some productive time, then things started to fall apart again. I could tell that several of the girls felt sorry for me and were upset at how the boys were behaving. I was praying the entire time, asking the Lord to guide me in His power. We rallied for the last 15 minutes of class as I focused on the attentive students and ignored the others. When it was time for dismissal, I stood at the door and allowed all the 5 star students to leave first, thanking them for being good students. When they left I spoke firmly with the remaining students, telling them that they had not behaved honorably to their teacher on her first day. Several were genuinely affected. As each one left, I made him tell me how he would improve for the next session. As I was walking home, I passed some of the rowdy students waiting for the bus. They made sure to tell me they were very sorry and would behave better next time. :)

Stacy listened sympathetically when I arrived home and we decided to try Mazi again as a mind-reliever. It was definitely a break from teaching, but was overwhelming in its own way. It is really like a supermarket back home (though not as crowded). I would describe my reaction as a sort of culture shock. You can buy almost anything and everything, but it may not be the best quality and a little more expensive. For example, I bought a "dollar tree" plastic basket for $3 and a modern sponge-mop for $8 that probably won't last too many more washings. It is nice to see familiar things, but overwhelming as you try to fit them into the current context. I know that I can live without a lot of things, so as I settle into the apartment I am trying to find the balance between making it seem like a home vs. "Americanizing" it.

Because we had several bags, we took the "bus" home. It is really a 9-passenger compact van (not a Ford) that stops when it wants to and costs 500 dinar to take you as far as you want to go and/or wherever it stops. The exchange rate is about 1200 dinar/$1. Stacy seems to understand where it is best to get off... perhaps I will learn the system one day as well.

While Stacy made a cake for her friend's birthday, which we celebrated at our apartment, I cleaned the bathroom. It is reassuring to do something familiar and I actually enjoyed doing a job I often dreaded at home. We had cake and cream puffs for Stacy's friend (who is also the neighbor we visited on my first night here.) She turned 17, but because she felt "old" (apparently girls are supposed to be married by 25), we teased that it was only her 15th. Her younger sister came over too and they taught me some words in Kurdish. The younger sister is a good teacher, but gets adamant when I don't have the correct pronunciation. :)