October 25th and 26th: End of the School Week, Beginning of an Adventure

Thursday, October 25th:

Today was the school's dress up party. Our apartment was hustle and bustle as we donned our outfits. My students asked me yesterday if I would dress up as a princess. Since I didn't have a Cinderella ball gown, I put together what I had and called myself a Grecian princess. Sarah went as a bird with her fancy mask that she found at Holland Bazaar. Mary dressed up as Sarah! She borrowed an outfit from Sarah's wardrobe, then came over so Sarah could do her hair. John and Henry dressed up as students in their blue, collared shirts and jeans.

As we walked outside, it was raining pretty steady. I suddenly wished I'd dressed up as someone wearing jeans, a thick jacket, and heavy boots! We taxied to school and noticed almost immediately how quiet it felt. No kids anywhere in sight. When we walked into the teacher room we created quite a stir! None of the other teachers had dressed up, and because of the rain they were telling kids not to come in. We waited until Andy and Lisa arrived in their superhero outfits, took a couple pics, then taxied back home.

A couple kindergartners were the only students who came dressed up despite the rain...

I jumped into a nice hot shower, changed into traveling clothes and pulled all my last minute things together for the trip. With a couple extra hours ahead of us, I made a cup of tea and curled up with a book. A little after 2:30p Samer came to pick us up. Sarah and I said goodbye to John and Mary, then hopped in the car to start our trek to Erbil.

Beautiful sunset on the way down...

We arrived at the Winchester's around 5:30p. After a delicious baked potato dinner, Sarah and I read for a little bit while the family went visiting. Hit the sack pretty early.

Friday, October 26th:

A leisurely morning, although it started at 5:45a with an early call to prayer and holiday message for the Eid. I read for most of the morning, enjoyed a fried egg and coffee for breakfast, and iMessaged Mary. They thoughtfully messaged last night to make sure we arrived safely! I've already been told that my "cousin" Brad is in Erbil (he is not related, but has an organization that gives out wheelchairs to kids in need.) All the internationals have decided we are related... Funny how word spreads so quickly. For lunch, we had cheese quesadillas and pico de gallo ... with CILANTRO! In the afternoon, Sarah and I walked around the neighborhood for some exercise, visited with the other SGI family and met some local neighbors.

Back home to read and rest.

October 3rd and 4th: Ending Phase 1 with a Holiday

Wednesday, October 3rd:
Woke up a little after 4. I went back to sleep until 6, but not until after they finished the morning call to prayer (sometime after 4:45).

There was a nice breeze blowing as Mary, Sarah, and I walked to school. The curriculum coordinator came into my classes to get after the students who haven't turned in any homework. It is not the method I prefer, but some of the kids seem to need a third-party authority figure telling them that homework is important. As Mr. B walked in the room, several of the students had Coke cans on their desks. (I let them drink in class as long as they aren't disruptive.) Mr. B made each student on my "missing assignments" list stand up, then asked them why they hadn't completed their homework, "What are you here for? ... To drink Pepsi?" I could have laughed if I hadn't been so disappointed in my students. Mr. B was gracious enough to let me be the "good cop." He told me in front of the students that it would be fine with him if I gave them zeroes on all missing assignments, but gave me the option to accept assignments until the end of school that day. I told him I would like to let them have a little more time (I really just meekly nodded my head, afraid to say anything that might break the stern tenure of his lecture.) After he left, I told the students that when they get in trouble, I feel like I am in trouble too. I want them to do well, but I can't make them turn in their homework (though I'm sure many would appreciate it if I would just do their homework for them!) Several students piped up, "Miss, you DO help us! We just don't do the work." That was encouraging. I don't want them to think this is an "us versus them" situation. I hope they will see that I am there as their teacher and advocate.

Though the classes were a little chatty today, we made it through the lesson and I gave them their phase averages. Both 5th grade classes responded well to Mr. B's reprimand. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, I still had students who didn't turn in any of the assignments. I went to each class to make sure students who completed the assignments could turn them in.

I graded papers in the teacher room until school let out. It is fun to pick up on pieces of the teachers' conversations. They love answering questions and I am always able to learn a lot. Talked to a few of my students on the way out. I took a taxi to the chicken man at the corner of our street, so we could have a chicken for dinner tonight. After I got home and had a bite to eat, I shredded the chicken to help Sarah make a recipe she picked out - chicken tetrazzini. It got really hot in the kitchen with the stove and oven on! Squeezed in some grading during the half hour before our team meeting. At 5pm, we ate a delicious meal together. Sarah's main dish was a hit. Lisa made sauteed vegetables and garlic bread. For dessert Mary made All-American Apple Pie! We had a good Skype call, albeit short due to a late start. We had a fun time together as a team, teasing each other and breathing a unified sigh of relief as we anticipate a weekend away. We leave for Erbil tomorrow after school ... looking forward to American Burger, shopping, a possible coffee shop trip, and a fun roadtrip together.

After the Skype call, I went home and graded more papers. Finished off the gradebooks and sent them to Mr. B with a grateful heart. I've been praying a lot this week that I wouldn't get bogged down with all the grading that comes at the end of the phase. God blessed the work and it wasn't nearly as tiresome or lengthy as I thought it would be.

As I close this entry, the mosquito count is over 30 in the last 24 hours!

Thursday, October 4th:
It was muggy this morning as we walked to school. Lisa joined us since it is one of her days to teach art. She told us about her lesson for the day and the art project she worked on to prepare. Then Mary mentioned how she had watched the lecture she is reading to her class today (the videos are part of her curriculum, but there aren't any TVs in the classrooms yet). It was amusing to think of a snapshot featuring our lesson planning methods ... Lisa bent over an art project, Mary scribbling notes as she watches a lecture, Sarah reading a book and writing notes in the margin, me with an open math book on my lap researching learning styles on the computer.

Since phase grades were due today, I told my kids they got to spend their period giving me a grade! They filled out a teacher evaluation, marking "always," "sometimes," or "never" for statements like "Miss Helen comes to class prepared," "Miss Helen uses good examples." They also answered questions like, "what could Miss Helen do differently in class to make it better?" Though some of the students didn't really understand the purpose and kept trying to find the "right" answer, most provided constructive feedback. Interestingly enough, the data trend followed my results from the multiple intelligences test. More math games, more jokes in class, more math songs (I sang "10 little monkeys jumping on the bed" as an example of a "some went away" problem) reflected their musical, kinetic learning styles. I asked the students to also tell me their favorite thing about my teaching, so I would make sure to keep that in mind while making changes based on their feedback. Some of my favorite comments: "your examples are cool, funny, smarty," "when you laugh," "she work hard a lot," "your sensitivity." One student even told me,"when you don't go through all the problems and you make sure we understand the lesson."

Feeling generous (or at least tired of grading), I wrote "Happy Thursday" on the board and didn't assign any homework for the weekend as long as they could stay focused on the teacher evaluation. They like the "dashes on the board" game, where each time they get noisy, I fill in a dash, which is one letter closer to spelling out the homework assignment. In my sixth grade classes, I added that they didn't have any homework since Miss Julie (their lit teacher last year) had her baby. The kids were really excited, "can we skip our math lesson and visit Miss Julie in America to see the baby?" :) 

 

My breaks were filled with excitement. I was exhausted by the time I got home. During one break, a teacher and student got into a fight. After the principal got involved and sent the student away, I had to keep him (one of my 6th graders) from going back in. It was pretty tense in the teacher room for awhile. During the next break, I went to Sarah's class to make sure she didn't need me to sit in and help with discipline. As I walked in the door, John was bent over a student that had passed out on the floor. While John took him to the nurse and Sarah got the class organized, I started administering the quiz for John's students. John came within a few minutes and I went to the nurses station to check on the student, Chris. After getting some more information from Chris, we realized that another student had hit him on the head with a textbook in a moment of anger. Interrupted Sarah's class to get the student and finally worked out the situation. It made for a long day!

I don't know if I've mentioned him before, but the man who runs the snack shack is someone I hope to remember from the school. He is the principal's son. I think he has a slight mental disability. The students will sometimes tease him about it, so I have tried to be extra friendly. When the students are throwing money in his face, demanding their daily quota of chips, candy, and soda, I stand at the window, reminding them to wait their turn and say, "Supas" or "Thank you." The "snack guy" is always very patient with the kids. He often tells me, "No miss. No money" when I try to buy a snack. He always has a smile on his face, even when he is running around the garden picking up the empty pop cans and candy wrappers. His enthusiastic and untiring servitude reminds me what I ought to be to the students as well.

I stayed until the end of school to grade papers, then talked with some of my kids as they headed for home. One of my students from last year came up to me (in front of all the parents and drivers, which is unusual for the boys) and gave me a HUGE hug. That was a great ending to my school week!

On the walk home, I picked up drinks and snacks for our road trip. All my things were packed, so Sarah and I visited as we waited for our ride. I loaded up the van with mixed feelings. Even though I wouldn't see my kids over the weekend anyway, I was sad to think I would be "leaving" them.

We picked up A, L and the kiddos around 3:30 and started our adventure to Erbil. As always, it was fun to be with the crew. We had snacks, shared stories and started a quote book. For the first time ever, I heard Mary complain about driving too SLOW! (The driving here is fast and at times hazardous. we almost got in an accident twice.) Anyway, just outside Erbil they have their city landfill. The smell was awful and enough to make all of us wish we could fly through that section of the road.

Once in Erbil, we drove straight to American Burger for dinner. it was delicious. Unfortunately, several of us had upset stomachs afterwards. Guess we're not used to greasy American food anymore. The SGI family (K, K and their two daughters) working at CSM in Erbil met us for dinner. Afterwards, we taxied to the house and got settled in.

September 27th and 28th: The ABC's (Akre, Birthdays, and Chicken ... Texas Chicken)

Thursday, September 27th:
This morning we walked to school and one of the first things Sarah said was, "It's COLD!" We had to laugh because it was probably in the 70s, but there was definitely a nice breeze that made it feel like Autumn was here (the students will correct us if we use "Fall" - "It's Autumn here, Miss").

My first class (5B) went pretty well. It seems to be the same repeat-offenders, who interrupt class with complaints, "He said bad words to me, Miss," "He kicked me, Miss," "Say to him, Miss." (Which means, "Tell him to stop bothering me.") This morning I borrowed a trick of Mary's and told my class that I wasn't their mother (I got a few giggles from that one) and shouldn't have to deal with their squabbles during class. If they wanted to tattle, they could save it for after class. After that, I tried to ignore them while the rest of us completed the lesson. I promised the class that if we made it through the chapter and the even-numbered problems, I wouldn't assign them any homework for the weekend. I put dashes on the board (like Hangman) to spell out "Lesson 19 odds"; each time they got too noisy, I put another letter up on the board. If I spelled out the entire assignment, then that would be their homework. As a whole, they did well and we only made it up to the first letter "d". :) After class, I pulled the four boys aside and told them that when I was little and I said "bad words," my mom would clean out my mouth with a bar of soap. I told them that I wouldn't wash out their mouths, but expected them to keep their mouths clean. They definitely understood the imagery (though they had obviously never heard of it before).

In my second class, I gave them the same promise of no homework if they could listen attentively. While completing the warm-up, they asked me for help with the problem-solving question which read, "For breakfast, lunch, and dinner Sam ate soup and eggs and ham, one for each meal, but not necessarily in that order. List all the possible arrangements of meals Sam could have eaten." I wrote out abbreviations for each meal and each food item, then began, "If Sam had soup for breakfast, what could he have eaten for lunch?" A long pause. "Miss, what is ham?" I about choked. It took me a few seconds to regain my composure. I finally said, "You don't eat that here. It's pig." And then moved on as quickly as possible, changing the entire problem to include rice, chicken, and dolma. It was hard to keep the lesson moving, but we made it through and they earned their no-homework assignment.

My two sixth grade classes went well and I didn't have to assign them homework either. My second sixth grade class can be really rowdy as I discovered when the teacher after me didn't come for her lesson. (She was at her brother's wedding). The curriculum coordinator came in to make a change to their schedule, and I offered to stay so that the students wouldn't disrupt the other classes. While they are good students in my class and follow my procedures, their 45 minutes with me was up as far as they were concerned, and they did not want to have to stay in the classroom. School ended at 1pm, so they were anxious to leave and go home. Eventually I let the quiet students go after answering a math question, and then there were six (boys). They went wild. Being stubborn can be a good thing at times, and I wore them down. In the end, they answered a math question and were allowed to leave. It was chaos for awhile though.

At 1pm, we had a teacher meeting. N translated for me since the principal led the meeting in Arabic. I couldn't help but take the meeting personally. The principal started by telling us that we didn't need to bring every little problem to him (i.e. my kids going to him so that he would resolve disputes between them), then told us that we should be forgiving and loving towards them (i.e. the other day, a student didn't bring his books. I told him that it was his responsibility to come prepared, but he could share with someone else for the day, as long as he paid attention and didn't use it as an excuse to talk. I moved on, turned around a few minutes later and he was talking. I sent him to the principal to say that he hadn't come prepared and wasn't going to listen in class. The principal sent back a note, "Please forgive him this once." My student was grinning ear-to-ear and all the other kids thought it was pretty sweet.) Sigh. The language barrier is a problem since I can't always communicate the issue effectively. Secondly, my kids know it is a problem and use it to their advantage. I left the meeting feeling discouraged and not sure how to "fix the problem." I realized almost as quickly that I was trying to cover my shame. The principal may have a poor, albeit false, opinion of me, but I must trust that God is the lifter of my head.

Sarah and I decided to go to Texas Chicken to celebrate the end of the work week. A teacher from school was gracious enough to give us a ride. It was fun to have a special treat, and I enjoy being with Sarah. There is always something new to discover that we have in common. For instance, we both have Navy dads, but who would have thought that both of us would grow up hearing, "Keep your head on a swivel." :) Go figure!

When we got home, I tried to process the events of the week. There have been several instances just in the last five days where I have been misrepresented and bothered/frustrated by it. I think it goes back to the lecture about greed, surprisingly enough. The lecture used money as the example, but the principle that money is where we place either our self-worth or our security is something I've been trying to apply to other areas. I think that my reputation and what others think of me is like money. I am greedy with it. And greed blinds us. It asks us to die in order to have what we treasure. When I know that someone else thinks poorly of me, I feel ... mortified (which comes from the Latin, to put to death, to deaden). Essentially, my feelings are a sacrifice that feeds my treasure. The lecture talks about "giving graciously." Am I willing to give graciously of my reputation? If my reputation doesn't define me, then what does? Second point in the lecture: Jesus is our treasure. Is He enough? The Sunday School answer is, "Of course." But do I really believe that? Jesus is the only treasure that gave Himself that I might have Him. I don't have to feel mortified. Instead of clinging to my reputation, I can rejoice in Jesus Christ. And then it hits me, "Delight in the Lord." I have so much to learn.

I Skyped with my family in the evening, then went to bed at 12am (a little later than I planned since we are leaving around 8am tomorrow...)

Friday, September 28th:
S, a teacher at our school, picked us up this morning at 8:15 (and he was right on the dot). We drove out to Akre (about 2 and half hours away), turned northwest, went over a mountain range and down into a valley. It was a wonderful picnic spot near a creek (a very large tour group from Erbil thought so too!) We played in the water. Then ate a huge lunch with S's family and celebrated his little cousin's fourth birthday.

Our picnic spot

Playing in the water (barda - cold)

S and his brother dunking their younger cousin in the water.

Sarah and I going barefoot. I love the laughter on Sarah's face!

Playing the ring game. One person hides the ring in one of his teammates hands. Everyone on the team holds out their fists and the other team has to guess who has the ring. If they ask you to open your hand ("tuug" in Arabic), and you have the ring, then you say, "Buut" and your team gets a point!

Our appetizers (broad beans, chickpeas, and olives)

S's cousin and sister, Sarah, and me

On the way home, we saw this rock and thought it might be a memorial or landmark of some kind. Nothing but graffiti, but it was fun to take pictures.

Looking back into the valley where we had our picnic

We got home around 5:30pm. As I walked in the door, my family was calling on Skype! Hannah and I planned a birthday surprise for Mom. Unbeknownst to her, Hannah was downstairs setting it up, and she had been banished upstairs. Seeing I was online, she decided to call me. We talked for awhile, then Grandpa brought her downstairs (and I got to come too!) I had planned on seeing pictures afterwards, but getting to be there was even better! There were 50 colorful balloons waiting for her and each one had a "reason to be thankful you're 50" attached to it. I got to sing "Happy Birthday" and watch as she read the first one. She read the others throughout the day. Grandma made a breakfast brunch, and even though I couldn't enjoy the food, I got to spend time with them and celebrate the moment.

Dad and I talked for over an hour. We had an encouraging discussion about the things God is teaching us right now. Dad is doing a lesson on contentment and grappling with what it means to "submit and take pleasure in the things God has appointed for us," even when that means injustices or afflictions. We talked about how that fits with delighting in God. Dad reminded me that when I face misrepresentation, I must give my burden to Him and take His yoke upon me. And then I realized, Jesus' yoke is easy and His burden is light. Why? Because it is Him! He is our treasure. As we give Him our burdens, He gives us Himself. This means that submission to the Father's will, love for the brethren, etc. are the result of striving for, delighting in Jesus Christ. Submission or contentment or selflessness are not the end in themselves; they come as we find our treasure in the Lord Jesus Christ.

After "eating" a bite of cake and "blowing out the candles" with Mom, we ended the birthday celebration at 8:30pm. Sarah and I went over to John and Mary's for movie and homemade donuts night. Yummy! Another late night as I fell into bed at 11:30.

September 19th and 20th: Teaching Musical Learners and Learning from Teachers

Wednesday, September 19th:
I compiled the Multiple Intelligences scores into an Excel spreadsheet (I can't help it, my dad is an accountant). The results were revealing. The majority in each class are musical and kinetic learners. The next highest is linguistic, which makes sense considering they all know several languages in a setting where storytelling and verbal communication are very important to their culture. The scores are much lower for spatial learning, which correlates with the low emphasis placed on art. Lastly, most of my students are very interpersonal, but not necessarily intrapersonal. While all of this ties to their cultural setting, I am realizing that it will not be an easy task to apply the information to my teaching style (or Saxon's). Praying for guidance as I strive to become a better teacher and for the strength to take up this challenge.

I had a quiet day with the kids. We actually worked through the entire lesson. I found myself using normal teacher methods to manage the classroom - calling on kids who were talking to answer the question, asking if their name was "Roj" when someone other than "Roj" answered the question ... all those things we remember our teachers doing to us (and being annoyed by).

After school, we took a taxi home. Sarah was kind enough to suggest it since I wasn't feeling well. I ate a bag of nuts at the break and immediately afterwards, my throat got really tight, and I felt tired and yucky. My last class was a little harder because I wasn't feeling well, but we made it through. The walk would have probably worn me out, but the taxi ride provided a little bit of rest. I took some vitamins and allergy medicine, then graded papers for awhile. Later, I looked up some math quotes for ideas to direct classroom discussion.

"Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas." Albert Einstein

"To all of us who hold the Christian belief that God is truth, anything that is true is a fact about God, and mathematics is a branch of theology." Hilda Phoebe Hudson

"Music is the pleasure the human mind experiences from counting without being aware that it is counting." Gottfried Leibniz

At 4:30, John, Mary, Henry, Sarah, and I left for Andy and Lisa's. We picked up some ice cream on the way for dessert. Lisa made Mexican, which made me VERY happy! We had Mexican chicken wraps with rice and beans on the side. For dessert, Sarah and I whipped up our own concoction - a combination of sopapillas and a dessert I've had at a Mexican restaurant. We put a scoop of ice cream in a piece of Lebanese flat bread, rolled it up, and drizzled honey and cinnamon on the top. It was actually really good!

After our Skype call, I wasn't feeling very well and neither was Mary (she is still fighting off the bug that has been going around their house.) We shared prayer requests and prayed with each other, then took a taxi home. I was in bed by 8:30pm, but had a hard time falling asleep...

Thursday, September 20th:
The Internet is finally working again! I had to uninstall everything and then we had to stop and buy another recharge card (5 days early) but everything seems to be working fine now. It is a blessing to have had Internet so consistently up until now. Last year it was more irregular. I definitely did not take it for granted the way I have this year.

During my break at school, it was confirmed - I made it on the Assyrian channel last night at 8pm. Some of the teachers told me this morning and reassured me that it would be repeated later :P

Despite my new-found celebrity status (I don't think my kids actually know), my classes went well. I gave them a quiz at the beginning of class. In my sixth grade classes, I read the questions aloud and told them I would only repeat each one three times. Thankfully, the kids were very attentive and I didn't have to stretch it to four. I really enjoyed my time in the classroom. Even though I still had to be firm, I realized their need to make noise and hum while they were working and didn't get as frustrated. The first class is doing a little better with being respectful and I've realized that pulling one boy out from the long break is more effective than a group of them. I had a good conversation with one boy today (the one who got in trouble two days ago) and hope to build individual relationships that will lead to better and better behavior (*etc.) While I was talking to him, one of my sixth graders (the one who was watching me so attentively and was a nightmare in all of his classes last year) came up to the student and said, "Why are you so bad for her when she is the best teacher?! How can you do that?!" I just stood there quietly and thanked the Lord for such a turnaround in this student. Everyone was warning me about him (and I had seen his disobedience at the soccer clinic). I prayed for him a lot before he was finally put in my class. I was concerned that he would be disgruntled after not passing the re-take (and he really did try his best on it), but God has blessed in ways I didn't expect. The younger students imitated his rebelliousness last year, so I am hopeful that he will have a positive influence with them this year.

Sarah and I stayed late to grade papers. I got to talk to some of my students as they waited for their drivers. We got home about 3pm. During our team debrief last night, I realized that the last few weeks have flown by. Without time to process recent events and a constant struggle to keep up with the needs of my students, I've been feeling behind and discouraged. After team meeting and again during devotions, I asked the Lord to help me make my time purposeful. This afternoon, He answered prayer. I was able to grade all of the quizzes and homework papers while listening to a lecture, write a couple emails, then spend time in prayer and afterwards journal for a little bit. The lecture looked at God as our intimate friend and challenged me to go to God expectantly. I was able to drop my feelings of inadequacy and felt much more refreshed and thankful after time with Him.

We have discovered Tangerine Fanta here and it actually tastes a lot different than Orange Fanta. It was a fun treat to have this afternoon.

At 7pm, Sarah and I met some of the other teachers at Zeri Park. My bershe (Helen) is leaving for Turkey at the end of the month, so I wanted to say goodbye to her before she left. She teared up when we greeted each other and there were some sad moments throughout the evening. I am thankful to know that we will meet again in eternity if not on this earth. At the park, we rode on a flight simulator, which looked like an airplane on the outside, but a roller coaster on the screen. It was a pretty bumpy ride! Afterwards, we ate some ice cream, walked around, and talked until about 8pm. All six of us piled into a taxi and went to the Assyrian hall for Dumballah! I came close to winning :) but in the end, just enjoyed being with friends. They tried to show me how to snap my index fingers together (it is something I've only seen here), and I learned some new Assyrian words. By 11pm, I thought I'd made it through the evening without drawing extra attention to myself. Then, I caught part of an announcement just as everyone at our table started squeezing my arm and giggling, "They are talking about you." I caught enough to know that they were introducing me as the Japanese girl from America whose cousin is Jackie Chan. Besides the announcement at the end, our time together was refreshing and encouraging. God has been good to provide friends who belong to a part of this culture and are willing to take me into their lives.

September 13th and 14th: An Adventure Marked by Tradition

Wednesday, September 12th (continued):
Just after my last post, I left for my first adventure to an Assyrian village (Anonayh in Assyrian and Kani Mase in Kurdish). My friend, N, invited me to stay there with her family to celebrate their religious holiday of the Exaltation of the Cross. We left around 6pm and arrived at her house around 8:30pm (of course this was driving extremely fast along hairpin turns - it probably would've taken me closer to four hours to get there.) We went over three mountain ranges to a village almost on the Turkish border. My friend asked me if I was afraid of the turns, and I told her my "village" was also between mountain ranges, so I was used to it!

It was dark when we arrived, but here is a picture of their house in the daylight:

The government built this house (above) for the family after the war, but N's father built the original house (below). The family uses the one above as their main house, but as all of N's family were in the village for the occasion, some of them slept here:

The village is located on the edges a valley. This is the mountain facing N's house and Turkey is just beyond.

Here's is the view of N's village from her house (to the Northwest). The church is located on the other side of the valley, where we walked to the next morning:

Looking to the Northeast, at the other end of the valley

As we got out of the car, the sound of crickets and the smell of fresh air were a welcoming experience. Such a difference from the city. I suppose it's true - you can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl. The first to greet us was N's mother (N's father passed away in 2006 after a series unsuccessful operations weakened his body). She doesn't speak any English, but is very friendly and took good care of me while I was there. In total, thirteen of us stayed at her house. She seemed to love all the excitement and flurry that seven adults, two teenagers and three kids can't fail to create. (And if you're adding that up, I didn't include "mom") :)

N and I freshened up, then a group of us walked down to the local hang-out (a small concrete building with a lean-to attached, fluorescent lighting, dirt floors and branches for the covering). This is the main location (apart from their Assyrian hall) where all the villagers go to talk, eat, drink, play cards, and folk dance. I met some of N's friends (most of them live in big cities, like Duhok, but come back to the village for special occasions and for the hot, summer months).

When we got back, I was exhausted and ready for bed. It was about 11pm and early by their standards. I was excused since it had been a long day at school and I hadn't "taken a rest" that afternoon. N's mom also prefers to go to bed early and wake up early, so we went off to the room that we shared with N and N's niece. There were no doors (except to the Eastern toilet and to the "shower" room, which didn't really have a shower, just a bucket to sponge bathe).

Thursday, September 13th:

Despite the laughter coming from the living room, I fell asleep immediately and woke up around 7am. No one else was awake, so I read and enjoyed the view from my window - the first time I had seen all the natural beauty of their village in daylight.

N woke up about 8:30. We ate a fried egg with bread for breakfast, then set off for the church. It was a beautiful walk, along a dirt path that went down into the valley and back up to the mountain on the other side. As we neared the church, the rhythmic prayers and liturgy grew louder and louder. The church, including the covered outdoor section, was crowded with people who had come from villages all around to celebrate the occasion. We stood behind a line of people at the gate, then moved to seats in the covered area as they filed in to take the Lord's Supper. People moved in and out of the church as we sat in our chairs, greeting relatives and friends.

This is just part of the outdoor seating:

I should have started counting at this point, but didn't think of it until later on. As people started to notice me, N was obliged to tell them where I came from, giving them my entire life history, and then explain that I was a teacher and that we worked together. She must have told the story a hundred times. :) As the crowds came and went, we eventually met up with N's mom, who had left earlier by car.

N's mom is sitting in the middle, to her right is her best friend and neighbor, to her left is her brother's wife:

N's sister and her son, N, N's sister-in-law, Helda, and me

(Funny story: the person taking the picture didn't notice me at first, then realized that I wasn't Assyrian as he was taking the picture.)

After we left the church, N took me past this natural spring; then to another church, where her father is buried.

Along the way, two men joined our group. I learned afterwards that they were with the Assyrian television channel (more on that later...)

On the bridge at the base of the valley. A river usually runs through here, but this year it was very dry.

The temperature was much cooler than Duhok and very pleasant. Around 3pm it would get warm and we would usually "take a rest." At night, it was nice to bundle up under the blankets ... it reminded me of my "village" in Oregon. As a gift, I had brought N's mother a picture book of Oregon and they enjoyed looking at the natural beauties of the Pacific Northwest. Just after the bridge, I saw another reminder of home - blackberries! I didn't even know they grew here. Smaller than ours, but very juicy.

We stopped at another spring that flows right along one of the homes. They greeted us warmly, then opened up their beautiful yard to us ... this is not uncommon. In such a small, rural place, everything belongs to everyone, even to the extent that N, her mother, and brother share a wardrobe! We stayed by the spring for a long time.

 The family served us fresh fruit from their orchard (grapes, apples, and peaches).

The gate between the spring and their yard:

It was a peaceful place to relax. I tried to soak in every detail - the hummingbird flying among the yellow daisies, branches overladen with fruit, green grass and blue skies. Truly "shtrana," which is Assyrian for "beautiful."

After we arrived home, we changed into our house clothes and ate some rice and chicken with dolma (the ladies waited in the living room until the men had finished, then ate ours.) We "took a rest" for almost two hours, then ate again when we woke up and had "chai" (or tea) with milk and sugar.

The sugar and powdered milk are added first.

Concentrated tea is poured until the glass is about half full. After that boiling water is added to dilute it. The bread has a sugar and milk filling (very dry, but one of the traditional foods they make during this holiday. N told me that even if they don't like it, they will bake it and eat it because it is the tradition. I couldn't help but think of Fiddler on the Roof!)

Tea finished, preparations began for the party. I had a complete makeover. N's sister-in-law worked in a beauty salon for awhile, so she did my hair and makeup. N brought one of her dresses for me to wear (and thanks to Andy and Lisa, I had high heels to wear - they found them at the house when they moved in. Assyrian style is very different from Kurdish standards, and I know they didn't want me to look unfashionable.

Before:

After:

N's sister, me (yes, that's me), N, and N's sister-in-law

We arrived at the party fashionably late. N's brother had to take three carloads to get everyone to the hall, and we were the last group to be taken. Practically everyone in the village, and some from neighboring villages, were already there! There were about 700 people in attendance. We sat at our table for a few minutes, but that didn't last long. As soon as the singing began, so did the dancing. The man holding the flag is the lead dancer. Two steps forward, two small steps to the side, one step back, pivot, two steps forward and one step back, pivot, repeat. The dancing line moves around the outside wall as everyone in the middle watches, takes pictures, and perhaps joins in.

N asks me if I'd like to try. I remember watching this dance (sheikhani) at the teacher picnic last year. We join the line and I pick up the steps fairly quickly. As we move around the room, cameras start flashing. Women cut in to dance next to me and their friend shuffles behind chairs to take a picture. Soon I notice the men from the Assyrian TV channel training their video camera in our direction. My fifteen minutes of fame! People are whispering and nudging their neighbors. Some of them know N and they ask her where I am from. All of them are amazed that I can dance and make sure to tell N that I am doing a good job. They tell me I am the first Japanese-looking American to visit their village. "This is a day in our history," someone says. "You should write your name somewhere and put the date!" Smile and stay with the rhythm, smile, and get back in step as someone else cuts in...

Eventually, I end up holding Helda so her mother can dance. It took me 24 hours to gain her confidence, but now she is sleeping soundly on my shoulder.

Pictures, pictures and more pictures. Men are asking for pictures now too (in Kurdish culture this would be shameful, but men and women interact differently among Assyrians. In Kurdish dancing, men and women don't stand next to each other, but among Assyrians they can intermingle. At one point in the party, there was actually slow dancing, waltzing, and Western "pop" dancing - this is the part where I managed to be holding Helda). N tells me that there is a Facebook page for their village and my pictures will probably be all over it. I remember now what it is that I don't like about parties. Though they are fun at first and the preparation is always exciting, there is always a mess afterwards. I wonder what kind of "mess" I will have to clean up this time.

We get home around 1am and I am exhausted. It was a fun night and I certainly enjoy their folk dancing. Just like at home, we sit down and tell "mom" everything about the evening. She enjoys hearing how much I was made over and tells me, "shtrana, shtrana."

Friday, September 14th:
"Mom" and I are the first ones up again. I join her on the porch and we share the view together. I point to God's creation and say, "shtrana, shtrana." She nods in agreement. Some time to pray and read before the house starts to become active - praying for opportunity to talk to N about the g___ and see how much she understands. N's sister and one of the families left last night after the party. And now N's brother and his wife are preparing to leave as well.

We stay in our house clothes for most of the day. N and I have a good conversation in the kitchen, an answer to prayer. It begins when I tell her that not all Americans are Christian. This comes as a surprise to her. I explain that they are looking for a savior from their circumstances, a god that will serve their desires. We talk about true faith, which stands apart from "being a good person." She mentions faith and love, and I bring up the third trait mentioned in the verse - hope. A hope that doesn't exist in moving to a better place, but a hope in eternal life. She opens up about her father's death and tells me that she believes that God allows all things to happen for a purpose, even when we don't understand. It is a profitable conversation that continues in parts throughout the day.

Around 4pm, N's brother goes into the village to buy ice cream. We eat it on the porch while enjoying the view.

After our evening chai, and when it is cooler, we prepare to go out for the evening. On our way to N's best friend's house (the next one down the road), she tells me that J was adopted. This is a shock as I've never heard of anyone who has been adopted here! Her mother could not have children, so her mother's sister told her that she could have her months-old baby. N told me that this was very uncommon, even between relatives. J did not find out until later, but realized that God had intended it for the best. She has met her aunt and uncle (who currently live in Sweden) and there is no connection between them - her parents are the ones who raised her. They are a very happy family; she, her husband, and their little daughter live with her parents in the village and they share another house in Duhok.

Me, J, and her baby, Mimi (short for Maryam)

Me, Mimi, and J's husband

We visited for a little while. J's father used to be an English professor, so he shared a funny story with me in English. Last night, at the party, the leg of his chair broke and he fell right in the middle of the room! We couldn't stop laughing as he recounted how all at once he was in the air and just as suddenly on the floor! All of us walked to N's house, where J's mother stayed with N's mother - they are best friends. We walked on to the hang-out at the end of the street. J and her husband had to go back and change Mimi's diaper, so N and I walked up and down on the road waiting for them to arrive. Over chips and soda, we visited in English (J's husband is studying English on his own, so he was happy for the practice). After a little while, we moved to another lean-to where they were folk dancing. The music was extremely loud and I am still partially deaf. We met up with some of N's other friends and joined in the dancing.

O, S (they are getting married and moving to Canada where her family lives), me, and N

It was so cold, I had to borrow a jacket from N! Enjoyed every minute of it as I know I won't be wearing a jacket in Duhok for a long time!

More attention and pictures ... by the end of the evening I was ready for the publicity to end. I had a fun time though with N and her friends. J and her family have invited me to their house in Duhok sometime, and it would be nice to see them again.

Saturday, September 15th (part one):
Didn't go to bed until 3am! Our ride arrived at 8am, so we were up by 7 to get ready. It was a beautiful drive home (though a little crowded with three of us in the back seat). It was dark when we drove through the first time. I was amazed by the beauty of the mountains and the Kabul river flowing between them.

During my three days in Anonayh, I picked up a lot (everything is relative...) of Assyrian. N told me I should come for the three months of summer and then I will be fluent! :) One last picture that made me happy and will remain as a fond memory: hand-washed clothes hanging on the line in the morning sun.

September 5th and 6th: The Purpose Ridden Life

Wednesday, September 5th:
About the last fifteen minutes of class, my first group (5B) started to get noisier and noisier. It reminded me of how rambunctious they were last year and I was thankful we haven't encountered any days like those yet. I passed out "No Homework" passes to two of the students to remind the class to hang in there through this first week of school.

The rest of the day flew by, merging into one big blur. Each class seems to be doing well. More and more students are working quietly when I walk into the classroom. My last class of the day became a bit talkative as well, so I handed out "No Homework" passes there too.

In the afternoon, after grading and a short nap, Sarah and I made fruit salad for tonight's team meal. We met at John and Mary's this week, which meant a much shorter walk for us! Mary made stromboli with veggies and alfredo sauce. Delicious! Lisa made brownies for dessert. Our Skype call with Dave and Lisa was very encouraging. They are thoughtful listeners, providing words of wisdom from their experiences and always pointing us to the One who can meet our needs.

During our team time, we read through John 11. At the end, I was struck by how much I am like Timothy. I have trouble thinking outside my line of reasoning. Jesus was taking them to Lazarus to show them a miracle and the only Timothy saw was death. Over the past two weeks, my focus diverts back to the how's and why's of God's plan. "Lord, this doesn't fit with my plan. So how does this work?" "Lord, I don't see the significance of being here, teaching math, managing a schedule that is too busy for time with my students. So why am I here?" My rebellious spirit refuses to see the miracle. Though I understand this with my mind, my heart can not believe. "Lord, how can I see the miracle?" ... "Delight in Me."

Afterwards, we shared our prayer requests and it was reassuring to know that I am not walking this path alone. The enemy is attacking each of us; while the arrows are shot from the same source, each is tipped with something personal that makes it more suitable to penetrate our individual armor. Thankful for a team that prays together.

The evening devotion seemed to read my thoughts. "Why am I so curious to know the reason of my Lord's providences, the motive of His actions, the design of His visitations? Shall I ever be able to clasp the sun in my fist, and hold the universe in my palm? yet these are as a drop of a bucket compared with the Lord my God. Let me not strive to understand the infinite, but spend my strength in love." -- Delight in the Lord.

Thursday, September 6th:
My first class was a little better today, but still got a little antsy by the end. Yesterday was the first day of solid material and I can tell it gets a little slow about half way through. I think I will need to find a way to "spice it up" in the middle of the lecture.

I got my next class started on their lesson, then at 9:30, I met Lisa (who was also teaching a class) at the copy shack so we could meet the guard and go to the residency office. Surprisingly, everyone and everything was ready to go and we were off within a few minutes. Lisa and I picked up Andy and the kids and texted John and Mary so they could meet us at the R.O.

The R.O. didn't take too long (relatively speaking). By noon we had been shuffled among three different rooms, the kids had nearly eaten all the snacks, and the adults were about ready for naps ... paperwork in hand we left the R.O., hoping to get our blood work out of the way as well. According to Kurdish custom, it probably would've waited until another day, but through a couple phone calls, we managed to load up in our vehicles and take a trip to the "blood bank" (it is really some sort of medical facility, but we've only ever gone to get our blood drawn. Because of that, I can't think of it without images of blood stains on the floor and bloody cotton balls coming to mind.) Anyway, we were in and out within a matter of minutes, well 15 to be exact! It was truly amazing! Sarah will have to wait two months, but we were glad that the families with children won't need to come back.

Went back to the school to sign some paperwork (and collect homework), then Sarah and I took a taxi to the secondhand appliances/dishware store. It was closed, but we went later in the evening when it was cooler and Sarah was able to find three neat mugs. For dinner, we shared a grilled chicken with John and Mary. We have noticed that there is a new trend here where they fillet the chicken and grill it over a wood fire. The restaurant at the corner of our street sells them, so I walked up and got one to-go. It was really flavorful and came with yummy bread!

This afternoon, (after I graded papers and took a little nap), I tried to sort through some of my thoughts. I am starting to realize that EVERYTHING is different from last year. My roles have changed (I am no longer the newbie, but the one responsible to know how to get around); my job has changed; the way I structure my time is different; even the teacher lounge at school is in a different room! One lesson I am learning is to delight in the Lord despite the circumstances. Secondly, all the things I might look to for comfort (which don't seem like much to begin with) are being stripped away. Again, the Lord is teaching me, "Delight ONLY in Him." And last, if I could just know why I am here ... what is my purpose? Timothy thought his purpose was to die. I am sure it was a long walk to Bethany for him. If only he had understood what Jesus intended to do. Timothy couldn't see beyond the physical, but he was about to witness a miracle that would show him the glory of God! Like Timothy, I strive for a purpose that is laid out in the physical. But God is directing me to walk in His light, letting go of my purposes that I might glory in Him! Is it possible that delighting in God will be enough? Not sure that I am ready to find out...

I was able to Skype with Mom, Caleb, Eithen, and Jaden. Mom told me that Eithen was listening to the book I had recorded for him just before we started Skyping. The book begins, "Do you know how much I miss you?" Eithen responded, "Yes ... sigh." At the end of the book, he got close to the speaker and whispered, "Can I come in there with you?" Pause. "Okay. Well I love you lots!" Apart from missing him even more, it made my heart happy to know that I am not forgotten.

August 30th and August 31st: Walking, One Step at a Time

Thursday, August 30th:
Walked to the school first thing for a meeting. No kids as the school day had been canceled. We got home by 10am and I was able to get a lot of lesson planning done. I took a nap in the afternoon and slept much longer than I had intended. In fact when I woke up, I realized that John and the maintenance man from our school were over, looking at Sarah's room to install the split (AC/heater unit that mounts on the wall). They went right to the market, bought one, and came back with a couple men for installation. In no time at all, Sarah had cool air in her room! That is a major accomplishment, especially as it was finished in one day. As they left, I went to my room to get something and saw that my family was calling me! We got to talk for a few minutes, but John, Mary, Sarah, and I had already made plans to go furniture shopping before dinner. We walked to the furniture store and Sarah was able to pick out a wardrobe, desk, nightstand, and we both got a desk chair! So many things accomplished in one day - AMAZING! We treated ourselves to dinner at the Turkish wrap restaurant (Tantuni), then walked home to meet Andy and Lisa for some ice cream. We were able to talk about some of the transitions with the school which have been difficult to decipher. For now, we are simply taking one step at a time and doing our jobs to the best of our ability.

Friday, August 31st:
Woke up at 6:20 this morning, threw a load of clothes in the wash before Skyping with my family. Eithen "woke up" when he heard me (he had just gone to bed), so we got to talk a little bit. Stephen showed me his new school clothes (always a fun time of year) and I got to talk to Dad and Mom for a little bit too. I still feel like I am floating through each day. Everything seems normal, but I'm not sure that I've fully adjusted. I am beginning to wonder if there will be some shock once I finally find my feet on the ground. Devotions have reminded me to lean upon Christ, that "all things are safe in Jehovah's hands; what we entrust to the Lord will be secure, both now and in that day of days towards which we are hastening." He knows how much I FEEL I have given up to be here and how much more I am afraid I will have to give up. My feelings are secure with Him. My spirit rests in the knowledge that God's will is always best, but the flesh continues to put up a fight.

Finished my lesson planning and worked on an art project for my room. I will post pictures when I am done. I am trying to make my room more personal this year, since I realized it was hard to come back here when it didn't feel like a home. Sarah has been a great encouragement and we've had fun putting the house together. We drew out our family trees and a timeline of our lives in the kitchen (picture coming). It was a fun bonding experience and a good visual aid showing how God has led us through the years.

In the afternoon we went over to John and Mary's for a break from school, then had Pizza Hot delivered (well, John went and picked it up!) :) It was better than I remembered, except for the olives which I took off and gave to John (an ongoing joke since he dislikes them as much as I do.) Thankfully Mary and Sarah like olives, so they get extra on their slices. :) We were hoping that since it was evening, things would be open again, so we ventured out to Mazi. Western Union wasn't open, which meant we couldn't get our wire, but we took a nice walk and then picked up some groceries at Mazi.

After all the lesson planning we've done, I've come to realize that this will be a busy year. I still don't feel mentally prepared, but I am trusting God to guide my footsteps and open my eyes to see all He is doing here. My desire, more than anything, is to have my heart turned in the right direction that it might align with His purposes.

May 23rd through 24th (Days 136-137): Time With Friends

May 23rd:
No school again today as the students are supposed to be "studying" for their final exams. In the morning Mary, Lisa, and I went to Dan and Julie's and helped clean out the house (a little, compared to everything that Dan and Julie have had to do). I cleaned off the windowsills, which get pretty dusty around here. I also killed a few spiders while I was at it! Mary and Lisa helped clean out the kitchen. When I got home, I ate some lunch, then took a nap. I've been feeling pretty exhausted (emotionally and physically) the last few days.

At 3pm, Julee and I went to the orphanage. They are all getting ready to go to their villages for the summer, so this was our last week with them. It was really hard for me to say goodbye to the girls. We didn't go to their bedroom as we normally would, but sat in the main room with all the older women looking on. I became the center of attention, so it was hard for me to talk to them. I wasn't sure what to say, and had to pray several times for the Lord to strengthen me and help me focus. One of the girls even commented that I looked unhappy. I tried to explain (and Julee helped translate) that I was just sad to say goodbye. As we left, the girls walked us to the door and we were able to be our usual selves. They told me not to be sad (which brought a smile to my face). I told them that, God willing, I would see them in three months.

Julee dropped me off at Andy and Lisa's. They had visitors, so I helped with Zephie a little. Lisa wanted me to come for dinner to "repay" me for subbing for Andy. Definitely no need to "repay" me, but I was happy to enjoy their company and a nice meal. After dinner, they walked me to Helen's house. (She is another art teacher at the school. We call each other "Bershe" because we share the same name with the same pronunciation!)

Helen, Nancy, Helen's sister, and I went to Dream City. We like to call it "Mini Mini Disneyland." Another teacher from school and her two sisters met us there. It was nice to hang out with all of them outside of school. We had a really fun time. Afterwards, we got an ice cream at Mazi and walked part of the way home. I was encouraged by our conversation. God is blessing me with many friendships. I trust He will grow them and make them fruitful.

May 24th:
A relaxed morning. It was nice not to be busy for a change. In the afternoon I ran some errands and then we went to dinner as a team. We went to a Greek restaurant called Athena. I had a sampler plate and it was super yummy! It was nice to have something different. The restaurant was really fancy (but I forgot to take pictures.)  :(

Afterwards we went to Andy and Lisa's for ice cream. Dan ended up making us a special treat - affogatos. Espresso over ice cream. How could dessert get any better? Enjoyed time sitting around and talking about the past year / five months. John put together a telescope and we went on the roof to look at the moon.

When we got home (around 10:30pm), the landlord wanted to come over and visit. It was my first time meeting him, his wife, and two daughters. They stayed until 11pm, which is not uncommon here. So glad I had that espresso! :)

May 17th through 18th (Days 130-131): Residency Office, Dream City, and Dinner with the Admin

May 17th:
The weather is definitely getting warmer! I've got some serious farmer tan-lines :)

Got to school and tried to find a teacher to take my classes in case the Residency Office took longer than expected. It was really sweet when one of my students came down to the teacher room looking for me, "Miss, aren't you coming to our class? We want to play BINGO!" (Usually they come down, hoping they won't find me so that they can go play in the garden.) We ended up going to the RO ten minutes into my class, so the kids didn't really get to finish their BINGO cards, but I'm glad they wanted to learn.

After talking to an official at the RO, they told us to send our rep on Monday. We'll see how it goes... Got back to the school and hung out with Andy and some of the other teachers in the break room. There is a new kids television program starting up in Duhok. The school's PE teacher has been offered a job with them to organize exercise programs for the kids. He and Andy talked about some ideas.

In the 12:15 session I had them play another review game. We divided into two teams. I picked two players to come up to the board. The first one to write the correct answer to an oral math problem got a point for their team. Halfway through the class, the curriculum coordinator brought me a piece of paper with the Semester 2 grades for all of their subjects. I had to read the grades out loud so the students could write them down. By the end, students from both fourth grade classes were in tears. Thankfully math scores weren't the issue since I have been giving them grade updates for the last three weeks!

At 1:45 I had my third grade art class as well as one of the second grade classes (I was substituting for another teacher). I combined them into one classroom, then had them write "Thank You's" to their favorite teacher. It was a little chaotic with 40+ kids in the same room, but by the end I had a stack of notes to hand out to teachers. The teachers were very appreciative.

Got engrossed in a conversation with a third grader as the kids were leaving and totally forgot to grab my keys from my locker. I didn't realize it until I got back to the apartment. Took a taxi back ... thankful that the guard noticed me and unlocked the main gate. Got to the door to the building and breathed another sigh of thankfulness as it swung open. Another praise when I found my keys hanging from the locker.

Lisa and I were planning to go to the market around 3:30pm anyway, so I just walked from the school and met her at the halfway point. We enjoyed a leisurely time shopping, then went back to her house so she could feed Zephie before we headed out to Dream City. John, Mary, Dan, Andy, Lisa and I met up with some of the seventh grade students at the amusement park that is part of the Mazi Empire. While we were waiting for more students to arrive, I saw some of my third and fourth graders having a picnic with their family. I got to visit with them for awhile. As I walked up to the playground, one of my third grade boys saw me, leaped off the toy structure, and running up to me, gave me a huge hug! That really made my day!

The other students finally arrived and we went into the park. (One of the boys had hit his eye on the door before coming and it looked awful! He said he would go to the doctor after Dream City ... Yikes!) Go-Cart racing between the boys, then a race between Andy, John, and Dan. We got something to eat, then Dan, Andy, Lisa, and Mary headed back home. John and I stayed with the kids and went on "Crazy Dance" - a spinning ride that was actually better than I thought. It definitely got my adrenaline rushing, which was fun and also a bit unusual... One of the girls had to leave and so did John, but I stayed so that the other girl student, "Haley" could stay a bit longer. We went on a few more rides, and then it was time to go. Haley called her driver and he picked us up. She had permission from her parents to hang out longer, so we went to Texas Chicken. I enjoyed getting to know her better. Hopefully we will hang out again before I go home.

May 18th:
Had a good morning at fellowship. We looked at Luke 8, which was encouraging as it points to 1. the Word of God as the instrument to 2. Faith. Enjoyed our time of fellowship. Came home and listened to Pastor John's sermon on "The Need to Reflect a Gospel Mind." Really encouraged as I have felt a lot of bombardment from the enemy. There are changes on the horizon for our team, which leaves lots of room for conflict to arise. It was good to be reminded that conflict is setting where the gospel can be exemplified... now to walk in His strength through the conflict.

Spent time journaling - wrote down the distractions of the enemy and then a portion of God's Word that refutes or squelches those distractions. Lastly, tried to write down promises that I can rest on, those daily portions of manna that He provides that I need to learn to be satisfied with.

Chatted with Stacy over some ice cream, then got ready to go to dinner. John, Mary and I taxied to Shendokah where we met up with the school administration for dinner. It was a nice time. I got to visit with the vice principal (which I haven't been able to do much since I arrived). His children were there (I teach his daughter in third grade) and I met his wife for the first time. It was a laid-back atmosphere and everyone was in good spirits. We left around 10 pm. The curriculum coordinator gave Dan, Julie, and I a ride home.