Decisions

So far in 2012, I’ve decided/noticed….

• all ants must die.
• I love people in places all over the world, and more than ever I realize that Heaven is home.
• I pray more now than I ever have in my life.
• to get a motorbike! Well, it’s really a scooter, but most people just call it a motorbike here. It’s exhilarating! Just today I rode the furthest I ever have ridden: from the western side of Surabaya to the east.   In a land where there are not very many traffic laws I’m learning how to be aggressive and defensive at the same time.
• to get reunited with chili peppers. Though chili and I took a break for a while, we got back together. I put chili, sambal, on almost everything now. I even made macaroni and cheese last week, and realized halfway through my meal that I couldn’t eat another bite without sambal. Maybe I’m more Indonesian than I realize?
• that my housemates, Stan and Helen have been the best surrogate parents for me here that I could ask for. Everything from a homemade meal, to cheesy jokes, to life advice/counsel/opinions, this couple has made my stay in Surabaya so wonderful. I’m blessed to know them and so thankful to their family in Canada for letting me borrow them for this year.
• common sense is not common.
• rice and noodles are staples in my diet.
• to come back to Idaho to teach for this upcoming school year. The emotions that come with typing that out and posting this on my blog are indescribable. I have become comfortable with my life, my job, my friendships, my church, the food, (etc. . .) in Surabaya, and I will miss it so very deeply.  I also deeply feel as if my time overseas is not complete, but for many reasons, I feel at peace about coming back to Idaho and returning to my job as a second grade teacher.  Right now, my plan is to fly to Idaho in June for a dear friend’s wedding, and then return to Indonesia to finish out my contract through the end of July.  I’m already trying to figure out how to incorporate my love for Indonesia into my classroom. I think it can be done.
• that whoever thinks long distance relationships are easy is out of their mind. I miss Tony.

Teaching

I work at a school called English for Excellence (EfeX). It is a private after-school English center. It is run by two of the most caring and compassionate people I have ever met, Dave and Ani. I have really enjoyed getting to know them and working for them over the past couple of weeks.  Ani is a very passionate advocate for people, which is great when it comes to education. She pushes for the best use of instructional time and practices. Dave is just as passionate about relating with students and finding new and effective ways to help them learn. They are quite the dynamic duo.  They have been so gracious in taking the time to coach me and teach me how to teach the curriculum.  

EfeX has classrooms at the center where students come after school for either an hour, or an hour and fifteen minutes, depending on their level. Most students receive English instruction at their regular school, so coming to EfeX is like getting a step…. Or 10 steps ahead.  There are currently 60 students on the waiting list to get into classes at EfeX. There simply aren’t enough qualified teachers to accommodate all of the students.  

They actually had me observing classes within 24 hours of arriving and then teaching 2 days later!  For this term, I’m teaching an upper elementary class, a middle school class, and a high school writing class. I meet with each group twice a week. It’s a neat challenge to plan for various levels of classes. I do, however, having about 1 hour of planning time for every hour of teaching.  

EfeX also contracts out to regular schools. One school, Xin Zhong, is a Chinese school. I teach kindergarteners there 4 mornings a week, Monday-Thursday. I work with them for three hours on basic phonics and reading simple 3 and 4 letter words.  It’s very entertaining to spend time with these little kids. They’re so cute!  Most of them have never seen a bule before (See last blog post!) and want to touch my hair and my hands. 

This is the center after my class yesterday. My students were confused as to why I was taking a picture.