Unlucky kind of Luck

              We don’t have school today because of a Muslim holiday called Tabaski, so after we lost our handball tournament : ( I was able to watch ALL of game 2 last night! GOO giants!! Unfortunately, the power went off in the bottom of the 3^rd inning, and when the power goes off, the internet does too : ( BUT they were having a middle school all nighter at school, so we knew they would probably turn the generator on, so we walked over and finally got set up to watch it in the office : ) and we didn’t miss anything too important! But the internet connection was as good, so it kept pausing.  It was rare to see a full pitch, and sometimes somebody would get on base and we had no idea what was going to happen.  But the main thing is we won! 

            On our way back home we saw a HUGE rat scurrying across the street. I mean, this thing was the king kong of rats. Disgusting. But we made it home alive and I finally got to go to bed about 4 am.. I don’t even remember the last time I stayed up that late.  I slept in until 11! I looked at the clock and couldn’t even believe it.

            I decided to come to school and do some work, but I got on facebook first of course.  I saw a status update from another teacher here that said she won something from the grocery store.  They are giving away prizes to celebrate Tabaski.  The grand prize is a sheep, which they “sacrifice”… I’m not really sure what the holiday is all about though.  But, anyway, I saw that she had won a mug, which reminded me that I had two scratcher tickets that I had never scratched off because I knew I wasn’t going to win anything.  But, I decided to just check.. so I scratched the first one off and it said mouton.. which is THE GRAND PRIZE.  I couldn’t believe my eyes, so I scratched the next one off and it said tasse.. which is a cup.  I had no idea what to do.  I figured the store would be closed by now, but I decided I couldn’t pass up this opportunity so I went and checked with some friends to be sure I wasn’t crazy and they told me to go!  So Katie and I went to the store but it was closed.  There was a guard there who told us to come back tomorrow and maybe they would still have one. 

            There was also a lady there who tried to steal my water bottle and then tried to get in the back of the truck.  The guard said she was crazy.. and I believe it because she wouldn’t even let me shut the door!  People can be scary here.

            I truly sincerely hope they do have a sheep left for me.  I would drive it to the jungle and set it free.  Or at least I hope I can still win the mug!

            Anyway, I learned my lesson… never doubt the scratcher ticket.  I can’t believe how unlucky I am.. even when I get lucky and win something it’s too late to actually claim the prize.  

A Really Great Week!!

            I got a package from home this week and it could not have come at a more perfect time!  SO many great fall items and lots of yummy treats!  Half of my class.. so 5 kids.. had not even tried candy corn before!! How sad is that?  So, I shared it with them, but not before they did some candy corn division to earn it! : ) I got 3 of them hooked on it, but the other two said it was just okay! Crazy kids.. and by the way mom, the candy corn m&ms are SOOO YUMMY!  Thank you everyone for the package! It cured my homesickness for just a bit. : )

            Friday.. yesterday.. was the day of parent/teacher conferences!! They went well for the most part, and I am so thankful to have such supportive parents!  Harvest Fest was also yesterday and it was so fun!  Each high school class puts on a big event and this was the Senior class’s event.  They had a bunch of fun games and activities.. big inflatable bowling, sack races, “hay” rides (I would call it more of a “dust ride” though), karaoke, the balance beam thing where you knock people off, zip lining (only for kids) : (, bean bag toss, a jail, sponge throw, toilet flush (kind of like the opposite of a dunk tank, there is a toilet on the top and somebody sitting right under it.  A person throws a baseball at the target and if they hit it, the toilet “flushes” and dumps its water on the person sitting under it.. I wish I would have gotten a picture of it, I don’t know what I was thinking!!), square dancing, cake walk, and probably some others too! and lots of yummy food!  I had a BLT wrap, bacon is a precious item here, so it was a delightful treat!  And even prizes!

            So, the first thing I did of course was the cake walk.  We got a group of people together and decided to split the winnings.. that way we were guaranteed to win.  We made a mistake when we went inside to look at all the cakes, because by the time we did that, another group had already gone and they took the cake we wanted!!! It looked SO GOOD. Chocolate ganache : ( but we got some chocolate cupcakes instead, and they were good too! And easier to split up between us.  Then, some boys came up to me and said “Are you Miss Fisher?” and I said “nope” because I KNEW they were going to take me to jail.  And they grabbed my arms and took me anyway!! Can you even believe it? Throwing teachers in jail.. rude.  I guess I should explain this whole jail thing.. you can pay to have anybody you want thrown in jail.  Unless you are in 1^st grade and your teacher tells you that you aren’t allowed to put your teacher in jail… but, 4^th graders don’t believe that!  So then they come and take you.  Some people put up a big fight.. but I decided I just wasn’t going to win.  So I paid my 5 minute sentence, and all my students got their jollies.  At least I got it over with early, right? Not.. more to come!

            After getting out of jail, I went and played a few games and then ate my BLT wrap and pasta salad.   As I was eating, the boys came back and said “I’m sorry, Miss Fisher, we are taking you to jail again.” Luckily, I was sitting with some smart ladies who told them about real life meal reprieves or something.. so they told me I could come after I ate. Phew.  Well, by the time I got there, somebody else had given me even MORE jail time.. so I had to stay in for 10 minutes that time.  And there were a lot of unruly prisoners that time, kicking up sand and making me cranky.. not really, but I was a little annoyed.  And all I could think about was when one of my students came to school with a note from her mom that said she had worms in her feet from running around in the dust.  They had originally thought they were mosquito bites, but she had to start taking medicine to get rid of the words.  I could just feel the worms crawling around in my feet.  As I watched this tiny 1^st grader slip through the jail bars, I wished I had not eaten that piece of apple pie at lunch… but it was so yummy and it was to celebrate a birthday, so it would have been wrong of me not to.  Anyway, I finally got out, and had a yummy blizzard!!  You are probably getting pretty jealous of this event by now! : )
            I did the cake walk with a different group.. this time we had our eyes on a pumpkin cake.. and by the time we won, the group before us was walking out of the office with our cake! so we were stuck with the very last cake.. an upside down apricot cake.  I'm sure it will be delicious?

            Then we did the sack races, got our faces painted, watched some square dancing, went on the dust ride.. it totally reminded me of something we would do at camp! They took a quad and hooked up a trailer to it.. put some mats down on the trailer and then just went around and around on the field! Super fun, but I couldn’t smile or laugh or talk because then I would swallow so much dirt! Then we got some super cool slap bracelets with our tickets from the game and some yummy snowcones and then it was time for square dancing!  Let me just tell you, we were the best square of dancers on the dance floor.  Not really.. we were fine when it was the basic square dancing.. but then they tried to add all the grand allemandes and that’s when we got messed up.  It probably had to do with the fact that we were all girls, so we were getting confused about the man’s part and woman’s part.  Even with our mustaches, we couldn’t quite get into character.  And I was partners with another mustache, so we were two girls confused as men, and it just wasn’t working out.. but I bet we had the most fun out of all the squares of dancers, so that’s what counts!  Then I had to go pay my time in the sponge throw and they were letting people throw sponges at me without even paying! Rude! Oh well.. then this little boy stands 6 inches from me and throws the sponge at me.. and picks it up and puts it right in my mouth right when I was about to call him a “dirty rotten cheater”.  He washed my mouth out before I even had the chance to chew him out!  But then, he decided he wanted to see what it was like, so I got out of the rest of my shift.. most of the kids had gone home by that point anyway.. next time I will sign up for the first shift when the water and sponges are still somewhat clean.

            Then, I went home and took a 3 hour nap and woke up to watch my giants, and I got to see Lance mess the whole game up and I couldn’t be more proud of Zito bunting that run in!! I thought with two outs, they were just going to have to be happy with 3 runs, but he did it! Yay!! So good!           

The Little Things...

            About a week ago, during read aloud time, 2 of my students were having some issues deciding where the territory line was on their desks.  As they were fighting over whose property was whose, I had one of them move to the back of the room and continued reading.  I didn’t think it was a big deal, but then the other one starts crying!  So I send him outside to collect himself.  I read for about 5 more minutes and then it was time for Chapel.  We take our backpacks to the shelter before going to Chapel, because school is over right after Chapel.  So, on the way to the shelter, I had a conversation with the boy who was crying.  He said “Can I stay here?” and I said “no, we need to all stay together!”  I have to admit I was a little annoyed that he was making this a WAY huger deal than it should have been.  So he says “I just can’t go to chapel.. my arm hurts.”  And shows me this TINY little pink mark. Sigh.

            So, I told him to go to the office to see if they could do anything for him (I feel bad for the office people most of the time… but for some reason students feel better when they go to the office even if nothing can be done, they just feel like they are being validated.. so whatever)  anyway, I told him to get some ice or whatever and then join us in chapel. 

            Well, he decided to call his mom using his cell phone.. and she comes to the school furious and talks to the principal.. and I was a little bit afraid I was going to get fired, but really, how bad would that be? Then I would get to go home! Okay, just kidding.  I didn’t ACTUALLY think I would be fired, but I was scared.

            So, I was feeling VERY nervous for this student’s parent/teacher conference because I didn’t know if mom would still be angry about the situation.. but then today this student was absent and his mom came to get some work for him and she was so nice and friendly with no hint of bitterness!

            Praising God for the little things he does to remind us that HE is in control! : )

2 for the price of 1!

I wrote this yesterday, but it wouldn't let me post so here it is on saturday!

 

“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” –Galatians 1:10

            I was reading last night and came across this familiar verse.   I was convicted because I HAVE been trying to please “man”… my students, their parents, the principal, the other teachers… the list goes on.  Just about every lesson I have done has made me wonder “will the kids like me for this lesson, or do I need to make it more fun?” rather than wondering “Is this lesson going to glorify God, and is this what He wants these kids to learn?”

            Ultimately, I just need to remember that the reason I even came here in the first place was to serve God, not to make the kids like me!  Please be praying with me that I will be able to get out of the way and let God work through me! : )

            Parent/teacher conferences are coming up next week and I am both excited and nervous!  Excited because we get a half day of school.. nervous because I have to talk to parents for 15 minutes each!  But the parents are all really great, so I don’t think it will be bad at all!  I just have this fear in the back of my mind that one of them will say “why do you do __________ this way?” but there I go trying to please man again…

            This week has gone by super fast and I can’t believe it is already Friday!   We had “Best Buds” today where a high school student and an elementary student are paired up and they eat lunch together once a month.   They make hotdogs, so I got to have a very American lunch today.. a hotdog, cheez-its and a Capri-sun!! yummy! So good.

            Also, check out the school newspaper! http://www.dakar-academy.org/publications/newspapers/01%20Lions%20Eyes%202012-2013.pdf There is an article about me on page 4.  The day they came in to take pictures of me I was trying so hard not to fall asleep while I was reading!  That week was a sleepy week for me!

And now for my Saturday, so far...

           I drove for the first time ever here today!  I remember thinking “I will never drive on these crazy roads..” but “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!”  : ) I only went to my favorite grocery store and back… and on Saturdays the traffic isn’t very bad.  So, it was a good way to start!  The truck had NO power steering, so I definitely got my workout for the day!  I will be happy when I can drive in a regular car on regular streets again.. although I may be a more aggressive driver when I get back.  Who knows...

A Chocolate Syrup Weekend

            On Friday, the Sophomore class had their fundraiser… Superhero Movie Night!  People dressed up as superheroes (I couldn’t get anything together, sadly.. but I think other people’s costumes made up for my lack of one!), they served bacon cheeseburgers and some yummy deserts and then showed The Incredibles and The Avengers.  I really wanted to be able to stay awake until the Avengers came on, but I just couldn’t make it.. so I went home about 10 minutes into The Incredibles.  I am getting too old for this! 

            On Saturday I went to a fancy grocery store with 2 floors… and also… THE AMERICAN STORE!!!!! It was an amazing little touch of home.  They have peanut butter, cereal, candy, granola bars, BROWN SUGAR, and my pride and joy of the day… HERSHEYS CHOCOLATE SYRUP! For 7 dollars!  But compared to the Tide detergent for (if I remember correctly) $36, it seemed like a pretty good idea to me!  I decided it was worth it so that I could disguise my powdered milk.. and oh boy, it WAS worth it.  So many possibilities.  Although, I may have gotten a little TOO excited about it.. I don’t recommend mixing chocolate syrup with yogurt.  I will just stick with the chocolate milk from now on.  and maybe ice cream.  I also got some sour patch kids, reeses, peanut butter crackers, and fla-vor-ice (to help me remember camp!)  these flavorices were regular sized ones though, not the huge ones! But still delicious, I’m sure!

            At the fancy grocery store, I got some dried mangoes, which have almost made up for the fact that mango season was MUCH too short.   And… soy milk! I think between the chocolate syrup and my soy milk, powdered milk will no longer be a thorn in my flesh!  Okay, so it’s not really that bad, but I really miss REAL milk and that’s one of the things I won’t be able to bring back at Christmas time!

            I drank some delightful chocolate milk right when I got home and just couldn’t wipe the smile (or the chocolate mustache) off my face for the rest of the day.

            Then, it was time for Oktoberfest!  Yup, they have it here in Dakar, but it’s probably not quite what you would think!  They had a voting booth set up so I got to vote, and even got an “I voted” sticker! Woo hoo!  And they had delicious BBQ chicken… with garlic potatoes and pita bread and garlic mayonnaise.. Lebanese food.. yum!

            After my tummy was full, they played The Avengers on a blow up screen under the stars!  Don’t know why The Avengers was the movie of the weekend, but I didn’t miss it this time around!  When the movie FINALLY ended, we got in the truck to go home and had to stop to get gas (my first ever time at a gas station in Africa, woo hoo!)  and then we were going to drive right by Mamma Mia (a really yummy ice cream place) so we had to stop and get some of course! 

            So obviously, Saturday was a good day!! Chocolate syrup AND ice cream.

            We are ALMOST half way through October (the hottest month of the year here) now.. although I have to say it seems like it has been less humid.  Whenever I tell that to someone here, though, they just look at me like I’m crazy.. so I don’t know what it is.  Maybe it is because I’m used to the heat, but not the humidity so when its “only” 80 degrees with 70% humidity, I only notice the humidity, but when its 90 degrees with 80% humidity, I know how to handle it.. but that just doesn’t make sense.  Anyway, I have been surviving October so far, and  I am looking forward to some cooler weather in the near future! : )
            I was informed yesterday that I will be home in 75 days, which means today its 74 days! That’s nothing!

            I am ready for next weekend already!