EyesWideOpen: Field Trip Week

My brain is not functioning at optimal capacity, so I will spare you my deep or convoluted thoughts.

The past week’s “glory be” moments:

Drawing a mural and painting with my boys, interacting with and hearing a group of orphans sing to Jesus, and being blessed by the women who work there and the good food at Help A Child Home in hot hot (“It’s boiling, Miss!”) Madurai last Monday and Tuesday.

Other highlight moments of the field trip—teeth brushing party, bucket shower, killing massive beetles (sorry to my Buddhist friends), reading Esther with the girls and giving the boys piggy backs, sleepover at Peniel school (we had to stop and check where we were on our way there the first night—oops!)

Traipsing through the city with the whole group (including Mr. Benjie and Miss Pearlin and I) and discussing culture and religion after seeing Meenakshi temple from the top of a museum. The kids’ excitement over sweets and my joy in finding gum and cranberry almond crunch. ; )

Refreshing and staying at the Lamberts’ with real food, real people, really intense coloring endeavors, morning runs around the lake in the sunshine and spending time with Jesus. The Little Engine That Could

Mini-hike to Bear Shola to pick up trash with the fabulous third, fourth, and fifth graders and their teachers. Working at school, staying out later on the weekend like other people do ; ) surprise return of my roommate. Coffee run with Janice. “Adventures in Kodai” with Sandhya –paddle boating in the pouring rain, fording streams, buying kodai snacks and having almond drink while we watched Tangled. Bison-stalking with Midori. Sleepover and failure “to light a fire” with Sarah and babysitting together on Sunday—dancing and playing etc.

Surprise visit for dinner by friends and making something that resembled food by boiling something that’s supposed to be a fried snack. Baha. Sticky goop + good sauce with a form of garlic bread and okra= an ok meal.

On the whole, came into the week somehow still exhausted, behind, and discouraged, so my body’s trying to tell me to slow down or peace out or something, but I’m still nananana-ing and pushing forward. Stupid? Stubborn? Maybe. Necessary? Perseverance? That too.

My students are hilarious and bright when they want to be. I am discouraged when they disengage and I feel like I fail them or don’t have things planned as well as I would like or don’t execute and tap their brains to challenge or grow them… Little moments of shared, knowing smiles and conversations with colleagues are helpful. Students are fickle like I am. Our moods sometimes mirror each other, so I’m learning how to offer respect and responsibility and invite them to the same. The grade 5-ers encourage me when they engage and work hard at readings that are within their reach and are excited to share real-life connections or get worked up over a game or making sure I approve of their answers. They love doing the victory chant, and what used to be a punishment or re-focus--practicing staying quiet is now a challenge they ask for. I wish I could give them all the attention and differentiation they need, but they also have to meet me somewhere! Able to use the world series to challenge my high math student : ]

Still working the basketball girls—they’re great; they are intimidated by me, apparently. Not sure what to think about that yet, but I can at least push them to keep getting better, sometimes literally pushing them. : ) Tournament is coming soon!

Midori leaves in just a couple weeks, so my Minnesota friend will be gone. : (

Seeking solitude, truth, peace in the love of God through Christ Jesus our Lord in the power of the Spirit this week. Praying for all of God’s people around the world and for many of you in my other homes!

Walk it out.