I know I am not a mind-reader but your inner thoughts might be saying something like this, "Isn't she a Christian? She talks about all these random stories but never about going to church!" My inner-thoughts, "Why haven't I blogged about church yet?" I am glad we are on the same wave link on this topic so now you will hear about church in Ghana.
How do you get to church? At home, I walked at school or drove my car frantically because I was usually running late. At real home, I drove in the car with my parents and walked in to greet everyone.
In Ghana; we take a taxi and barder with him until he gives us the price we want. We then walk into a crowded room with mostly Ghanaians dressed in their Sunday best. The dresses are simply beautiful and worth coming to church to see but don't worry that is not the reason I go! Yes, church in Ghana is definitely different as they are for the majority more charismatic than Americans but a lot of the time they are just overfilled with joy and praising God's name with all of their being(literally!) It is hard to find a church to call home after having the most Godly people at IBC and UCC, I mean nothing can come close! but I think it is important for me to realize that change is okay also. I might not get to know the people as well, and I might not understand every word the preacher said(especially when everyone is laughing about a joke and you miss the punch line!) but they are still worshipping the almight Maker; my Father and Savior. I am glad that not everyone worships in the same way, I think God is thankful for the variety, but it truly makes the church universal to see the Ghanaians worshipping God in the way they know best as likewise with Americans. I think it is important for me to be submersed in the Ghanaian culture by being with the local believers because it is the only way I will understand them and get to know them on a more personal level.
I must admit that I have been to four different church in four weeks so not a good start to building relationship with a local church. I was always told at Taylor not to church hop but I promise that I will be picking one soon. Before I do pick one, I would like to describe the church we attended today which was on the campus of Accra University(bigger than Taylor!)
Today, we got to see it all; Sunday School graduation and baptism. All of the graduates(high school age) said a verse and then received a Bible for the completion of the program. After this part, the leader of the Sunday School talked and then said publicly that some of the students did not fulfill the requirements of the program as they only attended 8 meetings while others attended 28. She went on to say that this wasn't right and that there would be remedial programs for the students to catch up on so they will know the Bible better like their peers. At first I was taken back by her boldness but then I saw the truth in that statement. This is a body of believers, if we can't be honest with each other there, where can we be honest at? In America, we would never say anything to offend anyone, usually attending 8 meetings would get you a golden star, but here they see the importance of being in the word and they are not afraid to call people out on it. How differently would the church look in America if we weren't afraid to speak more of the truth without being afraid of offending others. I am not saying to just speak our mind but to speak the truth through love and the Lord's stirring. Reading and studying the Bible should be a priority and we shouldn't put it in the backseat for later.(speaking to myself on this one.) Although I might not be totally satisfied with a church body yet, I have been learning how joyful I can be in the presence of the Lord no matter where I may find myself. God is present in Ghana, in America, and throughout the World. My prayer for you is that wherever you are, may God stir in your heart so you praise Him with all your being and utter sweet words of Truth.
Thank you again for all of you who read my blog. I would love to hear from you through e-mail so I know how I can pray for you. Please keep me posted with your life as I truly want to be a part of all of yours. Week 2 of teaching here I come!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
55 kids at my house!
Here is my classroom on the first day of school after the students left. Don't look too closely at me because you might see me frazzled! Just kidding, it was a great day and I am going for week #2. I can't wait! 
I forgot to write about my Tuesday night but please read the rest below about the past week. On Tuesday, the house has a kids club where children from the neighborhood come to sing songs, play games, here a bible story, and get a snack and water. There was 55 kids which was more than they ever had before. Praise the Lord but we had to scrounge around for more snacks. I love interacting with the local kids since I am with international students all day and we have a gate around our house. Pray that these children will know the Lord closer and pray for their safety on the streets.
Someone Pinch Me!
Quickly, pinch me, I have to be dreaming because this dream is too good to be true. You see, in this dream, I wake up every morning, walk down a dirt street with people yelling Oh Brunei(white person), walk across a wooden plank with the sewer right underneat it, and come to AIS where I have my own classroom and my own students.
Wait a minute, you don't have to pinch me because this indeed is reality. Most days it does feel like a dream because I have worked towards receiving a teaching degree and to actually have my own classroom for so long and that day is finally here. After a week of teaching, I can still say that I love reaching out to my students each day as it is not just a job to me but a passion and a way to serve my Lord and Savior. I will try to recap the week as best as I can. It has been a whirlwind!
Was I nervous on the first day? I actually was very calm, I know God gave that to me because that is normally not me! I brought in the students and helped them put their school supplies away while they colored bookmarks. They were very quiet until one student asked, "Are you going to tell us your name?" I was going to wait for a formal introduction after the bookmarks but I should have said my name right away. I pronounced my name and broke it down in syllables for them so after a week they are now getting better at saying it. At first, some of them wanted to call me Miss S. or even by my first name!(happened to my sister also) However, I told them that they will call me Miss Sopcisak out of respect. Respect is an issue we are still trying to handle in the room but we will get there. I believe that it is my job to teach academics but also to teach life skills and morals. The rest of the day went well and I wasn't even too tired by the end of it! I always have a lot of work to do after school especially picking up my room since I find paper everywhere.
Disclaimer real quick: If anything I describe doesn't portray the best teaching practices, I apologize as I am trying my best. However, please don't blame my professors at college because they did model great teaching strategies.
Anways, day 2. I forgot a little bit about still reminding them all about the routines and helping them practice them. I then got them back on track with this which helped. I love teaching because it is a constant thinking game. You can never stop processing what is going on or you will lose control. I have one boy who just moved here from the states. He struggled on Monday at the end of the day and on Tuesday, his feelings showed right away in the morning. I took him in the hallway and talked to him and told him how we can make it through together as I am new also. He has such a great faith in God so I told him that and then explained to him that he is here for a purpose in this class. Some of the kids in class don't know the Lord so this boy has the opportunity to share his faith in God with others. I can't tell you exactly all I said but it was definitely not me speaking to him as it was God using me to comfort him. It was an amazing moment and helped me realize that I need to take every opporunity to show God's love to these children especially ones who are adjusting to the new culture. I then prayed for the boy and we returned back to class to start the day.
I have some who will test my patience but the director is very supportive and I am learning how to love on these students while setting limits. Since this is public, I cannot talk too much about my students but I do want to continue to share joy spots in my teaching.
Wednesday was amazing because it was chapel day! I was almost in tears watching the students sing praises to God through song(even the shark song, one of my favorites!). This made me see how universal God's church is as these children do come from very different backgrounds. Not all of the students are Christians so please pray that they can see Christ through the teachers and other students so they will feel God's love in action.
Bible time is a joy each day as I have a chance to share about Christ with my students. To be honest, I never saw myelf teaching in a Christian school because Christ needs to be in public schools. However, at this school, not everyone is a Christian as we have all religions represented. I can bring up God whenever I can although I don't want to overdo it. The kids have just great questions and I want to answer them because you never know what the Lord says through me to help the students see Christ.
I can't believe but I have actually survived a week. God is definitely good and I am going back for week two! I can already see the students improving with routines and listening to my directions. Friday, we made flowers out cookies, marshmallows, sticks, plantain chips, and bugles. Try to pick out which ingredient was used for what. Okay, I had to be a little creative here but the kids are adaptable. I then made them label the parts of a flower and write the use of each one. Some of them told me that last year when they made sheep out of marshmallows they didn't have to write about them but I made sure they knew that this was second grade and they are big kids who can write more. Oh, there is never a dull moment! Sorry this isn't the best blog but I had to write a lot this week. I promise they will be better and more often.
One last thing, yesterday night we were invited to a family's house for dinner. Please don't think ahead of me because you don't understand. All of the staff members and faculty members were invited so when we drove into the gate, we saw two blue and white tents set up in their court yard. Their were long tables set up in a square formation that could seat 60 people. The tables were emaculently set with more utensils than I needed and nice comfortable chairs. The food was catered from a Chinese Restaurant and was of course superbe. Now one rule you learn to follow hear is when you are offered free delicious food, you never turn it down and you take more than you should because you never know when you will have free delicious food again. It is a good rule of thumb to follow and has worked well so far. Anyways, they also had a videographer and a photographer during the entire event along with a DJ playing great Christian music. If you are going to throw a party you might as well throw a party! The couple talked on the microphone and told about how they did not have much growing up so now that they do own a company with 2500 workers, they thank God for the opportunity to treat people well and share His message. They told us that it isnt enough to just pay their dues to the school and send their children to AIS but they want to reach out to the teachers to let them know how appreciative they are of our services. What an amazing family! It made me realize that my job at AIS is important becauswe I never know who I will be impacting. I have never been to a party quite like that but again this be Ghana! Again, sorry for the kind of lame blog. I promise they will be better in the future.
Thank you for all of you who are reading my blogs, it helps me be motivated to write them . Thank you also to those who have given financially to AIS and myself. I will be sending an e-mail hopefully soon with an update just in case you don't check the blog but I guess you won't know that unless you check the blog. Also thank you for the prayers and thoughts, l couldn't be here without you all! Thank you also to all of my professors becaue I would probably be pulling out my hair without your guidance. I will keep you posted of week 2! Enjoy the weekend and what the Lord has given us!
Wait a minute, you don't have to pinch me because this indeed is reality. Most days it does feel like a dream because I have worked towards receiving a teaching degree and to actually have my own classroom for so long and that day is finally here. After a week of teaching, I can still say that I love reaching out to my students each day as it is not just a job to me but a passion and a way to serve my Lord and Savior. I will try to recap the week as best as I can. It has been a whirlwind!
Was I nervous on the first day? I actually was very calm, I know God gave that to me because that is normally not me! I brought in the students and helped them put their school supplies away while they colored bookmarks. They were very quiet until one student asked, "Are you going to tell us your name?" I was going to wait for a formal introduction after the bookmarks but I should have said my name right away. I pronounced my name and broke it down in syllables for them so after a week they are now getting better at saying it. At first, some of them wanted to call me Miss S. or even by my first name!(happened to my sister also) However, I told them that they will call me Miss Sopcisak out of respect. Respect is an issue we are still trying to handle in the room but we will get there. I believe that it is my job to teach academics but also to teach life skills and morals. The rest of the day went well and I wasn't even too tired by the end of it! I always have a lot of work to do after school especially picking up my room since I find paper everywhere.
Disclaimer real quick: If anything I describe doesn't portray the best teaching practices, I apologize as I am trying my best. However, please don't blame my professors at college because they did model great teaching strategies.
Anways, day 2. I forgot a little bit about still reminding them all about the routines and helping them practice them. I then got them back on track with this which helped. I love teaching because it is a constant thinking game. You can never stop processing what is going on or you will lose control. I have one boy who just moved here from the states. He struggled on Monday at the end of the day and on Tuesday, his feelings showed right away in the morning. I took him in the hallway and talked to him and told him how we can make it through together as I am new also. He has such a great faith in God so I told him that and then explained to him that he is here for a purpose in this class. Some of the kids in class don't know the Lord so this boy has the opportunity to share his faith in God with others. I can't tell you exactly all I said but it was definitely not me speaking to him as it was God using me to comfort him. It was an amazing moment and helped me realize that I need to take every opporunity to show God's love to these children especially ones who are adjusting to the new culture. I then prayed for the boy and we returned back to class to start the day.
I have some who will test my patience but the director is very supportive and I am learning how to love on these students while setting limits. Since this is public, I cannot talk too much about my students but I do want to continue to share joy spots in my teaching.
Wednesday was amazing because it was chapel day! I was almost in tears watching the students sing praises to God through song(even the shark song, one of my favorites!). This made me see how universal God's church is as these children do come from very different backgrounds. Not all of the students are Christians so please pray that they can see Christ through the teachers and other students so they will feel God's love in action.
Bible time is a joy each day as I have a chance to share about Christ with my students. To be honest, I never saw myelf teaching in a Christian school because Christ needs to be in public schools. However, at this school, not everyone is a Christian as we have all religions represented. I can bring up God whenever I can although I don't want to overdo it. The kids have just great questions and I want to answer them because you never know what the Lord says through me to help the students see Christ.
I can't believe but I have actually survived a week. God is definitely good and I am going back for week two! I can already see the students improving with routines and listening to my directions. Friday, we made flowers out cookies, marshmallows, sticks, plantain chips, and bugles. Try to pick out which ingredient was used for what. Okay, I had to be a little creative here but the kids are adaptable. I then made them label the parts of a flower and write the use of each one. Some of them told me that last year when they made sheep out of marshmallows they didn't have to write about them but I made sure they knew that this was second grade and they are big kids who can write more. Oh, there is never a dull moment! Sorry this isn't the best blog but I had to write a lot this week. I promise they will be better and more often.
One last thing, yesterday night we were invited to a family's house for dinner. Please don't think ahead of me because you don't understand. All of the staff members and faculty members were invited so when we drove into the gate, we saw two blue and white tents set up in their court yard. Their were long tables set up in a square formation that could seat 60 people. The tables were emaculently set with more utensils than I needed and nice comfortable chairs. The food was catered from a Chinese Restaurant and was of course superbe. Now one rule you learn to follow hear is when you are offered free delicious food, you never turn it down and you take more than you should because you never know when you will have free delicious food again. It is a good rule of thumb to follow and has worked well so far. Anyways, they also had a videographer and a photographer during the entire event along with a DJ playing great Christian music. If you are going to throw a party you might as well throw a party! The couple talked on the microphone and told about how they did not have much growing up so now that they do own a company with 2500 workers, they thank God for the opportunity to treat people well and share His message. They told us that it isnt enough to just pay their dues to the school and send their children to AIS but they want to reach out to the teachers to let them know how appreciative they are of our services. What an amazing family! It made me realize that my job at AIS is important becauswe I never know who I will be impacting. I have never been to a party quite like that but again this be Ghana! Again, sorry for the kind of lame blog. I promise they will be better in the future.
Thank you for all of you who are reading my blogs, it helps me be motivated to write them . Thank you also to those who have given financially to AIS and myself. I will be sending an e-mail hopefully soon with an update just in case you don't check the blog but I guess you won't know that unless you check the blog. Also thank you for the prayers and thoughts, l couldn't be here without you all! Thank you also to all of my professors becaue I would probably be pulling out my hair without your guidance. I will keep you posted of week 2! Enjoy the weekend and what the Lord has given us!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Big Blessings Come in Small Ways
After being in Ghana for two weeks, I realize that the little things in life make the biggest difference. A great example of this was my birthday last Thursday. I had been struggling this past week as I prepared to get my room ready for school and plan for my lessons. Yes, this was stressful but I was most stressful about the fact that they could not find my reading curriculum. We would find bits and pieces of it but the teacher’s manual was MIA. Usually I don’t like manuals anyways but I really needed this one as I was not familiar with this program called Sing, Spell, Read, and Write. So as I was going through my slump of feeling sorry for myself, my birthday happened. Everyone was so kind and thoughtful on my birthday. I am so thankful for everyone here as they are going through the same trials and blessings as myself. The day began with getting an e-card from my old roommate in college. It was so funny and it was French which was great because we shared that in common. She also has the same birthday so it is always fun to hear from her on the day we share. I was wished Happy Birthday many times at school along with birthday cards which was nice but the best birthday present came when the daughter of the project manager brought me a box….. Can you guess what was inside of it?I hope you guessed my reading curriculum because you would be correct! Yes, this called for celebration as I was no longer in the dark about what to do for reading! Okay, you might be thinking that I am pretty pathetic about finding my curriculum but if you are a teacher, you understand how big this is! Remember what I said? Being here has helped me realize that I need to be thankful for the small things in life.
That night, my housemates and a couple of other teachers took me to a place called Rosemary’s which is just down the street. It is a small store with a radio blaring and tables outside. We had chicken and rice and very spicy kabobs from the side of the street and then sat around playing card games. Again, doesn’t seem like much but since we normally don’t go out after dark, it was a great change up from the normal routine. Some people played phase 10 while four us played Dutch Blitz. We play upstairs quite often and thanks to my friend Keren, I am getting better. I was leading the whole game until the end when a rookie beat me by two points. Sorry, not that you really cared about that part.
After that, we went back to the house where they put 23 candles in a square container of strawberry fan ice and I blew them all out! Oh back up a second, before we went out to Rosemary’s, I walked down the stairs to be surprised by a large sign that said Happy Birthday and birthday decorations. If you all know my mother, it would be no surprise to you to hear that she had sent decorations in a small Ziploc game so my friends could put around the house. They decorated very nicely and it was a nice touch. There was a birthday two days ago and then one next week so the decorations are very handy. Okay, so we then had ice cream and cookies with the girls in the house and then sat around talking which is what girls do best! I am so blessed to have these girls in my life who understand what I am going through since they experience the same problems. I have only known them for two weeks but they are willing to help me with ideas in the classroom constantly and throw me a birthday bash to remember.
My birthday was not over yet as I later skyped my mom to find her wearing a birthday hat. Oh so funny! She then brought in grandma and grandpa who were also wearing their hats for the party. I loved it! Grandpa even sang Happy Birthday to me even though I don’t think he used my name but that is okay. Although it is hard to be away somedays, I am reminded that first of all, I do have my Heavenly Father always by my side and then the support of my family at home who constantly show me love. There will be hard days wherever we are, but as long as you keep rejoicing in the small blessings, like being sung Happy Birthday by my night guard, we will press on and soak in God’s glory!
Lyrics from Press On by Selah(Our family saw them in July!)
When the valley is deep
When the mountain is steep
When the mountain is weary
When we stumble and fall
When the choices are hard
When we’re battered and scarred
When we’ve spent our resources
When we’ve given our all
In Jesus Name we press on
In Jesus Name we press on
Dear Lord, with the prize
Clear before our eyes
We find the strength to press on
That night, my housemates and a couple of other teachers took me to a place called Rosemary’s which is just down the street. It is a small store with a radio blaring and tables outside. We had chicken and rice and very spicy kabobs from the side of the street and then sat around playing card games. Again, doesn’t seem like much but since we normally don’t go out after dark, it was a great change up from the normal routine. Some people played phase 10 while four us played Dutch Blitz. We play upstairs quite often and thanks to my friend Keren, I am getting better. I was leading the whole game until the end when a rookie beat me by two points. Sorry, not that you really cared about that part.
After that, we went back to the house where they put 23 candles in a square container of strawberry fan ice and I blew them all out! Oh back up a second, before we went out to Rosemary’s, I walked down the stairs to be surprised by a large sign that said Happy Birthday and birthday decorations. If you all know my mother, it would be no surprise to you to hear that she had sent decorations in a small Ziploc game so my friends could put around the house. They decorated very nicely and it was a nice touch. There was a birthday two days ago and then one next week so the decorations are very handy. Okay, so we then had ice cream and cookies with the girls in the house and then sat around talking which is what girls do best! I am so blessed to have these girls in my life who understand what I am going through since they experience the same problems. I have only known them for two weeks but they are willing to help me with ideas in the classroom constantly and throw me a birthday bash to remember.
My birthday was not over yet as I later skyped my mom to find her wearing a birthday hat. Oh so funny! She then brought in grandma and grandpa who were also wearing their hats for the party. I loved it! Grandpa even sang Happy Birthday to me even though I don’t think he used my name but that is okay. Although it is hard to be away somedays, I am reminded that first of all, I do have my Heavenly Father always by my side and then the support of my family at home who constantly show me love. There will be hard days wherever we are, but as long as you keep rejoicing in the small blessings, like being sung Happy Birthday by my night guard, we will press on and soak in God’s glory!
Lyrics from Press On by Selah(Our family saw them in July!)
When the valley is deep
When the mountain is steep
When the mountain is weary
When we stumble and fall
When the choices are hard
When we’re battered and scarred
When we’ve spent our resources
When we’ve given our all
In Jesus Name we press on
In Jesus Name we press on
Dear Lord, with the prize
Clear before our eyes
We find the strength to press on
Power of God Keeps us Standing
How do we get up each day and make it through the tribulations? How do we impact others when we ourselves feel drained? Is it possible for us to do this alone? I think not as it is through the power of God. I was reminded this after reading the Daily Bread on August 20(my birthday.) What a great reminder on the day of my birth! My prayer today and everyday is that I do not take credit for my actions but I give the praise back to my Heavenly Father as He is the one who works through me with His strength. Tomorrow is a scary day, my first, first day of school as a teacher! I am so excited but yet so nervous as so much could go wrong. However, I am not focused on the negative because I know the Lord has equipped me with the ability to reach out to my students. It is only through His grace and power that I am able to get up and focus on my children tomorrow and everyday. So be confident in the abilities that the Lord has enabled you to use for His ultimate purpose and glory!
"God is able to do exceedinglky abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us." Ephesians 3:20
"God is able to do exceedinglky abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us." Ephesians 3:20
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Certificate in hand and a heart to reach out!
Some of you might be wondering the reason I am in Africa. "Didn't she go to teach?" you might be asking yourself and I would reply back, "well of course I did! I love teaching!" And then you would respond, "But you never talk about teaching at all on your blogs." I would of course have an answer for you by saying, "well I eat, sleep, and breath education so when I write, I take a break from it." No need to fret any longer, I am here to write about education, the very thing I came to do here.
When we first arrived, we realized that the building was under construction. The landlord decided to add on significantly so he could open a school when he retired someday. In the near future, we want to build our own permanent building but this addition will help us stay there for a couple of more years. I might just have to stay until I see the new building!(You don't have to remember that part if you don't want to.) Looking back, you can see God's hand in it the whole time as enrollment has drastically incresed from 125 to over 160! Praise the Lord!
A lot of teachers got huge new classrooms but I am still in a small classroom. That is okay, all 12 of us will just be very close to each other. That is right I have 11 students from 5 different countries. I have met some of them and their parents and can't wait to pour into their lives very soon. We were suppose to start school tomorrow, yikes! but do to the Ghanaian time(nothing is done on time) we are not starting until Monday. Don't cry for me too much because this has been a relief for us since we haven't been able to do too much in our classrooms yet. I still don't have any reading curriculum which is a hug component for students who are not fluent in English! Please lift this prayer request up to the Lord. If not, I will be doing very flexible teaching. Lets see how far I can bend without breaking!
Oh, noone will be able to accuse me of staying behind my desk instead of helping the students because I don't have a desk. Don't freak out, we can have desks but I chose not to have one because there isn't room for one. I would rather use it for centers or crazy things than for my personal things. I will find room for it all.
I love all of the teachers especially the first grade teacher as she has been helping me tremendously. It is nice that she already knows my students and their abilities. The administration has been busy with the building project so there is at least someone who has time to answer crazy questions. To all of my first year teaching friends out there, steal ideas as much as possible! This is the only time that stealing or networking is okay so please take advantage of it.
Although I do not have all of the resources I would like to have, I no I can do without it, I will just be creative with what I have. I am use to teaching without books so I should be at home here.
Please e-mail me if you have any questions or make a comment. I would love to hear from all of you! Happy first days of school for all of you teachers out there as I am privileged to know so many teachers of the year!
verse of the day: Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises. Psalm 98:4
This is the verse I will have to remember during everyday of teaching. I will sing my praises to the Lord as He has brought me into this profession at this specific location for a reason. To God be the Glory.
When we first arrived, we realized that the building was under construction. The landlord decided to add on significantly so he could open a school when he retired someday. In the near future, we want to build our own permanent building but this addition will help us stay there for a couple of more years. I might just have to stay until I see the new building!(You don't have to remember that part if you don't want to.) Looking back, you can see God's hand in it the whole time as enrollment has drastically incresed from 125 to over 160! Praise the Lord!
A lot of teachers got huge new classrooms but I am still in a small classroom. That is okay, all 12 of us will just be very close to each other. That is right I have 11 students from 5 different countries. I have met some of them and their parents and can't wait to pour into their lives very soon. We were suppose to start school tomorrow, yikes! but do to the Ghanaian time(nothing is done on time) we are not starting until Monday. Don't cry for me too much because this has been a relief for us since we haven't been able to do too much in our classrooms yet. I still don't have any reading curriculum which is a hug component for students who are not fluent in English! Please lift this prayer request up to the Lord. If not, I will be doing very flexible teaching. Lets see how far I can bend without breaking!
Oh, noone will be able to accuse me of staying behind my desk instead of helping the students because I don't have a desk. Don't freak out, we can have desks but I chose not to have one because there isn't room for one. I would rather use it for centers or crazy things than for my personal things. I will find room for it all.
I love all of the teachers especially the first grade teacher as she has been helping me tremendously. It is nice that she already knows my students and their abilities. The administration has been busy with the building project so there is at least someone who has time to answer crazy questions. To all of my first year teaching friends out there, steal ideas as much as possible! This is the only time that stealing or networking is okay so please take advantage of it.
Although I do not have all of the resources I would like to have, I no I can do without it, I will just be creative with what I have. I am use to teaching without books so I should be at home here.
Please e-mail me if you have any questions or make a comment. I would love to hear from all of you! Happy first days of school for all of you teachers out there as I am privileged to know so many teachers of the year!
verse of the day: Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises. Psalm 98:4
This is the verse I will have to remember during everyday of teaching. I will sing my praises to the Lord as He has brought me into this profession at this specific location for a reason. To God be the Glory.
I am Free: Converted by a Teepee
Something amazing happened last Friday. Some of you are not going to believe this so please hold on to your seats. I am warning you so if your jaw drops and you can’t get it back up, it isn’t my fault. Anyways, we had an international traveling health clinic come and talk to us last Friday. They pretty much told us not to do anything in Ghana and that we would probably get something horrible while we are here. Now don’t panic, we have a registered embassy nurse who practically started our school and she takes good care of us. My friend leaned over to me and said she was now scared of everything. I leaned towards her and told her, “there are people in this room who have done things on the don’t list many of times and they are all okay so we will be okay too.” I said this, I actually said this! I promise that this is the truth! So now, I want you all to know that I am free from worrying about germs or other things. I have the Lord by my side and I don’t need anything else. Okay, to be honest, I am still cautious but I am not cautious to the point that I can’t enjoy life in Ghana. Oh yes, a good writer should wrap up a story with how it relates to the title so I shall do the same. A big reason that I have grown out of my germaphobic stage can be traced back to living in a teepee for two summers at SpringHill. I saw more things in that teepee with no electricity than I thought I would have seen along with sweating more than I thought I should sweat that now I am on the road recovery. So, thanks to the teepee, and ultimately to God, I can enjoy life at a whole new level!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Cultural Education 101
To understand Ghana, I must first educate you about the culture. Yes, it is important to know the culture of the host country so as to not offend anyone. Relationships can only be built once someone trusts you and realizes that you want to know their culture. So here we go, try to stay with me as I try to remember everything I have learned so far.
Never do anything with your left hand! Don't even wave with it!
Don't wave with your fingers up and down only with your whole hand side to side. If you move your fingers, it motions someone to come to you.
El brunei is a foreigner or a white person. We get this all the time!
Pedestrians do not have the right away: learned this one in the market when I almost lost my hip!
The hierarchy system is important as men are important and should be talked to first.
When you talk to a chief leader, you only talk to the person with him and never directly to him. Only speak if he talks to you!
You will find women and men with different scars on their face. They represent different tribes that they all belong to. The tribes began putting markings on their face to identify their own people just in case they were sold into slavery.
If someone says that they will try to come it doesn't mean that they are actually coming, they probably won't show up.
When you are given a price at the market, barder for half of that price and then go up if you have to but not much.
In Northern Ghana, the population is heavily Muslim so legs need to be covered and a women should never come in direct contact with a male without another male figure.
Funerals can last anywhere from 3 days to over a week. The immediate family is in charge of having the whole family stay at the house which can really take a burden on the bank account. They must entertain the family and feed them until they decide to leave.
Red and black are funeral colors so don't wear these together!
Tro Tros are the inexpensive transportation but they can be dangerous! I haven't been in one yet but probably will sometime. Don't worry!
It is disrespectful to walk away from someone without saying goodmorning/goodafternoon first. You must first acknowledge the person and say these greetings before you begin a conversation.
That is all of the cultural education I have for you at the moment. Please study these so you can be ready for the pop quiz! Remember, I am a teacher! We will begin course 102 when I have more cultural knowledge that I hopefully don't make from my own mistakes but I guess it is the only way to learn. So keep studying!
Never do anything with your left hand! Don't even wave with it!
Don't wave with your fingers up and down only with your whole hand side to side. If you move your fingers, it motions someone to come to you.
El brunei is a foreigner or a white person. We get this all the time!
Pedestrians do not have the right away: learned this one in the market when I almost lost my hip!
The hierarchy system is important as men are important and should be talked to first.
When you talk to a chief leader, you only talk to the person with him and never directly to him. Only speak if he talks to you!
You will find women and men with different scars on their face. They represent different tribes that they all belong to. The tribes began putting markings on their face to identify their own people just in case they were sold into slavery.
If someone says that they will try to come it doesn't mean that they are actually coming, they probably won't show up.
When you are given a price at the market, barder for half of that price and then go up if you have to but not much.
In Northern Ghana, the population is heavily Muslim so legs need to be covered and a women should never come in direct contact with a male without another male figure.
Funerals can last anywhere from 3 days to over a week. The immediate family is in charge of having the whole family stay at the house which can really take a burden on the bank account. They must entertain the family and feed them until they decide to leave.
Red and black are funeral colors so don't wear these together!
Tro Tros are the inexpensive transportation but they can be dangerous! I haven't been in one yet but probably will sometime. Don't worry!
It is disrespectful to walk away from someone without saying goodmorning/goodafternoon first. You must first acknowledge the person and say these greetings before you begin a conversation.
That is all of the cultural education I have for you at the moment. Please study these so you can be ready for the pop quiz! Remember, I am a teacher! We will begin course 102 when I have more cultural knowledge that I hopefully don't make from my own mistakes but I guess it is the only way to learn. So keep studying!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Lesson Learned #1!
Surgeon General's Warning: Please do not read this if you are ever worried about my safety or don't think I should run alone! I am warning you, please do not read past this part!
So hopefully if you are reading this you don't care about my safety and would rather read a great story. Well, it isn't that great of a story, I mean I am writing this so I at least came back alive but it did make me put my cockey self aside for a second and think more realistically. I will tell the story and then you can be the judge. This morning I decided to set out nice and early to go running in the neighborhood which consists of mostly nice homes with fences and guards and then some fruitstands or other curb side businesses. A girl in the house told me exactly where to go and since I am directional saavy. I figured I wouldn't have too much difficulty. Well, after following her directions, I decided to turn left and then left again thinking I would just be making a loop. You know what happens when you assume something! Yes, I am sad to say that I did get a little turned around since I spent a lot of time running past the same landmarks that were not my house or anything near it. I finally got up the nerve to ask a guard on a deserted street where I could find the A and C which is a shopping mall close by to the house. After talking to two other people, I finally found it and quickly ran back to familiar territory.
The lesson learned? Never trust the direction of streets, remember landmarks better, all dirt roads look the same, don't look like you are lost, do ask for directions. These were important to learn but along the way I felt God's presence with me and I came to a realization. We do this all time to God! He gives us specific directions and for awhile we follow them with no problem. Then, all of a sudden, we have an urge to go off the beaten path because we know we will be able to find our way back without a problem. Only wait, there is a problem! Somehow always, we do not return to our original location with God. We have wondered away and are now searching aimlessly for the right direction. We know the right direction has to be close by so we continue to search on our own, not even trying to ask God for help. Finally, after wondering around for a awhile with no real purpose, we decide to ask God for help! It may take a couple of times for us to really understand what he is telling us but if we take the time to continue to ask Him, He will show us the way! Afterall, He is the way, the truth, and the life! Hallelujah! After listening to the people today carefully since it was hard to understand them, I did make it back to safety just as God always opens His arms to us after we are lost and finally ask the way home. God is alive and waiting for us to ask Him for directions.
So lesson learned? Don't leave home without your living road map: The Bible!
Today we had our first day of teacher training. I will post about this later!
So hopefully if you are reading this you don't care about my safety and would rather read a great story. Well, it isn't that great of a story, I mean I am writing this so I at least came back alive but it did make me put my cockey self aside for a second and think more realistically. I will tell the story and then you can be the judge. This morning I decided to set out nice and early to go running in the neighborhood which consists of mostly nice homes with fences and guards and then some fruitstands or other curb side businesses. A girl in the house told me exactly where to go and since I am directional saavy. I figured I wouldn't have too much difficulty. Well, after following her directions, I decided to turn left and then left again thinking I would just be making a loop. You know what happens when you assume something! Yes, I am sad to say that I did get a little turned around since I spent a lot of time running past the same landmarks that were not my house or anything near it. I finally got up the nerve to ask a guard on a deserted street where I could find the A and C which is a shopping mall close by to the house. After talking to two other people, I finally found it and quickly ran back to familiar territory.
The lesson learned? Never trust the direction of streets, remember landmarks better, all dirt roads look the same, don't look like you are lost, do ask for directions. These were important to learn but along the way I felt God's presence with me and I came to a realization. We do this all time to God! He gives us specific directions and for awhile we follow them with no problem. Then, all of a sudden, we have an urge to go off the beaten path because we know we will be able to find our way back without a problem. Only wait, there is a problem! Somehow always, we do not return to our original location with God. We have wondered away and are now searching aimlessly for the right direction. We know the right direction has to be close by so we continue to search on our own, not even trying to ask God for help. Finally, after wondering around for a awhile with no real purpose, we decide to ask God for help! It may take a couple of times for us to really understand what he is telling us but if we take the time to continue to ask Him, He will show us the way! Afterall, He is the way, the truth, and the life! Hallelujah! After listening to the people today carefully since it was hard to understand them, I did make it back to safety just as God always opens His arms to us after we are lost and finally ask the way home. God is alive and waiting for us to ask Him for directions.
So lesson learned? Don't leave home without your living road map: The Bible!
Today we had our first day of teacher training. I will post about this later!
Sunday, August 9, 2009
I have arrived alive!
Yes, I have arrived alive!! If you have ever been in the car while I have been driving, you probably said this after you did successfully arrived alive but this time I allowed Lufthansa to do the flying and they did deliver me to a bustling city filled with wonderful hospitality and a place to spread God's eternal message.
For instance, when I arrived on Thursday, there were many men willing to pull off my luggage and help me get a cart which was much needed with three huge bags and two carry ons. Unfortunately, one of the bags did not arrive but they assured me they would find it. They were true on their even though it was two days later! No big deal though since it wasn't anything I needed at the moment.
Arriving in Ghana, my home, was not in the least big overhwelming and scary. I have found Ghana to be similar to Ethiopia but I want to embrace it as its own unique place and stop comparing it to Ethiopia although I think the transition has been easier because of Ethiopia.
Kissing America Goodbye:
I am backing up for a second to talk about my last few minutes in America. I was in the airport in DC in the International Terminal. People were traveling to kingdom come and as I watched everyone on a mission to a foreign destination, I took one good look outside to the mountains, the prairies, the great lakes, the grand canyon... okay not really; I only saw other terminals and hazy skies but I looked past that to see the America that I have known. I realized that I wouldn't see this land until June and started to miss it. Before you start a pity party for me, I quickly came to the realization that it is not America that I will miss but the culture I have created with my family and friends. The America I love involves late night at Taylor, playing badminton in the backyard, bikeriding, running up and down a soccer field, sharing ups and downs with friends, you know those type of things! That America will not end because it is not America that makes it happenn but alas Christ who has created relationships, trials, and triumphant moments. Those will survive all else since Christ's kingdom will last forever. So thanks be to God who has given me lasting friendships and relationships in which moments can be created and remembered. I might be in my America at the moment but I still have it in my memory bank as I hope you do as well.
Okay, back from the rabbit trail!
One difficult part has been the down time. I know you are thinking, "she loves downtime and doing nothing!" Hopefully you know me better than that! I feel too high and mighty as I sit in my very nice house with two guards and get driven around by a driver. I am realizing though that my hiring local people, we are helping them and their families survive which is a good thing for them. It is better than just giving them some money or food once and awhile. Our guards names are Chavaz and Daniel. They are very sweet and love talking soccer so I fit in just fine! I am realizing though that this is where the Lord needs me at the moment but I would ultimately like to be in the setting where I am one with all of the people which could not be possible in a city setting. We have still been able to be out some as we ventured down the street to the orphanage called Beacon House. They have about 30 children their ranging from ages 0-high school. As we entered the gates, I saw a familiar scene as we had children racing up to us as they wanted to be hugged and picked up. I discovered many new games that are fun to play and many bottoms without pants on! Oops, should have warn the audience about that but I promise to keep it PG for now on!
Anways, at an orphanage, it takes you a moment to get out of your selfish comfort zone and into the world of a child who yearns for attention. Yes, who knows where hands, hair, and other body parts have been but that is beside the point. These children are the children of God and they deserve all of my attention. I had to put myself aside and love on these children with all my beind as God commands us to do. What a great lesson to learn! I hope to invest in relationships at the Beacon House so the kids know to count on me instead of someone who comes for an hour or two and then leaves. When we were going around the house to help with lunch, the kids thought we were leaving so they started saying goodbye. They are so use to this in their lives! I can't wait to be someone who they can count on!
Well, I guess this is a lot for someone to read if anyone reads this at all. If you do, thanks for wasting your precious time to do so! Don't feel bad if you couldn't make it all the way to the end but if you don't then I guess you won't see this disclaimer. Enjoy your week and I hope to write soon. We are beginning with teacher training tomorrow so it should be great! Big prayer request! The school is going through renovations and it still has a long way to go. Please pray that we can start on time which is August 19th. Thanks and love you all!
Christy
For instance, when I arrived on Thursday, there were many men willing to pull off my luggage and help me get a cart which was much needed with three huge bags and two carry ons. Unfortunately, one of the bags did not arrive but they assured me they would find it. They were true on their even though it was two days later! No big deal though since it wasn't anything I needed at the moment.
Arriving in Ghana, my home, was not in the least big overhwelming and scary. I have found Ghana to be similar to Ethiopia but I want to embrace it as its own unique place and stop comparing it to Ethiopia although I think the transition has been easier because of Ethiopia.
Kissing America Goodbye:
I am backing up for a second to talk about my last few minutes in America. I was in the airport in DC in the International Terminal. People were traveling to kingdom come and as I watched everyone on a mission to a foreign destination, I took one good look outside to the mountains, the prairies, the great lakes, the grand canyon... okay not really; I only saw other terminals and hazy skies but I looked past that to see the America that I have known. I realized that I wouldn't see this land until June and started to miss it. Before you start a pity party for me, I quickly came to the realization that it is not America that I will miss but the culture I have created with my family and friends. The America I love involves late night at Taylor, playing badminton in the backyard, bikeriding, running up and down a soccer field, sharing ups and downs with friends, you know those type of things! That America will not end because it is not America that makes it happenn but alas Christ who has created relationships, trials, and triumphant moments. Those will survive all else since Christ's kingdom will last forever. So thanks be to God who has given me lasting friendships and relationships in which moments can be created and remembered. I might be in my America at the moment but I still have it in my memory bank as I hope you do as well.
Okay, back from the rabbit trail!
One difficult part has been the down time. I know you are thinking, "she loves downtime and doing nothing!" Hopefully you know me better than that! I feel too high and mighty as I sit in my very nice house with two guards and get driven around by a driver. I am realizing though that my hiring local people, we are helping them and their families survive which is a good thing for them. It is better than just giving them some money or food once and awhile. Our guards names are Chavaz and Daniel. They are very sweet and love talking soccer so I fit in just fine! I am realizing though that this is where the Lord needs me at the moment but I would ultimately like to be in the setting where I am one with all of the people which could not be possible in a city setting. We have still been able to be out some as we ventured down the street to the orphanage called Beacon House. They have about 30 children their ranging from ages 0-high school. As we entered the gates, I saw a familiar scene as we had children racing up to us as they wanted to be hugged and picked up. I discovered many new games that are fun to play and many bottoms without pants on! Oops, should have warn the audience about that but I promise to keep it PG for now on!
Anways, at an orphanage, it takes you a moment to get out of your selfish comfort zone and into the world of a child who yearns for attention. Yes, who knows where hands, hair, and other body parts have been but that is beside the point. These children are the children of God and they deserve all of my attention. I had to put myself aside and love on these children with all my beind as God commands us to do. What a great lesson to learn! I hope to invest in relationships at the Beacon House so the kids know to count on me instead of someone who comes for an hour or two and then leaves. When we were going around the house to help with lunch, the kids thought we were leaving so they started saying goodbye. They are so use to this in their lives! I can't wait to be someone who they can count on!
Well, I guess this is a lot for someone to read if anyone reads this at all. If you do, thanks for wasting your precious time to do so! Don't feel bad if you couldn't make it all the way to the end but if you don't then I guess you won't see this disclaimer. Enjoy your week and I hope to write soon. We are beginning with teacher training tomorrow so it should be great! Big prayer request! The school is going through renovations and it still has a long way to go. Please pray that we can start on time which is August 19th. Thanks and love you all!
Christy
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