I came back to school showered with gifts from my students from their holiday vacations. Postcards (from Casablanca, Barcelona, and Milan), hand carved wooden boxes, tea from Bali, incense candle burners, and much more. The kids and their parents are very, very generous. Just listening to what they accomplished in a week and a half blows my mind.
A new addition came to our class as well. A student teacher from UPH (University of Pelita Harapan). She is in our classroom for 12 weeks. Her name is Jessica. She is very sweet (and incredibly tall for that matter). I think she'll be a great asset to the classroom - the students like her already. To be honest I almost had to laugh - who puts a student teacher with a first year teacher? Seriously!? But then I thought - I'm applying all of my new and fresh ideas from college - so she can see them in action. Plus I have Budi - who is an experienced teacher. So I feel like it will be a really good experience for her but also us.
With the new quarter comes challenges as well as blessings. There are a lot of student portfolio work that we have to do, Saturday workshops to attend (who likes to give up their weekend?!), and the latest development - my roommate and I separating. We saw it fit best that one of us moved and so she is moving out. Which means - if you're looking into coming to Indonesia - I now have 4 empty rooms instead of 3. Haha! Lots of space for lots of people. I am also getting two new kittens from the vet this weekend. I would totally get a dog (especially since I have a nice sized backyard for it) but dogs are considered "unclean" in Indonesia (for Muslims). It would be difficult to find a maid and a gardener if I had a dog - so I'm sticking to cats (for now).
Aside from that, life is pretty busy. However I feel so relaxed from the holiday break. It's just what I needed. The stress that was looming over my head has dissipated and I just feel rejuvenated. I will definitely be a better teacher from this break.
Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. God is so good! Love to all!
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