Layover #1: Japan

After hours of travel I’ve made it to Japan. Though, that’s not to say funny things haven’t popped up along the way. I will warn you, I’m tired so I apologize in advance if parts of this blog are a) uncomprehendable (I don’t think that’s a word…oh well, it is now!) b) incorrect both spelling and grammar wise (see letter a) or c) too attractive for you to handle.

Let’s begin shall we?

 

It all started a little before 1:00pm. My stomach was tight with knots about what was to come. (Before I continue, let me assure you that I do not have a fear of flying. It’s the whole rush of trying to get where you’re going/the over looming fear of going through immigration that gets me.) AW, Little E, and AVH dropped me off at the airport. The whole way there they were reassuring me that things would be fine (and well surprise, surprise they were!) Hugs were exchanged; words of encouragement were given, then they were off and I made my way inside. I waited in line to check-

in and stared blankly at a dark, vacant kiosk. Though stressful at the time, I suppose even airport people need to eat lunch too…Soon WB came and joined me in my game of patience. He waited with me in line and during check in. We said our goodbyes and he watched me as I made my way through security.

I was off and running (or…sitting). Stress levels were down and my stomach didn’t feel like removing its contents anymore (thanks stomach, you rock). I was ready to start my journey.

Before I knew it I was in Guam. Not much notable about that airport except for the bathroom. As any good traveler knows, it’s best to use any bathroom you can before you get on the plane. So I walk in and it looks like there are plenty of stalls open, or so I thought. Half of the stalls are locked without anyone in them, three others are clogged, and two won’t flush…so this other lady and I are waiting for the only stall left. Oh well, it makes for a good story :D.

My flight from Guam went smoothly; I sat next to a really precious old Japanese couple. I kind of wanted to shrink them down and take them home in my pocket…but that’s kind of like kidnapping (old-peoplenapping? Wait old people take naps…ok this is getting out of hand) and that’s frowned on in most societies.  

It wasn’t until I reached my current location, the Osaka airport (dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun), that the fun really began. I get off the plane and head off to the transfers’ security area. I really had no idea if it was where I was supposed to be or not, but the people working there were very considerate. Japanese people are just fabulous people in general. If you don’t know a Japanese person, you should…because they’re fabulous. But I digress. So I head up the stairs looking for a place the find my gate. Scanning the screens my gate is nowhere to be found, so I figured I’d be logical and go to a random gate and ask someone there.

That’s actually a really terrible idea, especially if you decide to go to the other side of the airport where there isn’t any living thing present. Then you decide to be logical again and ask a security guy for help, only to find that he speaks little to no English and you tell yourself that you should probably learn more languages so you don’t have to deal with this again…not that that would happen to me of course >_>.

But alas I did find my gate (about an hour later) and now I’m sitting in a blindingly yellow chair typitty-typing away at this blog…which is longer than it should be. But that’s ok because I’ve got two whole hours to kill.

*le sigh*

I’m not sure when I’ll be back to blog, hopefully in Bangkok. If not, I’ll see you in Chiang Mai!

Pre-Travel Jitters

So here I am, 7:33am on the morning of my day of departure for Thailand.
I have got a little over seven hours before I leave, but who invited all these butterflies?

Before I get too far, I suppose I should catch you up as to why I'm going to said Asian country.

I will be volunteering at a shelter for girls who are either at risk of being involved in or have already been involved in sex trafficking. This organization gives them the chance to be educated and have a safe haven so that no further damage can be done. An amazing goal if you ask me.

 I booked this trip months ago, but the realization of it all is just settling in.

Am I terrified? Scared? Well, no that's a bit extreme (though I do think I should have brushed up more on my Thai before today. Oh well, hindsight is 20/20)...but I just have a healthy bit of anxious anticipation (if there is such a thing). My biggest concern at the moment is dealing with customs at the airport. Though, I have heard that the immigration people make things pretty easy for travelers.

I covet your prayers.

Prayers for calm during travel
Prayers for safety
Prayers for the organization as it continues its mission to help these girls
Prayers for health
Prayers that luggage doesn't get lost
Prayers that God can use me in the best way possible

Though with prayers, come copious amounts of praises as well.

Praises that I have been given this opportunity
Praises that finances for this trip were no problem
Praises for support and encouragement from family and friends all over the U.S. and Saipan.
Praises for long layovers so I have plenty of time to find my gates and get through customs at my point of entry.
Praises that there is an organization that can give these girls a chance.
Praises that the staff of the organization have been so helpful.

I know I'm doing the right thing, God wouldn't have let things work out so well if I wasn't.
All that's left to do is to leave.

I will be blogging during my layovers as well as during my time in the country (a little less than a month to be exact). You are more than welcome to follow my posts!

See you in Japan.

180 Days

It's been about a week since I closed the door on my first teaching experience. To say I learned a lot would be an understatement.

I'll start with saying that although student teaching and four years of education classes were a crucial asset in the process of becoming an educator, there were plenty of aspects that I couldn't have prepared for if I tried. Thus many personal lessons ensued.

1. Be patient

In the profession of teaching this may seem like an obvious one. When you work with kids (of any age) you need to have some level of patience (preferably a high one). But good grief does that patience get tested. From behavior to simple things like having multiple students coming up to your desk asking the same question over...and over...and over...I'm surprised I still have chunks of my hair left. Regardless, there is no excuse for a snappy teacher. Just take a deep breath. Bite your tongue if you have to. Then move on. How your students react to you can often depend on how you react to your students.

2. You have a spine. Use it.

Let's face it, as a teacher criticism is inescapable. You are constantly being watched. Whether it's by parents, fellow teachers, your principal, or even the students themselves...there is no safe place to hide. In such cases you will more than likely get comments (both negative and positive) about how you perform things in your classroom. It's good to take such advice into consideration, yet it's ok to explain why you do the things you do and stand up for yourself. Say a parent is upset that little Jonny got an F on his homework assignment because he or she didn't turn it in and wants him to have the chance to redo it. Yet you have a strict turn in policy, thus making it so he gets a zero for a missing assignment. It's ok to stand your ground.

3. Be lenient when necessary.
On the other side of the spectrum, there will be chances when you'll need to give students some leeway. Life at home can really affect how a student performs. If mom and dad are getting a divorce, the last thing on little Sally's mind is going to be studying for her Spelling test. It's always important to keep the well being of the student in mind. If you're unsure, just look at how he or she is performing in class.

4. Be encouraging.
As much as I hate to admit it, this is one I struggled with. Not to say I never encouraged my students, believe me I did. Yet sometimes it's just so easy to get caught up in what students need to improve on instead of focusing on the great things they've already accomplished. When you're a teacher you should be one of your students' biggest cheerleaders. Be positive. Celebrate small victories. Show your students you're proud of them. It might to farther than you expect.

...Onward to year two...

Eye See

Out of all the quirks and imperfections I have, I've found my perfectionist knack to be one of my biggest downfalls.

Now, when it comes to organization, projects, etc...this trait can be a plus. In school it was actually kind of a God-send.

Yet in the world of real life, it can become more of a hindrance than a help. Especially when it comes to people. I will be the first to admit that I hold high expectations of my friends, family, and people whom I care about in general. Now you may be thinking "...and this is a problem because?" Well in some aspects it's not. It's always good to have standards when it comes to relationships with others. On the flip side, when it gets to the point that I'm mentally picking out what's wrong with those around me and thinking of all the ways THEY need to change, well...then changes with ME need to start. (Now, I'm not saying I go around looking for people's problems or am constantly eyeing people up and down...I just find myself sometimes focusing more on other's imperfections rather than my own.)

Hiding in the book of Matthew is a verse (Ch. 7:5 to be exact) that goes like this:
"Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye."

Now, is it implying that we have round tree trunks sticking out of our pupils? No...don't be ridiculous. (Though, the imagery of such a thing is rather laughable.)

What this verse is trying to show us is, to put it in modern terms, we need to stop being nit-picky of other's issues and focus on how we can fix ourselves first.

I'm trying to create a new habit of this. When I find myself thinking of something that someone else needs to change I pause my brain. I flip through the files of my mental lobes and think of times that I've done that same thing or something similar. Instead of pointing a finger of judgment, I try to focus on the root why of said person might be doing that. There might be an underlying issue that is causing said actions. It's not an easy habit to form, but I've got my whole life to continue to work on it and improve.

Now if you'll excuse me...I'm off to pull a pretty hefty log out of my optical region.

What My Mom Taught Me

In honor of Mother's Day I thought I would share 10 things that my mom has taught me over the years.

Here we go...

What my mom taught me:

1. Trust God. Follow His ways. Depend fully on Him and know that He has everything under control
2. Love. Love everyone. No matter where they're from or what they've done. Love.
3. Don't judge. It's not our place to judge people. The only person who can judge is God.
4. Have grace. No one is perfect. People will make mistakes. Give them grace, they're only human.
5. Be willing to listen. No matter if the person is your best friend or worst enemy. Listen.
6. Try to look for the good in people. Even when it's hard.
7. Breathe. Getting stressed over insignificant things is a waste of energy.
8. Always take your vitamins. Turns out they do actually make you feel better.
9. Some of what might seem like the world's biggest problems at the time can be solved by eating ice cream or taking a trip to a coffee shop.
10. Pray. Always pray.

Thank you Mama, I love you!

Run

It wasn't until recently that I truly discovered the joy that it is to run. Granted, my positivity about doing so isn't always there. AVH and AW can attest to the fact that I've had my fair share of complaints about the activity when we go out for our jogs. But deep down, I know there's something freeing about it.

Ask me about my opinion of the sport a year or two ago, I'd probably smirk. It was a punishment in the activities I had participated in, so why would I do it for fun?

Fast forward to today.

To say the least my week has not been easy. The weight of heavy thoughts. Lack of sleep. Students causing problems. Discussions with parents. (Though, compared to that of the bombings in Boston, my week has been fabulous.) All enough to make me burst at the seams. I could feel pent up energy and adrenaline pulsating it's way through my body. For the first time in a while I looked forward to running my 3ish miles.

I began.

My feet tapping the pavement.
Legs getting stiff
Heart pounding.
Breathing getting heavy.

I always wondered what my face looked like to the cars passing by...meh, who said running had to be attractive.

My thoughts soon moved to everything that brought me down this week.

I ran harder.

Each word that was said.
Each action that was done.

I ran harder.

All I wanted to do was to keep running.
Let it go.
I felt a sense of freedom.
I kept telling myself, The more you run the farther away the worries will be.

Running, running, running.

And turn.

My journey back began.

Despite a painful side-ache or two on my return, I did it. As I slowed to my cool-down I could feel the endorphins exploding inside my head.

To be blessed with such a marvelous ability to move is overwhelming.
A gift that I know I truly take for granted.

Uncontrolled Circumstances

I've been meaning to write about this for a while, I suppose I just couldn't figure out the proper wording for such a post.

As many (if not all) of you know I live in Saipan. A tropical island that sits approximately 155 miles away from Guam. Yes Guam. A target in the eyes of a war empowered, North Korean leader who is trying to prove himself.

It's strange to think such a thing could happen so close. I didn't realize the seriousness of it all until my mom sent me a message about it a couple weeks ago. Good Friday to be exact. Without a television one has the ability to lose touch with what's going on in the world (though sometimes Facebook has all the news you need). Yet, through it all I have found no reason to worry. No anxiety about what "might" happen. A simple "This too shall pass" feeling.

Let's go back to Good Friday.

My body rested on a stiff church pew, my whole being emotionally exhausted from the day. In my mind whirled news articles, pictures, what have you. The concern of my family back home and how there was absolutely no way that I could tell them for sure that everything would be alright. All I could say was that God's got this. I suddenly blinked back to reality. My eyes panned around the sanctuary, people were still worshiping and praising God.

Despite the possibility of an over looming tragedy, people rejoiced. Despite the terrifying news feeds, people went on with life as usual. It was as if this whole thing, in that moment, was nothing. Our tiny island was focused in the moment, not what might come.

Now I've heard it from both sides, some don't think it's a big deal (almost an empty threat if you will) while other's watch their news tickers like hawks.

I choose to take it a day at a time. I don't look at the papers much, or watch things about it. Occasionally my friends and I will joke about it, like maybe we'll escape to a neighboring (unthreatened) country or something. Sometimes humor is the best in heavy situations.

What has kept me sane though is my faith.

I know I serve the God who holds my life in His hands. He knows my future and what is to come. There is no sense for me to worry about the unknown when I know that He has it under control. What will happen is going to happen (whether or not that includes nuclear warfare). There is nothing I can do so why try to control what I cannot?

This verse has been swimming its way through the lines of my thoughts lately:
"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you"
-Matthew 5:44

It's times like this when all we can do is pray. Pray for the leader in North Korea. Pray for the people of North Korea. Pray to ease the pain of worry that bubbles up in our hearts when we deal with the unknown. Pray for wisdom. Pray for strength. Just pray.

I don't know what is going to happen. I don't know when. I don't know where. But I do know, that I want you to know I'm alright. We're alright. God will bring peace, not matter the circumstance.