Around the classroom

Lots of learning taking place around here. I can't believe we are almost done with 3rd quarter! Today and tomorrow is parent teacher conferences. Spring break is right around the corner. Hurray!

In Geometry we are integrating math and art. It's one of my favorite chapters to do with the kids. And it makes my classroom much more colorful as well.

Kites- to show the properties of this special type of quadrilateral

Snowflakes- to practice creating lines of symmetry

Tessellations- to look at tilings in the plane and various symmetries

SEW {spiritual emphasis week}

The beginning of February our school held its annual spiritual emphasis week (SEW). We had three speakers come from the States- one to speak for elementary, one for middle school, and one for high school. Each morning the whole school gathered on our school's sports court for worship. Then we split up for our speakers sessions followed by small group discussion.

Our theme this year was SEW good, SOW good, SO good. For high school our speaker focused on Micah 6:8 "Act Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly with your God."

Here are some pictures that one of our talented staff members- Melissa- took throughout the week. She captured some great moments.

Gathered together under our sports court

Started with some singing each morning

Leading the school in worship

Brian, the middle school speaker

Kurt, the high school speaker

Emma, my old roommate and good friend, came back to speak for elementary.
This is from the closing ceremony when we were saying thanks and saying goodbye.

Student testimony

Theme shirts

Bayi {baby}

During Christmas break, which was awhile ago now (sigh... I am so behind on blogging), I went to visit a friend's house helper who had just had a baby. I took my helper with me so she could show me the way. We chatted for awhile, admired the baby, and drank some hot tea (with lots of sugar... as is custom in Indonesia).

Just thought I would share a few pictures from my visit:

Sleeping baby... do not know how under all those blankets.

Keep in mind that it is at least 80 degrees and humid here.

Not so happy...

Such big eyes!

Smiles {senyum-senyum}

Nongkrong {hanging out doing nothing}

The other day I took a walk through my neighborhood. It had been awhile since I had been out and tried to interact with my neighbors and be visible in the community. So I left my house with my camera, not sure where exactly I was headed. I ended up walking around and snapped a few photos of daily life.

Rice fields... always in different stages of growth

I walked up upon this group hanging out by the side of the road.
I love this old man and the little boys together.

He's got a pretty good Indonesian squat (which I personally find very difficult to do).

You would think they were watching something cool happen, sitting there together.
But actually I think they were just chilling and watching this- an empty rice field.
The word nongkrong in Indonesian literally translates 'sitting around doing nothing'.
Pretty sure they have this mastered... and perhaps I could learn something from them.

As I continued walking the sun started to set and I was awestruck by
the beauty that surrounded me. It spoke to my heart and to my soul.
Life has been so busy and I rush around failing to just stop and take in the good gifts God gives.
I need a little more nongkrong in my life,
especially if it involves sitting and doing nothing but enjoying things like this.

As I was out walking it started sprinkling so I decided to turn back toward home.
Suddenly it started raining harder and then started pouring.
As I got nearer to my house my neighbors had already all returned home.
Indonesians really don't like being out in the rain or being wet.
Huddled together on their porches, out of the rain, they made comments to me as I passed by.
"Hujan!" they exclaimed. Yes it is raining. I know. I am walking through it and very wet from it.
But that didn't stop them from informing me anyway. I have yet to understand why they like to state the obvious. Clearly I know it is raining but they will always tell me anyway.

starting over

Biru {blue}

The other day my 7th grade class decided that it was blue day. They talked amongst themselves and contacted each other the night before. They all wore these bright blue shirts that they had gotten at a retreat. I looked up as they were taking their math test and realized they were all matching. Cracks me up.

Macet {traffic}

This is my life...

Reflections

I have been pondering life lately...
in the few moments of thinking time that I can fit in these days.

I know it has been awhile since I updated this blog. Some of that comes from a severe lack of time. But another part of that has been a intentional choice to refrain.

It seems sometimes that technology and electronic communication overtake us and suck us into a false reality. It takes away from the genuineness of our actual relationships. We spend more time connecting with people in virtual reality than in real life, face-to-face interactions. I am not sure what to do with this but it has spurred me to want to live in the present, in community with the people around me, instead of searching for meaning and recognition from an artificial world or electronic friends.

In the meantime life continues rolling by, filled with simple moments of kampung life and daily living.

Like the other day when I was on my way to school and a little boy was standing on the side of the road. He could not have been older than 4. When he saw me passing by he stopped, kind of got down in a squatted position with his butt sticking out. He stuck his finger out at me, pointing and staring me down until I was out of sight.

Another morning down the road a little further an older man was standing in the middle of our dirt road in nothing but his boxers. He looked a little lost. Perhaps he had just woken up and stumbled outside. Standing there in a daze, he seemed to be trying to remember what it was he came outside for.

Yesterday on my way out in the afternoon, I looked over down the small path that is across from my house. Outside one of the houses was a girl in maybe 4th grade wrapped in a towel. She looked like she had just finished with her afternoon mandi (bucket bath). I have no idea why she was standing outside but she was.

Today I came home from school to find they had harvested what I affectionately call "our rice field." There is a small field that sits right in front of our house. I claim ownership over it even though I take no part in the labor involved in making the rice grow. Over the past few months we have watched it go from small little sprouts to tall stalks of bright green. But now it has all been chopped down and the field lays barren and brown.

Just some random reflections of life here in the kampung.

Bekk and Adam are getting married!

Some good friends here recently got engaged.
Adam is from Alaska and Bekk is from Australia.
They met here in Bandung and have been dating for the past year.
We are so excited for them!
Their plan is to get married here over spring break and
their families will come to Indonesia for the wedding.

To celebrate their engagement we gathered for a picnic in Bekk's backyard.
We drank homemade chi tea
Ate yummy treats.
Chatted, laughed, and soaked up the sun.
It is so fun to celebrate life moments like these with good friends.
And it is a reminder to me of the importance of living life in community.

Here are a few pics of the fun:

Picnicing is the perfect way to celebrate
and the perfect way to spend a saturday afternoon.

Bekk has a strange teletubbie statue in her backyard.
Charity and I look on puzzled and a little frightened.

Lots and lots of laughs

Bekk and her sister team up to try moving it out of the way
so we can party without the creepy statue looming.

Bekk tells the story of how she proposed to Adam, in a way that only she could.