The First 2 weeks!

I wanted to take some time to gather my thoughts since so much has happened lately and I wanted to share what has been on my mind.
First of all traveling over to Saipan was exhausting, exciting, and a good time to sit and think. We flew from Duluth, to Minneapolis, to Japan, and then Saipan. When you have 12 hrs on one plane you have a lot of time to think about life. I was sad to have left the states and everyone I know behind, but excited about this new adventure that life has thrown our way. I love to travel a lot and having Grant as my husband and sharing this experience with him has been amazing. It is nice having a best friend there with me all of the time. I also am glad to know that he will be experiencing this with me as well. Everything with our flights went as planned and we had no troubles flying here. It was boring and they did not have any little flight entertainment systems so i started to think quickly. I also wrote to friends, chatted with Grant, and just enjoyed not doing anything since we had been so busy prior to leaving. Being in the Japan airport was an experience with everyone around me speaking Japanese, when i went to McDonalds I just pointed to what I wanted to order.
When we got to Saipan Bobby, and his wife Debbie were there to pick us up and take us to our new home. We were given flower headgear as a welcoming present. We were wired since the time difference is 15 hrs so we stayed up for most of the night. I did cry though because the whole trip was overwhelming and my nerves came out and I was scared for what was going to happen next.
We started work the next day and started getting our classrooms ready. Since we came late we had a lot of catching up to do. I quickly got into teacher mode and made my classroom my own:)
Grant and I met the other teachers and quickly realized that all of the new teachers but one were from Dordt which is right by where I went to college, small world!
It was a good week of spending time getting ready, looking through the curriculum, and getting to know the other teachers. We all live in the same apts so it is easy to go hang out. Also they are all around our age and understand us.
The first week felt like we were working but also felt like a vacation because the schedule was ours. we spent a lot of time at the beach, traveling around with the other teachers, and taking it all in. I felt as though time was going fast and was not ready for school to start.
School started on Monday Aug 9th and my nerves were high, I have never taught in a school district before, let alone first grade, so I was not sure what the day would bring. I had a 9 page lesson plan ready to go and then soon I realized that I can not always have a plan but with their attention spans I needed to always have something new up my sleeve to keep their attention. I have 22 students right now and could have up to 24. I have had one problem student which has caused me a lot of problems, but day by day I am learning how to deal with it and keeping the principal informed.
The first week went well and it was great seeing how much the kids already know and getting into a routine. My favorite time of the day is circle time because I enjoy reading books to the kids. I also enjoy math more than I thought and like the curriculum they have here.
I just started my second week and the work is starting to pile up, which I am learning how to grade a bit each day so it does not pile up so fast. The kids are getting more into a routine. Everything takes longer than you think with 1st graders to get to places and they say the cutest things.
Funny story- So I was teaching the kids cause and effect today and I dropped a book on the floor to teach them how when you drop a book you cause the book to fall and the effect is the loud sound. The kids jumped in their seats but one little boy starting dropping his book on the floor too since he was trying to imiate me and following along.
I have enjoyed getting to see more and more of the island. We have seen so much so far and are always ready for the next adventure. It has been great experiencing these places with my other coworkers and getting to have fun on the nights and weekends. I am excited to see where these friendships will go.
I am hoping to start to meet more people on the island and make friends with them too.
The church is a lot different here and the focus is on community, we sing a song called the family of God and hold hands around the chapel. I love the fellowship and enjoy the contemporary music as well.
My favorite place on the island is the Grotto which is a natural pool of water in a cave. We swam in it and it was so beautiful! Awe i just love being able to be in water and enjoy jumping off the rock. I also love the rushing water, cant wait to go back.
I am feeling more and more like this is home for me and i have been learning the quirks about the island. I am taking each day as it comes and enjoying the fact that God has me here for a reason.
So we will see what happens next, I know life is not perfect here and that life has its ups and downs, but living by the beach is ok for me:)

Kara