Rough week

Wow this has been a really long, tough week! It is hard to believe that it was THIS monday that we got out early for monsoon - seems like forever!

On Tuesday I had my two 6th grade classes.  They wore me out!!!  They were loud and crazy and not listening and they didn't do too well on the test last week.  Haiku - this computer thing I use for class was not working and every assignment they turned in to me was coming in blank.  It was a tough teaching day.  On Tuesdays we have Middle school meetings after school.  I got in there and they immediate told us three more things we have to do.  I was so overwhelmed and trying to hold it together.  Two technology people came over to talk to me about the tech problems and tears were sliding down my face the whole time they were talking to me. Eventually I was crying so hard my principal came over to take me out of the room.  I think I have cried twice in the last three years!!!!  I have cried 3 times in 5 weeks here and in public!!!! aug!!  My principal was really nice and said there are three big things - Mumbai, Technology, and teaching kids.  She said there was nothing we could do about Mumbai - I am doing great and knowing and reaching my kids so if technology is throwing me for a loop - let it go!  let them use paper for awhile :)  I need to keep working on technology though because I'm starting grad school in tech this summer and there is no crying in grad school!!!  :)   Tuesday night I got word that my sister was really sick and in the hospital.  She had been released and I was just going to wait til night to call her.  During the first block of school I checked my email and found out that she had had another emergency - this time 911 had been called and EMTs took her to a different hospital.  I had declared Tuesday and no crying day and here it was 8:30 am and tears are running down my face.  The next day she was in the hospital again for surgery.  Last I heard, she is doing ok and recovering :)

Wednesday I had a meeting about our Week Without Walls trip and I am so excited - will tell about that later.  As I was riding on the bus home I saw patches of blue sky.  HUGE patches of blue sky.  Then we noticed there was sun on our arms through the bus window!!  I was in heaven!!!!  I so needed this for my spirit.  I went walking and the streets were really crowded due to this Ganesh festival going on.  it was hard to move anywhere.  I got stuck walking behind two guys smoking pot and blowing it straight in my face.  Couldn't move around them.  Maybe they knew I needed a little help to make it through the week.  Ha! ha!  when they noticed me, they lowered it and let me pass.  I decided to go down to the   Arabian sea and see if I could see a sunset.  I ran into one of my students and his family (they are new to international teaching and flew with me here)  We sat at a cafe and watched sunbeams hit the water.  sooooooooooo lovely.   I walked back to their place and was going to try a new way home and this guy overheard us and was talking to us - asking where we were from etc.  That is not uncommon for Indian people.  He was out for his night walk and started walking with me home.  fine.  but then he started asking questions - are you married? do you live with anyone?  where do you live? what time do you usually walk at night? what is your route?  blah blah.  I answered really vague.  I started to think about what I was going to do if he followed me all the way - I didn't want him to know where I live!!!  I didn't want to go to a woman's apartment because then he'd be hanging around there.  Most of the men I know live back with that family I came from!  Reid and Rachel live near me, but it is a little too near me so I didn't want to go there.  Jordan lives a little ways a way - I thought that might be my best bet.  Or there is a bar on my street that a lot of my friends hang out at so I thought I'd just go there and see if any of my friends happened to be there!  Thankfully he stopped right before my street.  but he asked for my card - he wanted my # - no way!!  he took my hand and wouldn't let go!!!  I had to pry him off of me!!!   He kept saying "I hope I see you again"  "I hope I run into you again" "I'm single"  augh!  I'm not too concerned about walking around my neighborhood because I walk all over at all times and the probability of him being at the exact place at the same time even if he is actively looking for me is low.  It's running in the morning by the water - he could totally catch me there.  So I didn't run this week.  My co- adviser has a big husband and lives near me so she gave me his #.  The school is looking into getting me pepper spray and sending a guard running with me if he continues to bother me so they can scare him into leaving me alone!!  I don't think I'll have a problem.

Thursday I had Math Counts after school.  It was our first meeting so we just got to know them and gave them a practice test.  We had 4 do really really well.  Far above grade level.  The major problem we saw was English.  Most of the kids that came were not native english speakers and really struggled.  We are also going to work on team building - a lot of these kids just like doing math themselves and trying to be the best!  but part of the competition is team work so it is important. 

Friday I had to chaperone the MS social.  I was in the dance part.  wow.  Weirdest middle school dance ever.  The boys jumped around and tried to body slam each other.  Whenever a boy and girl danced a slow dance the others would clap and stare!!!  so bizarre.  Girls would slow dance with each other but not like they do in the states.  The were smushed together heads resting on shoulders and dancing.  Boys did it with boys too.  My princial and I said we have NEVER seen two middle school boys dance like that together.  Most of them doing it weren't Indian but I guess they pick up on the culture here.  Men walk around with their arms around each others shoulders, holding hands and they share motorcycles sitting really close and holding on to the front person's thighs.  You would never see that from straight guys in the states. 

I didn't get home will almost 7 then I walked over to a staff person's flat.  Someone she knows makes Kurtas so my friend and I tried them on and we each got one.  I will put a pic up when I get a new camera!  I hung out with Nancy and Zach for awhile - could hear all the drumming but didn't get out in time to see a Ganesha parade.  Still have a few days.  A big street near me leads to the sea and they process the Ganesha down to the water so I have a good chance of seeing at least one.  Then I met some friends that were hanging out at a bar.  They were about to leave when I go there so I wasn't there long.  I walked home and it was nearly midnight and these two little boys ran up to me and shook my hand then hugged me.  I was keeping on eagle eye on where my wallet, keys and phone were, but they didn't take anything.  They just genuinely hugged me.  I tried to ask where their parents were but their english was really limited.  They didn't ask for money so not sure why they hugged me but it was a good end to the week.

I have a lot of blessing thrown into a stressful week!  I came home in tears on Tuesday and Jesse had cooked some wonderfull chicken and rice.  My friends Andrea and Corey came over for dinner.  On thursday Jesse made BEEF and rice.  yum!  I eat so many more vegetables here that I would never eat.  she cooked spinach in the meal and I didn't mind it - I hate cooked spinach!!  I also eat a lot of fruit - she's been doing pineapple, pomegranate, apples,kiwis etc.  She makes a huge fruit salad and I take some everyday to work.  This week she got oranges!!  but she also put melon in there.  I don't eat melon - not honeydew, canteloupe, or watermelon so i've been giving it away at lunch.  I adore my 8th graders.  They are low math students but love me and work hard for me.  I had a parent thank me this week.  She said she asked her daughter what her favorite class was this year and for the first time ever she said Math.  When her mom asked her why she said "my teacher".  My first goal before I start slamming them with Algebra is to get to feel confident that they can learn anything.  That they can do it. that I am like no other teacher they've every had and that this year will be different!  Several parents have contacted me and said their 8th grader comes home so excited that they played bingo and got a sticker :)  but even if we don't play a game that day, they still like. Yesterday we were doing estimating in word problems with fractions and decimals.  I had them work in groups of 2 or 3 and every kid in both classes got on it immediately and I heard no talking that wasn't math related.  The were discussing, helping, sharing, and debating.  and I was delighted!  One of the biggest blessing is that Brianna sends a pic of the baby every few days.  Jordan and my students are the ones around so they 'have to" or "get to" see her all the time!  depends on your perspective!!  Hopefully they see it as "get to"!  because they will be seeing a lot of her.  The kids like looking at her and amaze at how tall and skinny she is and her crazy faces.  One of kids said "why does she look upset, all she does is eat and sleep - how hard is that???"  ha!!!  love my 8th graders!!!

this was long, so if you are still reading :)   this next week will be crazy too and I don't really get a weekend because I have CPR and first aid training ALL day Sat.  but I declare this week a no crying week and will be looking for more blessings