Back at Home

Moved back to Jennifer and Juliana's. It's refreshing to be back. I
forgot about my day job there: daycare. But it's really fun to hang
out with Lina! Her parents applied to enroll her for Kidsland
today! Hopeful that she'll be able to go to school there!

Well, I needed a nap after the unexpected welcome.

At Last

Last night, I finally got a restful night of sleep. This morning, I was determined to have a better week. I was reminded to maximize my time here, but, also, not to be overwhelmed or consumed with what people's expectations are. There are so many opportunities. It's okay to be choosy about which ones I take on. After a series of earthquakes hit the Richter scale at 5.0+, all within 24 hours, there was a tsunami warning for the island of Sumatra. I'm on the opposite end of the island from Jakarta, so there was no threat for us. The warning has since been lifted. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/02/25/indonesia.quake/index.html Here's a cute Clara video with K and D, filmed by friend Eka, with his wife, Jennie, and their son, Norman.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-hcXxWZyu4

God, Why Did You Make Scorpions?

Not sure what the deal is, but talk about drama in the house.
Tonight, I found a scorpion crawling around the living room. Good
thing they're slow. I put the chair leg on it. The tail is still
moving. It's big enough for me to not be able to squish it with a
tissue. In this picture it's on a 12 inch tile!

Scaredy Cat

This morning, I went to the upstairs room. There was a family of stray cats under the bed. I was already scared enough, then one cat hissed at me and was jumping on the shelves! I totally jumped out of my skin and fled for my life! (Yes, over dramatic, but I was literally scared that it might attack me!) Do you know, if I leave them alone, will they eventually leave?

I got 3 hours of sleep. Am I just more edgy? Or does this stem from the ongoing relationship with Shadow (Mel's childhood cat which would attack me when I'd spend the night at her house)?

Life: Day 2 for Clara

Ahhh, the days when all you had to worry about was eating and sleeping... Today was a bit more stressful. Trying to juggle paperwork, bank accounts and job responsibilities, including studying. Not exactly keeping up with all of it. A bit swamped, actually. But it's great to visit the new family at the hospital. Refreshing to see their glowing faces...

Beautiful Baby

Welcome to the world, Clara!

Proud parents!

Yay team!

Tante Leela!

Dr. and nurses received high praise. Yay, they made it great for the Kaembas!

Welcome Clara!

This morning at 10, after 18 hours of labor, Kaylor and Donny welcomed Clara Martha Kaemba!!! She weighed 3.6 kilos (7.92 pounds) and was 52 cm long (20.47 inches). She's absolutely beautiful! She now has dark hair and brown eyes. She was very alert and attentive. It was fun to visit twice today!

K and D are definitely ecstatic, proud parents. I'm glad they will finally get some rest tonight after only 30 minutes of sleep in over a day and a half.

KidsMosaic!

There's nothing like a ton of kids greeting you in a single phone call at 1:30 in the morning! I definitely miss Sundays with KidsMosaic. I miss seeing their faces, hearing about their experiences and watching them grow week after week. I miss hearing about how they process something new that they learned, a concern or death in the family, or what they anticipate for the coming week.

Some days, some weeks even, you just need to be reminded that people are contending on your behalf. You need to know that people are behind and with you in the journey. You need to know that you're not forgotten. The thing is, I had these uncertain feelings even when I was home, physically there every week. It was still so easy to forget.

I wish KidsMosaic could only know the power of influence they've had on my life... The abundance of love makes it so easy to overflow on the other side of the world! So when I get a call in the middle of the night, it just takes me back to those moments where I can see Stephen's bright-eyes, Cameron's gentle face, and Hudson's curly, brown hair. No wonder I was there every chance I got. Yay, KidsMosaic!

Practice

Yesterday's practice was only half an hour. Today, I practiced for an hour. I practiced going around the corner, but also to the next block, up the hill. So, now I can go to Charis, World Bridge and to the Williams'' and Gallaghers' houses! C; Slowly but surely... Mostly, it's amazing just how close everything is here.

Just Around the Corner

After a busy day of meetings and class, I practiced taking MY bike around the block. Donny helped watch for traffic as I practiced turning the corner. I live on the perfect street to practice, without too much traffic! And in a couple weeks, I'll move back in with Juliana and Jennifer for a little while. There, I can practice going around the cul-de-sac!

It's a good feeling to have my own motorcycle. It's a blue Yamaha Mio. The stickers are pink and white, a perfect match for my pink helmet.

At least I know I can get to World Bridge (across the street)! C; That was the next goal. And turning the corner was the goal after that. Doing pretty well! One step at a time...

Dengue Fever on Valentine's Day!

This morning I was dragged out of bed by a warning about bug spraying happening at my house. They canceled school (across the street) and suggested that I leave the area too. We received a letter at our front gate this morning, saying that they would spray the house at 8 am. Apparently it's to rid dengue fever.

Juliana taught about a King with a whole lot of love to share (including props of a heart crown and giant styrofoam hearts)! It was fun to share a giant heart of love between the kids, and of course, chocolate candy and an art project, too! We studied 1 Cor. 13 and the meaning of love. Some kids who finished early even wrote poems about love.

When I came home after Polehan, Sheldon greeted me at the back door. He was about to come in! I didn't want to invade his space, but wanted to capture a close up picture to share.

Happy Valentine's Day!

A Glimpse: Mud Flood

The walls surrounding the mud flood continue to grow. There was a demonstration and traffic began to pile up. The military had just arrived. Also see "Day 1: Detours to Malang", July 2007.

A Glimpse: Senggigi Beach, Lombok

Check out our overcast weekend at the beach: bright blue water, sail boats, kayaks, and the umbrella tree!

A Glimpse: Teachers Training

Back to the grind

After a couple months of many changes, today I've finally returned to
the grind. Hours of Bahasa Indonesia and homework assignments back
on my list of things to do. (I'd been slacking on the homework aspect.)

While we were in Lombok, Brenda was sitting on the shore, digging
through the sand for fascinating pieces of coral and shells. But
then, her mother's diamond ring slipped off her finger! (She didn't
want to leave it in the hotel for it to be stolen.) After an hour of
looking, we asked the nearby sellers to help find it for a reward of
1,000,000 Rp.

A few hours after lunch, we returned. A few of them were wearing
snorkeling gear and searching the beach. I brought out my goggles
and we went back to searching. Nearly 6 hours later, I let Brenda
borrow my goggles. The first breath she took, she looked down and
found it on top of the sand!

Pak Charlie spent the 6 hours looking diligently - he was still paid
a generous sum for his efforts. What a miracle. It's like looking
for a needle in the haystack - by the way, I found a fishing hook in
the sand! Apparently they fish for squid there. That was the big
story of the weekend...

Diving in After Lombok

Our long-weekend vacation to the island of Lombok was so relaxing! It was overcast and rainy, but perfect for some R&R. The water was blue and crashed beautifully on the reef nearby. Here are some pieces of coral I picked up from the shore of Senggigi Beach! While I was gone, our Charis #2 futsal team won the city tournament against 32 schools! As promised, we'll enjoy a Mc Donald's party at my house later this week. Yippiee!!! After returning from a great vacation, I hit a few speed bumps of homesickness. Our grocery trip for cheese, granola bars and cake mix was canceled. Then, there was a demonstration by the mud flood (see "Day 1: Detours to Malang", July 2007), so we took a detour through side streets and paddies. It took twice as long to get home. Even through horrible homesick days, I'm spoiled. K & D let me tag along for some errands and grocery shopping. We found things like Kraft Mac & Cheese Spirals, Cream of Mushroom soup for macaroni tuna casserole, and dried mangoes!!! We found Spinach Fettucini and Alfredo sauce, Chocolate chunk cookie mix and a cold can of green tea, too! Delicious! This afternoon, I taught my closing session for Teachers Training. I was just getting to connect with the teachers. It brightened my day and, in the end, it was the refreshing reminder that I needed, a boost out of homesickness. I do have some amazing, unique opportunities. Hoping to maximize my time here...

Return of Pain

Neck down my spine = sore. Joints are tight. Muscles are spazzing. And headaches continue...

Teachers training really did wear me out! At least I only had 1/2 day at Polehan (I do miss those kids!).

Happy Chinese New Year! *Sun Lin Fi Lok* But now, I have a 5-day weekend! Vacationing to the island of Lombok!

Tonight we had our American Idol/Chinese New Year dinner party! Indra cooked a feast. We had fun baking sugar cookies and making chocolate pudding!!!

Next party: March 1. I need to get cake mix or some new American dessert for that! C; I don't think my Jell-O Oreo pie will be enough for everyone!

Check this out

MyPicture

Whew! Teacher Training, Day 1.

First, Happy Birthday Mom!

Well, I just finished the first leg of my teaching. Who knew two
hours could feel like such a long time! We did some fun projects, a
lot of exploring, and worked though a lot of "meat".

Ever read "When Sally gets Angry... Really, Really Angry"? It was a
great starter! Bright colors. Using emotion. Exploring nature.
Then we got to use some good ol' American music. A touch on emotion
and rhythm, lines and colors. Overall, I got some good feedback.
Time will tell...

So, tomorrow, it continues.

Futsal!!!

The Malang Futsal Tournament for 32 schools is today and tomorrow! It was so fun to be there to see the kids in action! Donny, Kaylor and I sat court-side. The first Charis team played today. Our team won, 3-0! Tomorrow the second team will play, but I have class.

Tomorrow is my mom's birthday.

Tomorrow I have to begin my teachers' training sessions. The whole Kidsland staff, 4 guest teachers and even flew in teachers from Papua are coming! So far, I have a 20-page packet prepared. Not bad for one month of planning and hardly any formal training. But so, I think we'll just do a lot of application and have a lot of fun exploring! Should be a good experience!

Mysterious

Though I couldn’t understand a majority of what was said at our gathering today, we hung out for over 3 hours with security and cleaning staff! I made American cupcakes (frosting, sprinkles and all)! Kaylor made delicious brownies. From the study today, I think the word for trials is pencobaan. Coba being the key word: try. After a week of learning about and practicing healthy conflict, I began to get a bit overwhelmed by outside pressures: pressures to be a different person, to change how I do things, to accommodate others beyond my own boundaries, to make hard choices. So, as a relief, I enjoyed the company of energy, community, a ton of laughs, and a simple comfort of peace - affirmed that I’m right where I’m supposed to be. On our way home, I was encouraged and reminded that you can tell how someone feels about you when you watch faces. Knowing that I still have one unique opportunity and that I have seen the effect of certain faces lighting up, I am still hopeful. In the midst of pressures, I’m relieved to simply have this connection. I’m not sure what the link is that would draw us to each other. Maybe it’s acknowledging them, playing with their kids, or something a little deeper. But I’m honored to be in this place where it’s sought out. Maybe it is finally my turn to step up to everything I really wanted but never had the guts to pursue. I just need to be diligent and prepared for what comes next. God only knows.