Hilarious video

Okay, I thought the last flood video was great, but Episode 4 is even better.  It gives you a little glimpse into Thai culture as well.  My favorite parts are the constant references to not 'defecating in the water' and the crocodiles.  There are, seriously, about 600 crocodiles on the loose in the flood waters (a croc farm flooded) and they are offering rewards for their capture.  Our area is still dry.  Am going to venture downtown tomorrow to try to get a visa out of here, so we'll see what I see then.  Juan and Claudia left this morning after a lovely day together yesterday.  And, if I can't leave this week, I might have a volunteer opportunity at a shelter they are setting up at a nearby school for evacuees.  So that would be really cool.  We shall see.  I'm learning so much about how little of life I really control and how much everything is in God's hands.  We like to think and imagine that we do in fact exercise some measure of control over our lives and circumstances, but truth is, we don't.  Nothing like 50,000 whales stuck on dry land to teach you that! 

So we wait

Well, if this isn't just the most annoying situation ever.  We are still just waiting. The water is, in fact, entering more and more areas of the city.  But, there is still much more panic in the city than actual water.  Bummer for me is that I have friends here, until tonight, and the places we wanted to go are closed- Grand Palace (water coming in, it's by the river), huge weekend market (threatened by water and they're evacuating it), Thai Craft Fair (dunno, closed for panic?  roads to the north, where the goods come from, closed?).  At any rate, we have found sufficient, though not as exciting, things to do here in Bang Na where things are dry and functioning.  I feel so bad that they weren't able to see all the things they wanted to- they're not complaining or anything, but I would just have liked to be able to show them Bangkok at its best, and visit some of these places myself. 

I'm telling you though, the anxiety is really getting to me.  I am a planner.  And by planner, I mean a planner (Myers-Briggs folks, my 'J' is like a 28 out of 30).  And in Bangkok right now every single bloody thing is tentative, other than the fact that we don't have school until November 7th.  Or maybe later.  Maybe.  It's really a pretty tense place to be right now, so I am working on plans to escape for a few days  (Wed-Sun) next week.  But there are a lot of 'maybes' to that plan- contingent on quick visa applications and non-flooded embassies and airplanes with seats on them... so we'll see.  My back-up plan?  Call my Thai teacher, who maybe hasn't fled the city with the masses, and do some intensive Thai.  And hopefully not get stuck in my building if this area floods.  I've got food and water so I would for sure be okay, but they might need to put me in a mental hospital after.  

There aren't even any volunteer opportunities in the city right now, at least not with official projects.  There is basically nothing to do but wait.  I'm not very good at waiting.  I knew that before.  But now I know it.  So yeah, good news is that I am fine, that my area is fine, that the main airport is still dry and operational (good for Juan and Claudia who have flights out in the morning), that things are more or less business as usual in our neighborhood.  Continue to pray for the nation, for the government, for those who are affected (several of my friends are trapped at home because of water outside their houses), that the water (or the whales:) would somehow drain into the sea faster than is predicted, that Christ would be made know in the crisis, that I would trust in God and in his promises even in the midst of such uncertainty and anxiety. 

Transition...

Today I am hearing the Fiddler on the Roof song in my head, except instead of "tradition!" it's "transition".  I'll be honest.  Transition sucks.  And when you're in the midst of working through major transition, having an enormous flood that ruins all sense of stability in your day to day life doesn't help much.  As much as I enjoy waking up without an alarm clock, I wish we had school.

Transition is a strange beast.  It leaves you floating, waiting, or as my friend put it: caught in the middle.  God has provided me with great friends here, but at the same time, it takes time to settle in and find where you "fit".  You know, and this may come as a surprise to many of you, my friends here actually had lives before I showed up.  It's like in Chevy Chase's Christmas Vacation where the old aunt shows up, walks in the door and proclaims, "helloooo everybody!".  So as much as I am figuring them out and where they fit in my life, they are figuring me out and where I fit in theirs.  And unlike rice and noodles, friendship doesn't have an option for "instant".  There are a variety of speeds to be sure, but it takes more than 60 seconds in a microwave to settle in. 

And it's strange, but when you move to a new country on your own, friendships become insanely important.  They are not just your friends, but your family as well- your connections to the world that exists outside your head (Yes, Clare, there is a world outside your head).  So I am very grateful for the people that God has given me to walk beside me through this season of transition, even if we haven't quite all figured each other out yet.  And, I am grateful for friends and family in both the US and Argentina who continue to walk with me even when I am far away. 

My hope and prayer is that through the changes, through the seasons of waiting, the being caught in the middle, the wondering when the new normal will be established, God would continue to reveal himself to me in new ways, continue to teach me and mold me more and more every day into who HE created me to be.  I know that I am exactly where I am supposed to be, even if, at times, I'm not really even sure where I am.  I love Thailand- even in all its madness.  I love ICS. I love being here and doing the work that God has called me to do, created me to do.  But I don't love transition, and I look forward to the day when I can look back on it.  Until then, on Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. 

PS- As of now, the postal system appears to be working :)
Clare Messink
International Community School
1225 The Parkland Rd.
Khwaeng Bangna, Khet Bangna
Bangkok 10260 Thailand

Best flood video ever

This awesome video explains a little bit of why I have quit paying attention to the news, have bought loads of pasta, and am just gonna hang out and see what happens.  It's about 5min long with English subtitles and hilarious graphics. 

Back to "school"

Well, after a wonderful four days on Koh Mak island (post to come later) I am back in Bangkok.  The Ministry of Education has ordered all schools to close until November 7th (at least) and ICS is closed in compliance with that.  We don't, however, want to make up all these days so we are 'conducting classes electronically', which is a bit of a pain, but manageable.  There is a blog-type website that is for classes and education purposes called edmodo that many of us are using to post assignments and instructional videos and activities.  It's a bit confusing right now as they kids login and have questions but I am confident that by the time this whole crisis is passed, they will have the hang of it :) 

Now, in terms of the flood situation, there isn't a whole lot of new news other than that the water continues to move southward towards the sea, more areas continue to flood, and central Bangkok and my area are dry (and actually VERY hot and sunny).  The main problem in this area right now is waiting and wondering and panic. I went to the grocery store today and it was half empty- though I was able to get what I needed.  Just very weird.  I would have taken pictures, but I dropped my camera face down in the sand this weekend so it's in need of being fixed or cleaned.  Course the thing is so old I might just decided to replace it.  ANYHOW...  Central Bangkok is operating, but touristy stuff is either closed or up in the air and travel is a bit tough so my visitors (Juan and Claudia) are actually still on the island. No reason for them to leave paradise to come sweat it out in stressful Bangkok.  They'll come back to the city on Friday, we'll spend some time together on Saturday, and then they leave on Sunday. 

I guess the main two things to communicate to you at this time.
#1 The situation in Thailand is still quite dire, quite bad, and probably going to get worse before it improves. There is still little to no reliable information.  Plenty of articles on cnn or bbc if you want to see their take on it.  I've mostly quit reading the news.  It's the no-news news, as my friend likes to call it.
#2 I am safe.  I now have a kitchen full of food and water.  In addition, I live on campus and the school has stock-piled water here.  One thing that continues to impress me about ICS and our administration is the way they take care of their people. We have several on campus apartments that are not being lived in right now and some of our Thai staff members and their families who have been evacuated are now living on campus with us.  For some of them, the water around their house is waist deep. 

So please continue to pray for this nation, for the people who are affected, and for God to be revealed to them in the midst of this crisis.  Some people think that as soon as this passes we'll have a coup because of the way the government has handled it (has any government ever handled a disaster well? I mean, seriously, isn't that why they call it a disaster/crisis?) so pray that that doesn't happen.  My friends and I may be looking to volunteer somewhere next week, since once I get the hang of this online lesson thing (and my kids get into the groove with it) I'll have some time on my hands.  Pray that we can be the hands and feet of Jesus to people who, yes, need food and water, but just as much need Jesus. 

October Break

In non-flood related news:  my Argentine family arrives tonight!  We have a long weekend and Juan and Claudia fly in around midnight tonight.  Tomorrow morning we will take a minivan to a pier and then a speedboat to Koh Mak, a 16 sq.km island in the Gulf of Thailand, where we will stay until Tuesday.  A seafront bungalow.  The sea. The sand. The waves. Hopefully a hammock.  We plan to rest, talk, ride bikes, snorkel, eat, kayak, take pictures, and have a marvelous time.  Wednesday and Thursday it will be back to work for me (assuming school resumes by then) while J&C explore Bangkok (assuming it's not underwater).  Friday I have a personal day so we can hang out together.  Saturday we'll visit the world's biggest open air market, and hopefully see fireflies at a night market an hour away.  Then Sunday they will leave :(  A whole week with my Primera Junta family.  A whole week en español.  A whole week to step back from transition and touch base with dear friends, to laugh and cry and pray and encourage one another.  T-11 hours and counting...

On its way

There is not a lot else to say about the impending flood at this point, only that it's drawing closer, yet we still have no idea if/how much it's going to hit, either the city at large or my particular area. While there is a severe lack of information, even in the news, reports are that "it's coming".   I am safe and dry.  My dear friends, Juan and Claudia, arrive tomorrow night and we leave (hopefully) Saturday morning for a 4 day weekend at the beach on a small island in the Gulf of Thailand.  Actually, I have a 5 day weekend now- school has been cancelled on Friday (tomorrow) due to flooding around Bangkok and traffic problems as people start to panic, and to park their cars along the side of the expressway to keep them dry.  While I am looking forward to our time away oh-so-much my heart is heavy as well- for those whose homes are filling with water.  For those in the path, waiting.  For those who have already lost so much.  It seems silly to go relax at the beach with all this going on.  It seems silly to worry about a whole lot of things with all this going on.  We pray, because it's all we can do and it's the best thing to do. 

Dry, but not out of the woods yet...

The threat is not over yet

The good news:  The rain water from the weekend and earlier this week (when they had to close school for a day) has disipated and the streets around here are dry.  The sky is blue and the sun is shining.

The bad news:  The barriers that have been built to hold the water out of Bangkok are just barely holding.  We still have high tide.  The water is still moving south towards the sea from the northern and central parts of the country.  Just the past few days, 2 meters of water filled the house of my friend's brother.  In a matter of hours it was waist high.  If the barrier breaks at any point, water will not only fill Bangkok, it will rush in.  It will take a matter of weeks for the water levels to go down, and it's quite possible that they will go up before they go down.

So, while it is easy to look out the window and take down your defenses, we are not yet through this "war".  The next week will still be critical.  Your prayers are still needed.  Because if this water really does break through, than what I saw last weekend will be nothing...

The gospel of baseball

This is a blog post I've been wrestling with for a week or so now.  What exactly it means for me, and how to express it.  But the story goes like this. 

I love Tiger baseball.  And by love, I mean love. We, my family and I, went to the games when we weren't good.  When we lost 120 games in one season. When you could get a ticket for $8 and sit in the front row because no one else came to watch.  When you could park a few blocks from the ballpark for free. 

So when the Tigers made the playoffs this year, you can bet I was excited, even from half way around the world.  I hung Tigers gear in my classroom, and my students started asking what it was for.  So I told them. I told them about the game, about Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera and Papa Grande.  And so we watched, together, as the Tigers defeated the Yankees, and we celebrated.  My students became fans.  They wanted to know the score as badly as I did, so we paused, shamelessly, in the middle of class to check. And we went on to play the Rangers, and our fandemonium increased.  It was all they could talk to me about- at break, at lunch, and they tried- in class. 

There grew four groups of students.  The first group was mainly comprised of Korean boys.  These guys knew baseball before I came around, but they weren't all that into it.  I liked talking to this group.  I could tell them it was the bottom of the 5th, and they knew what I was saying- I didn't have to translate it into "a little more than half way through".  They knew the lingo. 

The second group was mostly American and other expat kids. They knew of baseball, and knew a bit about how the game generally worked, but they had never given it much thought until now. One of them, an eighth grade girl, came up to me one Monday morning following a rain delayed Sunday game.  "I missed the end of the game!" she exclaimed.  "The cut away to a Rugby game when the baseball game ran long because of the rain. I've never been interested in baseball before, but now I am, because of you." 

The third group of kids knew nothing about baseball, and really, still don't.  They ask me a million questions.  Why does NY have more H's then us?  What counts as an error?  When will the game end?  Can you score when you're pitching?  Hits. Runs, Errors. Innings.  None of it meant anything until I explained it.  They don't know baseball, but they became, in many ways, the most rabid fans.  They cared, because I cared. 

The fourth group of kids were rather amusing.  They were comprised of a small group of boys who went out of their way to cheer for whoever the Tigers were playing, just to goad me.  They were Yankees fans for a week, then Rangers fans.  They worked hard to reject anything I liked, and we had lots of fun going back and forth about it.  When they named their Jeopardy teams the Yankees and the Rangers, I wrote them on the board as "Yankees Stink" and "Rangers Stink". 

But at some point last week, my aunt put the following comment on our family blog: "Clare your students' enthusiasm for baseball is a good example of the power of modeling, I'd say. And also a good example of why children can not be taught primarily by computers...The relationship with the teacher is a big factor."  She was commenting more about the power of the human being vs. technology in teaching, but she inadvertently got me thinking.  In her comment about the power of modeling and the relationship with the teacher I realized that though I came here as a missionary of Jesus Christ, for the past two weeks I have been preaching the gospel of Detroit Tiger baseball.  


WHAT IF?  What if I shared less of my passion for sports (or tea or pink) with my students, and more of my passion for Jesus?  What if, when they asked me about my weekend, I told them how excited I was about what God is doing in my life?  What the Spirit of God in me shone as brightly as my love for baseball?  


I imagine I'd end up with four groups of kids not unlike the four I have now.  One group that knows all the lingo, all about God, but needs to connect with him in a real and passionate way.  Another group that knows of him, but has never given him much consideration before.  Another group who has little idea what the whole thing is about, but they know that they want to know more because of the passion they see in me.  And, a group who sees him and fully and completely rejects him.  But even in their rejection, they engage with him...


My goal this week?  Share my passion for Jesus.  Let that invade my mathematics and Spanish teaching.  Let that flow out of every pore.  Let them see my heart, and see what happens...

Ambiguity: How a little gray area has helped me experience God more fully

Too much on my mind for me to wait to blog until tomorrow, tired as I am. Plus, I have a back log of blog entries in my head, so I had better start getting them out.

I am currently in the process of finding a church home here in Bangkok, and it's not going anything like I planned.  Those of you who know me know how much I hate ambiguity.  My world is black and white with splashes of pink- gray does not exist to me.  However, I find myself in a season of ambiguity with church, visiting a different place every week.  This was not my original intent.

Our first three Sundays here the school arranged transportation for us to three different international churches in town.  We were also given some information about a few other English speaking churches.  So those first weeks I went church shopping.  And those who have had to move and find a new church know how much of a joy that can be.  After those first weeks, I felt no real draw to any of the churches (though also nothing at any of them that would prevent me from going there, doctrinally speaking) and so I looked into one other international church a friend went to.  And that's about when the stress started.  Because although I liked that church as well, probably more than the others, I still wasn't quite sure it was home and I really wanted this decision made.  As is made. It was really bothering me that I wasn't sure where I wanted to go to church, and I began to really dread going anywhere each week. Everyone around me (all the other new teachers) were finding and settling into their new churches and I was still, undecided. 

Then one Saturday I was driving in a car with a friend and the wives of two other teachers and one of them told me about this church they went to that was Thai but had English translation and it sounded really cool, and I wanted to visit with them.  And somewhere in the decision to visit this other church, I gave myself permission to let the decision be and not choose a church just yet.  Suddenly, I really wanted to go to church every week because I was no longer shopping.  I was going to church to worship God and hear from him.  It just happened to be with a different group each time.  Don't get me wrong, I do want and intend to settle somewhere eventually- I just don't know how long it is going to take.  I started gathering a mental list of places to visit and have expanded into churches that are perhaps a bit out of my comfort zone in ways, but oddly a good fit for me nonetheless.

The best part of the whole thing is how I have been freed from the analytical perspective behind church shopping and am just able to go and worship and hear the Word and not wonder the whole time "Is this the place?"  And God has been incredibly faithful to me in that.  Each week, no matter where I go or what their style or background is, God has shown up and spoken to me.  Each sermon seems directed right at me.  Each week I walk away with verses and passages that I want to read and meditate on during the week.  And today something even more incredible happened- I took notes!!!  Now, I know some of you take sermon notes every week, but that is just not my thing.  I take notes about once every five years, and only in a desire to stay awake. But today, two minutes into it, I'm asking my friend for a pen because I just had to write this down.  It was a guest speaker, which if you are church shopping is very annoying because you want a sample of a normal Sunday, the usual pastor, not a guest, but when you're just visiting you don't care because you're not there to analyze but to worship. So she was preaching on 2 Samuel 22 (who gets this excited about OT sermons?!  but seriously, look it up and read it, it's basically Psalm 18 and it rocks) and I'm just writing things down left and right.  Things I needed to hear, things about who God is and who he is in our lives.  One of my favorite bits was the end, when she said, "Don't just preach 'God is', you have to live it" meaning we have to live out who God is in our lives.  Rock. Redeemer. Refuge. Salvation. Stronghold. Savior.

It's so neat to me how a small change in perspective in the church finding process has opened up such doors for me to hear from God.  I love going to church every week and even tithing each week in a different place because I am then able to support such a panoply of ministries across the city.  I have at least one more church on my list of places I want to visit (which I won't get to for a few weeks because I'll be out of town).  And then I'll make some return visits to the places I connected with the best, and then, perhaps, the ambiguity will end.  But until then, I'm going to just keep soaking it up, wherever I am each week.

"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." 2 Samuel 22:33

No flood waters yet, but plenty of rain water.

Luckily, the much dreaded flood waters from the north are not pouring into Bangkok.  It does, however, continue to rain so many of the Sois (side streets) are flooding, including the one I live on.  The water level has been going up and down the past few days, but was definitely higher last night when we came home in a taxi and were driving through a river.  The driver was kind enough to take me all the way to the front gate so I gave him a big tip.

I knew though, that if the level didn't go down I'd have to walk through ankle deep water (at best) to get to a taxi to go to church this morning.  I'd searched for some wellies on Friday night, but had been unable to find any.  This morning though, I ran into my downstairs neighbor in the hallway as we were surveying the flooded street from above and lo and behold, she had an extra pair that she could just give me!  So, armed with my new boots, I loaded my backpack with sandals, umbrella, and Bible and headed out for church.  Which, by the way, was SO SO good.  God amazes me.  Every Sunday I have been going to a different church as I get a feel for the options I have here, and every Sunday the sermon and/or service feels directly aimed at my heart.

I even brought my camera with me today, a miracle in and of itself, but was only able to get 4 pictures taken before the batteries fell out and one fell into the black hole that is the floor of my friend's car.  We searched and searched to no avail.  But, here are the shots I was able to get.  

Looking down onto the street in front of the school Sunday morning.

Heading out to church in my new flood gear.

Climbing over the sandbags to get out the gate. 

Our street.  I cut through a parking lot to avoid walking down it.

They have already canceled school tomorrow.  I have another good (non flood related) blog post in me I'll get written soon.  I've just been too much of a social butterfly lately to sit down for very long to blog.

The rains came down...

Here's the latest from the BBC.  What will really happen?  Who knows.  It feels a bit like Snow-mageddeon in Michigan last year, but at the same time, the floods north of us are altogether too real, and well, it's been raining most of the past 24 hours.  Woke up at 1am to a huge storm. The street immediately in front of the school is flooded, but it doesn't take more than a soccer team spitting to flood it, so it's not a good indicator.  The school is definitely taking lots of precautions- placing sandbags at all the gates, telling students to take all their textbooks home in case we need to send them their assignments via email next week.  But generally speaking, life continues on as normal.  Went to the mall after school to hunt down some wellies (even if the water only gets ankle deep, it's full of nastiness [read: sewage] and debris and potentially snakes) but was unsuccessful in finding any.  So, had some dinner and foot massage, bought a rug for the apartment, had a cup of tea.  The government says the defenses will hold, but of course they have to say that.  While I don't think that Flood-ageddeon is going to arrive on my doorstep, I'm not sure I entirely trust what the government is saying either.  At any rate, it keeps life interesting. 

Flood Update- Again

I live in Bang Na, in the south-central part of this map.  We are in a Level 1 area, so do not expect too much flooding here (half meter or less).  Right now it just feels like a lot of waiting to see what will happen.  What ever does happen will probably happen in the next few days.  Continue to pray for the many people who are affected.  Thanks!!

Flood Update

Here's a short BBC video giving an update today along with a BBC article.  Again, I am not in any immediate danger, but I did stop by the grocery store last night, where there were a lot of empty shelves and long lines at the registers.  At the moment Bangkok is facing a triple threat over the next few days: high tide, water moving down from the north, and rain predicted.  As of right now, things are pretty dry, school is in session, and it was even pretty sunny most of today. Continue to pray! 

Flood Warnings

My friend found this video, it's even better.  And not so long and weird...

Thailand is in the final weeks of the rainy season, and I had been told repeatedly that October was the rainiest month of all- so far it has no disappointed (it's thundering and raining even as I write this).  On a personal level, I don't mind the rain, but it has become quite problematic because of widespread flooding across Thailand.  I've been looking for a good article about the flooding, but they're, emmm, all in Thai (Okay, found one video/site.  The video is a bit weird in parts, but if you stick with it and can tolerate the music, it does give you some good info and a picture of what is going on. And keep in mind the video is already 10 days old, and it's gotten significantly worse in the past 3 days). The basic problem is this- many provinces are experiencing the worst flooding in 50+ years.  As in, water up to the 2nd floor of people's homes.  The ancient city of Ayutthaya is underwater.  And now, as the heaviest rain comes, it is threatening more homes, more people, and Bangkok.  The Soi (small street) right outside the school floods at the drop of a hat, but the flooding doesn't really pose any danger to me personally.  I live on the 4th floor.  If the flooding is bad, school will close (like a snow day, but without the cold weather...).  If the power goes out, or the internet, I am more inconvenienced than anything else.  But for many, many people here, this is a huge concern.  This flood, like so many natural disasters, doesn't really affect all socio-economic levels equally.  Let's be honest- the residents of the cities luxury high rises aren't at much risk.  Those who lose the most are often those with the least to lose.  Those along the cities many canals.  On the outskirts, without a second story to move their belongings to.  There are plenty of people at risk from all walks of life- a nearby neighborhood where many teachers live has had flooding before.  We don't really know how bad it's going to get.  But the predictions don't look good.  So, I ask you to pray for Thailand (the flooding outside the city and the losses there are immense), pray for protection for Bangkok, and pray for those whose homes are already underwater.  Secondary students at ICS are packing shoe boxes for children for Christmas time, and we've increased our goal this year because of the increased need from the floods.  One verse keeps coming into my head when I read the reports of impending doom: Elijah was a man just like us.  He prayed earnestly that it would not rain and it did not rain on the land for 3 1/2  years.  I post updates in the days to come- hopefully just saying that everything is fine.  Be assured that I am not in any direct danger. My worst case scenario involves minor inconveniences.  I do not want you to worry about me.  But I do want you to pray for this land and people.

Ballet, Birthday, Baseball, and Beethoven in Bangkok

Ballet: Last Friday night I went to my first ballet class ever.  So fun!  I had missed my jazz class earlier in the week since I was still tired and recovering, so went to ballet with friends on Friday instead.  I couldn't keep up, of course, but enjoyed it nonetheless.  Also enjoyed having dinner downtown afterwards at a Mexican restaurant- fajitas!

Clare, Mutarica, and Holly

Birthday:  Last weekend was my friend's birthday so on Wednesday another friend and I took her out for pancakes and foot massages.  Yummmm and ahhhhhh. After a long not-so-great day, it was so much fun to laugh and celebrate with these new dear friends.  The chocolate lava pancakes weren't bad either.  I definitely praise God for bringing these women into my life!

Enjoying my chocolate lava pancakes

Baseball: As noted in yesterday's post, it has been a week filled with baseball.  Watching, checking, cheering.  and now, the fun continues.  It is rather inconvenient that all the games occur either in the early morning hours or while I am working, but I am thankful for the technology that allows me to at least watch some of the action.  My students are already planning our World Series Victory party.  Mostly they're just counting on a day without homework, but hey, whatever it takes to turn them into Tigers fans...

Beethoven: Last night I was able to go to the symphony with a dear friend from work.  It was so much fun to head downtown on a Friday night and the venue, the Thailand Cultural Center, was beautiful.  We were treated to two symphonies by a visiting Russian orchestra.  The first piece I don't remember the name, but the second one was Beethoven's 9th.  Which of course means nothing to me, but maybe means something to some of you.  My favorite part was the end, which is the song "Joyful Joyful".  It was fun to recognize some of the music.  It started with just the cellos and basses, later adding the full orchestra AND the huge chorus and four opera soloists (the same group is performing the opera Marriage of Figaro tonight).  So the performance ended with this massively talented group of Russians playing/singing in German in front of a Thai/international audience, all the while praising God, "Joyful, joyful, we adore thee God of glory Lord of love...".  Absolutely stunning.  A very fun night out with another great friend.

Kristine and I on the grounds at the Thai Cultural Center

I have a lot more to blog about, but since it doesn't start with B, I'll just have to make another post...

Tigers Fever!

It's official: my student have caught Tigers Fever!  I have been talking up the Tigers for a week now, and hung a few fan towels up in my classroom.  At first, they were just curious, wondering what all the fuss was about.  They offered me deals: become a Manchester United fan and they would root for the Tigers.  But as the week has gone on and we have tracked the American League series scores together and followed each Tigers v. Yankees game, their excitement has been building.  Today, we knew, was the day.  I was teaching during the entire game, and you would think I'd need to be "sneaking off" every few minutes to check the score- not necessary.  They wanted to know as much as I did.  So every 15 minutes, all morning, we'd stop and look- and cheer and bite our nails.  When my homeroom left for their 3rd period class we were up by 1 heading into the 8th inning.  My 8th graders came in and took a quiz.  I'd walk a lap, monitoring the room, they stop by the computer to see what had developed.  The internet at school isn't fast enough for us to listen or watch, so I had the Gameday feature turned on.  The kids finished their quiz with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th, so we put Gameday up on the front projector to watch Valverde's last out together.  And the room erupted into yells and applause.  A few seconds later the phone rang- it was my homeroom, down the hall in LA, calling to congratulate me on "our" team's success.  So now we're all psyched and ready for Texas, me and this crew of 100 international middle schoolers who has discovered the joy of cheering passionately for your team, especially when they defeat the Big Gad Yankees.  Go Tigers! 

Dear Miss Clare,

This is the first time in my teaching career that at least one section of language arts/English has not been on my schedule.  Mostly, I am really glad.  While I enjoy teaching certain aspects of language arts, there are other things about those classes that I don't like.  One thing that I miss terribly is having student response journals where we can write back and forth.  Students (like many of us) will say and reveal things on paper that they won't tell you otherwise.  It gives me such a great glimpse into their heads and allows me to get to know them in a new way.  This year I have decided that it doesn't really matter if I teach math- once per quarter they are going to take 10 minutes or so to write to me, and I will write back.  It's not quite the same, but at least it's something.  This past week I had some of my 6th graders write to me.  Many welcome the chance to write something where spelling and grammar don't count.  Some still see it as a chore.  And some really make me laugh.

I use a reward system in my class with raffle tickets.  Students are awarded raffle tickets through the month for doing various good things- helping a classmate, asking a good question, working as a team, doing a great job in a fire drill, doing something kind, or anything else positive that strikes me as worthy of a ticket.  The idea is to catch them being good and reinforce behaviors I want to see more of.  They don't get a ticket every time they do something good- I could never catch them all- nor do they get one if they ask or point out their good deed.  When you win a ticket you write your name on it and drop it into a jar for your class. At the end of the month, I draw out x number of tickets from the jar and those students win prizes- candy, gum, pencils, late HW passes, etc.  Apparently I have been a little slack in handing out raffle tickets lately, or so thought this student in his letter to me this week:

I love the illustrations especially.You can click on the picture to enlarge it if needed.