Well, today was September 10th. My 24th birthday. Oh, happy day! For the past few weeks here at school in Ghana, I've been at the end of my energy pole. It's like I'm a little video game character and my energy has been in the emergency red section for the last 300 levels, BUT I'M STILL HANGING ON!! haha...I arrived in Accra on the 12th of August after an INCREDIBLE mom/daughter road trip to New York City, me being the daughter and Kathy being the mom. It was AMAZING. We laughed and hung out and sight-saw...d? and just roamed about like two best friends. On the 13th us-teachers had to report to school for our first in-service day for the 2008-09 school year. In one week we were able to cram in getting to know the new teachers on staff, getting to know the new rules that had been established over the summer, acquainting ourselves with our new classrooms, holding a new parent/student orientation night, and finally (on the back burner) beginning to plan the lessons that we would be teaching for the upcoming semester. A running/tripping/skipping-but not falling-start.
So by now school has been in session for about three weeks and it feels like three days. I don't know if many of you have ever tried to teach 6th grade, but it's like 15 little-unpotty-trained-puppies running around an all-white house. Your eye must be on them at all times, with your hand full of newspaper because if you blink...you might have missed your chance to throw the newspaper down when one lifts his/her leg and now you've got some bleaching to do. And SOMEtimes you can't use bleach. SOMEtimes there are some special puppies that decide to find the one spot of light blue carpet, so you have to take a special cleaning solution to fix his/her mess. And of course, with 15 puppies, if you're cleaning up after one puppy, that gives the others a free opportunity to 1 and 2 all over the house. But on the same coin, on the other side those tiny little puppies have THEE cutest faces, give the BEST hugs, and make you feel all happy inside whenever you see them start to run. Just to keep you up to date, I am teaching 6th AND 7th grade. However, it's like one class is a bunch of puppies and the other a set of tailored college professors. And currently my hard work is focused on the class of 5th graders which I am training to grow into the 6th grade and my students that need personal attention with each assignment because of English language difficulties. Along with language barriers are the missing teacher's editions. Ya know the ones with all the answers? The reason teachers can teach? haha, or the practice in teaching I had was at schools that have things like construction paper, glue, white-out, staples and even computers on TAP. As a start-up international school, these hitches are part of the every day. Eesh-looking up it looks like I'm complaining. I'm sorry for that. But I think I just wanted to be real with everyone to help you understand the norm in our school.
Something out of the norm was a few days ago we had some computers stolen. Because our supplies/salaries are paid for with the student tuition money, we are working under a tight budget. We were stretching the budget by buying 10 computers, now we're down to 8. It seems that things might be looking down. But after all these stresses...God knows how to bring us all up. I have not had ONE MOMENT of doubt that I should be where I am. Every day, my kids (although sometimes they may be hard to work with) bring me jokes and stories and signs of improvement. Every Wednesday night the other lady twenty somethings and I get together to have a women's Bible study which has been our saving grace in these crazy times. On a few occasions I have ridden my bike to the nearby hotel to sit at the pool with a book and my music to just get away. Lately I've been adopted by a fabulous family to have dinner with every Monday night! And these are just some of the little blessings from above. But the most RECENT incredible blessing was the one that God has been planning for 24 years. Twenty-four years ago God was like, I know that Meg is gonna be stressed out a few weeks before September 10th, 2008. So I'm gonna make sure that she's born 24 years before on THAT day so it will be the perfectly timed release that she needs. Yesterday (the 9th) was one of those terrible days where nothing works and things aren't accomplished that should have been. So waking up this morning on my birthday, to find an e-mail inbox of e-cards and wonderful notes was PERFECT. An interlude of a teacher's morning meeting with more issues to deal with, but then on to 6th grade. They knew it was my birthday and when I walked into the class, they were all hiding behind the walls and desks with the light out. They jumped out at me when I turned on the light, then a student walked up to me with an ENORMOUS chocolate cake that he had bought with his OWN money:
and from that point on, the day kept getting better and better!!
A cherished cream soda from South Africa and a bunch of necklaces:
A scavenger hunt to find my DREAM car!
And my favorite (bran) muffins with a coin baked inside and BLUE honey butter on top! mmmmm!!
Whoever said middle school is no fun to teach never taught 6th and 7th grade at American International School in 2008. Because I love these kids. I know this is getting long but I have to tell you that although my roommate is JUST as pressed for time in her days as I am, she spent yesterday afternoon preparing a cappuchino flavored ice cream cake with home-made DARK chocolate covered coffee beans (a delicacy) sprinkled throughout. SIMPLY AMAZING...also possibly the reason I am still awake at 1:30am. haha. So I apologize for the length, but I miss you guys! Again, I just want to say how happy I have been since returning. I have felt so much peace from being around my friends from last year and new friends from this year. This is an established second home. While it can never replace the first, it has etched a part in my heart and I already know that this year will be unforgettable! :) Thank you for continuing to support me in this journey and a HUGE THANK YOU to the mission committee for my bicycle!! With LOTS of love...
24 year old Meg
