Thanksgiving

This has been a wonderful Thanksgiving. I have so much to be thankful for. My family far away, the church family here in Saipan, and my Lord and savior, just to name the most important ones. I spent this Thanksgiving at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Winkfield, and they were gracious hosts. I didn't count exactly, but there were probably between 30 and 40 people at their home for Thanksgiving dinner. There was so much food, games, fun, and more food. Here are a few pictures of our time together as well as a picture of my church, Saipan Community Church.

Another gorgeous sunset

Totally "Solid"

I just want to show a few pictures of some of my students, my classroom, and my school. The lady at the top is my cooperating teacher, Leilani Iramk. She is wonderful to work with. She grew up on the island and graduated from MHS herself. She attended a university in Hawaii and came back to Saipan to teach. She taught at a junior high for two years, and then moved to MHS. She has been teaching here for 3 years.

Also on top is a picture of my school. It is a very large school and this is just one section of building D.

These students are in my 4th period class and this is a day they are presenting the creative writing books they have been working on for the last 4 weeks. I really love this group of kids. In a class of 19 students, I only have 4 girls. They have a lot of fun, and as they would say, "Miss, we're solid." And it's true--they are.

Halloween

Above is a group picture of those of us who went cave style. From left to right is Kristie Mhyrum, Isaac Mhyrum, myself, Jackie Van Dam, Amanda Allen, and Jake Van Dam. This picture to the above right was one of the most beautiful I'd ever seen. The sail boat has a sail of the American Flag and against the sunset it was breathtaking.

To the left is Amanda Allen and Jake Van Dam

This is the view of the resort just outside of our room at about midnight.

To the left is Amanda and I on our balcony overlooking the ocean

Hallween this year was really fun. Normally I'm not into the dressing up and going out, but generally that was because it was always freezing. But here it was actually fun because the weather was great. A group of us dressed up as cave people and went on a sunset cruise. It was part of a package deal that came with a night at the Palms Resort, the cruise, dinner on the cruise, and breakfast the next morning. I had a roommate so it was only $44 a person!!

The cruise was a couple hours long and there was music, dancing, and dinner. It was right at sunset, and because it hadn't been a cloudy or rainy day, the water was crystal clear and the sunset was gorgeous. There were a lot of people I knew or recognized on the boat. It was advertised in the newspaper, yet most of the people that came were "mainlanders" who are teachers or lawyers or work at the resorts. I had a steak, and was quite surprised at how good it was since this is obviously not cattle country.

We spent the evening at Godfathers and then retired to our hotel. Although the rooms were nice, they were a bit outdated. When I opened the door I felt like I was going into an old James Bond movie set from the 60's or 70's. We had a balcony overlooking the pool and the ocean that was breathtaking. The only thing bad about the stay was the beds. I have probably never slept in a more uncomfortable bed. Even the most shabby motel on the mainland would have softer beds, but since I got a good price for it, I didn't mind. My theory is that they make the beds so hard that their guests will wake up with only the thought of scheduling a message at the day spa.

It was a very fun time with friends and was probably the first time I ever truly enjoyed Halloween.

Club 200 Mad Hatter's Ball

Well...I'm Back

Well...I'm back. (Any true Tolkien lovers will understand this line and the meaning behind it):)

But more than just being one of Sam Gamgee's best lines, I mean it in that I also am coming back to write my part of the tale. I have actually had my internet problems fixed for over a week, but I haven't felt like blogging even when people have asked me to. I think part of the reason is that the newness of Saipan was beginning to wear off. I wasn't as eager to tell about every delicious meal and every trip to a beach. But despite this, I really do feel the need to keep in contact with family and friends from home. And not just for my own sake, but because I do understand that my life is not just about me, but that there are others out there who do care about how I am doing here on this paradise of an island. Wow...now that that is out of the way I guess I have a bit of catching up to do. I certainly won't tell about everything; I'll just mention the main high points.

Last weekend there was a large fundraiser on the island for the American Red Cross. It is an annual fundraiser at $200 a ticket and thousands of people come. The theme was The Mad Hatters, so there were thousands of people sitting around in crazy hats. It was held at the Hyatt resort with dozens of huge tents and lights set up right on the beach. There was free food and about 40 very large prize packages generally giving away free flights, hotel stays, messages, and cash. I was actually given a free ticket by some people who had never intended to go in the first place. It was very fun, and I promise I will be posting some pictures of it shortly. The best part of this event however, was what it showed me about these people. Many of them do not have very much money, and $200 a person is very significant, but many of the locals still go every year. They are very generous people and they give everything they have to support someone in need. It is so neat for me to see this, as it is not nearly as normal to see stateside.

I think I should tell you all a little about my school as well. After all, my teaching is the main reason why I am on the island in the first place. I teach at Marianas High School which is in the village of Susupe (pronounced as Soosoopee). We are the Home of the Dolphins and the largest high school on the island. There is also Kagman High school and Southern High, but MHS is of course the best. The MHS campus is made of about 40 different buildings with open walkways and should comfortably house about 700 students. However, there are almost 1300 students attending at the moment, so the class sizes are fairly large to say the least.

My classroom is in the gym conference room and it has its challenges as the students are really crammed in there in 5 different tables. Tests and quizzes are my biggest challenge as the students are already practically sitting on top of one another, so cheating is rampant. I need to figure out if I can somehow take them outside my classroom into a corner of the gym to spread out.

I have two classes, both of which are Language Arts 10th grade. I have 27 students in one class and 17 in the other. 4th period is much nicer simply for the reason that that there are fewer students. It is a nice way to end my day. I really enjoy my students. I had some behavioral issues last week, but I think I am beginning to understand this group of students a little better, so things went much better this week. Part of it too is that I am new, white, and don't completely understand the culture. So the students were really testing me to see how much they could get away with. But I have set up some clear boundaries, and I think they are beginning to see that I will do what I say. I am truly realizing that consistency is probably the biggest key to classroom management along with proper instruction.

Today was actually Halloween Fest at the school. Classes were shortened to 50 minutes and the last two hours were spent doing dances, fashion shows, and booths. Because I am new and don't have a homeroom, I was asked to judge the performances along with 3 other people. Some of them were very good. My favorite dance was by the Chamorro Club and they did the traditional dances in traditional costume. I took my camera, but unfortunately was having some trouble with it, and was only able to get a couple pictures. I will have to see if I can clean them up and get them on here, because it was quite neat.

Tomorrow night, for Halloween, I and a bunch of people are going on an ocean cruise. There was a package deal from the Palms Resort. $88 for an ocean view room, cruise, dinner, and breakfast. The whole group of us going are doing the caveman theme. I just spent 3 hours making my costume, and honestly, I think it looks pretty awesome!

Well, I am going to wrap this up, but it felt cathartic to get this all out. Please drop me a line to let me know how you are all doing. I miss you all and hope that life is going wonderfully for you.

P.S. the snorkeling is amazing!! I have seen so many fish exactly like what you see in Finding Nemo. And many more. I certainly have seen Dory and Gill a lot, but no little Nemos. I'll have to go see if I can find him!

Internet Issues

I just want to let you all know that I am having some issues with the internet. A couple weeks ago, Tyhoon Melor went through and it knocked out some of the main servers on the island. So my school didn't have internet for over a week, and unfortuanately it was the same week that midterm grades were all due electronically. That was interesting. But the servers are now back on. The issue I now have is that I don't have my own internet at my apartment yet, and I am not sure when I am going to be able to get that hooked up. I have internet at the school, but this blog site is blocked, and I don't have a computer in my own classroom, so I have to borrow from other teachers.

At this very moment I am catching a few minutes of unexpected internet access off of someone else in the building. It hasn't been able to connect for 2 days, and then suddenly it came on. I am finding that here on island, internet connection is more an answer to prayer than an expectation.

So if I am not able to post very often in the coming weeks you will know why.

But since I do have a few minutes I will let you know that I am doing really well. I am all moved in to my apartment, but will continually by getting things to furnish it totally litte by little. When it isn't such a mess with suitcases and shopping bags all over the floor I will take pictures and post them.

This weekend I wil just be preparing for classes next week, but will hopefully get out and do something fun. Please send me an email occasionally to let me know how you are all doing. If you don't know my email already it is katialev09@hotmail.com.

Going Home

Some of you may have heard of all the difficulties I have had in getting into my apartment because of lack of power. Well, it was finally turned on and I am moving in tonight! I had already moved over a lot of stuff that I wasn't using at Jake and Jackie's, but I am taking over the last load this evening. I think once I move in, it will really feel like I belong here.

I am coming to really love this island, but there are some cultural things that I just have to wonder at. For instance, the utilities corporation had my power on several days ago, but for some reason, it still wouldn't turn on in my apartment. For over two days I've kept calling the landlord about it, and she told me the building maintenance man was trying to figure it out. When I finally got a hold of the maintenance man about my power to ask him why it was still not on, we had a conversation that went kind of like this. "Do you know why the power is not on yet?" "Yes, ma'am. " Long pause. "So...is it fixable?" Yes. I find this morning main outside breaker not on." "Can you turn it on?" "Yes...when you want me turn it on?"

When you found the problem!!!! It is not that the maintenance man is dumb or lacks proper English, it was his culture and way of taking things as they come. I am finding that people here don't do much unless you get in their face or call on the phone a hundred times. Oh, well. I am not mad; frankly it kind of amuses me. I suppose this is a good lesson for me to learn to chill out occasionally.

I am finding that as I face some of these cultural issues that I truly am flexible. And I am so thankful for that. When I do feel frustration, I try to remember the verses about not worrying. Worrying is not going to help the situation; it will just make me more stressed. I can't change some things--so I need to just go along with them.

Although different, I am finding little things about this place that I appreciate more and more every day. Not only am I surrounded by one of God's most gorgeous creations, I am also surrounded by friendly, open people to whom materialism isn't even an option. I like this simple life.

Forbidden Island

Well I just finished the grueling hike to Forbidden Island. The hike was VERY steep and nearly vertical for most of it. I was exhausted when I got there, but it was very worth it. Friends first took me to a hidden pool that we had another small hike to get to. The rocks there appear to be volcanic because they are very jagged and black. The pool was very hidden in a small cave. The water was cool and very clear. I got a few pictures, but nothing can actually capture the awe-inspiring nature of that place. There was an opening to the ocean, but the tide would not come over the main part of the pool. There is another small pool beyond the main one that people sometimes go swimming in, but it is very dangerous. There is a rip tide and it will pull you out, and there is basically no way to get back. There are always a couple people that die there every year. So we were very careful and did not go close. There was no one else at the main pool and we just enjoyed it for quite a while.

Eventually we went back to the main part of the beach. When the tide is low you can actually cross the 20 feet to Forbidden Island, but today the tide was coming in and it was too dangerous to cross. We probably would have gotten across okay, but coming back would have been impossible. So we stayed on the shore of the main island and there is a deep pool there that does not get the tide. It is full of all kinds of amazing tropical fish. I borrowed Daniel's snorkeling gear and explored for a little bit. The fish were flocking around me, but I got a little scared when I got too close to a gigantic lobster! So we had lunch on the beach and laid in the shade. I put on a ton of sunscreen again today, and didn't get too burned. I am trying to be very careful with that because I am so pale and burn easily. It was a glorious day! The hike was difficult but the views were spectacular and it was absolutely worth it!

Three day weekend

Hafa Adai everyone! I'm sorry it has been a little while since I've updated my blog; the internet connection has been sketchy here lately. Occasionally I will have it, but lately it has been down often. Apparently the typhoon we had last weekend knocked out some of the main servers on the island and the main company, IT&E, has had trouble in fixing it. But since I have connection at the moment, I will try to update you on some of what has been going on recently.

First of all, I found an apartment! It is fairly close to the school and it is very nice. It is a one bedroom and is fully furnished. It is in a nice area away from the main road, and appears to be really safe. Unfortunatly I am not moved in yet. I have paid the utilities deposit, but apparently the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation (CUC) is fairly corrupt and very slow to get things done. They said they'd have my power on by Friday, but the locals tell me not to expect it until Tuesday or Wednesday of this week at the earliest. So I am staying with Jake and Jackie until I can move in. I have been so blessed by them. They have just been so wonderful and helpful in getting me settled on the island.

Secondly, I am starting to teach my own two classes full time starting tomorrow (Tuesday). My school is on a block schedule and only has four periods in a day. The 1st period I will be observing my cooperating teacher, 2nd period I have a prep, and then 3rd and 4th periods I will have my own students. Those two classes will be separate of the classes my cooperating teacher is teaching. This is quite different than the way they do student teaching on the mainland, but actually I think I will like it this way. I really like the students at MHS; they are respectful and fun.

This three day weekend has been full of fun activities. On Friday, I went with friends to the Palms Resort to look at the missile hitting the moon. They have very large telescopes, and NASA said the dust cloud could be seen with a good telescope. Unfortunately, when we got there the resort told us the telescopes were on the wrong side of the building opposite the moon and we wouldn't be able to see anything. So we had to watch it on CNN in the lounge, and it was completely lame. But fortunately Friday at the resort was ladies night and we got cheap drinks and free food!

Yesterday after church J and J, Amanda, and I took some church kids to the beach where we played in the ocean for 5 hours. I put on gobs of sunscreen about every hour, and thankfully didn't get too burned except for a little on my shoulders. It was the first time I'd swum in the ocean and it was glorious. The water is so warm--so warm in fact that the locals tell me the water around Hawaii is freezing in comparison! The only thing I don't like--the mixing of salt water and contacts. Trust me, they don't mix well. I will learn in the future to take out my contacts and swim blind, or to wear goggles.

And today (Monday) I am going on a hike to Forbidden Island. I'm told it is a short (15-20 minute) hike but that it is difficult (vertical most of the way). It sounds very fun, however, and I am excited to go get more sun and fun. The rest of the afternoon though, will be spent preparing for class tomorrow. I will take pictures and upload some of them here.

I continue to love it here. No homesickness yet. The culture is very different in some aspects, but not so different that I feel completely out of my element. The locals are very friendly and accepting and I have felt very welcomed by the expatriate community and the church. I think it will be a very good place for me to live for a year or more.

My Beautiful Home

All is well

The typhoon has finally moved on, and with little fuss. God truly spared us and the storm was not that bad. There were heavy rains and winds and we were all expecting it to get much worse, but it just didn't. I think people took this very seriously here because of all the other storms in the Pacific. Also, the locals were worried this time, so all of us expats worried also as a result. But there was no flooding, our power came back on quickly, and very few, if any, trees came down on the island. The main difference is the high waves. Wow, they are amazing. But there is a reef on the western shore that keeps the big ones from coming close and the eastern shore is not as populated and has high cliffs.

Today after church J and J, Isaac, Christy, Mark, Brittany, Amanda and I went to this amazing beach called Jeffrey's. This beach is different than the others because it is not the typical tropical beach. You have to drive down this horrendous rutted one-lane mud road, but the result is spectacular. The beach is rocky and is surrounded by high cliffs with a fairly narrow opening to the ocean. The waves come crashing in and it is incredibly powerful. I promise to post pictures. As we were leaving, about 15 land cruisers were coming down the road filled with Japanese tourists. It was a challenge passing the other cars with the road being about 13 feet wide with thick jungle on either side. J and J said that was strange to see because usually that beach is completely deserted.

I am back at the apartment now and will be working to get ready for school tomorrow. I hope I will have a chance to observe for a week, but it looks like there is a possibility that I will already have to teach a few classes tomorrow in my own separate classroom. So I will be creating an emergency lesson plan just in case that happens. Most of the local teachers never had the opportunity to student teach, and were thrown into their first teaching jobs to sink or swim. I think that they are not sure just yet about how to help me with my student teaching and kind of expect me to sink or swim too. It is a good thing that I am a quick learner and that I am quite flexible. I really like my cooperating teacher---we will get along fabulously, and I think there is a lot I can learn from her.

I do love this place. The heat can get pretty bad, but I am finding that it is bearable. And once again, the food is AMAZING! Thanks to everyone who prayed for us over here. We were blessed because the storm could have been much worse. Please continue to pray for the people in the Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam, American Samoa, and Indonesia who have been hit so devistatingly by all these natural disasters.

Typhoon Saga continued

The storm is raging on. It is 7pm and our power is out, but we are running on the generator. The wind is howling around us and the rain is pounding on the shutters. There are at least 5 of us staying overnight at the house tonight and maybe more. We had chili, chicken noodle soup, cornbread and salad, and now we are watching Seinfeld. Hopefully the storm will pass by Monday because I really don't want to miss any school days. From the last tropical storm two weeks ago the schools closed down for two days. They have to make up all missed days and as it is we are only getting Thanksgiving Day off and probably working up to December 23rd. Church is still on for now, but the church only has a roof and is right on the beach, so if it is still raining hard in the morning it might be canceled. I will continue to update on the storm as it continues.

In the Middle of the Typhoon

Well we are in the midst of Typhoon Melor. There are steady heavy rains and wind, but it is not too bad all things considered. The forecast shows that the eye of the storm will move a bit north of us, which is good, because apparently it is moving at about 130mph and is expected to increase. It is almost 10am here and the typhoon is expected to gain strength and come even with the island until about 4pm, and then slowly start to move past us.

We are doing well. I have heard there are some parts of the island that have lost power, but not where we are yet. I am not sure if there has been any flooding. The house where I'm staying is all boarded up with these special typhoon shutters so I can't see out of the house very well except for the back porch. It looks directly down on the big bay of the eastern shore. It is the most amazing sight. There is a cliff that is about 30 feet high and even though it is several miles away I can see the waves crashing all the way up the side of it and the spray shooting even higher. It is a beautiful sight from here, but I certainly wouldn't want to be anywhere near it. The ocean is definately angry this morning.

I will post again later this evening and hopefully the storm will have moved past us some. Thanks for praying everyone.

Weather

I have heard from my parents that a lot of people have been asking about my safety with the earthquakes, tsunami, and weather warnings that have been going on in the Pacific Rim this week, so I thought I would update you all on the forecast.
We have felt no effects of the earthquakes and the water levels seem not to have changed. When the tsunami hit Samoa there was a Pacific-wide tsunami warning, but it was soon canceled here in Saipan. The forecast predicts that there will be a tropical depression this weekend which basically means winds above 25mph and heavy rain with a potential for some flooding. There have been some predictions that it might turn into a typhoon which are winds above 65mph, but in that case there are shelters and buildings all over the island that were built to withstand that. The apartment where I am staying and the school where I will work, as well as the new apartment I will hopefully move into soon, are all buildings that will withstand a lot. Also, my new apartment is further inland and not directly on the beach. It is really not too worrisome---the island is very small and friends say a typhoon would have to have great aim to hit our island square on to do much damage.
Thanks to everyone who has shown concern, however. I appreciate your thoughts and prayers. I will continue to keep this blog updated on the weather.

Geckos

Well, there is another gecko in the apartment! I have now officially seen two and I hope to see more. Jackie said they're everywhere, and I think they're cute. He was tiny and yellow and was so fast I couldn't catch him. I caught the first one but he jumped off my arm and scampered away. Isaac was telling me that when they are cornered or scared they will often try to create a diversion by dropping their tails. That means they will essentially cut off their own tails to distract whatever is trying to catch or kill them. Apparently they grow back pretty quickly though. I just think that's cool. When I move into my new apartment this weekend I hope there are geckos.

Morning on the Beach

Getting Started

Well I am here at last! I traveled for over 22 hours to get here and 1/3 of the way around the world. All my flights went well and my luggage came though okay. I did have one strange experience while flying, however. On my 8 hour flight from Honolulu to Guam, with nothing but reruns of CSI Miami and the DaVinci Code to entertain me, I suddenly had the odd urge to journal. What? I hate journaling! But I soon remembered that my journal, which had been written in about twice in two years, was in a box on a ship somewhere in the Pacific. So I had to content myself with Tom Hanks, my MP3 player, and cold medicine.

I finally arrived, and when I came out of the terminal in Saipan it was odd, because it was pitch black, but about 85% and so humid. Despite my short time here, I have discovered some good aspects to humidity. Yes, you always feel like you just stepped out of the shower, but it has made my laryngitis go away. My skin is also very soft, and my nose, which had been sore from my cold, is suddenly normal again.

Jake and Jackie (J and J) picked me up at the airport, and my principal came as well. Her name is Mrs. Borja and she is one of the most wonderful people I've ever met! She will be great to work with. I was determined to get on island time as quickly as possible, so I decided not to go to bed until J and J did. As a result, they took me to a birthday party for a friend of theirs. It was great to meet people right away, and I will be going out to Korean food with some of them this evening. J and J took me back to their apartment and I slept all night, waking up refreshed at 8 am. It is strange--I don't feel jet lagged at all.

So I showered, ate breakfast, and took a nice walk on the beach, which happens to be about 50 feet from J and J's apartment. Wow, was it ever beautiful! I will try to describe it, but I know I can't do it justice. The sand is soft and white, but there are large jagged boulders all over and enough glass that I don't really want to go down there without sandals. There are palm trees as well as a variety of other trees. The water is bright blue and green and warm! I will be living in Susupe, a village on the populated west shore. On the west coast there is a large, natural reef that keeps the huge waves from coming in. But about half-mile away I can see those waves crashing at the edge of the reef. Apparently the reef is perfect for wind sailing, and I certainly want to give that a try.

It is the rainy season right now so there are quite a few clouds and a strong breeze. The breeze definately helps with the humidity.

One of J and J's friends is Limson. He works at my school, MHS and he is also a real estate agent. He is helping me to find a place to live. Today we drove around to see four fully-furnished apartments near the school. We didn't actually go in to see them--he has to make an appointment with the landlord for tomorrow, so his associate, Cheri will take me to look inside tomorrow morning. There is one in particular that I really like. It is not beach front property, but it is not far. It is in a safe area close to the school, the grocery store, and the police station. I will post pictures of where ever I choose to live.

So this is getting long. Sorry. I am going to try to post pictures of the beach that I took this morning. Some of you know how bad I am with technology so it may be difficult for me, but I will try to learn.

The time has come!

Well, I leave in the morning! Classes are done, luggage is packed, but unfortunately my head cold has not gone away. My cold suddenly hit me on Wednesday morning, but hopefully by tomorrow I will be feeling a little better. Better or not, though, I will be on that plane. At least I'm not contagious anymore.
I am so ready to go and I can hardly wait to get there. I am feeling a bit nostalgic though. After class this morning I drove around campus a little and I realized how much I will really miss Whitworth. It is a gorgeous place with all the towering pine trees dotted in between with lampposts, frisbee players, and students lunging for falling pinecones! It has been a wonderful four years in this place--it had become home. But I welcome change---Bring it on, Saipan!

Crazy weather

Apparently there is a tropical storm/typhoon going on in Saipan this week! Hopefully it will be gone by the time I fly there next weekend. eek! About a week and a half to go, and I have a lot to do before then. Right now I am working on my 2 week unit plan that needs to be done soon and I also have a lot to do for packing, paperwork, and planning. I feel like my life is on speed at the moment, but I know it will come together in time. It has to right?

Three Weeks and Counting

In three weeks I'll be moving to Saipan!!! Right now I'm in Spokane taking three classes for a three week period to prepare for my student teaching. Then off I go. I'll keep you updated as things get closer.