it's already been two months?!?!?!?!

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tomorrow, it will be two months since i left for my big adventure to saipan. i can't believe it. the time has gone so fast, although i feel like i have lived here and known my new friends my whole life.

things have been going really well at school. my fourth period is the only one i have problems with, and i am constantly trying to figure out what i can do to keep these kids on track. i am amazed at how much i am loving teaching middle school. i never saw myself teaching any grade higher than 4th, so i was quite apprehensive about teaching 7th, but after hanging out with my students and getting to know them, i honestly don't know if i can go back to teaching younger students. i love being able to hang out and talk about real issues with them. they make me laugh everyday and i love being able to look forward to that.

most days are really good for me, but thursday was the worst day EVER. the morning started out good, but in my second period, a student got mad because he lost a dollar in his last class, so he decided to break my pencil sharpener, a pen i had on my desk, and the highligher i use for taking attendance. ugh. then, third period, i learned that another one of my students has been stealing all the chalk i have bought and my mom has bought for the classroom's chalkboard. i talked to him, called his dad, and sent home a letter telling his parents what he has been doing and that i need the letter returned to me signed by them and two new boxes of chalk by monday. we'll see if that happens. then, during lunch, i ran into eric, a boy i went on a couple dates with in the first few weeks on island, but then he turned out to be creepy. it was awkward seeing him. then, fifth period, one of the legs of a table that i sit 6 of my students around decided to snap off while the students were working, and the school is too poor to get me a new table, so i now have to figure out where i am going to sit those 6 students. i had a meeting after school, then got right out of there. i was so excited to get home, put in a movie, and relax, but as i was opening my screen door, i looked up and saw that a poor gecko had gotten decapitated from our screen door that morning, and i just about vomited. it was so gross. i couldn't even deal with it. i made erik do it when he got home. later on, as i was getting ready to take a shower, i went in my room to grab my towels and learned that ants had decided to make a road through my bedroom. as i followed the trail, it went from the wall on the far side of my room, out my door, and all the way across erik's room. so, of course, instead of taking a shower and going to bed, we had to go to the store and buy ant spray. by this time, all i wanted to do is cry. it was a bad day.

yesterday at school, it started smelling really sulfury (bringing me back to my days in new zealand) and hazy. during class, i was informed that one of the volcanoes to the north of us was smoking and the winds were bringing the sulfur and ash to saipan. we were all required to stay indoors so my students were bouncing off the walls because they could not be outside and they were excited that they may be let out early, so we didn't get a lot accomplished by the last period of the day. we stayed on campus the whole day, but it was still kinda cool that it was happening. it definitely makes me feel like i am far away from minnesota.

last night, we went out to a little tavern that we had never been to, and listened to a rockin sweet raggae band. they were so good and it was really fun. it has totally inspired me to finally go buy a ukelele and learn how to play it. my kids bring them to school all the time and are so good. they are so musical. some of them have started giving me lessons during lunch, so i know some basic songs, but i want to know how to rock out on it.

today is my last day of saturday class, and once i finish the take-home test this weekend, i will be done forever. hooray! during class is the time were i usually blog because i don't want to listen to the boring speakers, so now i will have to figure out a new time to do it, but i will make sure to keep you all updated on the life of saipan sally.

love you all 😊

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