God Is Big.

A new month brings new season...again. Change is consistent here in terms of growing and learning how to live here...it's almost like you never quite get there unless you grew up here. There's always something you can get better at...the language, bargaining for taxi moto rides, figuring out cultural differences and how to respect those boundaries....

Anyway, a lot happened this week. We had our first full week where it felt like a routine had actually settled which was really nice. Some kind of normalcy. A bit o' comfort. I really enjoyed my students this week. Alvin, my student teacher for the month, has come so far since the beginning as well. I like that he thinks for himself and tries to come up with new ideas for future lessons.

We started doing phonics lessons this week. The kids were seriously SO good at it. They were able to figure out most letters and the sounds they make which is HUGE. It's crazy how quick childrens' minds mold and shape. Double-edged sword. But in my case, I LOVE IT. I also got to teach them about the solar system--planets, the sun, the moon. They were CRAZY about it! And a funny thing was at first, I didn't even have any real photographs of the planets--I just drew some out on a large piece of paper. Then turns out, someone had left Zeke a video of computer graphic/real satellite images of planets that I was able to show my students. What my students said: YOOOOO!!!! (Yo = anything that should end with an exclamation mark: e.g. "Yooo, that smell is rank!", "Yooo, that motobike is cool!", "Yooo, that girl just slipped on the mud and smashed her face in a puddle!") They had never even seen or heard of outer space before. Totally new concept. And how cool is it that they not only get to see (kinda) how big our universe is, but also how big our Creator is who made it all! God spoke to me through it all as well. I heard a podcast this week that was brought from the States a thought about Job challenging the Lord and the Lord's response to what Job had to say:

"Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line? What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?" Job 38:4-7 NLT

I know I'm white (debatable) but, YO! Job just got served. The pastor said God's part like this:

"These stars I've created...you have a picture of them from a satellite. Me, I've been holding these things together since the beginning of time, and you think I'm gonna let YOU go?"

I'm thinking a response to that takes care of itself. No more to be said.

A fun story to end with:

Something else funny also happened this week. I have a few students, mainly boys, who I like to call "umuguruguru" (say that five times fast) which translates as cheeky monkey, mischieveous, that kind of thing. One day, when our classes were switching this week, the children were giving me high fives before they left. One kid decided to be an umuguruguru and jet his hand away as I went to slap it. So the next time he put his hand up, I grabbed it, pulled him close and made kissy noises next to his cheek. Intent: fun for me and humiliating to him. (What a good teacher I am.) All the other kids thought I was seriously kissing this child and got all excited that the muzungu lady thinks it's okay to kiss her students. Before I know it, Queen G. Love (yes, that's her real name) has walked right over and planted one on the side of my face. Thanks to Queen, they just kept coming. Kiss Kiss Kiss, and asking for one in return. Welcome to the world of Snow White and her dwarves, right? It was all quite sweet, and I believe they actually meant it. What a change from the political correctness of teaching in the oh-so-litigious States! I now have one student, Gabin, God bless his little ADHD self, who insists on getting kisses coming to and from class. He's the only one who still kept it up the next day. I'm okay with it. God just bless those germy little mouths (not in the Southern way--I mean it!) that like to stick everything in them including things found on the ground and keep all sickness away!

These are some of my umugurugurus. Pretty cute, huh?