I Get It!

"Ms. I get it!".  I live off those words.  I don't think I've ever had a sentence make me happier.  I'll be frustrated, running low on patience, and feel as if I'm must be failing as a teacher; when just one kids face will light up and exclaim, "I think I get it!" and it's all worth it.  Something amazing happened in Geometry this week.  I was so frustrated last weekend, it seemed the juniors kept getting more and more confused and I didn't know how to help them understand! So I sat in our apartment with a stack of 8 geometry books I dug out of storage trying to figure out how on earth to help them understand! I started over.  I went back to the beginning of the unit and did everything differently.  I wasn't sure if it was working, but wednesday I finally attempted proofs again, but this time it worked! It was only a small step really, and they have a long ways to go.. but they got it! They were so exctied and so was I! Every time I say I want to be at teacher I hear "Well you won't get paid very much".  That's a lie.  Teaching gets paid in ways I can't even describe.  It's not just a job, it's not finished in eight hours every day, and it's paid in ways that don't compare with money.  It's exhausting, trying, sometimes discouraging, and the most rewarding thing I've ever done.  I am so excited to spend the rest of my life teaching!
This week was busy as ususal.  Here is a short summary.   We had the last week of the evangelistic meetings.  I helped out most nights as the chorister and with special music.  So many of the students have been coming all three weeks, and this Sabbath 4 of them were baptized! One of my seniors boys and a freshmen girl among them! It was really exciting, we went with them to the water after potluck this Sabbath.  The pastor went in suit and all and they followed in their church clothes :).  We had Friday off for FSM Independence day, so we went snorkeling of course.  It was an adventure getting there though! We took a boat to go out to a different deeper snorkeling area. Now, the boats here aren't like boats at home... their aren't really seats in it, and we load way more people into them then we probably should! Anyhow, halfway out the little engine stopped.  Apparently the propeller broke and it took a lot of work for Thomas, our Yapese maintenance volunteer, to get it going again.  He took us back to his village to fix it.  We had to drive through this small channel in the jungle.  Bamboo and trees hung over to create a a sort of tunnel.  I was surprised to see we were surrounded by village kids! They were swimming all over, mind you the water was quite gross in this area.  They were in the trees swinging down from the branches, one girl was even swimming with a machete cutting some branches as she went, safe right? They waved and laughed as we drove by, it was so cute! He fixed the engine and we headed back out! After snorkeling we drove around the island a bit, however, they didn't realize we were low on gas... so we couldn't make it back to the car.  He took us to the nearest village, it happened to be an outer island.  Many of the outer islands are actually what to me seems the main island.  If they have a small channel or stream separating with a bridge they consider themselves an outer island.  I don't really know how many people actually consider themselves Yapese on this small island because the outer islanders do not consider themselves Yapese.  Anyhow, the principal was able to call for more gas and a car to come get us.  So a couple of us walked through the village to meet the car.  I had never really walked through the villages before.. it was not what I expected.  I don't really know what I expected to be honest.  With some of the things they have in the store and a few of the modern things it's easy to think life here isn't much different then at home, but it is.  The houses are spread along a pothole filled dirt road.  The houses look more like broken down warehouses then homes.  Some are rusted, they look like they are falling apart.  Kids run all over and woman were gardening in their lava lavas.  I found myself feeling sorry for them, and then I stopped. Why? They looked really happy, happier then lots of people I see driving through a suburban neighborhood with nice homes and perfect yards.  They may not have everything I've grown up with and always thought I needed, but they were happy.  I think I can learn a lot from them.  Of course it makes me realize how much I have to be thankful for, but more then that; it made me realize how consumed we are with "things" in America.  I base happiness on objects more then I realize.  If these villagers aren't living in my idea of a nice house on a nice street I immediatly assume they are unhappy, but they aren't, they are happy with what they have.  Maybe I should be too.  It's a whole new experience seeing life here, and I think their is a lot I can learn from it.