First Month of School

Hello Friends, Family, Prayer Warriors, and Casual Stalkers ;-),

Wow, I can't believe that on Monday I will have been TEACHING at ICSV for a whole month!  This is a totally insane realization.  Even more insane was my realization that it's been three whole weeks since I last updated you on what's been going on!  Don't worry, I've given myself a stern smack on the back of the hand and a judging look in the mirror so I've paid for my error.  There certainly has been a lot filling up my time.  So, following the pattern of my last blog update I've decided that rather than trying to bore you to death with every minute detail, I'm just giving myself another time limit.  In that time limit I will share as much with you as possible.  Does that sound fair?  Not that you get a choice.  I'm kind of the queen of my blog so I get to do what I want ;-).

It is currently 11:22.  I officially give myself until 11:50.  That way I can get some pictures in.  Ready...set...go!

School Life!

Alright so I've been getting to know all of my students very well, and they are an awesome group of kids!  As I've mentioned before they are from nine different countries.  In some ways teaching at an international school is very similar to teaching in America in that kids are kids no matter where they are from.  I'm still breaking up Dodgeball related drama, giving spelling tests, and working through the hardships of math...but in some ways it is a very different challenge.  One of the major challenges is that most of my students are speaking English as their 2nd or 3rd language which means that teaching grammar, reading, and writing is a big challenge.  Four of the students are still in ELL classes which means that they are still mastering a basic command of the English language.

Another major challenge is the wide ranges of educational backgrounds that my students come from.  I have one student who is from a country in Africa (sorry can't post specifics until I have permission) and who didn't get to go to school until second grade because her teachers were on strike.  In the same classroom I have several students from Korea who have had heavy math emphasis throughout their education.  So sometimes class can be challenging because the student's prior knowledge is so wildly different.  (i.e. some still learning how to round while some are dividing with 2 digit divisors and thinking it's too easy).

Yet another awesome challenge with these students is teaching them about the Bible.  Imagine sitting in a room with 16 students (I added one last week) to talk about God when some of them have missionary parents, some have never heard of the Bible, and some are from different religions!  Just this Friday we had a great conversation because they get to put their questions about God in a box and we wrestle through them.  One of the questions was "How are Christians different from Catholics?".  We got to wrestle through this together with the help of a girl in class who is Catholic.  The students then wanted to know if Islam is similar and our Muslim student shared his background, then a student from South Korea piped in with information about Buddhism!  So awesome!

I can't post pictures of the students right now because we don't have photo release rights (and some students can't have their pictures posted regardless) so I'll just share a few pictures of one of our assignments where they had do define their vocabulary words with pictures :-).

Caption: Man: Trash that dog poo-poo!
Girl: Sorry!

Defining the word "Skeptical"

To "Attain"

A lab activity where the students attempted to use reasoning
skills to "Save Fred"...Fred was a gummy worm.  

Personal Life....

Sarah and I moved last Wednesday!  Yes that's right we are FINALLY in our real apartment!  I don't remember if I shared this last time but we have had quite the nomadic trip!  We started out in temporary digs and then had a shower related water problem and had to move to two different friend's apartments to live on couches and wait for our apartment to be ready.  Well...now it is!

We've been working hard to fill our apartment and turn it into home but it's a gradual process!  I am not fully prepared to reveal our magnicifent apartment in all of it's glory because it's just not up to par yet but I can give you sneak peeks!  We have begun to accumulate some basic items through the help of the school and friends (like a table, couches, etc.), and have been shopping for some other neccessities to make the apartment feel more like home.  But we are still waiting for a few more SLIGHTLY important items...like beds...and a washing machine.  We have been truly impressive women in putting together these items, but I am sad to say that we were outsmarted by a curtain rod during one of our assembling parties!

Sarah and I prepare to assemble a gifted wardrobe
(we succeeded) 

Bought some apartment necessities!

Shopping is a lot more challenging when you
have to get everything home on a bus or
train

The collection of secondhand eclectic tea cups has made us very happy!

Next week's challenge is painting!










Spiritual Life...

God continues to be so gracious and awesome in helping me to transition to my calling here in Vienna.  I am lifted up by my friends and family at home in prayer so powerfully that I have really been able to settle in and be used by God.  Another blessing is the great community of teachers at the school who are so willing to help and encourage me through the whole process!  Truly I am blessed!  I know that there will be times of frusteration, loneliness, or sadness in the months to come but please help me to pray my way through them!

Here's a few prayer requests if you wouldn't mind...

*  That our visas come through!  We are still waiting to be "official" here in Vienna!  It's taking a longer than usual amount of time for our visas to be processed so please pray that there are no issues.

*  For my students and their families - that God would create windows for ministry in their lives and that I would be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading so that I can minister to them.

*  For the school as they make some important decisions in the next few months that could potentially help the school to grow even more (more details later)

*  For continued energy, joy, and health :-)



Love you all and miss you like crazy (if you are at home) or love that you are here with me (if you're in Vienna)!  Please keep in touch and let me know if you have any questions about things!

Love,

Amy

I'm still alive!

Hello All!

I must start first by apologizing for my tardiness in updating my blog.  The past few weeks have been insanely busy and filled with totally story worthy moments that I have neglected to share because I've been so busy living them and preparing for this week, the week that these past months have been all leading up to...the FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL!!!!  Wow what a whirlwind!  I don't know how on earth I can begin to share enough without being a long winded bore (still possible) or writing until my fingers fall off (and I could really use those working on lesson plans this afternoon!).  So I'll settle for telling you as much as I can in...hmmm what's a fair length of time.  Fifteen minutes you say?  Good agreed.  Clock starting....NOW!

Okay so before school began I spent the week prior in All Staff orientation and in preparing my classroom.  During this time several of us elementary teachers were something of a running joke because we were staying every evening until 10 or 11 at night.  But all of you reading this who ARE elementary teachers must surely agree that while a behavior flip card chart certainly LOOKS simple...the silly thing took probably three hours and 15 copy jams to work out so while your room looks sensible in the end it took you an absurd amount of time.  Side note: Thank you to my amazing principle Amanda Howard for leaving the 5th grade classroom (she taught last year) amazingly well organized so that I walked in to a great room!  So anyways here's the end product before it was invaded by children:

It took me three tries to hang this silly alphabet.  It was ridiculous!

So that's my classroom!  Note that I have window cling plants instead of real ones because I am a certifiable plant killer.  It's sad but true.  Also for those of you looking at this and going..."my WORD she has a huge classroom!"...you're right!  I do!  I have the biggest classroom in the school and my windows open out so it's the coolest room as well.  I've tried to enjoy my room with Christ-like humility as I enter smaller and warmer rooms but I may or may not casually drop into conversation the fact that I could fit two regular rooms in mine ;-).

When school began my room was invaded by 15 of the best kids in existence who I have immedietly fallen in love with!  They're from nine different countries, one of which I actually had to look up on a map because I had no idea that it even existed.  Seriously people I'm pretty sure that countries have been sneaking onto the map while I wasn't looking because I'm usually very good with geography!  Some of my students are fluent in english (4 are American children of missionaries) but conversely there are 2 that are just learning English.  I've learned that I have to speak slowly and clearly (ha!) and use lots of examples and illustrations.

Sharing the gospel is an amazing privilege as well!   Some of my students are from countries that don't allow the gospel to be preached openly and at least one is Muslim.  It's already creating really amazing conversation openers.  I so appreciate all of your prayers that the Holy Spirit would guide me and create openings into their hearts!

Here's a pic of the entire elementary school on our first day assembly:

8 Minutes left and so much more to say!

In our personal life there has been much amusement as well...sooo since time is running low here's a highlights version:

*  Sarah and I (my roomate) spent an entire saturday morning people watching from our window onto the courtyard.  We discovered that we may or may not be Jimmy Stewart in Rear Window and that Bathsheba lives in Vienna now.

*  Our house meister came to our door one evening at 10pm and knocked on the door until we opened then walked right in and started taking apart our bathtub and demanding tools.  He spoke no English.  I was ridiculously confused.  I resolved to learn German immedietly.

*  We had to move out of our apartment.  New one isn't ready yet.  Currently crashing at other people's places!

*  When we moved it was like an evacuation drill.  I have no idea where anything is that I own.  Sarah made sure that the plants survived.  I was unaware that I own so many things.  The aardvark made it okay.  

*  Have met amazing people and am making friends for life.  So grateful for the people that God has placed in my life and so excited to see our relationships bloom and grow!

Two minutes!  Time to wrap up!  I can't wait to share more about my mistakes, triumphs, lessons, and growth in the classroom.  Your prayers mean the world to me and I'm so excited to follow you all as well!  I'm so blessed to be here doing what God has called me to do and can't wait to follow him farther. 

 I feel like Lucy stepping through the wardrobe...when I was little I opened every closet door to try to escape to my own magic world but didn't know until now that my Narnia is here in Vienna and the magic I was looking for was God's call in my life!  

Love you!

Until next time (drat 1 minute late...)

-Amy