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

Welcome to Vienna!

Hello All!

It's official...I'm living in Vienna!  After arriving on a very HOT Monday morning I've spent the last week with new and returning staff members focusing completely and totally on learning how to live in Vienna.  Learning how to ride the Uban and get to Ikea...conquering the feat of grocery shopping...sitting in silent confusion as we are helped with the legal paperwork...and MUCH more!!

My roomate Sarah and I are currently staying in a temporary apartment while we are waiting for the renovations to be completed at our place.  As such we are living in an internet free world for the next month or two which is weird but kind of refreshing.  The secret is going to places that have free wireless :-).

They say a picture is worth a thousand words so here's a few of the things that I've learned this week...

I've learned how to take the Uban (underground train) to get nearly anywhere in the city!
It's really clean and easy to understand.  The whole thing's like the honor system though...
You buy your ticket for a day, week, month, or year and 9 times out of ten no one ever checks it!
If they do it's a fine though

We took a walking tour of the downtown area of Vienna to familiarize ourselves with where
we're living!  I learned that it's nearly impossible to catch Sarah NOT making a weird face.
Here she is showing us her Roman soldier face.  It's very intimidating.

Downtown Vienna is very beautiful and you can walk basically anywhere.
Farmer's markets, Christmas markets, and Easter markets often fill the streets with activity

Dogs are REALLY popular in Austria!  You can take them into the mall, and onto the Ubahn
You almost never hear them bark but you best get used to seeing them ALL over!  Even in restaurants!
True story they like them more than kids...

You can make yourself feel right at home by adding personal touches even in a temporary rooming situation!

For a fun shopping experience and lots of cheap produce you can go to naschmarkt and pick up things!
This picture isn't taken by me...it was SOOOO crowded (on Saturday) that there was no way to take out my camera...
I DID however order 2 lemons completely in german :-).  

if you are polite and nicely explain that you don't know German many Austrians are still
happy  to talk to you!  And sometimes they even ask to take a picture with your
toothbrush!

And finally your toilet will always be in it's own separate room.

I could go on for hours sharing all about what I'm learning but for now this is a start!  Next week is new staff orientation and then I'll be hard at work transforming my classroom!  Prayers for my future kids and their families and for my transition are greatly appreciated.  Can't wait to stay regularly in touch as soon as I have a permanent internet connection :-)

Love!

Amy

Vienna or Bust!

Hello All!

Did you ever have one of those moments that you have been planning for and thinking about for so long...that when it actually happens you don't even know what to do with yourself?  That's how I'm feeling today because today is THE DAY!  I'm en route to Vienna and the beginning of this new chapter as we "speak" and I don't even know what to say about it.  It's a very surreal feeling :-).

This week was all about packing and family time.  If you follow me on facebook you know that I have been somewhat ridiculously agonizing about my suitcases and what stays and goes.  So I finally caved and checked three suitcases (one of them is overweight - poor baggage guys).  The interesting thing is that I'm not even 100% sure what is in all of them.  My father (the proud scoutmaster) made it his personal mission to pack as many things as possible into each suitcase in some kind of an awesome quest to be the world's ultimate packer.  When I opened one suitcase and found a tiny stuffed aardvark and t-rex I knew that we'd both gone bannanas.  His argument for keeping them both was that they made friends and couldn't be seperated and I may really need a stuffed aardvark someday so wouldn't I feel silly if I took them out?  Hmmm hard to argue with crazy logic I suppose (love you dad!).

As we speak I'm in the midst of the airport adventure.  First transfer was to Chicago - next I'll be headed to London.  Stupidest thing so far?  Hmmm probably the fact that their is no food in the international terminal but there's copious amounts of cigarettes and alcohal to purchase.  To this I wonder...what's the bigger threat level here?  People eating McDonald's or people packing away the Whiskey and Vodka on an empty stomach?  I'm sure someone can probably explain the logic of this to me but I'm not sure I'll believe them!

I've been amusing myself thus far taking stupid pictures of the toothbrush and company chilling in the airport with me.  If you don't understand the toothbrush's significance you'll have to look back at my old photos from Europe.  Best. Traveling Companion. Ever.   Attempts to post pictures of their awesomeness failing miserably.  Pictures aren't uploading well here.  Apologies :-(


Hopefully if all is good I'll be arriving in Vienna at 1:10pm Austrian time on Monday where I will be greeted and ushered off into a week full of orientation to living and getting around in Vienna.  It looks like it'll be a couple of weeks before I have wireless set up at the apartment I'll be living in so no promises on regular updates until things settle down.  In the meantime some prayer requests below.

Prayer Requests:
* Continued safe travel!
* Energy and focus as I make the transition to a new culture and ministry
* Luggage that arrives safely! (and in the right place)
* The hearts and minds of the families that I will be meeting, creativity and energy for teaching
* Adaptability
* Still praying in 44% of my monthly support!

Love you all!!!!!
-Amy

Bon Voyage (soon!)

: 

Hello All!!!

Wow it has been an inexcusably long time since I last updated my blog!  In my defense I was out of town but I will do my best to make restitution by giving you a nice solid blog update today :-).  [side note:  I only know what the word restitution means from listening to Adventures in Odyssey - I don't know why this is necessary to share].

So since it's been awhile and a lot has been going on I'll give you a highlight reel version of everything leading up to yesterday...which was my goodbye party.  My highlight reel is regretfully lacking in pictures.  I'll make it up to you at the end I promise.

Highlights:
1.  Finished training in New York on July 6th...drove 4 hours home and took off at 2am the next morning to fly with my family to Florida.  Impressed my mother by having my laundry done and repacked at Houghton before coming home.  Felt smug.

2.  Went to Florida where my family rented a condo with my grandmother, family, aunt and uncle, and cousin and her husband.  Huge blessing that this was planned last year so that I had this bonding time with family...shared a room with my sister.  No one died.  This is a huge accomplishment.

3. Magic Kingdom (yay).  Got stuck in Haunted mansion seance room while riding BY MYSELF (mistake) for 20 minutes (weirdly terrifying and simultaneously annoying).

4.  Rode Harry Potter ride 3 times.  Argued with siblings about which house we'd be in.  Settled on this arrangement:

5.  Came home...confronted the fact that I need to pack all of my belongings.  Realized that I am a horrible packer.  Had panic attack.

6.  Successfully packed up all of my clothes, shoes, teaching supplies, DVDs, and began to sort out books.  Realized that packing up all of my shoes three weeks early was probably a mistake.

Okay so now we're officially caught up to yesterday!  Yesterday was a wonderful blessing.  Many of you who read this were able to attend and a lot of you already know that yesterday my family and friends hosted an ice cream social where I had the opportunity to say goodbye to all kinds of people that mean the world to me!  For those of you who couldn't be there here are some highlights!

My little friend who knows that sometimes you have to skip the ice cream and just
go for the brownies!

A former deer and merry (wo)man waiting patiently for ice cream

Enjoying Ice Cream with some beloved students :-)

Family and Friends

A display board about my missions work and how to support me

Getting a really special present from a really special girl

Enjoying the party!

The whole party was a huge blessing with an amazing amount of love from forever friends, students, and family.  I will be praying for EVERYONE while I am gone and really hope that everyone keeps in contact!

I'm at T-minus 2 weeks and counting before take off and everything is becoming more real every day.  I'll be updating you on how things are progressing and how the move goes and what I'm up to.  

I'm also still praying in more monthly support.  God's been good and I'm up to about 50% as of yesterday which is a huge blessing but I still have a ways to go.  Thank you for your prayers. Oh and check out the picture below ;-)

Much Love!!

-Amy

Okay so those of you who have followed my adventures in other yeas will know why this is AMAZING!
My friend Kelly has given me a whole toothbrush family to travel with!

Pre Field Orientation Adventures!

Hello all of my dear blog followers, skimmers, and casual observers!  I'm so sorry it's been a bit of time since my last update - for those that do not know I am currently on the second leg of my inadvertant farewell America tour - after spending time with my father out west I am now in upstate New York for two weeks participating in my Pre Field Orientation for teaching overseas.  Note:  Three days after I returned from Colorado Springs the city like almost burned down.  I apologize in advance to the state of New York, assure them that anything that happens has nothing to do with me, and hope sincerely that this is not some sort of a pattern!  

Pre-Field Orientation is taking place on the campus of Houghton College in New York.  It's been a VERY educational time with lots of seminars for us educators that will be leaving for specifically the international schooling foreign missions field.  There are about 80 of us here and between all of us we are traveling to every continent except for Antarctica.  It has been a fantastic opportunity to bond with folks who will be facing the same challenge as me.  The topics we have been practicing have also been great!  It's a bit overwhelming (the educators liken absorbing the information to drinking from a fire hose) but excellent nonetheless.  Some topics are:

* Language Acquisition

*Making a healthy emotional transition

*Classroom strategies for the International Educator

*Third Culture Kid Profile

* Personality Profiling

*And many, many more!  All taught by christian educators who have themselves spent many years on the field :-)

The added bonus of this experience is the opportunity to bond with fellow educators - particularly those who will be going to Vienna with me.  I've gotten to know my future roomate Sarah very well and also have met three other families and another single gal who will be joining us.  We're already turning into a family!  

Disclaimer:  I wanted to put studious pictures of us all learning but I was too chicken to take pictures during our sessions so instead here are some pictures of our trip today to Niagara Falls on our day off.  Enjoy and please keep all of us in your prayers!

Love you all!

 Amy

Part of our Vienna team.  We're in Red and White to represent for Canada day!
On the left are the Canadian Preusse Family and on the right you'll see the Wiisanen
family, Sarah (in the white shirt) and myself.  We're practicing our cross cultural skills if you
look closely :-) 

DeAnn (left) will be very close to Sarah (right) and I as she teaches in
Budapest next year.  They are practicing their best tourist expressions.
DeAnn is succeeding 

The Rainbow Bridge to Canada!

My Future Roomate Sarah and I are a very attractive Mountie and
her pet moose on the Canadian side of the falls :-)

To GOD be the Glory

Psalms 19

  The heavens declare the glory of God; 
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 
 Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge. 
 They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.

Philmont in New Mexico

This week I had the opportunity to travel with my awesome dad as he took a contingent of 97 boy scouts to trek through the mountains of New Mexico.  We left early on Saturday Morning (understand by early I mean 2am) to meet the scouts at the Sandusky Amtrack station and traveled 30 hours on the train across the country to drop the boys off at Philmont – the 137,000 acre boy scout camp that has sent boys and girls off on adventures for over 50 years. 

After dropping the scouts off and spending the night at Philmont dad and I got to take a few days to travel through New Mexico and Colorado – visiting his cousins and enjoying some father daughter time.  It was an amazing few days and being out west reminded me of a few things as I quickly approach the departure date for Vienna….

As the Rocky Mountains first appeared out of the distance and we spent the next several days driving through them you can’t help but think to yourself in Matthew 17:20 that Jesus promised that faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains.  Some of these mountains are upwards of 14,000 feet…they were carved by the hand of a creator that has himself promised me that he will be faithful to me.  Support raising continues to be a wait on a miracle.  My humanity makes me worry so much that the finances will come through – but God’s creation speaks otherwise.

The Garden of the Gods

I am convinced that the Garden of the Gods in Colorado is one of the most beautiful places in the world.  The towering red rocks are eroded and shaped so beautifully against the frame of the mountains that just looking at them reminds me that God has not just a plan – but a beautiful plan.  He didn’t just create a functional world he created a beautiful one, and he has promised that his plans for me are just as well thought out and beautiful (Jerimiah 29:11).  Why worry about how God will come through when he has already promised that his plan and calling for me is shaped out?  I can be confident.

The Garden of the Gods reminds me of Job 38 :-)

My Milkshake at Whit's End

What important and timely reminders!  I am sad to leave the west but was so happy to spend the time with my dad (and eat good food, visit a cheesy Mexican restaurant with a 500lb gorilla, and have a milkshake at WHIT’S END!).  Now it’s time for the next stage!

On  Sunday I will be leaving for 2 weeks of orientation and training before my missions work in Vienna begins.  I still need 90% of my monthly support by the end of July.  The God that shaped the heavens and the earth also planned out my entire life and the call that he has on me.  Having just been reminded of the beauty and scope of his creation I know that he has this well in hand – but I do still need support – especially monthly.  If this is something you feel called to do please contact me for more information.