Third day of school

Well, the third day of school has come and gone, and I'm still walking. The kids can be a challenge, but I think it'll be okay. Many of them are just trying to size me up and test me. They are used to having teachers for one semester and then they leave. I think some of them think that's how I'm going to be. It'll take a while before they realize that I'm staying and care about them. I really like it here. The teachers are all really nice and welcoming. I hardly ever get to talk to any of them, though, because we never have any free time. We are with kids from 7:45 in the morning (well, the day starts at 8:21, but we have to be here at 8, and I usually go to the cafe during breakfast....therefore, I'm with kids starting at 7:45) until 2:30 in the afternoon. No breaks at all. It's a long day. And then we have to stay here until 4:30. I greatly dislike that, but there's nothing I can do.
I really have to be creative here. The kids get bored very easily. I'm going to have to plan a lot of activities and hands-on stuff, which is great, but at the same time very time-consuming for me and just requires more. But, it's okay. Whatever I can do to get them interested and excited about learning history.
Well, I'm off to do some lesson planning. Wish me well and pray for me! I need a lot of creativity!!

school

So, I'm sitting here at school, after the first day. It was pretty good. I think I'm really going to like it here. My class sizes are very small, but nice. Life here is good. I'm making friends and learning a lot about the culture each day. That's all for now.

OK, second day of school. Much different. I feel just about the complete opposite as I did yesterday. It will get better and things will be okay, but today is just rough. The kids have no respcet, and have no motivation to do their work. I somewhat expected this, but it's just so much different now that I'm here. Oh well, I have faith that things will get better!

Here

I'm sitting here in the coffee shop, haning out with Leon, Belva and Tami. I really like it here. The Matthews are so nice, and already told me if I need anything to call, and that I can stay at their house if I ever need to and that I can hang out at their house anytime. I really appreciate that! My neighbors that live across the street from me seem nice. I met the husband yesterday. His wife teaches at the school. He also told me that I could go visit them anytime I had questions or wanted to talk. I'm glad that the people that I've met, which is only a few, seem to be accepting. Ok, that's all for now, I'm in conversation.

Welcome home?!?

So....I now live in South Dakota. My parents and I moved my stuff this past weekend, and we got to my house on Monday. It took us two days to drive up here and two days to clean and organize the house. It's kind of weird to think of this has my new house. It's nice, and I have lots of stuff from home, so it feels like home, in a way. It's just weird, having to learn a new address, getting a PO Box, getting a new cell phone and paying for things on my own now. I am now officially a grown up....that's funny. I think I'm ready for the real world. Well, I am ready. It will just take some time to adjust. It will be weird tomorrow when my parents leave, and I am officially on my own. My own house. My own phone. Mine. Hmm....so, I got to see my school and my classroom. I think I'll like it. The head principal said I'd only have about 12-15 students in each class. That's so small. I'm used to at least twice that size. It'll be nice, though. More time with each student and hopefully I'll have more time to teach and not have to deal with discipline stuff. I don't know. I'm kinda sad because the Jr. High principal who hired me took a new job, out of state. So, I'll never get to meet him. He was a nice man.

So, the land out here is pretty. There are hills and the sky is so open and clear. Yet, at the same time, it's ugly. On the rez, there is so much trash. And, I've been warned about doing everything in the daylight and always being cautious, wherever I am. I know that God is good and that He is in control, but I still feel somewhat scared sometimes when people tell me that. There are a lot of people who work on the rez, but live off of it. That makes me wonder how bad it really is...or just how bad it's perceived. I don't know. It will be okay. Hopefully I'll get to know my neighbors soon. I would like to be able to talk to them, but I'm still not sure how they feel about white people.

In the city of Pine Ridge, there are white people around, who work at the hospital or the school. I think I could be one of a few white people in Oglala. It will be interesting to really be in the minority. I pray for God to give me the strength and wisdom I will need throughout this year. Please do the same.

Time to head out!!

Oh goodness....technically, today is Friday, which means that I leave tomorrow. I'm feeling excited, nervous, anxious and kinda sad. I'm ready to leave, but it still saddens me to go. I know that God has amazing things in store, and I don't want to miss out on them because of anything, but I also know that I need to go through these phases and stages right now. It's only normal to be feeling these things, which is reassuring. I am almost finished packing, and I'm going to continue packing once I get off of here. I really only have to finish packing what is in my room. Mind you, that is no small task, but one that I will accomplish by tomorrow afternoon. I'll finish loading the truck tomorrow, which will be exciting! It will also be weird because my room will be somewhat empty. My room already looks empty....Tonight I had a grand time!! I went to Nick's pizza to see my brother and some friends. We ate, laughed and had fun. It will be different not having those Thursday night get-togethers anymore. Maybe I'll start having something on Thursdays at the Rez. That would be fun! After I said my good-byes at Nick's, I made my way to Starbucks to see more friends. That was a lot of fun, as well. I enjoy talking to those people, and look forward to staying in touch and hearing about their adventures at college, or here at home.

It's funny how this summer I have made more new friends. It makes me happy! For example, I have connected with the class that just graduated from high school. They are a really cool group of kids. Michael and Jason are two that stand out because of their love for God, for the friends and for their outgoing-ness. (Yes, that is a word.) It will be interesting to see how God uses them on their campuses.

Oh, and something you can pray about. Well, first of all, the trip this weekend. Pray that my parents and I will have safe travels and that the car and truck have no problems. Also, pray for me. I have been somewhat drained these past couple of weeks from meeting with people and packing, and not having much time to myself. The time I do have is always late, like right now. I feel like I have to stay up late in order to organize my thoughts and have alone time. So, if you could pray for me, that would be amazing.

Alright, it looks like the next time I write on here will be when I get to South Dakota. Fun stuff!!!