I had a very special birthday! I'm so thankful for the family and friends God has blessed me with who encourage me and stand with me in the joys and the pain.
My day started early--Monday morning:)--and with flowers from a friend that graced my office until I left town later in the week. Before the kids arrived, the elementary staff came to sing to me and we enjoyed coffee cake. As I came downstairs from teaching geometry, gathered my things, and prepared to head to my office, I was greeted by all the elementary students outside my building singing "Happy Birthday" in two languages and three different versions. What fun! They'd created a book for me as well, with each student preparing a page with a message and/or picture. I've been through it a couple times and truly treasure their words. The afternoon went quickly with preparations for the advent celebration. That evening I met a friend for dinner out at a Mexican restaurant near my apartment. I felt loved and cherished.
Not only was my birthday a joy, but the days leading up to it and following it were very special as well. My mailbox (both real and email) were flooded with cards, notes, and gifts. It was a very special reminder of all the people God has placed in my life!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
It's Finished
They finished the resurfacing/insulation of my apartment bloc. They relocated the scaffolding to the rear side of the building (closest my apartment) and began work there not much later. It's a little disconcerting to be walking around my apartment working on things with a group of people right outside my window installing insulation.
I wish there was a least a little logic to the color scheme/location. I do have
to say that it looks better than the bloc just up the street which has the same
colors with the addition of brown. Yikes!
Here's the up close picture to show the three colors...such a strange combination, but it seems to be the color scheme of choice for this winter. I've seen blocs all around town with similar colors. And as my sister graciously reminded me, at least it's color:)
to say that it looks better than the bloc just up the street which has the same
colors with the addition of brown. Yikes!
Here's the up close picture to show the three colors...such a strange combination, but it seems to be the color scheme of choice for this winter. I've seen blocs all around town with similar colors. And as my sister graciously reminded me, at least it's color:)Friday, November 20, 2009
Ways to Help BCA
Just in case you haven't yet seen these... Here are some neat ways to help BCA.
1. igive.com: Make money for BCA while you shop online at no additional cost to you. When you shop at one of over 700 participating stores (Gap, Old Navy, ITunes, Amazon, etc.), a percentage of your purchase comes to us! It’s anywhere from 3% - 26% of what you spend. Free money for BCA!
2. isearchigive.com: Make money for BCA while you do internet searches. It's not quite up to Google standards, but for free money, I spend a little time using it.
3. idonate.com: Turn cars, boats, jewelry, land, timeshares, overstocked inventory, and much more into donations for BCA.
More information on the BCA website:)
I stopped by Mr. Bricolage after school yesterday hoping to pick up a few items for school projects and some things for my apartment. I found the first thing on my list and then went to ask for help to find two other things (of which I'd gotten the Romanian translation figuring that would make things easier). I went up to one of the salespeople and asked if he could tell me where the razor blades were (lame in Romanian). He proceeded to ask which type of razor blade I wanted to which I had no reply. What did I want to do with this item? Scrape things off of glass. I drew a picture and then proceeded to demonstrate with the small piece of paper I had my list on. He got this look like he knew what I wanted and proceeded to show me putty knives. Not what I was hoping for and they didn't look anything like my drawing. So, since I couldn't come up with any other words to explain what I wanted, I decided to ask for the next thing on my list...sand paper (hârtie de şmirghelui). He didn't understand it the first or second time I said it (not surprising) so he finally tried to decipher my writing. He led me over to the small selection of sandpaper and asked what I wanted it for. For a school project I explained so the color is important. At this point I was hoping he would just leave me to look at the options, compare prices, and make a selection, but he kept picking up items for my consideration--all the wrong color. I finally took one of the things he offered, thanked him, and started walking off. When I saw he had left the aisle, I returned to the sand paper and took my time picking out what I think was the best option considering my needs. I had also noticed the razor blades on the way to the sand paper so backtracked a bit to pick those up. Having completed my shopping list, I headed toward the check out, being only slightly distracted by the Christmas display on the way there.
Monday, October 26, 2009
My friend Laura Brown is an amazing artist. I've always enjoyed seeing her art. I brought one of her prints with me to Romania and it hangs over my dining room table--a smile each morning.This week I was enjoying her blog and this piece caught my eye. It sums up bits and pieces I've been thinking about recently.
As I think about the future, I realize in some ways that it's become easier to stay in Romania than to return to the US. I've become deeply connected with life here: my job/ministry and the many lives that intersect in that realm, friends at church and school, furniture and an apartment that feels like home, ability to function in a second language, and yet it seems strange to consider that this feels more comfortable than a return to the US.
Life in the US is full of unknowns...how do those self-service check-outs work? Where will I live? How will I deal with driving again after loving the freedom that public transportation brings? How will I stay connected with people there and here?
When you arrive in a foreign country, no one tells you that you might get to this point--that it will be easier to stay.
Story Time
After reading in The Cricket in Times Square about how there came to be crickets, I had my students write a tale about how something in the world came to be. Below are three of their stories (no favoritism...just the top three of the pile). The paragraphing didn't come through as intended, but you'll hopefully get the idea:)
Whose Nose Went Flat?
Once upon a time when animals still talked, there was a pig that loved to eat a lot. But he had a problem with smelling. The problem was that he didn’t have a nose. So he went all around the forest.
The first place that he went to was the doctor. The doctor said, “There is a way to get you a nose, but I need 5,000 beans.”
“But I don’t have that many beans to pay you.”
“Ok pig, there is a way for you to get money,” said the doctor.
“What’s the way?” asked the pig.
“Just get a job,” said the doctor.
“Can I get a job over here?” asked the pig.
“No, no, no, no, no, you cannot get any job over here, not even if you clean my room, give me a bath, make my lunch or my dinner, or do something else!”
“Okay, you want me to get a job somewhere else.”
So the pig went to work at a witch’s house for a month and he got 1,000 beans. Then he worked as a cleaner on a ship and got 500 beans. Next, he worked as a dish washer at a restaurant for 500 beans. He also earned 3,000 beans working at a bank.
He went to the doctor and got a nose. But there was a problem. The doctor and the pig didn’t know how to use the nose. They tried a lot of things, but it didn’t work. At last they tried using glue to attach the nose. It worked! He thanked the doctor and went home. When he got home, he realized something was wrong. He remembered that he forgot to give the beans to the doctor.
He went back to the doctor and paid the beans. On the way back, he feel down and his nose went flat.
By Wu Han
Spinning Class
Once upon a time there was a spider named Alice. Alice didn’t know how to spin a web. Her mother tried to teach her how. Instead of teaching Alice to spin a web, it turned out to be a big mess. Alice felt very sad that she couldn’t spin a web.
Then she had an idea. Her idea was to go outside to find her friends and ask them how to spin a web. The first friend she went to ask was the monkey. She asked, “Do you know how to spin a web?”
The monkey replied, “I don’t know how, but cat knows. Ask her.”
So Alice went to cat. Then she asked cat, “Do you know how to spin a web?”
“I don’t know how! Who told you that?”
“The monkey,” replied Alice.
“Go and ask the owl,” cat replied.
So Alice went to the owl. Then she asked the owl, “Owl, do you know how to spin a web?”
The owl replied, “I don’t know how. Who told you that?”
“The monkey said that that cat knew how and the cat said you knew how.”
“Go and ask the lion; he knows.”
So Alice went to the lion. Alice asked the lion, “Do you know how to spin a web?”
Then the lion said, “I don’t know how. Go and ask rat.”
So Alice went to the rat. She asked the rat, “Do you know how to spin a web?”
“Yes,” replied the rat.
“Can you teach me how?”
The rat said, “Yes.”
So the rat taught Alice. Then Alice knew how to spin a web.
By Grace
The Bad Fortune
One day there was a giraffe. He was a normal giraffe and was five feet tall. One day he was walking down the road and saw a fly.
The fly said, “Come with me and I will give you your fortune.”
The giraffe followed the fly to a very tall mountain. They climbed it and at the top there was a big box ten feet tall. The giraffe said, “I want to see in that box.”
Then the fly said, “I will give you a potion so that you can see your fortune. It will give you a long neck.”
The giraffe said, “Yes, whatever it takes to see my fortune.”
So the fly gave the giraffe the potion and he said, “Drink this and you can have a long neck.”
He took the potion and drank it. Suddenly, he had a long neck and he could see in the box. But his fortune was bad and he killed the fly because he was mad. Since he killed the fly, there was no one to give him a potion to make him not have a long neck. And that’s how giraffes got long necks.
By Jon
Whose Nose Went Flat?
Once upon a time when animals still talked, there was a pig that loved to eat a lot. But he had a problem with smelling. The problem was that he didn’t have a nose. So he went all around the forest.
The first place that he went to was the doctor. The doctor said, “There is a way to get you a nose, but I need 5,000 beans.”
“But I don’t have that many beans to pay you.”
“Ok pig, there is a way for you to get money,” said the doctor.
“What’s the way?” asked the pig.
“Just get a job,” said the doctor.
“Can I get a job over here?” asked the pig.
“No, no, no, no, no, you cannot get any job over here, not even if you clean my room, give me a bath, make my lunch or my dinner, or do something else!”
“Okay, you want me to get a job somewhere else.”
So the pig went to work at a witch’s house for a month and he got 1,000 beans. Then he worked as a cleaner on a ship and got 500 beans. Next, he worked as a dish washer at a restaurant for 500 beans. He also earned 3,000 beans working at a bank.
He went to the doctor and got a nose. But there was a problem. The doctor and the pig didn’t know how to use the nose. They tried a lot of things, but it didn’t work. At last they tried using glue to attach the nose. It worked! He thanked the doctor and went home. When he got home, he realized something was wrong. He remembered that he forgot to give the beans to the doctor.
He went back to the doctor and paid the beans. On the way back, he feel down and his nose went flat.
By Wu Han
Spinning Class
Once upon a time there was a spider named Alice. Alice didn’t know how to spin a web. Her mother tried to teach her how. Instead of teaching Alice to spin a web, it turned out to be a big mess. Alice felt very sad that she couldn’t spin a web.
Then she had an idea. Her idea was to go outside to find her friends and ask them how to spin a web. The first friend she went to ask was the monkey. She asked, “Do you know how to spin a web?”
The monkey replied, “I don’t know how, but cat knows. Ask her.”
So Alice went to cat. Then she asked cat, “Do you know how to spin a web?”
“I don’t know how! Who told you that?”
“The monkey,” replied Alice.
“Go and ask the owl,” cat replied.
So Alice went to the owl. Then she asked the owl, “Owl, do you know how to spin a web?”
The owl replied, “I don’t know how. Who told you that?”
“The monkey said that that cat knew how and the cat said you knew how.”
“Go and ask the lion; he knows.”
So Alice went to the lion. Alice asked the lion, “Do you know how to spin a web?”
Then the lion said, “I don’t know how. Go and ask rat.”
So Alice went to the rat. She asked the rat, “Do you know how to spin a web?”
“Yes,” replied the rat.
“Can you teach me how?”
The rat said, “Yes.”
So the rat taught Alice. Then Alice knew how to spin a web.
By Grace
The Bad Fortune
One day there was a giraffe. He was a normal giraffe and was five feet tall. One day he was walking down the road and saw a fly.
The fly said, “Come with me and I will give you your fortune.”
The giraffe followed the fly to a very tall mountain. They climbed it and at the top there was a big box ten feet tall. The giraffe said, “I want to see in that box.”
Then the fly said, “I will give you a potion so that you can see your fortune. It will give you a long neck.”
The giraffe said, “Yes, whatever it takes to see my fortune.”
So the fly gave the giraffe the potion and he said, “Drink this and you can have a long neck.”
He took the potion and drank it. Suddenly, he had a long neck and he could see in the box. But his fortune was bad and he killed the fly because he was mad. Since he killed the fly, there was no one to give him a potion to make him not have a long neck. And that’s how giraffes got long necks.
By Jon
Smile for my Day
This past week, I came back to my classroom and found a small whiteboard on my desk with the following 'song'. (I'm guessing it was intended to be a song although I never heard it sung or found any music to accompany the words.)
I love Miss Westrum
She is so nice
I love Miss Westrum
I like her voice
She is not mean
She is as nice as a mouse
She is always clean
By: Your Student
I love Miss Westrum
She is so nice
I love Miss Westrum
I like her voice
She is not mean
She is as nice as a mouse
She is always clean
By: Your Student
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Silence
It's been said that 'silence is golden'. As I spent hours sitting in silence on Saturday, I reflected on what silence means in my life. Sometimes silence can be a truly wonderful thing--space and time to think and pray and it means that everything is going well. At other times, silence can be terrifying. When you're waiting for news from a family member or hoping for a response about a job interview, silence can be deafening and paralyzing. Silence can be an indication that I've moved far from God and am not being sensitive to his voice. It can also indicate that there's an area of great pain in my life or the life of someone near me--something difficult to share. I think silence can be incredibly powerful in our lives if we let it.
ACT
One of my roles at BCA the past few years has been to proctor the ACT three times a year. It means getting up early Saturday morning for the trek down to school. As I took tests in the past, I always thought it would be so much better to be the one proctoring, but I've found (at least for me) that I would prefer to be taking the test.
As a proctor, I'm not supposed to engage in any activity (other than reading the testing handbook) during the entire test. That's 4 1/2 hours of sitting, walking around, and monitoring a handfull of students all set far enough apart so they couldn't possibly cheat. I've tried to make the best of it:) One of the things I've started doing is praying for the students taking the test.
This past Saturday, 4 of the 9 students were from BCA. I don't know them all well since two are new this year, but I prayed for God's provision and direction for their senior year and plans for college. I prayed along similar lines for the other students testing. During the break we talked a bit and from what I could gather, 8 of the 9 students are from Christian families living in Romania. What a neat conglomeration of students:)
Yes, I hope they did well on the ACT, but more importantly, I hope they do well in life--faithfully following God no matter what circumstances they may face.
As a proctor, I'm not supposed to engage in any activity (other than reading the testing handbook) during the entire test. That's 4 1/2 hours of sitting, walking around, and monitoring a handfull of students all set far enough apart so they couldn't possibly cheat. I've tried to make the best of it:) One of the things I've started doing is praying for the students taking the test.
This past Saturday, 4 of the 9 students were from BCA. I don't know them all well since two are new this year, but I prayed for God's provision and direction for their senior year and plans for college. I prayed along similar lines for the other students testing. During the break we talked a bit and from what I could gather, 8 of the 9 students are from Christian families living in Romania. What a neat conglomeration of students:)
Yes, I hope they did well on the ACT, but more importantly, I hope they do well in life--faithfully following God no matter what circumstances they may face.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
The Pits
You're walking along, enjoying the scenery, feeling like things are going okay. The sky is blue, trees are green, a soft breeze is blowing. Suddenly, the ground beneath you disappears and you find yourself plummeting downward into a pit. It came out of nowhere and gave no warning.
I found myself in a pit this past week. I couldn't figure out how things had changed so rapidly. I'm thankful that God didn't leave me there, but helped me climb out through His presence, His Word, and the many people he's placed in my life.
I found myself in a pit this past week. I couldn't figure out how things had changed so rapidly. I'm thankful that God didn't leave me there, but helped me climb out through His presence, His Word, and the many people he's placed in my life.
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