Counting Down...

As of today we have 19 days left in Indonesia...my brain has trouble comprehending that our time here is almost over.  Honestly there were days, even weeks, when I wasn't sure if I would make it the full three years (that's 365 days x 3 years - 30 days for the month of June this year - 60 days for last summer + 1 day for February 29th = 1006 days in Indonesia).  Now that we've reached the end I'm trying to make sure we've experienced everything "Indonesian" that we've wanted to.  There are a few more items on our lists to do and to buy and to eat one last time, hopefully we'll accomplish them before our plane takes off on June 3.  Last Friday I got to experience another "Indonesian" first...while we were on the annual end-of-year swimming field trip at one of the coffee plantations, a young Indonesian boy whipped out his pet python.  Now of course since I'm so brave I asked him if I could hold it?  And of course since it is a priveledge for a "white" person to ask anthing of you he let me...actually bravery was not my motivation, it was all for the picture (and the experience)!  I couldn't leave Indonesia without holding a python now could I?  (Jeff's answer "Of course you could!")  I am hoping that any future students I have will think that this is too cool because I am definitely showing them this picture!

Because we have been so focused on the here and now we haven't spent too much time and energy thinking ahead...  In four weeks we will be in Oklahoma and I am starting to wonder "what will we be doing job wise?"  Is this something that we need to start worrying about?  But once I get started I have a hard time stopping and unfortunately I've started and because I'm at the end of the school year and I've finished teaching the curriculum and we're just reviewing and assessing I have more time to worry...  There is something to be said about keeping busy.

Today I was thinking back to June 2009 when we were leaving and everything we got rid of...oh my!  This is a different kind of move than we've ever done before (and I have a lot to compare it to); we are completely starting over...some appliances, some furniture (fortunately my niece is sleeping on my bed!), all the small stuff like towels and spices and kitchen staples and...I think if I don't stop now I am going to start hyperventilating (that's a really big word for a first grade teacher to spell)!

As I had a bit of time today watching my class take an end-of-year assessment this is where my mind wandered to.  One of my students must of noticed the sudden panic on my face or maybe it was the fact that all the color drained from it and I was pastey-white, anyway, they asked me what was wrong?  Without waiting for me to answer they proceeded to tell me that if I was going to be sick that I could go and lay down in the nurse's office and that they could finish the test by themselves...besides in a week they would "officially" be second graders!  It was at that moment I realized that I've used the word "officially" too often with them.  Again before I could jump into the conversation there were six more opinions about what was wrong and what I should do to "solve" my problem.  I think my favorite was that I must be scared of the smashed bug that was over by the door...

Finally I was able to get their attention and explain that my "problem" was I was letting things I couldn't control bother me.  Their reply "Well Mrs. Dana, how are you going to solve your problem?"  Again they're throwing my own words at me, I say this multiple times a day to encourage them to become independent.  So to take their advice I am going to let God handle the future and I am going to take care of the present which is finishing our service at MICS, and doing everything in my power to finish well.