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Monday, April 25, 2011

A Glimpse of Life

We live in a pretty unique situation. Our neighborhood is made up of three streets, with houses that all share walls. We share walls with the neighbors that surround us. Because of that we have a fairly small yard... ok "fairly small" doesn't do it justice, it's a patch of grass.

Many families in our neighborhood have children that have no playground, so their playground is the street. That's right, folks. They rule the street. Sure, they will give permission to the occassional car/motorcycle to pass by, but if their bike is parked in the street in front of your driveway, chances are you'll be the one to go around before they move it. :) So here's a glimpse into their lives (and our's too) when I joined them on their playground.

















These kids live all around us. Some of these kids help run a small shop out of their home. A few of these kids stay home during the day and do not go to school. It dawned on me as I was taking these photos, these kids don't have cameras. They were asking for the photos, because they don't have pictures of themselves through their years. They are very sweet and always say hello to us... always is not an understatement. Every time we walk outside there is a greeting exchanged. Sweet kids. I think we're kinda lucky to live near them.

-Amber

Friday, April 1, 2011

T O U R

Most of my adventures in Sentani, Indonesia, take place in the classroom at Hillcrest International School. The school has about 200 students from K-12 grades. I teach 6th grade math and language arts, as well as 5th grade math. Sixth grade consists of six boys, and fifth grade is totals out at 19 students. It's quite a difference :) Here are some photos of my classroom... be careful, after viewing God could place the desire in your heart to teach MKs at HIS :)

This is the view from the door.


This is the back wall of the classroom.



This is the Critic Corner board. After students read a book they create a two-part paper. It includes a brief summary of the book and a recommendation. They also design an alternative cover. These are their opinions of Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli.


This is the side wall. This wall is our "Word Wall". Each week we study 10 words and their origins. We look at their Greek or Latin roots, research other words that fit into those categories, and get very familiar with our dictionaries.


Here's a close-up of our "Word Wall".


This side wall has three windows that over look Mt. Cyclops, here's two shots from one window. Sangat indah (sahn-got en-dah: very beautiful)!




Finally, here's the most comfy corner of the whole room, my desk. It's actually some what clean and organized right now. Just for those of you who are sitting in disbelief, this is ACTUALLY my desk. It's hard to believe that, I know, due to the fine organizational skills, but it's true. Pinky Promise.


Here's another bulletin board. I won't metion exactly how long it's been up there. :)


It almost felt like an episode of "Cribs" on MTV or "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous", without all the flash.

I pray that this post will plant some dreams or stir hearts to seek what the Lord has in store for us. Who knows? It might be teaching overseas at HIS. I hope so, it would be great to have you on board! If you are interested in knowing more, please contact me! I would love to tell you of the amazing things that are happening here! :)
 
Images by Freepik