A Week of Birthdays

This week in my 5th grade class (for which I am the homeroom teacher), I had 6 birthdays. One on every day from Monday to Saturday. Considering there are only 21 kids in the class, that's a rare chance.

One of the awesome (and somewhat annoying) parts about being the 5th grade class teacher is that I was there for every one of the parties during morning break, which was fun, but also a little stressful (Perhaps you'll remember that my 5th graders are the most rowdy and chaotic group of kids I've ever been with.).

While it meant giving up my morning break and dealing with students who just don't understand the concept of using their ears, I was able to spend some time with my students in a fun and carefree environment. All the cake, donuts, candies, chocolates, drinks, and presents helped. ;) In Nigeria, it's traditional to give gifts to your class on your birthday so this week I received roughly a pound of sugary sweets, 4 juiceboxes (usually Chi Exotic - basically a tropical fruit smoothie), one soda (Schweppes Bitter Lemon - it's my favorite!), a food thermos, and a thermos to bring my morning tea to class (this was the best gift- I've been wanting one all term).

I also was able, during this time, to speak with one of my Israeli students. He frequently asks me questions about the Bible and about its truth, and I was able to share why I believe what I do. I think he's trying to convert me, though, because he told me that when I go to Israel, I'll probably become a Jew. Sort of funny, but also painfully sad.

Overall, this week has been a good one. Blessings on Saanu, Georges, Guy, Toni, Chelgrin, and Rony as they've celebrated their birthdays!

News!

Well, my sister had a baby the other day! But, I don't know the baby's name, what it looks like, or even for sure on which day he was born (I think it was October 14th). It's much more frustrating than I anticipated.

In other news, I am on my mid-term break right now, so I have yesterday through Monday off to plan for the rest of the term, and to catch all the way up on grading (though I wasn't more than 3 days behind. Better than I expected!).

I think this break is good for me because I just need some time to be by myself. I've noticed that I get crabby easier when I don't have that extra time to be alone, and that isn't beneficial to anyone.

Question of the Day: Which ex-pat living in Nigeria who authors a blog entitled "A Tendril of Thought" received his Nigerian driver's license today?

Answer: Warren MacLeod - I'll be going for my first excursion either today or tomorrow. And I'm nervous but excited.

Finally Some Photos

So I've been atrocious at putting photos here on my blog. I apologize. I put some photos on facebook, which seemed enough to me, but I've been contacted (twice now) with some suggestions to put some photos on my blog for those friends who don't have facebook (of whom I ask forgiveness!). So here are some photos. The first is a typical street scene in Ibadan. Almost every side street looks the same. Though it's not as clean as the States, I think I like it more. It has a lot of character.

The next picture is of the view of Ibadan out my window. Every morning when I wake up, I see the sun rising above the red dirt soccer field across Onireke Road.

After waking up and showering, I head downstairs to my kitchen and lower dining room for some breakfast. After breakfast (which usually consists of bread with jelly and tea with milk) I head up to my upper dining room for devos and getting ready for the day. Then it's off to school to be a teacher.

On one side of the school is scene out my window. On the other side of the school, this is what you see. Though I'm not entirely sure what this is, but it's beautiful.

The next two pictures are images of two people that I met outside of a church I've been to a few times. In the first, I asked to take her picture because I'm consistently amazed at how Nigerians can carry anything on their heads (I watched the groom in a wedding I went to carry his wedding cake on his head. Down a flight of stairs. And through several doorways. Ridiculous!).

This next picture is of a boy who was asking me to take his picture. "Camera me! Camera me!" he was saying.

In this picture, I'm with Philemon, the son of one of the administrators here. I knew right away that I would enjoy this kid, and I was right. He's awesome! He fell asleep on my arm at a nighttime prayer meeting.

For the wedding I went to, I decided to dress like a Nigerian. I really like it a lot, though the material sticks when you start to sweat. Not so much fun. I'm currently awaiting my own set of Nigerian clothes. Can't wait!

There are no new pictures here due to the fact that my computer is stubbornly refusing to start up at the moment. Hopefully that will pass and I'll have a computer/be able to put up some new pictures soon. If not, I'll figure something else out.

I hope your day goes well!

Nigerian Independence Day!

Happy Nigerian Independence Day, everyone! And Happy 49th Birthday, Nigeria!

It's nothing like July 4th.

Nothing changes. Life goes on as usual. Evidently the government workers have the day off as do schools, but other than that, it just is like a normal Saturday here. Stands at the market are open. The "mechanics" outside the school compound are still fixing broken cars and motorcycles. Evidently there were some marching bands that played somewhere, but I couldn't figure out where.

The weird part about today is that I haven't really done anything. I read for a long time and rested, but I didn't really do anything. Oh well. I haven't had too many days like that since I've been here, so I guess I can allow myself one now.

I'll be sending out an email update tomorrow or the next day about what has gone on these last few weeks.