A Tendril of Thought

In Which the Author Pulls an Annoying Stunt

2011-07-05T21:24:00.000-05:00

Well, after nearly two years of my "Tendril of Thought" blog, I am switching to a new address that will be focused on my upcoming experiences in China. If you would like to continue following my adventures on the other side of the world, you can read along here.

Thanks for reading!

On Somethings I Will Miss

2011-06-28T15:33:00.000-05:00

I recently wrote about something I would not miss about living in Nigeria. This post is a list of things I will miss about living there. I realize that lists like this can be boring sometimes, so if you don't read through, that's ok. I certainly won't hold it against you.

1. Ready for a non-shocker? The thing I'm going to miss most is the people. Namely my students, my old coworkers, my South African and other expat friends, the people in the market, the people who I don't know but walk up to me and start talking as though they've known me their whole lives.

2. I'm going to miss the food. I really loved Nigerian food. Fufu, egusi, yam porridge, rice and beans, plantain, and all that other good stuff. It took me a few weeks to get used to it, but now I will miss it a lot.

3. The way that it is considered impolite if you don't greet someone even if they are across the street from you. This was frustrating at times, but it was always nice to be acknowledged.

4. The convenience of buying basically anything you want without getting out of your car. Nigeria doesn't often beat the States in convenience, but here it does. You can buy food, car supplies, generators, brooms/mops, geese or other fowl, goats, medicine, paintings of Obama (or other subjects), and just about anything else without even getting out of your car. You just stop at the side of the road when you see something you want and then ask for it.

5. The way that Nigerians get so excited when you say even the simplest word in Yoruba, Hausa, or Igbo. They just love when foreigners can say anything in their heart language!

6. The importance that family has in Nigerian culture. Family is so much more important than it is in the States for most people.

7. The feeling that you're in Africa.

8. Seeing women and children carrying gigantic and heavy loads on the tops of their heads.

9. The interesting treelines. Between palm, fig, umbrella, locust, and other random types of trees, you can really enjoy just looking at the tops of trees as they alternate between tall and short, wide and narrow.

10. The sound of the rain falling on the tin roofs. It can be far too loud sometimes, but I always loved hearing the patter (or pounding) of rain.

There are lots of other things that I will miss, but I'm going to finish this list here for now.

If you had to move, what would you miss the most?

About Something I Will Not Miss

2011-06-13T01:39:00.000-05:00

You know that I like Nigeria, right? I do. A lot. I like the food, the people, the landscape, and the heat (heh, not even a little bit for that last one). And the closer I get to finishing my time here, the more I realize how much I'm going to miss it, even with frustrations like the following.

I am still not used to the Nigerian government's lack of planning and communicating. Today I am supposed to be going to Lagos to get more pages put into my passport, because it's full from all of the Nigerian visas and other stamps that I have had to receive during various travels. However, as we are ready to leave this morning, guess what we hear? The government has declared today as a public holiday.

When did they declare this? A few weeks ago? Nope. Last night on the radio. No newspapers, websites, or any other form of communication. The sad thing? This is not the first time this year that this has happened. Closer to the third or fourth (I've lost track of how many surprise public holidays we've had), one of which was for two weeks.

So now, I'm not sure what's going to happen. I'm really hoping that I can get these pages put in before I leave Nigeria, or else I'm not sure how I'll be able to get more pages put into my passport AND a Chinese visa during my very limited time in the States.

Oh, Nigeria. Of all the things I will miss about you, last-minute changing of plans is not one of them.

In Which Two Students Are Accused of Flirting and What Follows

2011-06-04T17:56:00.000-05:00

So awhile ago, I posted about a student of mine who claimed that another had stolen his puberty. Today we went on a field trip and he had another great one-liner.

He (we'll call him George) and a fifth-grade girl (we'll call her Henrietta) were sitting in the back of the van as we were coming back from a photography club field trip. They were being noisy and argumentative in that way that middle school boys are with middle school girls. Here is the conversation that followed:

Other Students in Van: Mr. Warren, can you tell George and Henrietta to stop making so much noise and arguing with each other?
Me: Oh, don't worry about them. They're just flirting with each other.
All: (silence for a moment, then explosion of sound)
Student 1: (catching my joke) Oh, yeah. I did see him try to put his arm around her.
Student 2: They must really like each other.
George: I DO NOT!!!! EWWW!!!!
Henrietta: UGH! I would NEVER flirt with HIM!!!!
Student 1: No, I think it was flirting.
George: IT WAS NOT!!!
Student 2: Whoa, George calm down.
George: I AM CALM!!!! (By the way, he really was shouting all of this ridiculously loud. I'm not just being annoying)
Student 2: It sounds like you're getting pretty defensive to me.
George: I'm not defensive! I'm never defensive! . . . I'm offensive!!!!

After a moment of laughter on my part, I finally told all the students that I wasn't being serious and that George and Henrietta were just enjoying the ride a little too loudly. I sincerely hope that some more great phrases come out of George's lips before the end of my time here! :)

On Turning Twenty-Five

2011-06-04T04:14:00.001-05:00

My birthday this year wasn't phenomenal. It wasn't blow-my-socks-off crazy. It didn't involve any big exciting event or even anything really special.

But I still enjoyed it a lot.

My kids - they are so sweet - they took the time to make me cards. Most of them were making them in class while we were reviewing for a test (it's hard to tell students to stop doing something when you know they are doing it because they love you) and any time I would come close to their desks, they would quickly cover up what they were doing and pretend they were paying complete attention. It was really cute (Thank goodness the review was just a precaution - they still did well on their tests). Most of the students, along with wishing me a happy birthday, also took the opportunity on their cards to ask me to stay for another year. One student wrote, "Pleaz, pleaz, do, not travle to China. You know that you are my best teacher I have meeted befor and I can't learn wen you are not hear" (You'll have to forgive her English. She just started speaking it this year).

I even got some really great gifts! A full set of Indian clothes from a student (!), a polo shirt, a birthday cake, another birthday cake, a bouquet of yellow roses that were hand-made by a student out of silk (I was REALLY impressed by that one), a CD of how to cook Nigerian sauces, a fedora, and a birthday message and accordion song from a friend far away (great video:). It was almost overwhelming.

I think, that when it comes time for me to say goodbye to my students, that I am going to struggle.

Of Dirty Martinis in the Face

2011-05-30T14:53:00.000-05:00

I have noticed something about the way that I make transitions. Last week, I was in that I-know-that-I'm-leaving-Nigeria-soon-but-it-doesn't-seem-real mode. I even recognized that when I was talking with Deborah and Kyle.

But today.

Today, the realization of what is actually happening in my life over the next few months blasted me full force like a dirty martini thrown in the face of a cheating ex. Well, maybe not quite that much. But still. It was pretty shocking for me.

I was out at Nampak (the South Africans' compound where we have small group and other get togethers) this morning and one of the guys was talking about how much he'll miss us when we're gone. And then I realized that I am very nearly done with my time here. And then it hit me how very much I still have to be done by the time I get on that airplane home.

However, even though the next month will be crazy busy, I know that it will also be good. And even though there have been many days where I've wanted to just be done and leave this country, there have been more where I have enjoyed it. As my friend, Eva, has been praying, "I [will] leave Nigeria with a sweet taste in my mouth."

On a Busy, but Fun, Weekend

2011-05-29T03:01:00.000-05:00

Already this weekend I have:

-Been covered in a disgusting concoction of my students' design (spaghetti, ketchup, mustard, chocolate syrup, etc)

-Watched some of my students in a choir concert (I was SO proud!).

-Sang "The Hallelujah Chorus" in said concert.

-Gone to a Lebanese celebration in which I had shawarma (maybe my favorite food ever), fresh za'atar with yogurt, tomato, mint, olives, and cucumber, and then these little pastries that are filled with spinach. We saw a lot of students and had a great time.

-Started making a list of things I need to bring to China and things I am going to leave here.

And now I'm off to church for the last time (probably) in Nigeria, then out to spend the night at the South Africans' compound. I'm so glad we have the day off of school tomorrow!

On Making Thankfulness Pie Out of Lemons

2011-05-23T10:58:00.000-05:00

(OK, so I may have mixed a metaphor or two with my title. Whatev.)

On some days I love teaching. I feel as though the time is perfect, my pacing is great, and I can really enjoy some playful banter with the students on top of all our learning. I don't like teaching on days like today. Days where none of the printers work (which makes it difficult to print out things like tests, study guides, or applications for extra pages in my passport (that's right - my passport is FULL)), where last minute changes are constantly made, and where great plans that were set have to be shifted to not-so-great plans because of someone else's poor communication skills.

So, in spite of some frustrations with this school in particular, I'm going to list the things I love about teaching in general.

1. I LOVE having relationships with my students. I love being able to help them when they're having a rough day, and I love teaching them the difference between right and wrong. I love being a mentor for 15 little minds every single day (even on days like today).

2. I love that it makes me a better person. I am forced to be organized (which my mom would say is quite a feat), attentive, disciplined, and patient (which I didn't think I had a problem with before. Heh.). I have learned much more about myself and my weaknesses in my first two years of teaching than I ever had before. And teaching is great because you can see your own progress as you change behaviors you don't like.

3. I love that, for the most part, I enjoy my job. I actually enjoy spending time with my students and helping them to grow through difficult times in life. Sure, there are things I hate (grading a bajillion spelling tests every week/reading rubbish when a student was rushed with a project/putting up with the incessant buzz of the whining students/parent-teacher conferences) but those things are worth pushing through. I also enjoy the moments when both my students and I know that I'm being a good teacher.

4. It's selfish and vain, but I love it when students tell me that I'm a good teacher. It is just so encouraging.

5. I love that my job is possible all over the world, even in places where it might be hard to find a job. Teachers are everywhere!

If ever you are having a rotten day, I suggest you make a list of things you love about the frustrating parts of your life. Speaking from a fairly recent experience, it works.

Of Errands, Malfunctions, and Impromptu Friendships

2011-05-19T15:41:00.000-05:00

I'm sure I've mentioned it here before, but there are some days when it just hits me that I am really in Africa. A-FRI-CA.

Today was such a day. Now, sometimes I use this blog to share frustrating experiences, and lately I have been noticing that my blog has been sounding a little . . . sad/depressing/whiny/lame . . . take your pick or feel free to add another adjective. So, in an effort to change this, I'm sharing a beautiful moment that happened today.

I was not looking forward to the afternoon because I knew that I had many errands to run in preparation for heading back to the States and then moving to China (things like getting more passport photos taken, getting a physical - which has been postponed -, and buying gifts for people back home). So after running all around town getting things done, I finally brought my cloth that I've had for MONTHS to the tailor to get made into an agbada. In case you're wondering what an agbada is, think of the West African Presidents you've seen, and they were probably wearing one (See picture below in case you're still lost). I'm really excited about getting it done.

So, back to the story, I was walking back to the van after dropping off my material. I bought some plantain chips (which are unbelievably awesome) and as I was walking, the local guys started shouting, "Oyinbo! You chop* plantain?!?"And I couldn't help but smile and start a conversation with them. This type of thing happens all the time here, and it is one of my favorite parts about Nigeria. The people are NOT shy about talking to me.

After this, I was driving back to the house. As usual, there was traffic (back me up on this, Eva) - a semi had turned in such a way that he was completely blocking the road, and then he proceeded to make an eleven-point turn as he tried to back into a driveway. And so I did what every good Nigerian does to save petrol - I turned off my car. Forgetting that the car has been having problems with the wiring to the battery.

Of course, once traffic started, the car did not turn back on. On go the hazards, open goes the door, and then I proceed to push my car off the road to work on the wiring (by the way, this is going above and beyond what most Nigerians do. Usually, if a car stops working on the road, they just fix it right there until it runs. None of this move-your-car-off-to-the-side-of-the-road-so-that-the-traffic-doesn't-have-to-take-turns-going-through-a-single-lane business.) As I was pushing and steering and feeling pret-ty proud of myself for being so strong, I looked back to realize that two young Nigerian guys walking past had seen me get out of the car and immediately helped me out, even though they were dressed in nicer clothes. They then asked me if I needed help to call a mechanic, but I knew how to fix the problem so I thanked them in Yoruba and said I would be ok.

Now let me tell you something about the Yoruba people. Anytime you speak their language, it's as though you have just given them the best news in the world. "Ah ah! Oyinbo done speak Yoruba-o!" Even the simplest Yoruba greetings provide the most cheerful responses.

Once the people selling "bis-keet" and "mineral" (sweet crackers and cookies, and soda) heard my simple Yoruba thank you, they all started chattering away and coming over to meet me. Once I fixed my car, I had made many new friends. This is the type of thing that simply doesn't happen everywhere in the world.

So, even though this is not a perfect country by any means, I am still enjoying my final time here. And, despite all of the frustrations I've had in the past, and despite the problems which will surely come in the following month and a half, I will definitely miss this place.

*chop = eat in Pidgin

The Agbada

In Which the Auther Smells the Barn

2011-05-18T01:19:00.000-05:00

My college choir director, while on tour in Ukraine, told us the story of how he used to work at a stable. The horses would always be very docile and controllable for most of the excursions into the forests or fields; that is, until they got within scent of the barn. Once they could smell the barn, they started to get restless and over-excited which made them more difficult to control.

I can smell the barn.

And it smells good.

(Just to clarify here, when I say that I smell the barn, I mean that I can sense that my time here is almost finished and that I am excited to be home (in the barn) for awhile.)

Because of this, I've been feeling an increasing trend to just . . . be lazy. And comfortable. I have a hard time getting to work on my grading, I've not really been reading the Bible very consistently at all, and lots of other things have sort of fallen by the wayside as well.

Kyle has been feeling it, too. We certainly have been going hard for a long time without a break (well, except for the Benin fiasco, but that hardly counts as a break). We haven't had more than two consecutive days off since the beginning of February. And that makes it hard to keep my motivation going. Add on top of that the delightful scent of delicious oats and warm hay, and it's no wonder I'm having a hard time. Only a month and a half left. . .

On Quick Transitions

2011-05-08T02:32:00.002-05:00

One month from today I will be living in Nigeria.

Two months from today I will home in the United States.

Three months from today I will be living in China.

On New Beginnings in the Future

2011-05-05T01:16:00.002-05:00

As I was closing my computer last night to fall asleep, I noticed I had one more email. I decided to check what it was. I wish I had waited until this morning. It took me nearly an hour and a half to fall asleep after reading it.

It told me that I have a job next year! I will be teaching middle school math in Qingdao, China! Qingdao is a city on the Yellow Sea and it has not only the ocean, but there are also small mountains around as well! The school looks really amazing.

If you would be willing to pray for me as I make this transition, that would be great. I'll only have a month in the States this summer, so my transition from Nigeria to the US and then to China could be a little stressful. But I know that God's pretty legit, so I know that I can count on Him for strength, even when everything around me is changing.

Of a Newfound Guilty Pleasure

2011-04-28T09:24:00.000-05:00

So, I have a confession to make.

For the past few weeks, I've been listening to a lot of . . . country music. I know. You don't even need to say anything for me to electronically feel the judgment pouring in waves from your disbelieving face as you read this.

It started out innocently enough. I put a song by Faith Hill on my "Songs for HIM" mix (the song was, "There is Coming a Day." Really powerful). And then I started to listen to more Faith Hill.

And then that somehow snowballed into me frequently listening to Dixie Chicks, Lady Antebellum (which is not so bad), Tim McGraw, Randy Montana, Keith Urban, and even (dare I even mention? I must) Shania Twain.

There's just something so . . . American. . . about country music. Hip-hop is duplicated in Nigeria; rock is all over; alternative, folk, jazz - they are all common elsewhere. But not country music. Country music has such great connotations of America and open sky and rolling fields and summer barbecues, that I'm really craving that a lot right now.

Right about now you may be wondering how long you have to keep up this now shambles of a friendship with me, but I want you to know - I still enjoy just about every other genre of music. I can hide my newfound respect for country music while around you.

Of Easter, Benin, and Other Tid-Bits

2011-04-24T11:21:00.000-05:00

I have evidently been a very poor blogger lately. I can't believe how quickly time seems to be going. It's been nearly a month since my last post, and I feel as though it's only been days.

Things to catch up on:

1. My fifth graders and I completed Media-Free Week where we watched no TV or movies, did not go online at all, and did not use the Internet. It was a lot more challenging to do here than it would have been in the States, but I still "survived."

2. We have had elections here in Nigeria, which have been . . . interesting. No violence here (although there was some in the North), but the entire country is on lockdown during the election dates (we have had three election dates so far. One more remains). That means no driving anywhere, and the borders are shut down as well. Remember this for later on.

3. This coming weekend, I am going to be hosting my 5th graders at my home for a 5th grade feast. We have been learning about instructional writing. Because the instructions are for cooking something, we are ending with a feast. Everyone will be bringing a dish, and we are going to have a lot of fun!

4. Today is Easter. This is one of the strangest Easters I have ever had, in that it doesn't feel at all like it usually does. Even last year when I was here, I enjoyed going to Church and then having a decent lunch together. We didn't get to Church today (because of what happened yesterday), and I didn't really get to celebrate Good Friday either. Like I said, just . . . strange. I read some of Pastor Piper's poems and that helped a little. Anways, enough about this. You don't need to hear about my atrophying feelings and traditions.

5. We have 5 days off here. Last Friday to this Tuesday. Kyle and I had been planning on spending Friday-Monday in Benin and Togo. Unfortunately, as we found out once we got to Benin, the border would be closed on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday (for Easter, then Nigerian elections). Hooray. So we spent all that money on the Benin visa and the return visa for Nigeria, only to discover that we could only spend 24 hours in the country. We spent 8.5 hours getting there on Friday, and 7 hours getting home yesterday (Saturday). Suffice it to say that I was not too thrilled about it all. More on the good parts of Benin to come in a separate post.

In this I am staggered

2011-03-29T15:04:00.001-05:00

How?
How can His heart not be shattered to countless slivers of broken emotion?
How can He stand to see the unmitigated sorrow of just one person?
How can He bear to know the daily miseries of every. single. person on this earth?

I see a glimpse of one person's heartache,
                and it saddens me for an hour.
A longer look
                and I am changed for the day.
A serious examination
                and I am no longer just thinking about if for
                          a day,
                          a week,
                          a month,
                but for years afterward.

How does God do it?

Of all the amazing
                and beautiful
                       and impossible
                              and inspiring
           things that God does,
this, perhaps, is the most staggering to me:
           that he can stand the whole tsunamic force of human emotion and sin;
           that he does not stop pouring himself out
                    even though he sees
                the utter ruinous depths of our hearts;
            that He does not simply
                       set the Earth spinning,

                                              let it go,

                                    and let it burn.

But he gives joy.

                     life.

                     love.

                     peace.

                     breath.

                     comfort.

                     forgiveness.

                     companionship.

                     a never-ending flow of things we need.

In Which a Student Is a Victim of Thievery

2011-03-14T16:36:00.000-05:00

If you have ever thought to yourself, "I wonder how to make a room full of 5th grade boys go crazy," then I have an answer for you: teach them about puberty.

That's right. It's puberty education time here at ACA, so I am teaching the 5th and 6th grade boys about their changing bodies. Easily one of the most difficult subjects I've had to teach yet, not because of embarrassment, but because classroom management needs to be 300 times more firm.

I told the students that they didn't need to take any notes. A few decided that they wanted to anyways. One boy had his notes on his desk, when another student reached over and grabbed them. His response?
"HEY!!! Give me back my puberty!!!"

I laughed pretty hard.

A Fable

2011-03-07T11:31:00.000-06:00

The Donkey and His Master

Long ago, in the jungles of Africa, there lived a donkey. This donkey worked very hard to make sure that his master's children always had enough to eat. He cared very much about the master's children and tried to do everything he could to ensure that their futures would be bright and wonderful. He went into the bush each day to find the best fruits and vegetables for their table. He carried heavy loads of grain and wood so that the children could have the finest bread. He carried gallons of water from the river so that they would have clean clothes and clean bodies. He worked hard every day. Every night, he loved giving the children rides so that they could see places that they had never been and do things that they had never done.

Even so, his master wasn't happy with him. "Why do you make so many journeys each day?" he asked. "You could bring back more food and water if you add more to every load." So the donkey added more food to each load. He found bigger buckets and carried more water. He was very tired at the end of the day, but he knew that he was helping his children, so that made all of the exhaustion worth it. He still gave the children rides upon his back, but they could not go as far as they had before for the donkey was too tired.

One day, his master came back to him. "Why are you so messy? You spill water when you walk and you scatter grain with each step?" So the donkey was more careful, but he could not walk as fast. In the end, though, he spilled less and kept the yard clean. "Now you are not bringing as much food as before!" cried the master. "Oh, you silly donkey! Why can't you do anything right?"

The donkey knew that he could only try harder, even though he was beginning to suspect that the master was not being just. So he tried harder. He carried even MORE on his back with each load, walked slowly, and did not spill.

When the donkey lay his head down at night, he couldn't even think about giving the children rides. One night, several of the children came to him saying, "Why don't you give us rides anymore? We used to do new things together. We used to see new places together. But now all you do is sleep." The donkey felt bad that he had stopped giving rides to the children, so he decided to start again the next day.

The next morning, as the sun was rising, the master came to wake the donkey. "Wake up, donkey. It's time for you to work." The donkey did not move. "Donkey. Get up," the master said, this time with a kick. The donkey shifted its head slowly. He tried to stand, but he did not think he had the energy to raise his body. "We have a party today. You will need to bring twice the amount of food that you usually do. If you do not, none of the children will have any food to eat." This gave the donkey a small burst of energy. But his energy did not last long. He had brought back as much food as he could and as much water as he could, but he could not carry any more. His muscles were shaking and he felt ill. But he continued to work as hard as he could.

As the sun was setting, the donkey brought one more load. The master said, "You're late. We will not have enough food now to feed the children today. It is your fault that the children will go hungry."

Just then, the children came to the donkey and said, "Oh, donkey, we asked you to carry us on your shoulders that we may see the world, but you have still have not done as we asked. It's not fair, donkey!"

This was too much for the donkey. He collapsed in a heap on the ground. The children looked at the donkey, then turned in to the house, sad that the donkey would not do as they asked. The master looked scornfully at the donkey and said, "Oh, donkey. You don't know what it's like to run a house here. You think that you work hard? You should see what I do. Because you did not bring enough food today, you will go without food for the next week. Find it yourself."

The donkey could not move. He could not think properly. His body was spent and his spirit was crushed. He did not move even though the rains poured on him and he realized that he would not be able to get up again.

He woke late in the morning. The master and the master's children ignored him laying there. He got sick from staying in the rain. The days passed and the donkey could not move. His muscles would not work. His will had been broken.

When the sun rose the next day, its rays cast their light upon the form of the donkey. One of the children came from the door and walked over to the donkey. She pushed the donkey's head with a stick. When there was no reaction, she gave the donkey a look of disgust and walked back into the house.

On the Proverbial Calm Before the Proverbial Storm

2011-02-19T12:57:00.000-06:00

I had a good day today.

Sleeping in, reading and finishing a book (I Am Number Four. It was okay.), a cup of coffee with Caramel Torani syrup, breakfast rice, a trip to the market, Bible study with the South Africans, and shawarma and Phase 10 at the Lebanese church's restaurant.

This, however, is the proverbial calm before the storm.

Tuesday we have the all-school Valentine's Day program (basically a variety show). Wednesday and Thursday we have parent-teacher conferences until the evening. Friday I'm taking my students on a field trip to Ile-Ife (pronounced ee-'leh ee-'feh) to visit the Ooni's Palace and the museum. Saturday is a student's birthday party. Will it be a crazy week? Absolutely. Will the next week be easier? Absolutely not. Science Fair and tests and projects due. Oh brother.

It's a good thing that today has been a bit relaxing.

Of a Memory

2011-02-09T00:41:00.000-06:00

I have already shared my love of Bon Iver on this blog. However, I keep coming back to the music. Their lyrics and simple sound just fit with many varied situations. At times, I can't help but think that the music is perfect winter music. Yet it also works so perfectly in summer.

Anyways, the reason for this blabbering is that I listened to a lot of Bon Iver when I was road tripping around Minnesota last summer. However, one specific moment stands out and every time I hear the song "Re: Stacks," I remember.

I remember driving with my sister's family from a hot day full of parades, the Amish, country roads, and field after field; to the farm where we camped. We had walked around looking at the old barn, exploring some of the paths that led to the ravine and the old, rusting cars. We were tired. We were hot. The boys were getting crabby.

So we piled back into my car. My road trip mix was on, and Bon Iver played once more. We drove down the bumpy dirt road through the fields of endless corn that stretched up from the ground to taste the cooler air above the heat trapped by their leaves.

It was that hour between late afternoon and early evening when the sun was getting low in the sky. It cast its amber light across that small farm in Southeastern Minnesota and it lit up my world at that moment.

The boys were quiet in their seats - no more whine. No more fuss. I drove slowly to keep from bumping too much, but more to preserve this moment in my head. I knew at that moment that when things got difficult in a foreign land, and when I missed my family, that I would look back on that moment and remember.

In all my time in Nigeria, I have never had a moment where I wanted to drop everything and simply be home for good. But there have been so many times when a late afternoon car ride through a corn field with Bon Iver and the people I love would mean the world to me.

I know it's a cliched saying, but that doesn't make it any less true. Sometimes you don't really appreciate the things that you have until they are gone.

In Which the Author Poses a Question About His Class

2011-02-06T09:21:00.000-06:00

I know that most of you who read this are not teachers, so I try to keep posts about teaching to a minimum.* That being said, this one needs to be shared.

Currently, I'm looking through my students' children's books. Some of them are SPECTACULAR and way above and beyond what I was looking for. I love seeing these books because it shows so much potential in a student.

But. . .

I also have those stories which are very clearly taken from another source. Whether that's a parent who meddles too much in the child's work (which basically ruins all learning that goes on for the child), or whether that's a child who has seen a movie and decided to write down the exact same plot with the exact same characters, these stories are a huge source of frustration for me.

I don't know how to deal with plagiarism. Last year I had many instances of plagiarism, and this year, that seems to be continuing.

I'm not sure why these students don't get the concept of plagiarism. It's like they don't see it as something that is wrong to do. 'Oh, I really liked that movie. I'll write it down without changing anything and turn it in! I'm so awesome.' They understand that taking answers from another student is wrong. I wish I could somehow teach them that plagiarism is the same as cheating. I've tried explaining it like this in class, but there's somehow a disconnect.

So, does anyone have any ideas? I've tried explaining the concept every way I know how and I still have students who continue to copy. I've given zeros for copying and told the students that they can make it up if they don't plagiarize. Nothing works. Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated!

* Some of you may be surprised to hear that I don't post about teaching as much as I want to. It kind of consumes most of my life, so I usually have to work hard to post about non-teaching subjects. Sorry if it ever gets to be too much!

About Prayer and, Unfortunately, Samwise Gamgee

2011-02-03T14:25:00.001-06:00

I would love your prayers.

Nerd Alert: I was watching the end of Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers today (we never have time to watch a complete movie of LOTR because they're so freaking long!), and something that Sam said really resonated with me, especially now in my situation. He said, "Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding onto something." Now, I realize how corny and cliche it is to quote from Lord of the Rings and apply it to your life, but I'm feeling like a person in that story. I now have a chance to "turn back" to America and enjoy a potentially comfortable life among people that I love and culture that is familiar. But I won't. (This is not a dig at those of you who live in America. I just know that my life isn't there for . . . awhile yet.)

So, tomorrow morning I have an interview with Horizon Japan International School in Yokohama, Japan. It is my second interview with the school. It looks decent, and I would definitely be ok teaching there.

However, on Saturday, I also have an interview with a principal at a school in Qingdao, China. This looks much more interesting and it looks like something more closely aligned to my goals in life. I'm quite far into the application process for the school, and I'm really feeling a pull in that direction.

So I would love your prayers. I realize that some of you may not even read this until I have already had both interviews, but I would still love prayers for guidance and peace about wherever I'm going to be living next.

During Which the Author Finds Himself Creating a More Interesting, Albeit, Nonsensical Moral to Accompany a Rather Anticlimactic Story

2011-01-26T09:45:00.005-06:00

Sometimes, after I do something, I wish I could go back and make it a goal for this year. For example, I could have included something like, "Visit a friend in a foreign country," for my 2010 goals.

At the moment, I'm wishing that I had included, "Become a curriculum coordinator," to my list of goals for 2011, because I would already have one goal done.

Since school was canceled these two weeks, this second week has been staff development/work days. Not the best way to spend a break, but still good.

Until now, there has been no curriculum for any classes. For anyone who knows anything about education, that's a pretty serious fault. There's no accountability for the things being taught.

This week, we're coordinating the curriculum for middle school (Grades 4, 5, and 6). It's a lot of work, but it's also pretty rewarding, as this will stand for years after I'm no longer here (Extreme side note: I'm currently pursuing employment with two school systems, one in Japan (as mentioned previously) and the other in China. Both look really great, but I'm feeling China a bit more. I'll post more about it as I find out more.). It's also a bit daunting to be in charge of the entire educational system for three years of these students' lives!

Pretend Moral of the Story: It really IS best to look before you jump to conclusions! That way, you never land in a frying pan full of soggy bacon and fried turnips wondering what the outcome would have been if you had purchased the polka-dotted cardigan rather than the pin-striped pullover.

Wow. Thanks Nigeria.

2011-01-13T05:08:00.002-06:00

So, a week ago, the Nigerian government gave its country a few days' notice before closing down all schools, public and private, until February 8th for voter registration. The public schools are being used as registration sites.

My principal, legitimately concerned, called a contact at the Ministry of Education to see if we could get an exception since our school had already resumed for the term, and since we were not a registration site. We were given permission to continue school as usual.

Today, we found out that tomorrow will be our last day of school for a few weeks. The permission has been revoked and other schools that had been given permission have been forced to close (picture policemen with AK-47s entering the school and forcing the schools closed, and you'll have a good idea of what has been going on). Thus, we will be closing to keep this from happening at our school.

The solution? Hand out 2 weeks' worth of homework tomorrow (that's a LOT of work to do in one night). Take away the week-long spring break. Extend the third term into the summer, putting us teachers finishing school around June 26.

Does this seem ridiculous to anyone else? I find it hard to believe that a government can just close schools like this. I also find it hard to believe that I have to do 2 more weeks' worth of work to make up for it (2 weeks worth of homework, plus another 2 weeks of school with no breaks). Really, I kind of want to quit when my contract says I'm done (June 12).

I had been planning on visiting Australia and New Zealand this summer during the summer break. Now, however, my time at home in Minnesota would be too short. I would have only 2-3 weeks at home before shipping out to __________ School in _________ country. I guess I'll have to save Oz and the Middle-Earth for another time (that's right. I was just that nerdy). Maybe I'll try to do a short trip within Africa at the end of June instead.

I hope that everyone else has a better day than me.

On Long, Boring, and Frequently Unfulfilling Processes

2011-01-04T12:06:00.002-06:00

Coming soon: A Tendril of Thought blog from a new, undisclosed location! What does this mean? I will not be teaching in Nigeria next year. Do I have a job lined up yet? Nope.

So, I've started it again. The long, drawn out application process. I have now sent my resume and CV to twelve schools in the Middle East (mostly Saudi Arabia) and East Asia (Japan and China). It's not fun to A) look for schools that are hiring for a position that I am qualified for/want to teach (no Kindergarten for me, please), or B) getting no response from most of the applications. Which is understandable. But still not fun.

I realize that 12 doesn't really sound like that many. But several of them (like the one I just sent) have had multiple page applications to go with the resumes and cover letters. Awesome.

One of my favorite responses so far went like this: "We have reviewed your application and have not found that your qualifications meet any of our available positions at this time. Please understand that this is not a commentary on your personal skills or teaching method, but rather that there is no open position for you. Thank you for your inquiry." So polite and . . . encouraging?

I have an interview tonight for a school in Yokohama, Japan. Please pray for guidance during the whole process! Thanks!

About the Upcoming Year

2011-01-02T14:22:00.002-06:00

Goals for 2011

1. Become a better teacher by: a) becoming more consistent with grading, and b) being more firm with classroom management.

2. Memorize the first two chapters of Philippians.

3. Visit a new continent and three new countries.

4. Write and finish at least two short stories.

5. Take 30 good portraits.

6. Read the following books:
- War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
- Godric - Frederick Buechener
- Things Fall Apart - Chinua Achebe
- Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
- Middlemarch - George Eliot
- For Whom the Bell Tolls - Earnest Hemingway
- Bleak House - Charles Dickens
- One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
- On the Road - Jack Kerouac
- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - Jules Verne
- The Twelfth Night - William Shakespeare
- Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
- Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
- The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner
- Remembering Laughter - Wallace Stegner
- 15 other "new-to-me" books. I'm open for suggestions.

Of Christmas in Africa

2010-12-25T10:53:00.003-06:00

It's simultaneously awesome and depressing to celebrate Christmas in a foreign (Muslim) country with no family, but two friends.

It's really great that I get to spend my first Christmas away from home with two great friends, but it's not so great that I'm away from home. It makes me feel like a little kid.

I handle most things about living overseas pretty well, I would say. The part I'm not very good at is trying to pretend that Christmas isn't happening, so that way, the pain of being away from those I love is less. It's much easier just to pretend that Christmas celebrations are skipping a year.

But Christmas doesn't work like that. It comes just the same, without packages, boxes, or bags. And even without family.

And though it really sucks to be so far away, it helps put it in perspective. Even though spending time with family, eating amazing foods, and singing Christmas songs together are amazing and good things to do, they aren't Christmas. I know, you're probably thinking, 'OK, this is where he launches into a diatribe about celebrating the "Reason for the Season," so I'm going to tune out and vomit a little bit at the overused cliche.' But you're wrong. I'm not going to talk about why it's important to remember Jesus' birth at Christmas time.

Sure, it's important to remember. But perhaps something more important to remember would be the cross. We can't look at the manger without remembering the cross.

While millions of people celebrate a day for family, good food, and presents, remember that those should just be pointers to the bloody and tear-stained cross where that little Baby was brutally slaughtered for us wretches.

And remembering that, helps me to know that even though Christmas is very, very different from what I'm used to, I'm celebrating it in, perhaps, a more authentic way than ever before. And while I'm away from family and friends, I'm not away from a deeper love. Which is more comforting than I had realized on this not-so-normal Christmas.

Senegal, Part I

2010-12-16T05:11:00.002-06:00

So, I've decided that Senegal is maybe one of my favorite places that I've been so far. Kyle and I landed in Senegal last Friday. We spent the first few days in Dakar, which is one of the coolest cities ever. If you've been to Paris, picture the awesomeness of Paris combined with the awesomeness of Africa. It's like a sweet blend of the French and Senegalese cultures. Plus, it always smells great. The Senegalese burn incense in pots and so everywhere you go, you smell either the incense, cooking food, or the smell of the sea. Not too bad. Dakar is much more expensive than the rest of Senegal, so we couldn't stay there forever.

Next it was off to Steve's town of Joal-Fadiouth. Another great place to stay, Joal-Fadiouth is split into two towns: Joal, which is a peninsula off the mainland of Senegal, and Fadiouth, which is an island connected with Joal by a bridge. It reminds me of an African version of Venice, but much dirtier. One of the unique things about Fadiouth is that the island is made of shells. Another of the unique things is that it has a cemetery that holds both the Muslim and the Christian dead. Very rare in Africa, let alone the world.

One of the things I have not been so . . . enthusiastic about is the toilet situation. No running water in Joal means no flush toilet and no shower. No shower? Fine. Squatty potty? Okay. Squatty potty with no toilet paper and a cup of water instead? Not so cool. It's been a new experience for sure.

Today, we have come to Mbour to get Internet and to hang out at a beach resort all day. I'm currently sitting in a loft of the resort, with palm trees below; white, pink, and orange bougainvillea spreading, thatched roofs, and a splendid view of the sailboats on the ocean. Not too ugly.

Next stop planned is an overnight kayak trip through the mangroves where we'll camp out in tents and have good Senegalese food.

During Which the Author Befriends a Moth

2010-12-01T00:20:00.003-06:00

This morning, a small moth was flying around my bathroom. It never once landed on me, but I'm sure it knew that I was there. The thing that impressed me most was the incredible gap between the intelligence and skills of the two living things in that room.

And that got me to thinking that this is a great picture of God compared to us (and still not even somewhat close!). I could no more ask that moth to build a computer that can map out the human genome than I could work and work to save myself and be holy on my own. Both of us are positively incapable of completing the tasks set before us.

This is great, yet humbling news.

In Which the Author Reminesces of 2nd Grade and Divulges His Christmas Plans

2010-11-29T14:42:00.005-06:00

It's hard to believe that this term is almost over. Tomorrow I give four exams to my students, of my nine total exams. Next week Wednesday is the last day of school for this term.

As some of you know, I'm going to Senegal and the Gambia over Christmas break this year. And guess what? I've still not purchased my ticket. And I'm leaving in a week and a half. Ga-hah *picture my chest caving in with the frustration of not yet having a ticket for something so close* That's a bit much for me.

I'll be visiting a friend there that I've known since second grade - Steve Turnbull. He's one of those friends where I remember exactly where I was when I met him and I remember knowing then that we would be friends. We played in his thawing front yard while our parents chatted and got to know each other. We splashed in the puddles and I'm sure we played some ridiculous game that required copious amounts of imagination.

This Christmas, my first away from my family (or Minnesota, for that matter), will be hard. But having an old friend to splash in puddles in Africa will help make up for it. My roommate from college and coworker this year, Kyle Kemp, will also be joining us. He doesn't know Steve (or French), but I'm sure we'll have a great time together.

"Warren, what are some things you're looking forward to most about your trip?" you may ask. Good question. I'm most looking forward to frolicking among the giant dunes of a tiny desert, to kayaking among the mangroves along the coast, to visiting Dakar (the "Paris" of Africa), to visiting a "culture forest" in the Gambia (not much idea what exactly this is, but it is listed in a few places as one of the best locations to visit in West Africa, so it should be fun), to watching giraffes and rhinos and monkeys in a game park, to having Christmas down in Africa (Straight No Chaser, anyone? anyone?), to lounging around on the beach.

Only a week and a half of mega-stress left. . .

Of Thanksgiving, Unthanksgiving, and Thanksgiving Again

2010-11-24T09:20:00.002-06:00

Before my principal left for the United States, she took my computer to get it fixed and promised to pick up a package from my parents including some things that I forgot, or found that needed once here. She got the computer fixed at the Mac store(the rubber bottom had begun peeling away from the metal. Very frustrating) and brought back an array of delicious and wonderful treats from my family (including markers, vanilla, several types of candy, several flavors of hot cocoa, some apple cider packets, a card, and a very scenty bunch of balsam. My family knows me well.) So one of the things I'm thankful for is that a) my family loves me a lot, and b) my principal was willing to help me out with these things.

Before my principal left for the United States, she told everyone that we would be having a big Thanksgiving celebration where she brought back a turkey from the US, then we would have a traditional Thanksgiving celebration on Thanksgiving Day with the South Africans and a few other Americans. She promised that it would be one of the better Thanksgivings here. We found out today that she not only did not bring back a turkey (which isn't the worst thing in the world), but she also denied ever promising to have Thanksgiving together. She and the South Africans are going to the beach in Lagos for the weekend. Tomorrow is Sports Daze (read "hellishly hot day when students are forced to give up studying for their exams which are next week and instead waste their time and energy on a track and field day which claims to be from 9-12, but we all know will be from 10-5 because they've scheduled so many freaking events) slash Thanksgiving, but we'll not be celebrating. One of the things I am not thankful for is my principal's constant poor communication skills.

However, even though we just found out that Thanksgiving has been canceled, we have a new plan. Sunday (ok, not Thanksgiving, but close enough when we have "school" on the day of) Kyle, Deborah and I will be getting together with Leah (the other American), her Nigerian husband Newton, and their 3 month old daughter, Alafia. We will be doing a Thanksgiving complete with cranberries, mashed potatoes, turkey, pumpkin pie, homemade rolls, sweet potatoes, stuffing, hot apple cider, mulled wine, and other fall vegetables. It might even be better than the promised best Thanksgiving in Nigeria. So one of the things I am thankful for is that we are still able to have Thanksgiving even though it's a few days late.

Of Blasts (or small rumblings) from the (not-so-distant) Past

2010-11-08T12:54:00.008-06:00

I was recently (read just a minute ago) browsing Facebook during a correcting break, and I found that I really am horrible at keeping tabs on people who have been close to me.

My freshman year of college was incredible, and I made some fantastic friends. Unfortunately, I have also lost some fantastic friends. One such friend (whom I was insanely close with) is now living in New York with a great photography business and some amazing pictures. And yet I can find the same type of thing looking back just two or three years. One of my roommates for three years is soon going to be a father, a friend from choir is now living in China and doing amazing things for God there. It's funny how fast life can move and you don't even realize it.

I hate (and love a little bit) to think what will happen thirty years from now. Life will be very different, and I'm sure I'll have a longer list of people with whom I wish I did a better job of staying in touch. I guess that's life, though.

During Which the Author Praises God for Student Misbehavior?

2010-10-31T04:16:00.004-05:00

If my students make a bad decision in class, they move down a rung on the consequence chart. Three more bad decisions and they find themselves landed in detention. Three detentions for the same bad decision gets them a long detention. Three long detentions gets a suspension.

I received a memo from the office this week stating how many detentions each of my students had received and what bad decisions they were given for.

Looking at the list, I remembered each and every one. I could think back to why the student had moved down to detention and what their reaction to the consequence. And after remembering those errors in judgment or impulses of the flesh, I couldn't help but praise God.

What? Praise God? For student misbehavior?

Not quite. I couldn't help but praise God that He doesn't keep such a list. He doesn't look back at all of the things that I've done wrong and decide, "Wow! He's been doing a pretty crappy job at this whole obedience thing. Maybe I should suspend him from my favor. And if he keeps up at this sin thing, maybe expulsion from My Kingdom is in store."

Praise God that He doesn't keep a record of wrongs. Praise God that my sins are removed as far as the East is from the West. Praise God that I have been set free from the power of sin and death, even though I forget sometimes.

2010-10-24T14:28:00.003-05:00

So, last night may have been the most multi-cultural night of my life.

I had dinner at the home of a Lebanese man with some South Africans and the other Americans. We had Swiss fondue and Mexican chili. We drank French liqueur and South American wine. We smoked Cuban cigars. We danced to Czech music (amongst many other kinds). In Nigeria.

Really? Could that be any more of a cultural melting pot? What a great night!

In Which the Author Develops Multiple Personalities

2010-10-22T07:59:00.003-05:00

So, I'm not sure what it is, but there are multiple versions of me. In the States, I had experienced this before. I had noticed that the Cities version of me was different than the Two Harbors version of me. Was different from the Camp Lebanon version of me. And even in the Cities, it was almost like I had different personalities based on whom I was with. But there, the differences were more subtle. I was funny with one group of friends, I was intentional with another, I was an introvert with another. And none of this was intentional. I wasn't trying to be something I wasn't, it was almost that different people were drawing out different aspects of who I am.

But the Nigerian version of Warren is much different than the American version. Less likely to laugh, I feel as though my face is constantly molded into a furrowed, pensive expression. My fuse is shorter. My sorrow is nearer. My joy is deeper (not in the way you might be thinking. My joy is deeper down. Like drawing water from a well, the deeper it is, the more work it takes to bring it out. It's there, but it isn't as likely to overflow at random moments.).

And I don't know if I like it.

I was somewhat concerned that when I went home this summer, that the change in me would be permanent. But it wasn't. I went right back to Camp Warren or Cities Warren or Two Harbors Warren. It's just here in Nigeria that I become that parallel version of Warren. And that's a bit frustrating. It's humbling to know that I truly am a blade of grass tossed about by the wind. I can't control my own emotions. I can't control my own state of mind (at least in a major way).

Once again, it is to God that I have to run to find my identity (it's hard to believe He's not sick o me yet). Because this body of flesh keeps changing. I am the most inconsistent thing I know. So I have to rest in Him. Otherwise I am no longer me.

No.

So that I am no longer me.

Of Juggling and Dinosaurs

2010-10-11T12:25:00.003-05:00

(Reader alert: This may or may not be a bit of a rant. Feel free to ignore this entire post.)

So, I've heard the phrase, "Fake it 'til you make it," before, but I never really felt like it applied to me until now.

I am having a hard time as a classroom teacher. I don't know why it's so much different from last year, or from student teaching, but it is. I feel like I have about 108 extremely-urgent-and-need-your-attention-at-this-very-second-or-the-world-will-end balls that I'm juggling at the moment (hyperbole added mostly by my supervisors, but also by me). And I don't know what to do about it. I thought my first year of teaching was tough. To emulate a dear friend, I. had. no. idea. I feel like I'm having to fake teaching experience until I actually have it. But there's no room for the slightest mistake. Piece of cake, right?

Here's an example.

I'm not a dirty person, by nature. I'm not the cleanest, but I'm not dirty. The way some of the other teachers comment on my classroom, you would think that I have a herd of muddy, book-throwing dinosaurs making Brachiosaurus-sized messes at every turn. Three times today (three!) I was approached about how my students tend to leave their books on the floor.

Yep. They do.

I'd rather have that than have them running to their lockers at all times of the day. And that was a conscious decision.

But nope, evidently students at ACA cannot learn if their books are on the floor (as for the it-messes-up-the-books argument, some of my co-workers allow their students to SIT on their textbooks!).

I have enough on my plate in class with trying to be a full-time ESL teacher, a constant behavior modifier for three students, an LD specialist, a judge, a consoler, a teacher, and a caring Christian influence. To be honest, I don't care if my students put their books on the floor. I need to pick my battles.

Once again, though, as in the last post, I have to remember that God is my strength. I must rely upon Him alone to get me through the difficulties of teaching. He can safely guide each of the 108 juggling balls back into my hands (the analogy seems a bit weird at this point). Good thing. 'Cause I would be out of this career path pretty quick otherwise.

Five Postcards from a Pensive Friend

2010-10-07T15:49:00.006-05:00

1. The greatest shock is finding that
experience
doesn't lessen
difficulty.

2. Nights with tea,
road-building,
and a certain
psychic detective.

3. Amazing,
how a visitor
can change the way
you see your
environment.

4. Try explaining
depravity
to a fifth grader.

5. How?
when we coat our eyes with
vaseline
to smudge out the truth?

On Being a Rubber Band

2010-10-04T14:54:00.004-05:00

In case you were wondering, no. This is not a post about how I've been turned into a superhero who can stretch like elastic. So you can all put that rumor to rest. Finally.

This is a post about how I feel stretched like a rubber band, physically, emotionally, and . . . teacher-ly?

We'll start with the physical stretching. My arm feels like it's about to fall off (extreme hyperbole) after carrying a bucket of water from our house to the garbage dump (a.k.a. the burning pile). Why was I carrying said bucket of water from the house to the garbage dump, you may ask. Good question. Said bucket that I carried from said house to said dump had two rats in it. From our house. And they were rotting. Lovely. A perfect Monday evening activity.

I'm also feeling stretched in my emotions. Trying to keep up any form of relationship from half-way around the world is challenging. And even though I'm glad I'm here, my thoughts are frequently stretching across the ocean between us to my family and friends who are there. And that's tough.

The third way that I'm feeling stretched (but certainly not the last) is in my teaching. It is difficult to be a teacher. Especially when you are trying to do awesome, fun activities and all your students do is complain. Take, for example, my fifth graders. We have been reading a unit on catastrophes. We've been learning about earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanoes, etc. This unit has stretched across subjects into reading, social studies, and English. As a wrap-up, instead of a test, I decided to create a fun assessment. The students could write a script for a news cast and be a team of reporters reporting on a catastrophe that they make up. We'll use my FlipVideo and some extra time out of class to record it and then show the finished product.

The first thing my students do? You guessed it. They whine. "Awww, Mr. Warren! I don't like my group! They picked the catastrophe that we called dibs on! He pushed me! My head hurts!" Awesome. Nothing like a bunch of whining to take your (in my opinion) great idea and make you want to run kicking and screaming from ever doing anything like it again. But we're persisting, and there are now rules against complaining. My patience has been stretched enough.

The nice thing about being stretched, however, is that it's really tough to going back to the way you were before. You always come out of it having grown in new ways. For example, tomorrow, my left arm is going to be way huger than my right because of the stretching of the muscle.*

Thankfully, too, we have a God who is able to keep us in His hands. I know that all of this stretching is for a reason (well, except maybe my arm), and that He has a great plan in all of it. So even though I'm feeling like a rubber band, I'll let Him keep stretching me.

*This may or may not be true.

Of Tea, Tolstoy, and Trashy Magazines

2010-09-25T12:17:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure what I would do if tea didn't exist. I'm fairly certain I would be dehydrated 75% of the time. I just love tea. Currently, I've been adding cinnamon to just about all my tea (in an effort to grasp the elusive (at least in Africa) "fall" feeling). It's so wonderful to have a cuppa while attempting to get through one of the longest novels of all time.

That's right. I'm finally reading War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. One would think that after all of the "Warren Peace" jokes I've gotten over the years, that I would have read it sooner. I did try. . . once. . .
but now I'm reading it for real. And I have to in order to meet my goal of "2 Tolstoy novels" by the end of the year (also, 4 Dickens, 3 Steinbeck, and 1 Shakespeare. I have 2 Steinbecks and 2 Dickens left after the Tolstoy). But just to give you an idea of how amazingly long it is, I am not marking my progress by thirds or fourths or halves like I do with "normal" books, but by tenths. And even the tenths seem few and far between. On the plus side, it finally started getting interesting (on page 195).

On a completely random note, I went to Ethel's house today with Kyle. Ethel is the 4th grade teacher here, and she lives right next to school, so she invited us over for lunch. It was wonderful! I love Nigerian food. Turkey in pepper stew poured over rice and beans. Mmm!

While we were there, we found the Nigerian answer to America's Cosmo magazine. I can't tell you the name because the front cover has ripped off, but here's a quote from a "Question and Answer" page:

"Q: If you catch your husband in bed with your younger brother's wife, or your wife in bed with your younger sister's husband, what would you do?
Paul Eze's Answer: There is no course for alarm; since that is the man she loves. I won't fight her, but I will tell her to go with him, if not, I will kill her."

Wow.

Just wow.

On Being Too Nice

2010-09-14T13:00:00.003-05:00

Sometimes, I am too nice.

Usually, I am too nice.

And as we can learn from the wisdom of Little Red Riding Hood, "Nice is different than good."

One of my failings as a teacher comes from my desire to have my kids be in a good mood and cheerful rather than disciplined for their wrong behaviors. It's not a good practice. It's pretty serious. And to be honest, I'm not sure I know how to fix it.

Currently, in an endeavor to quit being the teacher-that's-so-nice-that-his-students-walk-over-him, I've started focusing on my classroom procedures. I'm praying that this works (a little help in that wouldn't hurt). I've changed (almost completely) the way that my classroom is set up, and hopefully it won't be long before I'm praising God for giving me the strength to show the tough love that these students need. I'll keep you posted.

Which Tells of the Author's Imminent Travels

2010-08-24T12:40:00.003-05:00

Saturday, August 28th. That's the day that I'll be saying goodbye to the good ol' USA for another year.

Sunday, August 29th. That's the day that I'll be saying hello once again to Nigeria.

In some ways, this summer has flown by, but in others, it seems that it's been ages since I was living in Nigeria. I'm excited to go back and apply the things I learned through my first year of teaching/living abroad.

(By the way, sorry about my poor blogging skills this summer. I'll get more into it once I'm back in Nigeria (at least that's the goal). Look for another set of postcards soon.)

On Sin and Realization

2010-08-04T17:06:00.002-05:00

"I don't love you, Mommy."
My nephew said this today to my sister. He's three so he says a lot of things that he doesn't really mean ("I have to potty!" Not always. "I'm a tiger covered in paint!" Nope. "I was a little African child." Definitely not.), but today I was deeply saddened, almost to the point of tears, by his sin. He not only disobeyed his mom, but he told her that he didn't love her.

I know I've seen him sin before, but this struck me so strongly today because he knows better. He knew that what he said would hurt even before he said it.

How often do I do the same thing to my Father? My behavior constantly says, "I don't love you, Daddy." Kinda sucks to re-discover that nasty little trait about yourself.

In Which the Author Expresses Repentence About Being a Horrible Person (well, at least a horrible blogger)

2010-07-21T22:41:00.003-05:00

I'm a horrible person. I've gotten really bad at blogging lately; sorry. And SO much has happened in this past month that I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. I'm going to take a page out of Laura's book and make a list of possible blog topics for when I'm feeling a bit more inspired.

- My travels in Europe (though you can see my trip on Facebook or my new photoblog)
- My new photoblog (warrenmacleod.wordpress.com)
- The pleasures of family
- The pleasures of friendships
- The pleasures of outdoor music
- American food
- Excitement for next year
- Possible trip ideas for next summer (I need a trip idea for the summer. Somewhere that is not Europe or the Americas. Ideas?)

Sorry about my poor posting skills of late, and I'm going to try to improve before the end of the month.

Which Tells of the Author's Thoughts on Traveling

2010-06-20T02:22:00.002-05:00

So, even though I'm in Europe, and I'm having a really good time, I'm really looking forward to that flight back to the good ol' U.S.A. It's amazing, actually. I've seen some amazing things and met some really cool people, but the thoughts of being at home with my family are crowding around the edges of my mind like the crowds of people crowd around the Mona Lisa. They don't change the fact that Mona Lisa's having a good time just hanging around on the wall there, but it does distract a bit from her view of her fellow paintings (I'll admit, the analogy sort of falls apart at this point, but I'm tired).

But I still have some amazing things to do and see. And Minnesota will be the same in 2 weeks as it is today. (Probably a bit better, actually, because of the 4th!)

I wonder if most travelers feel this way, or if it's just because I'm traveling by myself again. Or if it's just because it's been nearly seven months since I've seen my family. Fellow travelers, what are your experiences? Do you hit a wall where you just want to go back home?

Sunday Afternoon

2010-06-06T09:48:00.004-05:00

The rain fell in torrents -
Loud against the tin roof.

The wind blew in great gusts
Causing the stately bamboo to bend and sway;
Graceful copses bowing to each other in their impromptu ball.

A cup of coffee,
A brilliant book,
That end-of-term feeling.

And then,
The clear calm after a storm.
The leaden sky, the new-growth-green -
Every leaf seen with razor-sharp clarity.

A lovely afternoon.

In Which the Author Reflects on One Week Left

2010-06-05T11:19:00.002-05:00

Well, one week from today I will be departing my new home in Nigeria for a brief stint in Europe and then a slightly longer stint in the good ol' U.S.A. Europe is going to be exciting, but I'm also slightly nervous. For those of you who are curious about my itinerary, see the end of this post.*

But with one week left, and most of my first year of teaching out of the way, I have been thinking about ways that I want to improve next year. And there are a LOT. I had my students fill out an evaluation form of my first year of teaching, and, while they were difficult to read sometimes, they have helped me know how specifically to make some progress.

One thing I will say: I am glad that I have some experience now. Next year will be much different, but (hopefully) much easier.

*Europe Itinerary:
Colmar, France
Paris, France
London, England
Bath, England
Rome, Italy
Siena, Italy
Val d'Orcia, Italy
Florence, Italy
Venice, Italy
Wengen, Switzerland
Gimmelwald, Switzerland
Cologne, Germany
Marburg, Germany
Minneapolis, Minnesota :)

The Lagos Road

2010-05-23T13:22:00.003-05:00

Four oyibos and one dudu
Driving the Lagos road.
Laughing. Chatting. Dancing.

A "go-slow."
Traffic backed up.
Miles and miles of cars.
Impatient. Frustrated. Hot.

Finally. Some movement.
Some action.
Let's get this show on the road.

A semi. A danfo taxibus.
A man's purple-clothed arm.
Lifeless.
A woman's head, wig askew.
Lifeless.
No more laughing. No more chatting. No more dancing.

Silence.

Four oyibos and one dudu
Driving back the Lagos road.
Proud of their purchases. Showing off their buys.
Forgetful. Callous.

Typical.

Five Postcards from Far Away

2010-05-22T02:55:00.003-05:00

1. We went by the bay and
Sat
Quietly
In the car; watching the birds; listening to Coldplay;
As the rain kept time on the glass.

2. I saw how she hurt you, but
I saw how he comforted you.
What trials.
What love.

3. Letters. Simple; deep; pure.
Each a glimpse to the everyday heart
Of my friend.

4. That day when we came home from Church.
We played cribbage, drank tea, and talked about Home.

5. I remember the first moment I saw you
From the balcony. I knew that we would be friends.
I was right.

In Which the Author Anticipates the Weekend

2010-05-14T07:44:00.003-05:00

With only two more livable weekends left here this year (the third will be crazy busy with exams, cleaning, grades, etc), my housemates and I have been going into what I've come to think of as "Nigeria hyperdrive." I realize that this is, perhaps, the nerdiest way I could say that.

This hyperdrive consists of two day trips this weekend, hosting some people at our home for lasagna, the customary weekend market trip, and of course, lesson planning.

The two day trips are what I'm most excited about. The first will be to Erin Ijesha waterfalls. We'll be going with a German, Canadian, Nigerian, and another American. It should be fun. Then on Sunday we'll be going to Lagos for some gift shopping, as well as some fun. Not a bad weekend (except perhaps professionally).

One More, Then Nine More

2010-05-12T10:16:00.002-05:00

It's strange to me that I leave Nigeria one month from today. I knew that this year would fly by, but it's funny how quickly it has really gone. I wonder if next year will go even faster.

I can say that I'm definitely glad to have my first year of teaching almost behind me. Looking back at the year, I can see a LOT of places where I made mistakes. Which is funny, because after such good reviews in my student teaching placements, part of me expected to come into this job and be amazing right away. Talk about an unrealistic expectation! But even though this year has been difficult in many ways, I'm glad that my first year of teaching was in Nigeria. It taught me right away how to deal with a lot of issues that I may not have experienced until much later in my career if I were in the U.S.

Though it will be a bummer to say goodbye to my students for a few months, I am definitely getting excited for my trip to Europe and for my "vacation" at home. It will hopefully be relaxing and uplifting (as well as exciting :)!

In Which the Author Enjoys (for the most part) a Day at the Beach

2010-05-08T14:10:00.003-05:00

We went to the beach with all the staff this weekend. And it was amazing! We had some training (which was actually fun because it was all very interactive/easy) and some fun times as well. We had a campfire next to the ocean and watched the stars come out while eating s'mores (a first for all of the Nigerian staff. They had mixed reviews.) We watched The Blind Side which was better than I was expecting and we had a generally good time. That was all on Friday.

Today (Saturday) was even better. Well, mostly. I woke up early to take a dip in the Atlantic and had a blast while the waves had one, too. Several sand burns later, I came out of the water feeling extremely invigorated. We had some more training, some great meals, and then we did a "community service" activity which was basically go and "help" the Nigerian fishermen to pull in their loads from their boats. Except they were done and sorting things out by the time we got there. Still great to see where the fish I eat comes from, though. Also, we got to enjoy playing with some non-stinging jellyfish that were huge!

I rode a horse on the beach (cliche, I know, but it's really fun!). I don't really have anything more to say about it, but writing "I rode a horse on the beach" as the only sentence in this paragraph seemed lame and boasty.

Then we went swimming again (by "we" I mean the American staff. The Nigerians are afraid of water), and this time wasn't so smooth. As I was reveling in the power of the ocean, a tiny but long strand of jellyfish tentacle curled itself around my neck. And it burned. It burned bad. I tore the tentacle off my neck and then tore out of the water to find someone to pee on me. Luckily, one of the male teachers was able to oblige.

Here's something everyone should know. We've all heard that if you get stung by a jellyfish, pee on it and it will make it better. That is a lie. At least for African jellyfish. After a hot stream of liquid human waste falling on my neck, the mark of the jellyfish still burned. And burned. And continues to burn. (I did have a sweet mark around my neck, though).

We came home and I found out that our fifth computer charger has fried in this country. Four hickory-smoked Apple chargers and one Dell charger brulee later, and we have no computers. Thus, there will be no more Facebook pictures until June or July, whenever I can get them up.

To sum up, this weekend was awesome, but also not so awesome, but at least I have several new life experiences (some of which I could do without experiencing again).

In Which the Author Has Six Remaining Weeks in the Current School Year

2010-05-03T06:34:00.003-05:00

Six weeks from today I'll be in Paris.

It's hard to believe that almost a whole school year has gone by and I am almost done with my first year of teaching.

That being said, I have SO much to do before the end of the year and I'm already planning out how I can get it all done and remain sane at the same time. Cleaning my bathroom, beginning to write my exams, and determining student grades thus far: these are the things I've been doing to prepare for the end of the year.

One of the main stress points is that the week of exams at the end of the term will be June 7-11. June 12th I'm leaving Nigeria for the summer. That means I will have less than 24 hours to ensure that all of my grades are in the computer, class comments are written, bags are packed, things I'm leaving behind are safely stored for the summer, and house is cleaned. It will be a stressful day. I'm not sure how much sleep I'll get.

But then I'll have a few weeks in Europe to "relax."

(On a completely different note, I went to a Lebanese church service last night - First Communion for a student at school. It was really beautiful! The whole service was in Arabic and most of the words were sung/chanted in the Middle Eastern fashion, which made a simple yet elegant atmosphere. I loved it.)

Re: Stacks, The Wolves (Act I and II), and Blindsided

2010-04-14T14:36:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how Bon Iver can cause moments of quiet solitude better than any other musician I know of.

In Which the Author Gives a Stern Warning to African Weather Systems

2010-03-24T08:00:00.004-05:00

Dear Harmattan,

My good friend Julie has been writing letters, so I thought I would write one as well - to you. Harmattan, you are confusing me. You don't show up for three months and then, just when we are ready to move on and forget you ever existed, you make a surprise appearance, messing up everyone's plans. You are like the uncouth guest who comes over unannounced and eats all the food your host was preparing for a dinner party that evening. Except instead of eating the provender of a dinner party, you eat up the cleanliness that comes with the rain. You track dirt throughout every home. You crack open people's lips worse than a Minnesota winter. And worst of all, you take the beautiful clear air of rainy season and transform it into a hazy miasma that obscures even the nearest buildings from view and coats our throats with a film of tiny rocks.

Normally I would put up with your refusal to follow clear atmospheric guidelines, but you have chosen to arrive at an extremely inopportune time. You see, we are having spring break soon. We will be traveling to see mountains in Cross River State. So obviously, your arrival is frustrating. How can we see mountains if you are throwing your dust in the air? How can we enjoy the beautiful green of trees and the stern appearance of fieldstones if you are there tinting Nigeria with beige colored glasses?

Here is my demand. Leave now. Allow our friend the rain to come visit and clean up your mess. And if you want to show up in the future, I suggest you do it when we are expecting you, and not several months too late!

(While this letter is written in apprehension and frustration, I feel that I must inform you that even though you have come at an unfortunate moment, your lack of heat and too-bright light is appreciated. Kindly bring them at a more appropriate time next year)

Regards,

Warren

In Which the Author Recommends Four Books to His Readers

2010-03-13T05:59:00.005-06:00

One of my goals for 2010 is to read some classics that I've not read before. I thought I'd give an update about some of the best (new) ones I've read since January:

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens:
This book is . . . incredible. It earned itself a place in my top three best books. The storyline is riveting, the style of writing is poetic, and the allegory in the final chapters is sobering. Absolutely wonderful.

1984 by George Orwell:
I can't believe it took me until I was 23 to read this book, but I'm glad I did. I enjoyed the plot, but the very end was a bit too depressing for me. I had a hard time because Orwell takes away any hope that might remain for redemption. Kind of sucks, but it's still a fascinating read.

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn:
A very fast read, but intriguing as well. Even though I have spent some time in the former U.S.S.R., I have to say I have a fairly large blind spot when it comes to the realities of communism and what Russian life was like. Similarly to Catcher in the Rye, nothing really happens in this book, but it's more about a character and his day to day life.

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck:
I probably shouldn't even write this one, as I'm only partially finished with it, but I'm really enjoying it so far. I've never read anything by Steinbeck, so his writing style is new and yet comforting at the same time. A good read thus far.

What types of books are you reading? What would you recommend?

In Which the Author Compares His Week to a Wave Function

2010-02-13T04:50:00.006-06:00

This week has been . . . strange. I can't put my finger on what it is that is causing my emotions to bob up and down like a little kid in the waves of the ocean. One day I'm doing great and I'm excited to be here in Nigeria, and the next I'm making a list of the things I miss from America and feeling very down. At the moment, I definitely fall into the latter of the two categories.

I think part of it is that I don't feel as though I have anyone here to talk to, even though I've lived here for 150 days on Monday. I haven't made too many friends (most Nigerians don't want to have a deep and dependable friendship, but rather a shallow, I-have-a-friend-who's-an-oyibo-American friendship.), and my housemates aren't the sharing type.

Another thing that is deeply contributing to my emotional cosine curve is the fact that churches in Nigeria are very . . . repetitive and . . . non-applicable. Almost every sermon in every church is on an Old Testament character who did something and then the pastor takes the point of the story and changes it to fit the point he's trying to make which may or may not be Biblical (for example, I attended a sermon where it was "proven" that the King James Version is the only version any Christian should use). It can be frustrating (concession: not all sermons are like this, but most are.)

But the upswings are partially due to my enjoyment of my students, and the fact that I'm in Africa. It helps, too, that we have a new housemate to get to know.

I know that this post isn't terribly cheerful, but it's the way I've been feeling for awhile. Thanks for reading even though I'm being saturnine.

(By the way, I'm going to Lagos on Monday with some students, and I'm excited about that!)

End of Term 1

2009-12-18T21:02:00.003-06:00

So let me start with exams. Exams sucked. They were not easy to write or correct, but I'm pleased with the way my students did on them.

After exams week (Nov. 30-Dec. 4), we had Papa Panov, the Christmas musical. While a lot of work went into the production, the mics weren't working right, so the audience had a hard time hearing. But the kids did a good job and I think they had fun with it.

Monday December 7 was a fun day for the students. We watched The Tale of Despereaux because we read it in class, and then we had a Tug-o-War tournament. After that, we had relay races where the kids bobbed for oranges (a challenge as the oranges were quite large!) and did a dunk-the-class-teacher-with-cups-of-water-held-in-students'-mouths-while-trying-to-get-the-water-in-a-cup-on-said-teacher's-forehead game. It was a blast!

The next day was also ridiculously fun. The middle school (4, 5, and 6) went to Erin Ijesha waterfall. Awesome. It was amazing to scramble around under the water with the kids. Apart from the fun of it all, it was beautiful. The jungle grotto with the water pouring down the side was filled with bursts of misty sunshine and many colored butterflies. That's right. Did I mention it was awesome?

I have more to talk about, but I'm going to save it for another post so I don't overwhelm you. Look for more soon.

P.S. I'm writing this on my brand new MacBook. :)

Feasts, a Rice-Sized Surprise, and the Future

2009-11-29T13:07:00.005-06:00

This weekend was fun and crazy all at the same time. I've been busy getting ready for exam week, which includes writing exams (which take forever) and totaling term classwork grades. I'm currently rebelling against finishing my last exam by posting this.

I've also been feasting . . . all weekend.
Thursday: Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, mashed potatoes, jellied cranberries, and good ol' pumpkin pie.
Friday: Sallah party (Muslim holiday) at a student's house. Jollof rice, moin moin (sort of like fish-flavored refried black beans that are . . . gooier), chicken, cakes, cupcakes, Kit-Kats, Snickers, and sparkling grape juice.
Saturday: Homemade pizza, pop, and leftover pie.
Sunday: Coconut chicken curry with rice, salad, and brownies at the Nampack compound (we go there fairly often to visit the South Africans with whom we have a Bible study).

Yesterday, I also happened to find a little treat which I did not feast on. It was hiding under the skin of my wrist. At first, I thought to myself, "Wow! This mosquito bite isn't going away. And it's starting to get painful." Then I thought, "Why does this mosquito bite look like it has puss underneath it? Maybe it's a pimple and not a mosquito bite." So I squeezed the "pimple."

Surprise! Surprise! What should pop out of my arm but a little white maggot. Luckily I had just woken up so my mind wasn't fully awake, or I very well may have thrown up all over my bedroom floor. As it was, I killed the grain-of-rice-sized maggot (unfortunately before taking a picture of it) and flushed it down the toilet.

Moving on to a slightly less revolting topic, this week is exam week and the production of our Christmas musical, Papa Panov. I'm not looking forward to either, because I don't feel ready for either. But after Papa Panov on Saturday night, I'm going to babysit two kids at the Nampack compound and spend the night there, as well as next Sunday. Then it's fun and games at school during the celebration of the end of exams. :) Next Tuesday I'll be going to the local 7-layered waterfall with my middle schoolers, then the next day I'll be jumping in a van with three more Americans and two Nigerians to go to a Christian retreat and then to Obudu Cattle Ranch, where we'll be climbing Mt. Cameroon. Which I'm not excited about at all. ;) Hope your week goes well and that you'll be able to remember Who is in charge of it all.

Holidays and Harmattan

2009-11-21T04:14:00.003-06:00

So I found out a few days ago that I have a whole week less of classes than I thought I did. I was not aware that end of term exams (worth 50% of the students' grades) were less than 2 weeks away. I thought they were three. And now I'm scrambling trying to do a cumulative review and write said exams in such a short amount of time.

It doesn't help that there's going to be a Muslim holiday at some point this week - two days off. And that's right, we don't know when it will be. That's one of the more frustrating things about living in a country with so many Muslims - you just can't plan when you'll be working or not.

But, Thanksgiving is coming and I'm looking forward to celebrating it here. We've been working on a cornucopia for the bulletin board in the Middle School building and I've been teaching about American Thanksgiving and the traditions we have. It's interesting because I've not thought about our Thanksgiving traditions this much since I was in grade school. On Thursday we're having a half day (unless it's the Muslim holiday) and we'll celebrate as a school faculty. Then next weekend we're having a real Thanksgiving meal with the Americans we know well here in Ibadan (two Nigerian/American families, Karen and Equi, and us three American teachers). I'm looking forward to it, and we even found canned cranberries in the market (that are ridiculously expensive) so we'll be able to have cranberries, turkey, corn, and mashed potatoes. It should be fun!

One last thing to say before I head over to the market today, and that's this: Harmattan is upon us here in West Africa. Basically, the air gets really dusty and hazy, the rains cease, and nights get colder while days get hotter. Overall, I'm excited for the change in season because it helps me to think about the fact that Christmas is coming. And it gives some change to the monotony of the weather here. Every day is pretty much the same, but lately they've been different and that's kind of nice!

Well, I'm off to scour the market to haggle over the price of tomatoes, onions, peppers, groundnuts (peanuts), oranges, and hopefully some sweet ankara. I hope your weekend goes well and that this week is good for you all as you prepare for Thanksgiving!

"Get and Get Over Malaria." Check.

2009-11-16T09:34:00.003-06:00

Malaria 0, Warren 1. That's right. Malaria is over and I'm now just working on dealing with a cough. Which feels like nothing compared to blacking out, vomiting, extreme chills (sitting in the hot harmattan sun and still feeling cold), fever, extreme fatigue, aches, and a prodigiously runny nose.

This weekend I went to RCC which is a compound for Israelis who've been brought here to work for the government. The compound is . . . beautiful. Lush. An actual neighborhood. I loved it. We had dinner together with four of my Jewish students and we broke the Sabbath bread together. I wore a yarmulke and we had a splendid time. Afterwards, we went out to the thatch roof bungalow in the front yard. Surrounded by canaries, parrots, and African art, we swung in the golden glow of the evening lights. It was serene.

One event occured that made me realize something about my relationship with God. When we got there, the father of two of the students wasn't home yet. When he got home, the fourth grade girl ran forward and he knelt down as she leapt into his arms crying, "Abba!" What an amazing picture of what God desires of us, and allows us to call him. I can't stop thinking about it.

This week should be a good week. Partway through next week we'll start reviewing for end-of-term exams on Dec. 7-9. After exams, I'll be going to Obudu Cattle Ranch in the east of the country. On December 18th, I'll land in Minneapolis until January 3, when I'll fly back to Nigeria.

Rx for David Macleop

2009-11-10T11:01:00.002-06:00

Malaria and chest cold. And a million drugs prescribed (6 different kinds!).

First experience with a Nigerian doctor's office - surprisingly ok. I wouldn't want to have surgery here, but for clinic type of visits, not bad. The doctor was friendly and capable.

Oh yeah, I have a mohawk.

A Week of Birthdays

2009-10-30T09:50:00.002-05:00

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!

2009-10-16T08:21:00.000-05:00

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

2009-10-06T14:39:00.009-05:00

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!

2009-10-01T15:25:00.002-05:00

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.

A Definite Disconnectedness

2009-09-23T15:23:00.003-05:00

Lately I've been feeling very disconnected from . . . everyone. I realize that my life is on a different continent, but still, I don't think I planned on this feeling as part of the whole experience. Homesickness: of course it would come. Nigeria-sickness: knew that would come too. Feeling like I can't even remember my summer at camp or my friends from back home: a feeling that completely broadsided me.

Surprise! You're not where everyone else is!

I think part of this feeling comes from the fact that I am too busy to find time to write to people (even on Facebook or in the blogosphere), so I end up not knowing what's going on in the lives of the people I'm close to. I apologize for that.

Why is it that the things to which God so frequently calls us make our hearts ache? I know the answer with my head. I wish that knowledge would travel about a foot south.

Another Post with Minimal Organization

2009-09-19T15:05:00.004-05:00

This week was great. The students did a much better job of behaving, even though I had to give out a few detentions, and I feel like I'm getting back into the rhythm of teaching that I was in during student teaching. It took a little bit, but I'm doing a better job now.

Today we went to the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture just north of Ibadan. I felt like I was in Lost, driving through the Dharma Initiative. But it was really great! The food was amazing (I had some great Indian food, and some of my favorite pop here - Schweppes Bitter Lemon) and we got to hang out with 2 of our students: Shuba and Shanti. We drove by vast mown fields with palm trees surrounding them, drove a curvy road through the jungle, passed house after house that looked quite similar (and were colored the same as the Others' homes), and drove by a long lake. When we drove through the jungle, we got out at one point and walked for a quick 2k through bamboo shoots, tall and bendy; jungle vines, hanging low and beautiful; almond trees that spread wide; and ficus trees with giant walls of roots. Butterflies, ants, and many unknown birds were our companions. It was fantastic.

Due to the end of Ramadan being next week, we have a national holiday that means we have Monday and Tuesday off of school (If anyone wants to Skype at that time, I'll try to be online. Let me know what time you want to and I'll do my best to be by my computer (remember the 6 hours ahead time difference (my Skype name is warren.macleod (how's this for a change, no more hyphens, but a ridiculous number of parentheses)))). Funnily enough, we have another short week the next week for Nigeria's Independence Day on October 1st. So we won't have a full week of school for a few weeks now.

I've been noticing that mornings are usually hardest in dealing with homesickness, though it hasn't hit too hard yet. They say that the 3rd week, 3rd month, and 3rd year are hardest for those crossing cultures. Wednesday (the beginning of my 3rd week) was my hardest day so far, but since then I've been doing pretty well.

Random unique trait of Nigerians: They believe cats can be witches and wizards. I've seen only one so far, and that was today at IITA. Several students have written about why they like dogs better than cats, and they've all written that cats are involved in sorcery. Strange, huh?

Do you have any questions you'd like me to answer? It's hard to think about what to share, so if you have questions to guide me, that would help!

Hope your day is going well, and that you have a good weekend!

School, Food, and the Weekend - A Triptych of My First Full Week in Nigeria

2009-09-11T13:14:00.004-05:00

One week of school finished! Today we read books in all my classes. It was awesome Every Friday I'll be reading books to my classes: 5th is reading the Tale of Despereaux, 6th is reading A Wrinkle in Time, 7th is reading Peter Pan, and 8th is reading The Little Prince. It seemed like they're really enjoying those books, which is good.

We've cooked our own food now for the past four nights, which has been actually kind of fun. One of my goals for 2009 was to learn how to cook 5 dishes from different countries. I think that will be easy here. I've already learned how to make several Nigerian dishes, which are quite tasty! Tonight, I made peanut butter. From scratch. That's right. I'm fairly proud of that accomplishment. The awesome thing is that we use this gigantic wooden mortar and pestle to grind it up, and it's really, really fun! I'll be making a bigger batch sometime soon.

Tonight we have a prayer meeting from 10:00pm to whenever (it's supposed to go all night, but we'll probably only stay for a few hours). I'm pretty excited about that, because it's so amazing to hear the Nigerians pray. Tomorrow we go to the market in the morning, plan lessons for the week, and then Mrs. Raj (the secretary) invited us to her house for Indian tea and games. It should be fun. Her daughter Henna is in my 7th grade English class, so it will be fun to see her outside of school as well. Then Sunday, we go to the Nwulu's apartment for a meal. After we go to Church somewhere. Kind of a busy weekend! But it will be fun and hopefully relaxing!

(P.S. Sorry to those of you who have blogs. I've not been very good about reading them, because my Internet time is pretty limited. I'll hopefully have a chance this weekend.)

An Introduction to Nigerian Culture and ACA

2009-09-03T15:36:00.003-05:00

I made it to Ibadan. And it's beautiful.

We got out of the airport at about 7:30 and then drove to Ibadan. We had dinner with Karen and Equi - the principal and manager of the school - and then we went to bed.

The first bit of culture shock that hit me was the driving. I had heard it was bad, but I had assumed that it was Lake-Street-on-a-busy-night bad. Not there-are-how-many-lanes?-and-why-are-these-people-running-in-front-of-our-bus?-and-did-I-just-see-a-motorcycle-driving-ridiculously-fast-the-wrong-way? bad. It will take awhile to get used to.

Today, I met the teachers I'll be with this year. I'm really excited! They're so great and welcoming. :)

We haven't left the school yet, so I haven't yet seen the markets, or experienced too much of the culture, but on Saturday we have some time to leave the school.

Tomorrow, the new students come for a visit day. Then on Monday the other students will come and we'll have a whole day of meet and greet.

Here's my schedule:

I teach 4 classes of English everyday (5-8 grades).
Tuesdays and Thursdays I teach 4th grade reading.
Thursdays and Fridays I teach 8th grade literature.

I'll also be in charge of the singers for the Christmas musical, so for those of you who thought I should teach a glee club, I'll be doing just about that.

Well, I'm going to say goodbye for now, and I'll hopefully put some pictures on facebook or here in the next few days.

. . .

2009-08-31T15:25:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow I go.

Post 101

2009-08-27T19:47:00.002-05:00

Well, I now have 4 full days left in the U.S. Crazy. Unfortunately, the whole future experience has yet to become real to me. I'm not sure why, but it seems in my mind like I'm only going back to the Cities.

I think that's because I've had to help my parents move (that's right. My entire last week at home is spent packing box after box, then moving box after box.), so I haven't had a chance to think about my own experiences very much.

But one week from this moment, I'll be spending my second night in Africa.

I think another reason for my inability to accept the fact that my life is moving more than 6,000 miles away is that I haven't talked a whole lot about what my life will be like once I'm there. To people who know what it's like, that is.

(Side note: I just left the computer midpost - completely forgetting what I was doing. For 2 hours!)

Well, I suppose that's about all for now. Sorry that this post is a little . . . whiny.

Five Postcards from a Summer at Camp

2009-08-18T13:22:00.002-05:00

1. Leonid smoke trails
Bring my heart
To praise

2. What rain!
That falls in
Tree-obscuring lines
Of happy grey

3. In one hour a person
Can go from acquaintance
To firm friend

4. More feathers than before
More memories, too.

5. Last this,
Last that.
The best last is
Last cabin picture.

A Weekend in Chicago?

2009-08-17T23:42:00.003-05:00

This weekend I had the privilege of seeing two amazing people get married to each other. I don't know that I've looked forward to a wedding so much since my sister's wedding. The purity and love in both Kyle and Julie was amazing to see, and to watch their faces throughout the ceremony was beautiful. All in all, one of the best weddings I've ever been to. That was the highlight of the weekend. And here's the not-quite-highlight:

The wedding was in Yorkville, Illinois, which is supposedly an hour from Chicago. We got to Yorkville on Friday morning (at 1 am) and so we had all day Friday to spend in downtown Chicago, which I'd never done before. We left the hotel at 10:20am to try to catch a train into town, but by the time we got to the train station (10:50), we found out that the last morning train left at 10:20. Hooray.

The train being a non-option, we decided to drive to the closest L station and take that in. By the time we got to that station, it was just as fast and less expensive to drive all the way to Navy Pier (our lunch destination). So we did.

After driving down State Street (absolutely beautiful, by the way!) we finally found a parking place for Navy Pier at about 1:30. That's right. What should have taken us 1 hour took us 3. We had time for lunch on Navy Pier (and not even good lunch. I got bad Chinese followed by some Ben & Jerry's, thereby breaking one of my 2009 goals unintentionally) and then we had to head back for the wedding rehearsal. So my weekend in Chicago was really more of a quick lunch in Chicago.

Other than that experience, I had a great weekend and the road trip was actually quite fun. And I got to see my friends get married!

Prayer, Please?

2009-08-10T08:28:00.002-05:00

So I have been looking for my passport to go to Nigeria, and I've not been able to find it yet. I tore apart my home in Two Harbors looking for it and I've come to the conclusion that it's not there, or if it is, it's not going to be found there.

That leaves me with four options:

a) Find the passport. (Not too many places left to look)

b) Get a new passport.

c) Fake a passport.

d) Don't go.

Obviously, the first would be the best, but I'm guessing it will probably be the second. The third is out of the question and the fourth would be the hardest.

Here is what I need prayer for: that I would find my passport in one of the few remaining locations, or that the new passport I get would be received quickly so that I can send it in for a Nigerian visa. Kind of important.

In other news, it's my last week at camp, possibly ever. But it doesn't feel that way because of all this other business.

Your Hope, Your Confidence Let Nothing Shake

2009-07-24T20:40:00.002-05:00

A dear friend of mine has a sister who is dying of cancer. I can't even imagine what that would be like. As confusing and painful as this has been for my friend and her family, I can't help but think of the song "Be Still My Soul."

"Be still my soul, the day is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love's deepest joys restored.
Be still my soul: when change and tears are past
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last."

Hope can seem like an unattainable goal at times, but we know that we have a hope that goes beyond death - a hope that transcends the power of the grave. Unfortunately, my friend's sister will not likely live on this earth for much longer. But praise God for the hope of His Son.

I've Discovered My Inner Child. He Comes Out in the Rain.

2009-06-19T18:18:00.004-05:00

It has been a long stretch at camp. A good stretch, but a long one. And with the business of life just prior to camp (packing, moving, cleaning, camping, Memorial Day Weekend, and just life), these 48 hours are . . . thrillingly dull. If that makes sense.

Thrilling in the sense that I'm very very excited to have them, but dull in that I'm not really doing anything out of the ordinary.

One of the biggest highlights from camp:

The rainstorm yesterday. It had been building all week and when it broke, it broke hard. Two hours of torrential downpour (funny how those words always go together. Just like "damaged goods" or "learning curve"). Lightning. Rolling thunder. And one of the best days I've had at camp. Ever.

I love when I can just let go of my duties and go be. As the photographer, it's sometimes hard to just stop doing my job (even now I'm feeling guilty for just sitting). But when I do, it's amazing. I ran around yelling and playing in the rain and felt about the same age as the junior highers I was around, but that made it all the better.

OK. This post has gone on for too long, but it's been awhile since I've written an update. Done now, I promise.

A Link to My Camp Blog

2009-06-11T18:47:00.000-05:00

Well, as I'm at Camp Lebanon for the summer, I'm not going to be able to update this blog for awhile. But I'll be updating the camp blog almost daily, so here's that link:

camplebanonroadtrip.wordpress.com

Hope your summers are great!

A Slew of Haiku

2009-05-30T18:28:00.004-05:00

I was looking through my college papers and I found some surprises. A few years ago, some college friends and I wrote these haikus. It was about 1:30 in the morning and we wrote them by each doing one word and then the next person does a word and so on.

Snow
Snow falls in the house.
Holes inside roofs when falleth
Grandpa down the tree.

Turnbuckle
Botany lies well.
Bamboo falls irregardless.
Buds, suds both follow.

Yelp!
Paint grows in moss. Yuck!
Until mussels eat well, death.
Ev'ry kind of treat.

Gravy
Thickening liquid,
Joy born of fiery sources
Flowing upward spills

Flower
Chrysanthemum is
A very long word to say.
Great is its name length.

In Which the Author and His Bathtub Engage in Fisticuffs

2009-05-27T11:24:00.003-05:00

The bathtub and I got in an argument this morning. Maybe it was a fight. Whatever it was, it got physical (he started it). He wanted to stay dirty, but I wanted him clean. The argument started when I took some Comet and a washcloth to his walls. Try as I might to convince him to get clean, he wasn't going for it. There was no persuading him to change his position.

Time to change tactics: Wal-Mart run! Scotch-Brite brillo pads!

This time, I forced the tub to agree with me. He was willing to let the walls get clean, and even most of the scum and whatnot.

He's just too stubborn though. There are a few almost-gone spots that he refuses to let me get clean even though I tried persuading him for considerable amounts of time. At this point, we've decided to agree to disagree. I just hope my roommates feel the same . . .

A Weekend in Bluff Country

2009-05-20T13:55:00.003-05:00

My family and I spent the weekend camping, biking, kayaking, perusing, hiking, mushroom-hunting, and watching Amish people in Southeastern Minnesota. It was wonderful!

I could talk about a lot, but I'll only talk about the first night at the campground in Lanesboro. After a delicious dinner, we decided to go for a family bike ride. It was misty and dark, but it was one of the best times of the weekend.

The region looks a little like the Shire (which I realize makes me sound dorky), and with the mist and the flowering trees, we couldn't help but enjoy ourselves immensely.

And then it rained. In fact, it poured.

And it was lovely.

No Mas Chili's Para Mi Und Mitarbeiter Fragebogen

2009-05-13T22:25:00.005-05:00

I worked my last shift at Chili's tonight. At least, until September.

And, I'm getting so excited for camp this summer! I need to make a staff questionnaire, and I'm always the worst at those. Here are the questions I have:

1. Name
2. Age
3. College?
4. Greatest Passion?
5. Biggest pet peeve?
6. Favorite Book of the Bible?
7. Favorite Bible Verse?
8. Longest/best road trip you've taken?
9. Place you'd most like to go on a road trip?
10. Make up a question and answer it.

I'm not too satisfied with this list, but I can't think of what else parents and campers would really care to know about the staff. I feel like I need some more fun questions, though. Comments? Suggestions?

How bou' some Sco'land far yeh?

2009-05-10T19:05:00.006-05:00

So I went to the Minnesota Scottish Fair yesterday. It was so much fun! Everyone was walking around in kilts or tartan, and the events going on were really great!

The day started out with me driving 55 minutes (listening to Celtic music the whole time) and getting out of my car all pumped up. I was not disappointed. The first event I watched was Scottish Highland Dancing. A family from my hometown is very involved in this form of dancing, and two of the girls competed. It was really fun to watch.

Oh, and just when you think you've seen enough Scottish, you go and buy some haggis (basically a meatloaf cooked in a sheep's stomach lining) with tatties and neeps (mashed potatoes and rutabagas) while watching men in tartan kilts throwing the caber (a 15 foot log). That's it, right. Can't get any more Scottish than that. Just kidding. How about throwing in some bagpipe bands. That's right. Haggis, cabertossing, kilts, and bagpipes. Oh, and just to complete the whole feel, it was cold and cloudy. Just about the closest you can get to a true Scottish cultural experience while in America. I loved it!

A Second Birthday Already?

2009-05-06T15:30:00.003-05:00

I can't believe that my nephew is two already! His birthday was on Saturday, and it was great to be home for it (even though he was sick).

Five Postcards from Dusk on the Lakeshore

2009-05-02T21:25:00.005-05:00

1. Amber lights twinkle
Across the Wolf's nose
As ducks in formation
Lead me to the moon

2. Slip on a rock:
Blood on silver waves

3. Solemn stars peek through a
Window of slender birch boughs
And quiet my heart

4. Only the barest distinction between
Grey sea and
Grey sky

5. The waves and shore
Have called a truce
To hear the silence of
Celestial nocturnes

Kittens, Lollipops, and The Color Pink: A Hermeneutical Look at Wagner's Ring Cycle

2009-04-27T23:26:00.006-05:00

Disclaimer: The title may or may not have anything to do with what follows.

I know my last post was work related, and so to do two in a row is a little annoying, but I just have to share a train of logic.

-Working doubles is usually fine. Two shifts in one day = More money and a day off.

-Working doubles when your first shift is an opening shift is not quite as good. Longer days (albeit with bigger breaks) and fewer monies.

-Working doubles when your first shift is an opening shift and your second shift is a closing shift is not great. Being the first one in the store and the last one to leave really sucks.

-Working doubles when your first shift is an opening shift and your second shift is a closing shift and the closing shift is really slow at first so that everybody gets cut and then you get hammered with a bunch of tables at once with one table that is really crabby and their food gets made wrong and you forget about a margarita that they ordered and in the meantime you have to do Curbside-To-Go while trying to serve 7 other tables makes for the worst day that you will be able to remember while working at Chili's.

I'm ready to be done.

2009-04-25T19:33:00.002-05:00

I need a break from Chili's. I'm just sick of doing the same thing over and over again. I don't know how some of my coworkers can have worked there for more than ten years.

I need a break from Chili's and I can't wait until:

a) This coming Thursday when I get to go home to my family for my nephew's 2nd birthday!

b) The weekend of May 15th when I get to go camping and kayaking in Amish country (a.k.a. Lanesboro, MN).

c) Camp Lebanon. May . . . something. I can never remember what day we're starting.

Those are my future highlights which you can expect to hear more about once they have occurred (surprise! 'occurred' has two r's. I wasn't aware.) I bet you're all melting in your seats with anticipation.

iTunes Experiment

2009-04-20T22:40:00.003-05:00

Go to iTunes. Select 'Party Shuffle.' List in order the first 5 songs that come up. No cheating and picking others.

1. Jump, Jive, An' Wail - Louis Prima
2. Untitled Hymn (Come to Jesus) - Chris Rice
3. Two Worlds - Phil Collins (a little embarrassed about this one)
4. Father Christmas - Chronicles of Narnia Soundtrack
5. 40 Acres - Caedmon's Call (love that this one's on there!)

Your turn . . .

Five Postcards from a Walk in the Park

2009-04-16T17:50:00.004-05:00

1. Sit down amid golden reeds
And share a tree with some birds.
The library of downy cattail books around you
Draws a tawny landscape.

2. Those birds I saw, they sing.
They sing . . . an orchestra/choir
In real, old-fashioned surround sound.

3. Remember the smell of spring?
It enveloped me today
With its loamy, growing, earth-scent.

4. The lake was cool,
But they ruckussed and splashed anyways.

5. Walking barefoot on forest trails:
The winter-long leaves lay softer than
Bedsheets of silk on my skin.

Nature vs. Nurture

2009-04-14T15:25:00.004-05:00

It's amazing to me how quickly I can fall into sin.

At work today, I was thinking about what it means to have a sin nature. And though I've heard those words together for most of my life, I have not thought about what they mean together.

It's natural for us fallen humans to sin. We cannot help it. It's a part of our very nature. When we are regenerated by the Holy Spirit, we are no longer enslaved to that sin nature, but until our bodies have died, we will not be rid of its effects - namely, that even though our hearts often intend well, we frequently sin without even thinking about it.

Take selfishness as an example. How easy is it to think only of yourself without even intending to do so? In fact, I would argue that we have to intend to be unselfish in order for it to come about. It's simply not our nature.

But thank goodness we have an infinitely gracious Savior who does not reach a point where He says, "That's too many sins. Your sin nature is just too strong. You're out." Thank goodness that He nurtures us and gives us grace and humility to repent of our sin nature. Even though it's overwhelming, I have to remember that I can't stop trying to be rid of sin, and I can't stop asking for forgiveness when I do sin.

Easter

2009-04-12T21:28:00.001-05:00

I'm thankful that Easter is not a highly commercial holiday. It makes it easier to focus on what's really important. (Unlike Christmas)

Good Friday

2009-04-10T20:20:00.002-05:00

Wounds which mar the Chosen One bring many sons to glory.

Lamest Superpower Ever

2009-04-03T19:18:00.006-05:00

Evidently I have a superpower. But be prepared, it's a lame one. Are you ready?

I discovered today that I evidently make the ceilings leak nasty water. That's right. Jealous, aren't you?

Third time this has happened to me. I'm just doing my thing (twice it's been showering, this time it was coming home from a lovely walk (which, by the way, was a-mazing!)), enjoying life, when lo and behold, my superpower manifests itself without my knowledge or consent! Water dripping/pouring from the ceiling! And this isn't filtered Brita water. Not even Cedar-Lake-brackish water. No. This is either nasty-someone-else's-shower-water, or I-don't-know-if-that-should-be-that-shade-of-yellow-and-I'm-a-little-grossed-out-that-it-is water. Evidently I bring out all the best in the plumbing around me.

Now to figure out how to solve crime with my "gift."

(Alright. I concede. Maybe it's not a superpower. But still. . .)

Gilead

2009-04-02T14:46:00.002-05:00

I am in the middle of an incredible book right now. Gilead by Marilynn Robinson is already one of my favorite books of all time. And I'm only 100 pages in.

The style, the content, the descriptions, the outlook on life, the theology, the emotion: all of these are reasons I'm enjoying this book so much. Perhaps my favorite aspect of the book is that it is all one letter - written from dying father to very young son. The dying father is a pastor and his thoughts and memories from life are beautiful.

This book is not fast-moving. Just the opposite. And that's why I like it. It's one of those books that it's better to read aloud to yourself because it gives you time to process. There aren't too many like that.

(P.S. I'll maybe do a brief recap of the book once I'm finished, but no promises.)

Best Game Ever - The Wikipedia Game

2009-03-30T17:24:00.002-05:00

Sit down with someone you know fairly well.

Take out your computers.

Go to Wikipedia.

Pick a destination Wikipedia article (eg. didgeridoo, Arnold Schwarzeneggar, candle).

Hit "Random Article."

Whoever gets to the destination article first by clicking only the links on the page wins (For example. Your random article is "Denali National Park." On the page, you could click on "Alaska," "mountain," "road," etc.).

Repeat.

In Which the Author Recounts a Tale He Was Told

2009-03-27T10:17:00.003-05:00

Though it was rainy and ice-stormy the whole time I was home, I still had a wonderful time. My nephew and I got to play a lot and he's getting to the age where he's fun. You don't realize how boring newborns and babies are until they grow up.

Anyways, my nephew and I had a few conversations. One of them went like this:
Me: "Eli, what did you do this morning"
Eli: "No, No" (It's the name of one of his favorite books)
Me: "You read 'No,No'?"
Eli: "Mm hmm! Uh huh!"
Me: "What else did you do?"
Eli: "Gumma (Grandma - my mom). Hit."
Me: "Grandma hit something?!"
Eli: "Mm hmm! Uh huh! Gumma. Hit. Uncle!"
Me: "No, Grandma didn't hit Uncle. Grandma loves Uncle!"
Eli: "Gumma. Hit. Nate" (Nate is his stuffed animal. He chose the name himself.)

It was at this point that he began launching into a tale of how my mom had evidently bloodied all of his stuffed animals. It was also at this point that I was amazed that two years ago this little guy was not even born.

It's A Simple Equation, Really

2009-03-24T09:58:00.003-05:00

Eric Whitacre times the quantity of the sum of Orchestra Hall, St. Olaf Choir, and VocalEssence plus the sum of Good Friends and Good Seats is greater than or equal to the best of concerts I've ever been to.

Wow. I think I just successfully turned an interesting topic into a dull one. Sorry about that. I'll explain the equation. I went to a concert on Sunday at Orchestra Hall and saw Eric Whitacre directing the St. Olaf choir and VocalEssence. It was the best concert I've ever been to. Easily. Maybe not the most moving (NWC Choir still has the award for most moving concerts), but definitely the best musically and it's up there in emotionality as well.

My favorite pieces were "Cloudburst" (no surprise there. It's amazing. The choir simulates a thunderstorm on stage and mixed with the coolest chords, it's sweet) and "When David Heard." Big surprise there. I've listened to this on a CD before, but never understanding the meaning of the song.

It is a 14 minute version of the verse "When David heard Absalom was slain, he went into his chamber above the gate and wept, saying, "My son, would that I had died instead." For 13 minutes of the piece, the choir is repeating "My son, Absalom" in extremely sorrowful chords.

OK, I know this post is getting long, but I just have one more thing to mention (apart from the fact that I got to meet Eric Whitacre). St. Olaf Choir's sound is . . . perfect. Can I say that? It's about as close as unglorified humans can get. The blend, the tone, the pitch, the phrasing, the dynamics, the overall intensity all make St. Olaf choir fantastic.

Five Postcards from the Drive North

2009-03-23T18:41:00.003-05:00

1. Pine trees in knife-sharp detail
A single birch amid their green.

2. Four hawks.
Three herons.
A flock of swans.
A murder of crows.
A crow's murder.

3. I love driving with the
Windshield wipers on high.
When I stop, water makes
Veins across the glass.

4. Memories of a Cloud:
Going in.
Coming out.
In between is a little foggy.

5. Bow your head
As you enter the
Cathedral of pines.
Their Gothic boughs
Grow just before Sturgeon Lake.

Surprise! I'm more than a river in Egypt!

2009-03-21T08:51:00.005-05:00

The Northwestern College Choir concert was last night. It was . . . so good.

For those of you unfamiliar with the choir, at the end of every concert they sing "Jesus, I Adore Thee." It's the 'family song' of the College Choir.

All through the concert, I was able to keep from missing the college choir too much (not the people, but the choir thing. I definitely miss the people in college choir a LOT!). There were a few points that were particularly beautiful, sorrowful, or joyful.

And then the women started singing "Jesus, I adore Thee, Word of truth and grace . . ."

It hit me then. And I realized how easy it is to believe that you don't really miss a thing. But you do.

2009-03-19T22:11:00.004-05:00

Someone you know has an interview next week to be working at camp this summer. That person took these pictures. That person has access to this blog. Three guesses who it is.

Beware the Ides of March . . . and maybe the days around it as well

2009-03-15T23:16:00.005-05:00

I just wanted to point out that three of my favorite days ever fall in a 4 day period. Coincidence? I don't think so!
March 14: Pi Day (3.1415926...You get the picture)
March 15: Anniversary of the death of Julius Caesar ("Et tu, Brute?")
March 17: St. Patrick's Day (Top o' ta marnin' to ya - and a good evenin' ta boot!)

(Disclaimer: The information contained in this post may or may not be true. Which may or may not make this post completely and utterly useless and dishonest.)

Thank God for South-Facing Windows

2009-03-14T15:24:00.003-05:00

Sitting in gold light
Soaking in yellowed warmth beams
Drifting off to dream