Cha Cha Changes

Since we have last blogged, a lot of changes have taken place!  For one, the HCHS Varsity Competition team officially began their season and won the Sportsmanship Award at the Dawson County Competition.  They’ve had a bit of a rough start to this year due to several injuries, but in true Raider style, they are powering through them and becoming all the better for it.  They competed again this past Saturday, greatly improving each time they take the mat.  I spent a great deal of time looking at all their pictures on Rudeseal’s website, telling all my students about their performance at Dawson, and reading the blow by blow account from Coach Borrow’s emails and text messages.  It was tough for me last weekend realizing I really wasn’t coaching them this year.  Giving up coaching Raiders was one of the hardest parts of leaving Habersham for Joey and me.  I wish so badly I could see this team perform in person, but I hope each of them know, including their AMAZING coach, that I am there in spirit at every competition!!  I love each of you and wish you nothing but the best this season!!

Another big change for Joey and me has been our classes and classrooms.  As we said last week, schedules for our students were all changed, and the teachers went from teaching three classes to teaching four.  So, on Monday, we were greeted with many new faces.  Students here are still great, but the new chemistry of each class took some getting used to.  We had already developed such a repoir with our other students, so it felt like having the first day of school all over again in a weird alternate universe.  Joey gained another block of World History, and I am teaching another class of Algebra II.  The Algebra II classes are a bit overloaded because there are only three Algebra II teachers while most other required classes have four.  So, I have on average about 32 students in each of my four classes.  On Tuesday afternoon, the three Algebra II teachers met and “swapped prisoners” as our principal said.  So, on Wednesday, we had another new make-up of students with many of our original ones.  Also, on Wednesday, Joey and I moved from our respective classrooms (the Gym Conference Room and D105) to F104 and F102.  Our original classrooms were a bit non-traditional, and mine was certainly rough around the edges.  Our new spaces are like typical classrooms.  Joey doesn’t have a white board, only two chalk boards.  I have a small white board and two chalk boards.  Our lunch break/prep period is from 12:20-1:35, and it never seemed long enough to get done everything we needed to get done!  So, every day this week, we would nap when we got home and then grade and plan for the next day.  We are both still in major love with all our students.  Joey’s kids are working on a constitution for our high school, and mine are almost finished with unit one.  They are starving to learn and so, so respectful of us as teachers.  We were told by a colleague when we got here that the work and preparation will be harder, but the rewards will be ten-fold of what we are used to.  She definitely hit the nail on the head.  Seeing the light bulbs in these kids’ eyes…there’s really nothing like it!

We have been officially adopted by a local boonie dog named Sashi.   

She technically belongs to our neighbor, but she thinks she belongs to us.  Every time we come home, she greets us at our front door and then runs to our porch to wait for her treat.  On Saturday, Joey said she was on our porch cuddled up all day.  With the almost daily picture updates of Ellie and Wendell from Jan Elger and Sashi wanting our love, we are changing for the better in how we are coping without having our dogs here. 

We have had to change the way we see the banking industry!  Banks are only open from 10:00am until 3:00pm Monday thru Thursday and from 10:00am until 6:00pm on Friday on Saipan.  On Thursday, we went to one bank on our lunch break to open a checking account, and the only two individuals who could do that for us were gone for their one hour lunch break!  We then went to a different bank where there were actually two people working who could open a checking account.  Lucky us!  We went back on Friday with the required documents and opened our local account.  The lady we worked with, Rita, was very competent and incredibly helpful.  She also happens to be the mom of one of my students.   We felt like we were back in Habersham at First Georgia!

Cars, they are a changin!  We are on our third car in three weeks!  The first car was the blue stallion (her broken leg has been repaired!).  Then we borrowed Amanda’s Four Runner while she was in the states.  Now, we are renting a Toyota Yaris.  It’s so tiny, and Joey barely fits in the driver’s seat!  We test drove a 1992 Toyota Land Cruiser this Friday, and if our loan comes through on Monday, we will officially be car owners on Tuesday!  Here’s hoping!!  If not, we’ll be back on the stallion until something else comes along.

We played soccer on Monday, and then we went out for Korean BBQ.  I ate an anchoive for the first time…all up for new experiences while we’re here!

It wasn’t delicious by any stretch and definitely salty!

Joey began coaching a U-14 boys’ soccer team on Tuesday.  His assistant coach is one of his player’s fathers.  Three teams practice on the same small field at one of our elementary schools.  He took his ball with him to practice, and it quickly became known as the “good ball.”  We are going to join an Ultimate Frisbee league this Friday, and Joey will continue to play pick-up basketball on Thursdays.  My running shoes from Zappo’s came in a few days ago, so we will be running along the beach path in front of our school every afternoon.  Joey went to the market on Saturday where locals sell produce, fish, and plants, and loaded us up for the week with fruits and veggies.  Okra, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, mangoes, and sour fruit…all for under $10!  Yum!  Yum!

Another change that’s happened is our deep passion for Ebisuya!  It’s a local bakery that we mentioned last week.  They have $1 bread day every Wednesday, but we’ve been going there about two to three mornings during the week for breakfast pastries.  Blueberry rolls filled with some sort of cream cheese goodness. The pictures didn't turn out that great, but trust us, they are DEEEEEEE licious!

  It is homey, tasty, amazing deliciousness.  They also fit greatly into our new active and healthy lifestyle!

We continue to go to the street market on Thursday nights.  It’s so much fun!  Food from many local restaurants is for sale, and locals do traditional dances.  Such a touristy thing but locals go too! 

We have also changed in how settled we feel here.  This is our home, and we feel like we belong.  We’ve become very close with Brian and Colleen. 

We mentioned them in our last blog, but we’ve spent a great deal more time with them since then.  Colleen is a combination of all my best friends.  She loves musicals and the theater (worked at The Fabulous Fox in St. Louis during college and was in a traveling theatre troupe from 2^nd grade until high school), loves to go to the spa and spoil herself, is a wonderful cook (was in culinary school before coming to Saipan), is very close to her family, totally in love with her precious husband, and is genuine, funny, giving, confident, and incredibly caring.  I was a bit under the weather this week, and she made me homemade banana bread!   She and Brian are quickly becoming our BCF in Saipan (Best Couple Friend)!

So, yes, many changes have taken place in our lives during the past week.  As I type this, we are winding down our best weekend yet on Saipan.  After our long week, we came home and relaxed a bit Friday night.  I had to take the Praxis II on Saturday, so I took some practice tests as I had been doing all week.  Fun, fun!  We then met Colleen and Brian for drinks at Godfather’s, our new favorite bar.  We ran into many people we knew there, and it felt like we were at the Copperpot for Half-off Tuesday!  We ended our night earlier than everyone else, so I could get a good night’s sleep for my test.  On Saturday morning, Joey took me to print my admission ticket for the test and then to Northern Marianas College to take it.  While I was testing (which I felt much better about this one than the last time), he went to the market, took our clothes to the laundry, and ran some more errands.  We then returned home to nap and read.  Having Ellie and Wendell for Family Snuggle would have truly made the day perfect, but we pretended they were here with us!  Colleen and I decided to go to the Pacific Island Club resort for the afternoon.  We floated down the lazy river in inner tubes with fruity beverages in our hands.  We then went down their waterslides and played in their different pools feeling like ten-year olds the entire time.  We capped off our afternoon with happy hour half-priced food on the beach and watched the sun set over the water.

 “We live here.  We’re not on vacation.  This is our life,” we kept saying to ourselves.  We then put on our cover-ups over our bathing suits and headed to the movies.  Yes, that’s right, we went to see a movie in our bathing suits and cover-ups.  TIS! 

 Brian met us to see “The Town.”  A MUST SEE for everyone who is 17 or older!  Sunday, Joey and I awoke with the sun and ate fruit for breakfast.  Daniel invited us to Managaha for the day, and we left the dock around 2:30.  We spent the full afternoon eating amazing grilled goodness, soaking in the vitamin D, and getting pruny in the water. 

Pure bliss!

We want to give two birthday shout outs to some familia!  Blake, our nephew, turned 18 last week.  I cannot believe that he is legally an adult and about to graduate high school.  It seems like yesterday you were 8.  We are so proud of the young man he has grown into—giving, sincere, mature, and caring.  We are so excited for his future, and we look forward to seeing what all he accomplishes!  Anything is possible for him!  Happy Birthday, Blake!  Grandmom, or Mama E, turns 92 on September 20.  I am so thankful to have the kind of relationship that I have with my Grandmom.  I value it more and more every day.  She is such an inspiration to me on so many levels…her faith, her independence, her incredible marriage, and her wit to name a few.  Joey sends you a big “No Problem” from Saipan, and I send you a huge hug and birthday kiss!

Love, hugs, and loads of misses to everyone!