And here are my students...

There were times when I loved my students.  I was so proud of their achievements as well as mine.  There were some days when I genuinely looked forward to going to school everyday.  Or I would really enjoy school once I got there.  There were times when my students' smiles and eager to learn eyes would give me such encouragement and the will power and drive to keep teaching.  It was these moments where my heart would melt (and it still does) and would make me feel like a worth-while human being.

And then there were other times when I would want to stab my eyes out, rip my heart into a million pieces, place my brain in a blender and shred it into a billion pieces.  There were days when I wanted a better job.  There were days when I would wish that my students would disappear (and it didn't matter in what way, as long as they were gone.)  There were days when their eager to learn eyes would stab a thousand daggers in any direction where goodness prevailed, and would destroy anything that represented happiness with a blink.  Oh man, there were some days I hated those kids.

But then the good always out-weighted the bad, and at the end of the experience, I will always miss my students.  They were always have a special place in my heart - even if they wanted to stab it out.

And here are my students. (Note the gang signs)

1st grade.  Haha - I got those kids reading!!

4th grade

3rd grade (Dashwood - the kid in the green, doesn't look to happy)

My beloved 2nd graders

Kindergarten

Max and his 8th graders

I am part of a involuntary blood donation to mosquitoes. I feel that they appreciate the service. You're welcome...

So Utrik had lots of mosquitoes.  Many many many many mosquitoes.  So much so that I felt that I have become immune to the itchiness.  The red itch bumps no long had any control (on a side note, now that I'm in Thailand, I have lost the power but I digress.)  Yes, I GOT THE POWER!!  But sometimes too much power comes with a price.  The ultimate downfall to absolute power is the forces that try to undermine you.  I wish I had the power of hindsight in the present, it would have cleared the way and given me the knowledge that I would need to know.

1.  I now think that 100% DEET will do absolutely nothing to me.  Seeing as though I would rub that stuff all over me twice a day.  You really glisten when you rub that stuff all over you.  And if you have some on your finger tips and eat a pancake, haha, what a great sensation.  Or I guess I should say, lack of sensation.  My tongue would go numb, my lips would go numb and sometimes they would stay numb for hours.  Try teaching that way.  Such fun!

2.  Mosquito nets become the ultimate sleeping fashion accessory.  And mosquito nets actually block the breeze and make your bed about 20 degrees hotter.  Holy cow, not fun.  Try sleeping in 80 degree weather, but now it feels like 100 degrees and you are literally swimming in sweat.  So not comfortable.

The old mosquito net.

The new and improved and "had-to-crawl-in-like-a-ninja" mosquito net.

And now mosquito nets remind me of wedding bride's veils.  So if I ever get married, no veil.  I've slept under a mosquito net, and honestly, I never want to be under one ever again.

3.  Still not quite sure about the Dengue Fever.  I had it.  I felt like shit for a week,  but then I was fine (Okay, I talked with the doctor and he was saying that the strain here on island was a weaker strain, and even he had no idea why everyone was freaking out about it).  My mom sent me some Tylenol (Thanks mom!!!).  Other people on the capital island left.  Why would you leave?  

On a fun side note, Max taught his eight graders about the signs and symptoms of Dengue Fever and what to do once you have it (honestly wait it out and take Tylenol).  But his lesson didn't go long enough, so he switched over to a writing contest about world peace.  But his students slightly mixed up the two.

How do you think we can get world peace?

- World peace can be achieved by taking Tylenol every 6 hours.

Apparently, Aspirin will lead to the opposite!

The 8th graders reading a chapter book!!!!