A Break from School

Julie, Jen, Peter, and me at Sting Ray City

You may or may not be aware that I do not do a very good job of putting things out of mind, especially when it comes to school. I overthink many things, and my weekends are often full of lesson planning, copying worksheets, and other school-related activities. This week was an enormous blessing! We did not have class. Julie's sister and brother-in-law (Jen and Peter) were visiting from Milwaukee. We had tons to do and lots of time to enjoy one another's company. And did I think about school? Nope! =)

The Kite Festival on Easter Monday at Devil's Bridge

Devil's Bridge

On Monday we did Sting Ray City, Devil's Bridge (and their kite festival), and Long Bay beach. Tuesday we did souvenir shopping in town and a church service for the Caribbean Conference. Wednesday I helped watch the children of the called workers visiting for the Caribbean Conference. (Those lovely gentlemen and their families included Pastor Johnston, Pastor Sternhagen, Pastor Richards (Antigua), Pastor Soukup (Grenada), Pastor Spiegelberg, Pastor Ramgolam, Mr. Landwehr (St. Lucia), Pastor Kehl (Wisconsin), and DP Pastor Guse (Georgia). Wednesday night was lots of food and fellowship. Thursday, Julie, Jen, Peter, and I purchased a day pass for the Sandals Resort: all you can eat/drink, use of their pools, beach, watersports, and other assorted activities. More fellowship on Thursday and Friday nights - even a brat grillout!!! Just a lovely, lovely week. It's a little hard and a little sad to be thinking that the week has come to a close and that school starts again on Monday, BUT I have been recharged, I'm excited for the next science unit, and I only have 7 weeks left in my first year of teaching. Am I even old enough to be saying that?!?! I guess I am...

From the front...

A view from the top

 And the most unique highlight from the week? I got my hair plaited! (pronounced platted) Yeah! The girlfriend of a friend's son took over an hour and a half to put braids in my hair. Everyone who sees me says they love my hair and think I look like a local. =) Put that together with my recent tan and I am ready!

Posting a Video

My goodness, our internet is ridiculously slow. At first I had believed that my computer just wasn't up to the task of uploading videos. Come to find out, it's the internet speed. The time it took to upload this lovely shot? It didn't load! So sad. It was going to be a video of our steel pan group from Easter, but I guess it was not meant to be.

Antiguan Eastertime

Sunrise on Easter morning, looking out over St. John's, AU

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Isn't it awesome how that greeting rings 'round the world on Easter morning?! I was up at 4:15 am so I could make it up to church for 5. My pan group played the music for our sunrise service on the lawn in front of church. However, before we could set up all the pans, we needed to carry out the pew benches for the people to sit. As we were in the process of bringing the benches out of the church, it began to rain...

Apparently it never rains on Easter. Ever. Apparently it always rains on Good Friday. But this year there was no precipitation on Good Friday. What follows? Rain on Easter! Fortunately, the rain tapered off about 5:40. We were able to finish moving pews and setting up the pans as people were arriving. We opened the service in true Antiguan style: at 6:15 (instead of 6), playing Iron Band - each person playing a different metal percussion instrument in a certain rhythm. It was pretty cool, not gonna lie. Pan played the 4 hymns and the offering. We thought we might get rained out during the sermon when it began to sprinkle, but thankfully the Lord decided we could finish up our service. One of the coolest parts of the service was the confirmation of 3 adults, proclaiming their trust and commitment to God in front of the congregation.

Afterwards we had breakfast: bakes, saltfish, cassi, okra, pumpkin, salad, bread, hard-boiled eggs, boiled plantains, juice, and fruit. Not exactly a typical American Easter brunch, but all very nice.

     We came home after breakfast, then went back up to
church for the Festival service at 11. The highlight of that service was a baptism. All that was missing from the day was holy communion! It was such a blessing to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord with my brothers and sisters here in Antigua. What an amazing experience! It is certainly one I will take with me wherever I go.

Field Trip!!!

Field trips are always fun! Crazy, though, so I decided I would put all the craziness of a field trip with the craziness of school during Holy Week. Tuesday 26 kids, and 2 teachers piled into a bus and travelled the Liat air hanger. What an experience! After trading my U.S. drivers license for a security badge, we entered the compound and learned about plane maintenance. The first plane we saw was undergoing a "C-check" - the plane was completely gutted, taken apart to check and rebuild everything. Seating, wiring, tires, engines, propellers.... you name it!

Then we went and toured the workshops, seeing everything from propellers to engines completely taken apart and in the process of being checked and rebuilt. One of my students was especially fascinated by all the electrical work. Future engineer?!

We finished off the tour by sitting on an actual plane that was just having general maintenance. We even got to peek in at the cockpit! We had lunch under the trees as we waited for our bus to take us back to school to finish off the week.

Palm Sunday

  Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Today we celebrate our Lord's triumphant entry into Jerusalem, just days before His betrayal, trial, suffering, death, and, best of all, His resurrection. St. John's Lutheran Church truly takes up the spirit of Palm Sunday, placing palms at the ends of pews, tying them to the pulpit and lecturn, and arching branches over the altar.

  Like many other Lutheran churches, Palm Sunday is Confirmation Sunday. In place of the normal Bible Study hour, the 9 confirmands (7th grade age) answered questions in front of congregation members. Some young people shot up their hands with each question; others needed a little more convincing and coaxing to offer and answer. After their rite of confirmation, they were welcomed up to the communion table, declaring their fellowship and faith to all those present. What a joy to see these young Christians as they grow in their walk with the Lord!

Teacher Appreciation Day

This past Friday St. John's Lutheran observed Teacher Appreciation Day. (In conjunction, we also observed Book Character Day, which made the day rather crazy.) I was blessed to receive many "Thank you, Teacher" greetings and doubly blessed to receive a few gifts. One gift was even given to me by a 3rd grade parent, though I am the 2nd grade teacher! Such kindness!

In chapel, the chairman of the school board presented us each with a certificate in "recognition of appreciation." It was a very formal presentation by him, met by raucous cheering from the student body. At lunch, the administration had found parents to come and supervise our children for an hour while the teachers came up to the extra classroom to eat a nice lunch. It was all very lovely, a nice break from routine and a pleasant opportunity for the students to tell their teachers thank you.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

I know I'm too young to really know anything about that show, but it's true! Sometimes my kids say things that are flat out funny, some cute, some a little sad, and some bordering profound. One thing that is school-wide is the tremendous struggle to identify me and say my name correctly. I am often, very often called "Miss Boggs" or "Miss Rosenboggs". A few of my co-workers call me Julie... or "Miss - um, Miss-um... uh, Miss" "Rosenbaum?" "Yes, Miss Rosenbaum." On parent calls me "Rose", another calls me "Miss Rosebaum". This week I was called "Mommy," "Grandma," "Auntie," and one girl called me "Miss Abraham" (our first grade teacher). Maybe someday I will get to be myself.

My story of triumph for the week. A second grade girl asked me if we were going to have silent reading time or if we had already had it today. I told her, no, we had wasted too much time during math and had to use our reading time to catch up on our work for the day. She looked at me, crestfallen, "Oh." Perhaps my kids are starting to realize what a treat it is to have 15 mins of time just to sit and read, whatever it is you want. I certainly loved it in grade school, and while my kids are reading, so is the teacher...

My giggle story for the week. This happened at 7:40 on Friday morning, as my kids are coming in for the day.
     Girl: Do you have a husband?
     Me: No.
     Girl: Oh... (sad face)
     Me: Why do you ask? Do you want me to have a husband?
     Girl: Yeah.
     Me: So you want me to get married?
     Girl: Yeah.
     Me: Why?
     Girl: I just gotta dance!
     Me: You just have to dance? (very confused)
     Girl: Yeah, I just gotta dance! Are you gonna get married in America?
     Me: Well, it's not going to happen for some time and I can't promise you anything, but 
     I will probably get married in America. Do you want to come?
     Girl: Yeah.
Honestly, it was all I could do to keep from bursting out, laughing. Then I stepped outside to greet a student who was wearing a jacket I would contemplate wearing in December in MN... all because it had rained in the wee hours of the morning and she was "really, really cold." Then I did start laughing.

Studmuffin: Judah Sternhagen, 3

Good news! Judah Sternhagen and mom Kristen are back in Antigua. The causes of the seizures are unknown, so it was explained that 1 in 200 children have seizures with no apparent cause. Most children grow out of these. So! He has medication to stop the seizures and we'll reassess in two years. Both Judah and Kristen are glad to be home and looking well. Thanks be to God!

Aida, Judah, Sienna... kicking it on the beach