Winding down

Yes, the school year is winding down. Actually, I wonder why we call it that? Seems to me it's just getting busier. We've finished one graduation (college) which was really nice, and we have three more before we're done. And 2 weeks after the last graduation, we have a wedding here-my first since I moved here, and my first to play for. Should be interesting, but I'm looking forward to it. One of my piano students will also be playing in the wedding- "Taco Bell's Cannon" as we like to call it. =)

Student quote of the day

This actually happened a few days ago, but I had forgotten about it until now. Nathalie and I were in my office, and with the recital coming up soon, we decided to go to the chapel to practice, since the piano is different there. This year for the first time, we have id cards for students and teachers. The teachers' cards open locked doors, so we often joke about "having the power" or being "powerful." I was saying to Nathalie that I had to get my card before we left so that we could get back in, and I was also joking and saying that I was "powerful," to which she replied, "No, you are NOT powerful. GOD is powerful." Not much you can say to that one.

5-5-09

Well, the piano recital is officially over. I actually enjoyed this one a good bit more than last years' recital (although I enjoyed that one too). This year, all the kids had their songs memorized, so that made life tons easier on them and me. Now, the big things coming up for me are graduations, which really are a lot less stress than anything else-I just have to show up and play, not too much thought required. So, the big stuff for me this year is finished! I can't believe this year has gone by so quickly.
This one's short, I know, but I must go home, get my laundry, and go to the laundromat-we're going to Culebra on Friday, and I need clean clothes! (and hopefully my newly ordered snorkel equipment will arrive soon)

4/30/09

I got my car keys back today! Apparently they were able to put down some sheet metal, braces and a two by four so that I'm not doing an imitation of the Flinstones. The metal bar that the drivers side seat is anchored to snapped (it was/is very rusty) and poked a decent sized hole in the already almost rusted out bottom of the car. I haven't ben driving it for a whilek, because should the seat decide to fall through completely while I'm driving 65 mph down the highway, the outcome would not be pretty. Mr. Zimmer says it's pretty badly rusted, and he doesn't know how long it will last, but the fix should buy me a little more time-I'm trying to make it without having to buy a car at least until I come back from the summer.
In other news, piano recital is coming up on Tuesday. All the kids have their songs memorized, which makes life one hundred times easier. More stories about the recital to come later, off to the last college choir practice before graduation!

March Madness

Well, it was fun while it lasted. KU lost by 5 Friday night. It was a pretty exciting game, and at least I got to see it, but I'm still sad they lost (that, and it's so long before I get to see them play again). I also figured out how to get cold in Puerto Rico-go out at midnight! Not that I do that on a regular basis, but the game was over 11:45 ish, so when I went out side, I got to experience "cold" Puerto Rican style. (it was probably high 60s low 70s) I also got to take advantage of an interesting law on the way home-between 12AM and 5 or 6AM, you can run stoplights as long as no one is there. It's actually in the drivers manual that, if you can do so safely, you do not have to obey the red light. Apparently it's partially to reduce crimes at that time of night, or so I've heard. I only got to take advantage of it once-at the other lights there were cars there.
And the student quote for the day:

While watching the game, I was telling Carlos that I've been a Jayhawk fan my whole life, in fact I went to games before I was born, to which he replied "Wow. Then it's a wonder you don't have feathers!"

3-27-09

I can't believe March is almost over. At least March Madness (my favorite sports event to watch) is only half over. Jayhawks play tonight, and I'm going to get to see the game. I didn't get to watch the first 2 games of the tournament because they were at times that I couldn't go to someone's house to watch.
Our softball game today went pretty well. We were struggling in the field, but our kids were making contact almost every time up. Not too many strikeouts. We couldn't finish the game becuase there's a youth activity tonight, but we'll start early next week and finish today's game before we start the next one. The score right now is 6-3 with my team down by 3.

3-26-09

Today's student quote (this one came after a discussion of verses in Romans that the student was studying):

"Wow, Teacher, Paul had it all: missionary, daredevil, philosopher......"

Bet you never heard Paul described quite like that.

Wednesday

Not much time today, but I wanted to post a couple of interesting thoughts.

I was having a discussion with my Music Appreciation students the other day. We have been studying various musical forms, and how they have changed through various musical eras. My students asked me which was the best, and I began to talk about the benefits and differences of each era. I told them that I can't relax and listen to Bach-doesn't mean I don't appreciate him, I really do, but when I listen I always find myself thinking about the counterpoint, how it's working, how he's using his ideas forward, backward, upside down, inside out, etc. To which one of my students replied, "Oh, so it's a lot like reggaeton!" I had to laugh. =)

The other day, I was waiting in line in Walgreens, and as I have a habit of doing when waiting in line in drugstores, I picked up a random product and began to read the label. I've found some pretty interesting things doing this-for example, on a Rogaine for Men package-"Do not use if pregnant or nursing". The product that I picked upt this time happened to be a pretty intense antiaging/antiwrinkle substance, and among the various amounts and uses found this: "For children younger than 6 months consult a doctor before use."

Bits and Pieces

I found a list recently of things that I had apparently made a list to blog about sometime back in October or so, but I never got past the first 2. I finally put my blog close to the top of my list of favorites in IE, so hopefully I'll make my way over here a little more often. As for the bits and pieces, most is either student quotes, or experiences with them, so here goes:

1. It is interesting the contrast in home life that I can see just from comments that kids make. One student told me she didn't like a certain song, because she heard it in her dad's church, and, as she put it, her dad is "evangelic" and she is Catholic. Not long after that converation, one of my students told me that she loved her sister and that whenever she fights with her sister, her mom tells them not to fight because the Bible says to love one another-her parents just got saved a few months ago.

2. My 8th grade boys really enjoyed-and when I say that, I mean they kept bring it up for several days-a joke I told them that is one my dad had told me. They had been telling jokes, so I decided to tell them one- What's green and has wheels? After they guess, and I tell them no, for each one, I say, "Grass. I lied about the wheels." I never expected for them to go as crazy about it as they did.

3. Ifyou think about it, pray for one of my students. His mom was killed in a small plane crash here in PR about a month ago. He lived with mom, but he's living with his dad now, and seems to be doing very well, but at his age (2nd grade) that's a lot to deal with. He really is doing well, but as I talk to him in piano lessons, I hear things from time to time that break my heart-just continue to pray for him.

4. About a month ago, we had a really exciting visitation. I went with a first grade teacher, and we were talking to this family about school, but it didn't look like we'd be able to have a serious conversation because the two little girls were running in and out, playing and talking, and generally preventing anything serious. So, we gave both the parents tracts and were preparing to leave, when the mom said to her husband "While the teachers are here, why don't you ask them that question about church?" She actually asked the question for him, and it had to do with why he felt like a hypocrite sitting in church and realizing he had sin in his life. Obviously, even though we didn't think we would be able to share the gospel, God had other plans and opened the door. We began talking, and found that neither of the parents were saved, but they both had a great interest in the gospel. We were able to share the gospel, and as we read I John 1:9, the mom asked "How do you do that? confess?" The mom trusted Christ that night, and it was exciting to see how clearly God had prepared the way for us that night.

5. Not long ago, one of my 7th grade students asked me, "Teacher, do you want a violin?" Apparently, he used to play in second grade, but quit, and now is way too large for a 3/4 violin. I told him, "Sure, as long as it's alright with your parents." So now, I'm the proud owner of a violin that is way too small for me. But it's not too small for my siblings......

6. My 4th grade students have discovered that I can solve a rubix cube, so they've been passing them to me to solve-usually I'll do it on the way to lunch, in between students, etc. It's kinda funny-sometimes I'll have 3-4 at once. They know that if I take it up because they're playing with it in class I'll mix up their progress, so several of them just give it to me before class starts so they won't get tempted to play with it.

7. I am now an assistant coach for a co-ed softball team. "But I thought you didn't know any thing about softball" you may say. You're right, I don't.

Now for student quotes-
1. Liliana tells me that she wants to be a teacher when she grows up, or maybe a teacher who also teaches piano, or maybe a "pianist teacher"

2. Her brother Daniel told me he didn't want to go to Texas because there's lots of bulls there, and he saw a cartoon once about a bull trying to kill a clown. This same boy also said (when asked what he was thinking about instead of piano) "Babies. and that they do vomit."

3. My HS girls PE students told me when I introduced the sport we'd be playing for the quarter- "We're girls. We don't play basketball."

4. Ana asked needed an eraser for her work page, and she asked me, "Do you have a lonely eraser?"
"A what??"
"A lonely eraser, you know, an eraser without a pencil."

5. Sam (10th grade) asked me as I walked through the hallway one morning, "Miss Nething, you know what's been tugging at my heart lately? That there's people dying and going to hell every day all over the world."

The chicken didn't have a chance

Softball practice started today (I know hardly anything about it, but the teams are coed, so they wanted a female assistant coach) and it went pretty well. Home plate is a good 6-8 feet below street level behind us, so we see things from a different perspective. I turned around after hearing something, and I saw the poor chicken running from a cat, who was running from 2 medium sized dogs, who were running from a large dog. In all that, I don't think the poor chicken had a chance. Practice was interesting, but good. We only had one fat lip, and had some decent hitters. I think I may learn as much as the kids who haven't played before.
Since I last posted, we've had our Christmas program, I've gone home for Christmas (which didn't really feel normal since my brother went into the hospital with a ruptured appendix on Christmas Eve), come back to PR, and just recently finished a missions conference, among other things. The missions conference was a great blessing-all the speakers were graduates of the Bible college here who are now back in their own countries. We had speakers from Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Dominican Republic, and Bolivia. A couple of them are still around, and a couple more are coming back through next week.
Visitation went well this week-the mom said she would try to come to church this Sunday. We'll see how that goes. We were able to share the plan of salvation with her on Monday night. She said that she understood and had made the decision to trust Christ before, but I don't quite think we were on the same page. Lord willing she'll come to church and maybe Pastor Ramirez can follow up with her.