My walk home from work every day

Photo by Christen Webster

You know it's the jungle when...

Photo by Christen Webster

Asked some kids today if they'd eaten frog before:

Thalya: Yes! I've eaten it.
Me: Really? Me too. Did you like it?
Thalya: No! My mom tricked me. She told me it was armadillo!

dabbling in speech

I got to help a little girl today a bit with her speech problem, and I really loved it. And, weirdly, I think she liked it too.

I'd like to send a shout-out to my last boss Brian - I thought about you today as I was using a lot of your exaggerated pronunciation techniques. :o)

Mystery solved: Violence* is* the answer... when it comes to the attention span of preschoolers

So during opening excercises at the orphanage school, we always sing church songs. The preschoolers often spend this time staring into space, perhaps sucking a thumb. One might cuddle up to a teacher and try to get held. Twirling seems to be a pastime of many of the girls. A lot of the songs are slower and have words that don't always make sense to them. And even though there are videos projected with lyrics, they don't read yet, so there's not much to see.

But there's one song that the preschoolers always request, and to which they give rapt attention. It's the group Rojo's "Te Amo Mas Que A Mi Misma Vida."

Principal: What song do you want to sing today?

Preschoolers: The Jesus song!!

They call it this, because the video has scenes from the Jesus movie spliced into it.

Principal: Wow! I think you all really like that song! You always request it.

It's true. They do. But I never could figure this out. It's one of the slow ones, a quiet song. Not the kind of song that usually holds appeal for kids who would name eating play-doh off the floor as one of their favorite activities.

Well, today, the truth came out. Rick had it figured out all along.

Rick: (leaning over and whispering to me) Hey, I know why the preschoolers like this song.

Me: What? I've been wondering that! Why?

Rick: Watch them during the scenes from the Jesus movie. They like the part where Peter cuts off the soldier's ear.

Me: What? (laughing) Really?

Rick: Yeah. Watch them today.

Me: Why?

Rick: Wait for it.

So I waited. And watched.

It started about halfway through the song. A visible ripple went through the line of preschoolers. Then one of the girls, a twirler, ratcheted up the twirling a few notches and put her hands up to her ears. A boy, Angel, broke off from the rest of the group and got a little closer to the projector.

Jesus was in the garden and people and soldiers were entering with torches.

Angel: It's coming!

The ripple grew into little wavelets, as the preschoolers started a light jump on the balls of their feet. Rosita can't walk, so she did it on her knees.

Jesus stood up from the rock where he was praying as he was surrounded.

Angel: It's in a MINUTE!

Peter jumped up, sword in hand.

Preschoolers: (in hushed whispers) It's coming! Don't miss it! It's in a minute...

*SLASH* Off goes the ear.

The song ended.

Principal: Wow! What good singing! And such a pretty song. I can tell you all really like to sing it.

Rick says that after the song every day, one or more of three things happen.

1) The preschoolers all hold their ears.

2) They share in hushed whispers how much it would hurt.

3) They start jumping around and cutting off each other's ears with imaginary swords.

Today it was the third.

And now there's a fourth: I try not to wet my pants.

(3/22/2012)

underpants

In your opinion, how many pairs of underwear should a two-year-old own that is potty training?

(3/22/2012)

anniversary

Happy Four Years to my Rickybabe!

Four years of... Love, kisses, three weddings(!), silly inside jokes, This American Life, teaching and loving kids in a very strange and wonderful country, doing puppet shows, researching weird stuff, coping with hard stuff, kung fu, dates to the middle of nowhere with a bottle of wine, Sunday drives, fun times, hard times, learning times, changing times... good times. I love you, babe.

(3/21/2012)

error

一失足成千古恨
"The error of one moment becomes the sorrow of a whole life." - Chinese proverb

Nothing bad happened. I just liked the quote.

(3/19/2012)

little things

Sometimes it's the little things... the *real* shower curtain that my mother-in-law brought me is making me so happy.

(3/18/2012)

that's all, folks

‎:o( I have bought and drank all of the diet coke I could find in Shell - which was only two little bottles.

(St. Patty's, 2012)

A quote from him on his birthday, and mine

"Falling in love is not at all the most stupid thing that people do – but gravitation cannot be held responsible for it."

-Albert Einstein

(3/14/2012)

New kid

New little girl showed up at the orphanage today. Don't know her story yet, but she just cried, cried, cried all day. I'm sure it's all scary when you're new.

I wanted so bad to just hold her, but I'm big and white and scary too, so I just let the PT do it.

(3/13/2012)

eager keener

Had one student today who just can't quite get it yet: one of the parrots in the cage out behind the orphanage. I think he'll get there eventually though. He was trying like crazy!

(3/13/2012)

Father to the fatherless

Felt really overwhelmed at the orphanage today:

Was thinking about friends and family who've recently had babies, and how lucky those babies are to have two people who are *madly in love* with them. And I felt heartsick - that the kids in the orphanage, no matter how we provide for their physical and educational needs, are missing all the emotional and developmental support that two crazy people who are madly in love with them supply. And it shows!
And that even if I'm willing to do it, I literally can't do it for 60 some kids. At least not at the same time. And certainly not even close to as often as they need.

1) Thanks to my parents and Rick's parents for all you did for us, before we even understood what you were doing.

2) Thanks God for this, because it's the only thing today that kept me from feeling despair:

"Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation."
Psalm 68:5

(Photo by Christen Webster; Posted 3/9/2012)

Mmm.

Mmm. Jungle rain. I'd like to stay in bed.

(3/7/2012)

It ain't Kansas anymore, or Quito, as the case may be

My Taiwan kitchen overlooked a swamp. My kitchen here overlooks the jungle.

Going back into preemptive-strike mode on the mold and bugs and creatures, oh my~!

(3/7/2012)

Jungle town, here we are.

Rick and I are in the jungle town of Shell, working at an orphanage for a month, helping out with their EFL program.

(3/7/2012)