Pen Pals, Swip- Swapped Seasons and Moving Flats

Pen Pals
We are finishing up a writing piece this week. For fast finishers I gave them a couple choices of what they could write about. One of them being, write a letter to my 5 year old nephew, Noah. I said, "Tell him about yourself, ask him questions, or maybe tell him how awesome it is to have his aunt as your teacher." Wink, wink.

Here are a few things my students want to tell/ ask Noah:

How old are you? Do you like to play PS40? What is your favorite food? What is your favorite hobby? I want to go to America like you. Your aunt is helpful and kind. Did you know we are learning about multiplication and division. I end with this, my favorite comment; "Reading is my favorite subject and it so important because you learn words and stuff." (from one of my struggling-est readers.)

Swip- Swaps
Swip- swaps are the most popular, and my least favorite, behavior cards (because they talk to who they choose to sit by).

It takes more Dojo points to earn it, but when you do you can redeem it and sit by whoever you want for the day.

Because of the reward card, my class has the meaning of swip-swap down (If you don't, look it up in Urban Dictionary). We even use it in math. One strategy we practice to help us become Multiplication Masters is the Commutative property (9 X 5 is the same as 5 X 9- this strategy helps because they can all count by 5's even if they can't fluently recall their 9's yet).  So if one student gets stuck, I will prompt, "Can you 'swip-swap' the number to a problem you do know?"

Well, there is another thing that is swip-swapped here, too. In a temperate climates in the northern hemisphere, leaves change colors and fall to the ground in the fall and things bud and start to turn green in the Spring. It is not so here. In Kuwait, in the spring, things start to turn brown and leaves fall from the trees.   

Interesting fact of the day: Our campus is carpeted almost entirely in green AstroTurf instead of grass.

Freedom

Things I miss, besides specific friends and family like these:

Yea for Facetime.

🌳🌷🌾🚴🚶🚘

-My car

-Road Trips

-Trees

-Walking outside

The things I listed above represent freedom and independence to me. Claustrophobia; noun anxiety caused by living in isolation or indoors for a long period of time. Though I don't have claustrophobia, it sometimes feels like I am confined in a small place and I have to struggle for breath; like I have cabin fever. It doesn't help that it is now regularly over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, too.

I don't always like being in this dusty, scorched country, but I have gained a lot of invaluable experiences and met some great people.

Looking forward to some freedom this summer and hopeful for an awesome next year in Kuwait.

Church Love

"What is important to you when it comes to a place to worship?" 

"Do they Love Jesus?" 

"Yes." 

"Good, that is foundational." "They play Rend and All Sons and Daughters!?" 

"Yes, they do." 

"Sold!" 

A friend said commented (said is dead), "It feels like a Sunday school class." and I agree.  The church I've settled on is small, low key and ran by the congregation. For example, in the service, someone asks for prayer requests, someone else reads that week's bible passage, someone else gives announcements and so on.  The message is bible based and short.  On the other hand, it takes 25 minutes to get there and we have to schedule a taxi pickup in advance because taxis don't frequent the area, but... I like. 

I love Rend Collective.

It's tricky getting a taxi to and from church because our taxi drivers are Muslim and they have their Friday prayer time at the same time that local Christian churches meet. Yes, church is on Friday here. 'Member the first day of our work week is on Sunday.

Moving Flats

New single teachers usually live in the smaller, not as nice, apartments their first year. The year is almost over and since some teachers are getting ready to move on, their apartments are available. The most desired apartments are usually seaside and as high up as possible. That is also what I wanted, but I got the other side, call the sunset view, on the 11th floor. Picking an apartment is a bit of a gamble because some apartments have better lay outs, nice painted walls or better furniture. I like my current place enough, but I am happy for a little upgrade. The other apartment is in one of the two buildings the school actually owns. I am currently in the one the school rents. The apartment I am moving into will be bigger and has a nice private courtyard. I'm excited though I won't actually get to be in it until after summer break.

Garage Sales
I did a little shopping in my future apartment today. Those leaving threw "garage" sales in their apartment, so I bought a couple of things and just left them over there for when I move in. I am still hunting for games and puzzles though. I have a ton, in America, but I didn't want to pay for the extra weight to bring them over. I might need to bring a couple back on my return trip. I have been puzzl-ing pretty compulsively for the last 2 weeks. If I keep this up, I think I've gathered just enough to last me until the end of the school year.

12 more days of school left.

20 more days till I take a jet plane.