Paper Planes...

I'm currently writing this from a bedroom and since my house in Suriname does not have internet in it -I am not there. In fact I'm home; back in Canada for Christmas. It only took 3 countries, 4 planes and 10 hours or so in layovers to get here. And it's cold here, just to mention!

I'm happy to be back. I missed my family and I'm glad I get to spend Christmas with them. (They're glad too!!) It feels more like Christmas now that there is snow and family!

Today was my first day back and I basically spent all day noticing the difference between my life there and here. First thing I woke up and had a shower and I didn't have to check for creatures! That was kind of nice. The sink, shower and toilet are all in one room; which they are not in my house in Suriname. So that was fun. I went to church this morning and I understood it! It was all in English, and the people knew me. I forgot how nice it is to go to church and have to be an extended family; to have everyone miss you and know you and be able to speak to you in your own language.

I had a hot dog for lunch. I haven't had a hot dog for several months. I also had milk, which may not seem like a big deal but in Suriname I drink soy milk if I bother to drink milk at all. I'm a bit nervous about how it is packaged and stored (on the shelves, not cold) so I basically don't drink it. I hung out at the rink with a spectacular friend; haven't seen hockey in forever or the friend so both were nice. No one plays hockey, it's all about the football (soccer). We had some appetizers after and just caught up. The restaurant was so different from any I've become used to. For one thing the waiter spoke English so there were no hand gestures and broken Dutch/English. I could just order and it would be understood. And the food was speedy and the bill actually came. In Suriname you usually just end up getting up to pay because no one brings the bill.

There are so many other differences too. I'm more aware of how I look here and how I dress. In Suriname it's all about keeping cool and looking professional at the same time. Here's it warm and stylish. I actually straightened my hair. I really thought about what to wear whereas in Suriname I'm on autopilot - skirt, t-shirt and cardigan sweater. I wore high heels today for the first time in forever and had to remember about how to walk on ice. My winter hat has become my friend.

Life here is such a far cry from my life there. I ran to the store today. Actually I drove, a car; which in itself is weird. I can still do it though. Did you know only that something like only 8% of the world owns a car? The water in my shower was instantly hot. The internet works here, all the time and quickly. I'm using a cell phone again. The first time it rang I accidentally hung up on the person because I forgot how to answer it. TV is in English without subtitles. There are more then 7 channels and it's not fuzzy. Did I mention it's cold?

Being home has made me aware that I'm so grateful for all I have though - in both countries and I love my life - in both countries. I am also aware of all the advantages I have - in both countries. Currently I'm getting the best of both worlds, even though they are far apart from each other.

And just for the countdown - 5 days till Christmas. And now it's starting to look like it.

*Also randomly - I had no idea how many people read this thing. I honestly started it for me, basically so I would have a place to ramble. So thank you for reading and for enjoying it. You have no idea how much that thrills me!

I'll be home for Christmas...

This is my favourite time of year; the Christmas season. I love decorating the tree, snow falling, peppermint candy canes and Christmas carols. I love how people get extra nice and extra cranky all at the same time. (Trust me you notice both if you've ever worked retail!) But my all time favourite thing is going to church on Christmas Eve and then hanging out with my family afterwords. That part is the best.

This year my Christmas is a little different. There is no snow. Just lots and lots of rain. We don't have a tree but we have the best decorated cactus you've ever seen. I don't have my traditional stocking here but I have a hand sewn one that I'm going to always remember. And there are Christmas carols, some of which will even be played by me! We're all a little stressed and tired but we're working hard on trying to be extra patient and nice and today Jenn made us write down what we appreciate about each other. I have a fabulous nativity scene that came from Peru. It fits in the palm of my hand. And my family Christmas Eve? I'm going to get that. In 10 days I'll be home for Christmas. And that is one of the best presents I got this year. The other 3 are decorating my white board as we speak.

16 Days till Christmas! Countdown's on!

Let it snow, let it snow...

Sometimes God sends us reminders of why we need to be where we are, or why we need to be doing what we're doing. Especially when it seems pointless or tiring or never ending. And this week I got my reminder of why I wanted to teach and why I love this job. I had a kid read to me! This doesn't seem like much, but it is amazing beyond belief. He just rattled the book off and I wanted to cry I was so proud. Illiteracy just kills me, why any child is deprived of this feeling is beyond me. But this whole moment showed that when you're feeling the drought, God will send the rain.

There have been lots of other things going on, American Thanksgiving, Christmas shopping and my personal favourite - classroom decorating for Christmas. The boys and I learnt how to make snow flakes out of paper and now it looks like a blizzard hit my class. Every day I hear "can we make snow now?". It makes me laugh. They want to see real snow, and are fascinated by it.

I've never realized how much I take snow for granted, or how much I miss seasons until I don't have them. Time seems to be frozen here, in a permanent spot because there is nothing to mark the passing of it. I know it's the 4th because my calendar tells me so but nothing about outside tells me that. You get used to the stillness of time here.

And for those of you who don't know - 21 days till Christmas. We're counting down. Everyday I'm asked "Is it Christmas yet, teacher?"

Knights in Shining Armour...

A funny thing happened to me on Friday night. I discovered I have a whole group of people concerned about my safety. This isn't just any normal group though, it's basically the male portion of our youth group. Let me give more detail.

Friday night was the youth group lock-in. What basically happens is the girls go to one house, the boys go to another and they get locked in. No one leaves until 7 the next morning when their parents pick them up. I ended up with the boys because I had gone to visit my friend Nicole. (The boys were at her house, and yes there were male chaperons too.) I hung out for a little while and played a lot of card games. At about 11:30 pm I realized I needed to go home soon but we were deep into SPOONS and I couldn't just get up and leave because I was winning. The next time I looked at the clock it was 2:30 and I really needed to go home to go to bed. I stood up to leave and announced I was going home. All the boys sitting around the table with me stood up and were like "NO!!" At first I was a bit shocked and couldn't figure out what their deal was, but then they got going on about "how there were bad men out there, and I was white and blonde and looked Dutch and would be a target and these bad men just wait in bushes to jump people..." Finally after about 10 mins of this and me promising I would be fine and them arguing with me, I gave up and promised to stay. They were very thankful that I wasn't leaving. I was however allowed to leave at first light. So we sat around for the rest of the evening playing cards and laughing. Basically one of the most entertaining evenings I've had in a long time. I was telling this story to my roommates the next day because even though they knew where I was, they didn't think I would be out that late. I had to explain that 3 or 4 high school/middle school boys appointed themselves my knights in shining armour. We got quite a laugh out of this.

This proves that chivalry isn't dead. You just have to teach at IAS to find it. And apparently be a white, blonde Dutch-looking target!

If it makes you happy...

I just realized I hardly ever blog about my job which is funny because my job is basically the largest part of my life here. I usually can be found at school, all of my friends are teachers and I never seem to turn off the teacher in me.

Today marks the start of my first set of parent teacher conferences. I admit, I'm pretty nervous. I have no idea why. I have good kids, I have good parents, they're learning, and we're all doing okay day to day. I know they're going to be just fine. It's like pre-game jitters. You know when all is said and done that you're going to out and play your best and possibly win but you can't help be nervous first.

My classroom has never been this clean and I have to admit it's pretty darn tidy anyway. I have enough art on display you'd think I was a gallery. But I had to hang up the kindergarten finger paint masterpiece! I love this classroom, with it's big open spaces and its huge white walls. Everything I've added has been full of colour and life.

I have to admit that lately I've been wondering if this is really what I'm meant to do my entire life. However as I watch my students learn to play a game together and I look around my bright classroom I realize that I don't have to know that now. This is what I'm meant to do now and it's more important to live now then worry about tomorrow.

Indescribable...

Do something you've never done before. Do it today.

Do something each day that you've never done before. That is what I decided as I was standing under a waterfall in the Amazon Rainforest. Did I mention that I hiked to this waterfall? Leo Val and Irene Val are their names. It was amazing.

Today's? Smile all day long. At every one you meet.

Yesterday's? Get your picture taken in the jungle.

Tomorrow? Who knows. But the point is do something new. Big or small. Brave or not. Challenge yourself and just do it. And as for the jungle? It was insane. Amazing. Awe inspiring. God Breathed.

We started out Friday morning about 11:00, which was a little late but the bus company sent too small of a bus, so once we got that sorted we were on our way. The bus ride was a little intense. We were crammed like sardines into a bus with all of our stuff (we packed light and still it was jammed) and it took 3 hours to get there. Most of this was on unpaved roads. The last 28 kilometers of the trip took 2 hours!!! Basically a dirt road straight up a mountain. I thought I might die. I definitely wanted to get off the bus. We finally get there and it was spectacular. And there were these funny black birds running wild all over the place, I have pictures. There were also monkeys that we could see from the porch of our house. We could see them in the morning as we woke up, monkeys playing in the trees. We could hear them at night as we slept. Do you know how surreal that is?

So we're there and the first thing we did is move all the mattresses out from the bedrooms onto the porch. All the single ladies stayed in the same house and we slept on the porch. It was about 80 degrees all weekend so we could sleep outside. In fact it was cool compared to the city. I wore long sleeves and yoga pants half the time. After arriving it was about 3 so we had a nap on the porch and then we had supper. After supper we played cards for several hours then we went to bed. That ended our first day in the rain forest.

The second day was amazing. We went on this killer hike to see two waterfalls, not tonnes of water coming from them but I have great pictures. I stood under a waterfall in the Amazon rainforest. And as Becky says I survived the hike. And this was not your average stroll through the woods, this was up, over, down, around... it was intense. I have some pictures. When we got back it was lunch time and then shower time. Which was really exciting because up till that point we actually hadn't had running water. We were really roughing it. And the electricity only turns on at night. So basically I was camping in the jungle. And I loved every minute.

As I was headed up to our other house where the families were staying and we were eating, I met a nice man from Holland who assumed I was British. Must of been the way I said hello. So we talked for a while about what we were each doing there. Turns out his daughter lives in Paramaribo and he comes every 6 months and stays for a fornight each time to visit. I guess I have the family "talk to strangers" gift! The girls got a laugh out of him thinking I was British, but then they made me say hello exactly like I said it to him and they agreed with him. Of course then that started the accent game, of how do you say this, what's this called, pronounce this... It's their favourite game and it just makes me laugh.

We had spaghetti for supper with mashed potatoes. It made me think of Gram. Then there was wicked lightening storm and the power we did have went out. So we were completely in the dark except three kerosene lanterns. Watching the lightening up there it makes you feel like you are in the middle of the storm. It started to rain as well, but we stayed dry. We played cards by kerosene lantern for most of the night. It was so much fun. Then we slept on our porch, and stayed dry but we went to sleep hearing the rain and knowing you could stick your hand out and get wet. It was so cool.

The next morning we woke up and had a small church service. We sang a few hymns and prayed. Then we walked up to the overlook and got more photos. I actually got some really good ones. Then we packed up, got on the bus and took almost 3 1/2 hours to get home. Getting down that mountain takes longer then going up.

That's it. The rainforest in a nutshell. Which is way to small of a description. You can't even begin to imagine the size and scope of this. It was surreal and stunning all at once.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas (everywhere but here)...

My father just emailed me. It's the first snow of the year there. A part of me is sad, I love the first snow of the year. Another part though just thinks that's weird. It's so hot here I can't even fathom snow. But it's not hot in Canada, apparently it's cold enough to snow! You lose track of seasons when you don't experience them. All I know is currently it's hot and flip flops are a part of my everyday attire.

One of the reps from Mississippi is in town for a visit. Tonight in his honour we're running our very own 5km - the Tim Mudder Suriname 5km to be exact. (We're using our running route.) We also tie-dyed t-shirts so we could have our very own running shirts. We're cool like that. It turned out much better then expected, even if I did walk around with blue fingers for a day or so.

Last night we had dinner at a really good Indonesian restaurant. I love living here, because of all the different foods I get to eat. Last night's dinner was shrimp curry with white rice. Tasty!

Saturday we're thinking of going downtown to visit Beni's Christmas Palace. This is exactly like it sounds, a really fun store dedicated to Christmas ornaments. I would like to have icicle lights for the loft in my classroom and maybe some really fun sparkly Suriname made decorations for our non-existent Christmas tree. We may also go swimming! Then it will be off to the jazz festival. I don't even really like jazz, but I do like the opportunity to go out and not be a teacher for an evening, it's like a mini vacation before my real vacation; which is happening soon. Our trip to the interior is in 6 days! We've been counting down for the last 20. Soon, soon, soon it will be here!

Thankful...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well actually that is not quite right; today is the 17th and that is not a holiday. But today is the day we've chosen to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving. In honour of this occasion I baked a pie. Please, don't die of shock.

But because it's a holiday all about being thankful, regardless of where you are in the world and whether your country even celebrates, here's a list of the things I'm thankful for:

-God for always being there, even when I can't feel it
-Family, for their support and love
-Good Friends, both here and at home
-Best Friends, the kind that get you through everything
-3 kindergarten students who are challenging me to love better everyday
-Turkey dinner
-my bike, gets me around
-Internet!, let's me talk to my family and friends
-all of the things I realized I took for granted everyday in North America
(for example: only 8 percent of the world drives a car. Think about that next time you get in it)
-Sunshine
-Palm trees
-Miracles, big or small

And that's just a small sampling. I hope everyone is having a good weekend, even if you're not celebrating anything!

What's in a name?

In Genesis, He's the breath of life
In Exodus, He is the Passover Lamb
In Leviticus, He's our high priest
In Numbers, the fire by night
Deuteronomy, He's Israel's Guide
Joshua, He's salvation's choice
Judges, He's Israel's Guard
In Ruth, the kinsmen's redeemer
1st and 2nd Samuel, our trusted prophet
In Kings and Chronicles He is Sovereign
In Ezra, He's the true and faithful scribe
In Nehemiah, the re-builder of broken walls and lives
In Esther, He's our courage
In Job, our timeless Redeemer
In Psalms He is our morning song
In Proverbs, He is our wisdom
Ecclesiastes, He's the time and season
In Song of Solomon, He is the lover's dream
In Isaiah He is Prince of Peace
In Jeremiah, the weeping prophet
Lamentations, the cry for Israel
Ezekiel, the call from sin
Daniel, the stranger in the fire
Hosea, the forever faithful
Joel, the spirit's power
Amos, the strong-arms that carry
Obadiah, the Lord our Savior
Jonah, the great missionary
Micah, the promise of peace
Nahum, our strength and shield
In Habakkuk and Zephaniah, He's brings revival
In Haggai He restores that which was lost
IN Zachariah, He's our fountain
And in Malachi, He's the son of righteousness rising with healing in His wings

AND THAT'S JUST THE OLD TESTAMENT

In Matthew Mark Luke and John, He is God and Messiah
In the spirit filled book of Acts, He is the reigning fire from Heaven
In Romans, He is the grace of God
Corinthians, the power of love
Galatians, freedom from the curse of sin
Ephesians, our glorious treasure
Philippians, the servant's heart
Colossians, He's God and the Trinity
Thessalonians, our calling King
In Timothy, Titus and Philemon, He's our mediator and our faithful pastor
In Hebrews, the Everlasting Courage
In James, the one who heals the sick
In 1st and 2nd Peter, our Faithful Shepherd
In John and Jude, He's the lover coming for His bride

And in the Revelation at the very end, when it's all over and said and done; when time is No More He is and will always be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Prince of Peace, son of Man, Lamb of God, The Great I am, Alpha and Omega, God and Savior He is Jesus Christ the Lord. He is everything that you need.

(Written by: Priscilla Shirer. I only wish I could take credit)

Home... (In two parts)

Part One:
Yesterday was Canadian Thanksgiving. We celebrated by ordering takeout from Pizza Hut and having it delivered. I was thankful for cheese and pepperoni last night, not turkey and potatoes.

It was weird to work yesterday; for 26 years I haven't worked on Canadian Thanksgiving, so to work yesterday felt strange. Yesterday was also the first day I truly wanted to go home, just for a brief period. Long enough to have stuffing and pie and see my family.

It's strange I don't live there, but for now it's still home. They say that you don't make the switch until after Christmas; that Suriname will be home after that. I hope that's true in a way. I love living here, but it's not home, not yet. It's the place where I live. It's the place where the floors are tiled not carpet, no one has grass, the seasons never seem to change and it is always hot. There are lots of good things too, things I love. But yesterday, I just wanted to go home. Just for a bit. I wonder if all holidays are like that?

(Totally fine today by the way! So it must just be a holiday thing. And I would only want to go visit and then return.)

Part Two:
Also: I really like using song titles or lyrics as the title of my posts. I think they usually sum up the post quite nicely. Here's a list of all the ones used so far, in case of curiosity:

-Bring Me to Life: Evanessance
-Rain Fell Down: Rolling Stones
-Have You Ever Seen the Rain: CCR
-Take my hand, we'll make it I swear: Bon Jovi (song: Livin' on a Prayer)
-And now the times are changin': Bryan Adams (song: Summer of '69)
-Every now and then: Bonnie Tyler (song: Total Eclipse of the Heart)
-Days Go By: Dirty Vegas
-Come as You Are: Nirvana

Google lyrics, if interested.

And today's post is Home by Michael Bubble.

Bring me to Life...

Yesterday was my 26th birthday!! It was surreal. I was sung to by the 8th grade, high fived by kindergarten, hugged by the preschool and had a phone call from my family.

It was also one of the best birthdays. And yet when I woke up at 25 I had no idea this is where I would turn 26. It's funny where life takes you. One day you're living your life and making plans in Canada and the next you're teaching in Suriname celebrating 26 with cupcakes and kindergarten.

It was a great day that finished with Reese Peanut Butter Cups, cake and candles. What more could anyone ask for?

Rain Fell Down...

I am an inconsistent blogger which I must confess is one of my pet peeves of blogs. I hate following someone's blog and getting into their lives and they stop writing! How annoying is that. It's like someone ripped off the last 20 pages of a novel, and I'm left with that feeling of "now what?". So I'm sorry. I'll try harder.

An update of my life:

-ran/walked my first 5km walk the other day. I probably ran about 2 km of it and they screwed up the route so it was more like 7 km. It rained the entire time, which felt amazing. At one point in time I was even cold. At the end you get a Popsicle, that sort of makes it worth while. This was just practice for last Tuesday night (running night) where it rained for 3 hours, all of which I managed to be out in. Soaked to the skin in under 5 mins. The rain is pretty much a solid sheet here.

-Every Tuesday is Dutch class. Last week's class almost killed Jenn and I. The student teaching us told us that store in Dutch is winkel. We just couldn't stop laughing. Looking back it's not even that funny, but it killed us.

-Biked downtown last night for the Suriname cultural fair. It was cool. We also had the world's most expensive ice cream, and we could have bought the same stuff at the corner store.

-Saturday was praise night. Basically that's mini church at one of the houses. It was fun. After we played Canasta, which is an Argentinian card game. It's quite fun and we had a good time playing. I haven't laughed that hard since the spider incident. At one point Jenn and Sam decided that my nickname should be Big Bird and I decided that I should stop speaking to them. I lasted longer then they thought I would, but only about 10 mins. It's too hard not to talk to the two people at your end of the table, especially when you're trying to tell them what cards you need!

I have a brand new student. He arrived today and speaks little English. It's been an interesting and fun day. I'm learning about my speak patterns because I have a mimic now. It's cute to listen to him repeat everything I say.

My school days are starting to lock into a routine and a pattern. It's almost report card time, which is a little stressful but I only have three kids and I practically live at school so I'm not terribly concerned.

Well, that's my past week or so in a nutshell. I will try to update more frequently.

The Theology of 5 Year Olds...

Some of you read this because you're my family/friends and you want to support me (thank you). Some of you read it because you found it by accident or it was recommended to you. Some of you are Christians and some are not. For those of you who are Christians, if you're like me, you need a reminder every now and then about what it's all about; who God is and what He is capable of. So I present to you the theology of two 5 year olds. These are words of wisdom that remind me and help me, sometimes make me think "wow, I could take lessons from that simple faith" and always make me laugh.

"The bad one wanted to sit on God's chair up there, but he couldn't because it is for God only; so Jesus threw him out and as he fell he became ugly".

The fall of the devil as told to me by one of my students.

"The bad satan will make you sad. The little red man sits on one shoulder and he makes you sad. The little green man sits on the other and he makes you happy."

This one occurred shortly after we had had a bad moment. One was trying to comfort the other. We figured out who the little red man is, but if you know who the little green man is let me know!

"The Great God better then other gods"

We were having a discussion about God, and some of the Hindu gods. The "Great God" would be the God of the Christians.

"God's house is up there. I want to go up there. How do I get up there? Can we go now?"

We were talking about Heaven and they were explaining to me where it is. Then we talked about how we get there. I did have to tell them that they can't go right now, and they really wanted to know why.

"God keeps them safe."

Noah, Daniel, Joseph... God kept all of them safe.

"Can we sing the "Big God" song?"

This is their favourite song. The lyrics are about God being strong and mighty.

"Tell me a Jesus story/This is Jesus story."

One of them loves stories about Jesus and in any story he assumes the main character is Jesus.

"Who's born in December?" "The Jesus!"

We were talking about birthdays. One of them is born in December and when I asked them who was born in December that was my answer.

These two bless me every single day, even when I'm trying not to scream. I hope that when you read this that they add something to your day too, Christian or non. Remember that if you're having a bad day or you're very stressed "The Great God" is there and will be with you.

In Which I Long For the Cockroaches!

Warning!!! This post is going to discuss cockroaches and a very large spider. Don't read if you're squeamish or my mum!

Last night I was sitting the living room reading a book when I hear a scream from the shower. It's Jenn and at first I just figured it was another cockroach that had climbed in too. Oh, no. Next thing you know she's talking about this massive spider that's above the door, about the size of your hand. She gets out of the shower so I can see it. So at one point the two of us are standing in the shower looking above the door at this massive spider trying to figure out if we should kill it and how. Meanwhile the spider is probably looking at us, one taking its picture and one in a towel, thinking we're crazy.

Eventually we decided to get Sam and that's when the fun really begins. We decide the spider needs to die because we have no idea if it's poisonous or not and we don't really want it roaming around the house. So we get a chair and a heavy flip-flop and decide to let Sam kill it. Except she doesn't kill it. All she really does is manage to chase it into the next room and we can't find it. Finally after moving the garbage can aside we see it. Round 2 of trying to kill it. Spider wins again.

Round 3. This time we decide to try and kill it with the cockroach spray. This doesn't really work, in fact it goes under the door into Sam's bedroom. At this point there is equal laughter and screaming. So Jenn puts her clothes on and we head into Sam's room. It can't stay in there forever, mostly because we have no idea what it is. We lift up everything on the floor with two fingers till finally we see it move behind the dresser. At this point we're not sure how to stun it because it's moving too fast. In a moment of genius, clarity and/or desperation, I remember that I have hairspray and we decided to double spray it. We manage to get it on the floor and stunned with the spray. We think we've actually killed it, so Jenn goes for the broom to sweep it up. Nope, it's still alive. Round 3 goes to the spider. As it is moving across the floor, slower this time, I grab the flip flop and beat it into oblivion. Victory is ours! It only took four tries.

Quote of the night:

Sam! You have to come see this. We have no idea how to kill it!!

Me yelling at Sam to come see the giant bug.

By the way - Google tells me that the spider was not going to be our friend! So I'm glad we got it. I'll take cockroaches anyday!

Gentlemen Start Your Engines...

I'm sure you're wondering where this is going. The traffic lights here countdown, and every time it makes think of gentlemen start your engines, which always makes me think of my mum. She's a huge Nascar fan.

Yesterday was adventure day. Jenn needed a bike basket so we biked to the motorcycle shop that sold them. It was quite a ways away. Then we biked downtown. We saw the river, the huge bridge and the German battleship that the Americans sunk in WWII (they left the remains in the river). We wandered away from the river a bit and had lunch at Burger King. The Whopper tastes the same everywhere. We did a bit of shopping. I bought a really cool sarong, and found some art that I loved. I'll go back for that. Downtown is alternately pretty and historical and crowded and dirty. Right across the street from the Burger King is a circular wooden church. A mosque and a synagogue sit next to each other, both beautiful and in between them is this tiny wooden shack. It's not nearly as pretty. The mosque and synagogue neighbouring each is a Suriname claim to fame. That doesn't happen very often, anywhere. But people are pretty tolerant down here; doesn't really matter what religion you practice.

In the afternoon to escape the heat, we went to the private pool around the corner. You pay about $5 US to get in. We were so excited about the water we jumped right in, thinking we'd be cooled down and refreshed. The water was about the temperature of a bathtub. It wasn't quite the cool down we were expecting. That didn't stop us though from staying in the pool for about two hours. It might not have been cool, but it was wet and that's all that matters.

Last night was movie night. Every now and then we get together and show a movie on the outside wall of someone's house. It's basically an outside room and we hook up a projector, gather up lawn chairs and feast on popcorn. It's a fun experience, one I'm glad we repeat.

That was about it for my weekend. Today is work day, and make potato salad today for tomorrow night's BBQ. We'll see if that turns out. I guess I'm going to break my 26 years of no cooking down in Suriname. Oh well, we all have to do it sometime. Cook, that is.

Oh and I'll leave you with some funny quotes from my roommates:

"This tastes awful. Want one?"

This is regularly heard, but in this case Jenn asked me if I wanted some terrible crackers.

"It smells like salt water and animal poop." "Welcome to Paramaribo."

Myself and Jenn, talking about the river.

Can you hear what I hear?

Right now it is recess and my window faces the playground. I can hear them playing. There is currently a very cut throat soccer game going on. International football clubs should start scouting on playgrounds!

I've also changed the blog format. I think I like it better then the other one. Let me know though if it is hard to read or distracting. I need feedback.

Have you ever seen the rain?

I experienced my first Suriname rain on Monday. Some of the teachers had gone for a hamburger and we were sitting there and we heard this incredible crack. It turned out to be thunder with a bit of lightening. We decided to head back to school and we beat the rain by like two mins. But I stood and watched it out my classroom window. For about an hour it literally danced off the roof and the playground. It rains hard here. And my favourite part, it was still bright and light the entire time. And it cooled us down. It was wonderful.

There is something about rain that I love, the way it washes everything away. It seems to be a new start; a fresh beginning. It was kind of a reminder that this is my life is different now. A rain storm for my new life in Suriname. Something to wash away the North American-ness and remind me that currently I live in a small, hot country on the equator. And that I have to adapt to this culture.

Life here is really different, but I like it. It's slower, no one is in a hurry; even school doesn't start on time. Church is amazing. I went to a different church on Sunday, it was English and I loved it. It was hot, the fans worked overtime to keep the breeze going. It's above the pastor's house and it's tiny but the people were so friendly. By the end they knew my name, my occupation and so much more. I felt very welcome.

School is going well. I've read the Paper Bag Princess about a hundred times. We have a fondness for Dr. Seuss and I can tell you that I do not like Green Eggs and Ham! Here, there or anywhere.

My lack of cooking is legendary and so far I've blown up the toaster twice. I'm not allowed to make toast anymore or plug anything in! But both of my room mates have wicked senses of humour and are unphased by things like no power or water!

A Week In!

Today marks my first full week in Suriname! It has alternately been the longest and shortest week of my life.

I have gone to church in Dutch, complete with little headsets to translate the sermon into English; after which we had lunch downtown. I've played dominoes on game night, made s'mores on a Bunsen burner in the science lab. I've seen ghekos and lizards, both in my house. I've blown a fuse by using the wrong plug-in for toast! I've survived power outages, heat and even a bit of rain. I've almost completed a full week of school and we've baked cookies with the 6th grade. I've bought my first piece of Suriname clothing and 2 imported apples. Never even knew I wanted them, till I couldn't have them. And that's just a small sample.

There is so much that is different here. It's more open, but the air is more oppressive. You tell yourself that you're used to the heat, but really you're just getting used to being hot and sweaty. It's easy to bike everywhere but you have to brave traffic! I'm getting a bit bettter.

The school is so different. There aren't smart boards and wireless internet, in fact some days there are no internet. Sometimes even no power. But it's amazing too. The kids play soccer on a dirt field at recess and love it. They fight over the teeter-totter like it's the best thing on the playground and it might be. The breeze hits the playground in just the right way. I can't even describe the sensation of standing on that hot playground and then feeling the breeze blow.

The kids in my class are amazing. They are one of the highlights of my day. We baked cookies this afternoon all because we read "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" or as it is referred to in my class "The Cheese Book". There is no cheese in the book but does it matter? Nope.

I'm learning lots through this. Everything is one giant adventure, you really can't be that lost and that banana chips are the best food in the world! Seriously, there is no comparison. I've also been reading the kids stories about Joseph and Daniel and the Lion's Den and I'm re-learning that God will protect me and keep me safe. Even when I have no idea what the future will hold, it belongs to Him and He will see me through. Always, every time, all the time.

Greetings from Suriname...

More detail to follow but I'm here, and it's hot. Both myself and my luggage arrived last night at midnight, got to my new house and basically slept for twelve hours. Went to school a bit this afternoon to get a tour and will be preparing tomorrow. Teaching starts on Monday!

It's very different here. There are palm trees everywhere and did I mention it's hot? Had my first bike ride this afternoon, it's not easy to bike in a skirt. But my bike has a cute little basket.

Something fun and different, I signed on to my blog account and the homepage was in Dutch! Which is cool. And a bit hard to figure out, but I'll survive.

There will be more updates as stuff actually happens but they will not super regular due to inconsistent internet.

But basically, I'm here and I'm hot!

Take my hand, we'll make it I swear...

This is my last day in Fredericton, so this is my last post from here! All posts from now on will be in Paramaribo. (Unless am truly bored in an airport). This is kind of like a wrap up Canada post, and a bit of a thank you. There are so many people who have made this possible for me so here's a bit of a shout out/praise thing for them.

1)My parents. Without them this whole thing wouldn't be possible. At times I know they think I'm crazy but they supported me and believed in this anyway. Thank you. I thank God for you. A lot.

2)All the rest of my family. You are wonderful and you rock.

3)All the people from the church who supported me with prayer and financially. Thank you too.

4)To all my friends who believe in this and me. I appreciate it. So much. Thank you.

I'll be posting from Paramaribo. Keep reading.

And now the times are changin'...

Look at everything that's come and gone.

The clock is ticking on my time in Fredericton. There's really only a little more than 36 hours left. Not long at all. It seems I've packed more memories in this time then normal; it's like I'm making a point to take mental pictures and remember experiences. Almost every experience or memory has a song behind it. More often then not the lyrics of the songs can tell the story better than I can or they connect to that moment. Years later I'll hear the song and be back in that place or with that person.

Summer of '69 will always remind me of my father. Always. I remember when we owned the record before the CD. My mum gets On the Wings of a Dove, He Thinks He'll Keep Her and so much more. One of my aunts is the Phantom of the Opera Soundtrack. My sisters are dance music, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Nicks and musicals. Another of my aunts is Jewel, late '90s. One of my friends is Rehab by Amy Winehouse. I'll see her dancing around the flat singing into the hairbrush until the day I die. Another good friend of mine is Lady Gaga, her music will always remind me of this person.

There are moments connected to music too, especially this summer. M.I.A. reminds me of road trips into Memphis. Oh Susanna will always take me back to King's Landing. Bon Jovi "Livin' on a Prayer" will now be forever linked in my mind with my mum and I's backwoods road trip this afternoon. Disturbia will always be connected to this little sweetheart I babysat for this summer and dancing around her kitchen. There are so many more.

There are so many songs that are connected with this experience but there is one line of one particular song that sticks out. There is something very comforting about it, especially because there will be a lot of missing people in the first little while, on both sides. So here it is, one simple line that will always be connected to my last days of Canada:

"Even if you can not hear my voice, I'll be right beside you dear".

Haves and Have Nots...

I have my passport back. I have a visa! I have a ticket. I have plans. Why am I not bouncing off the roof? I'm happy and looking forward to it, but why am I not more excited? In fact why is it the closer it gets here the more tempted I am to say, "no thanks I'll just stay here".

Don't worry, I won't. I don't really want to. But right now that's how I feel sometimes.

Are we there yet?

Almost!

I have a visa!!! My paperwork has been approved. It's not in my hand yet, it's still in Washington, but soon it will be here. And soon I will be there. Which I have to admit, as excited as I am, makes me sad too. The closer it gets, the more real it is and the more aware I am of what is happening. It's not just a far off date anymore, it's a real event. And it's coming soon.

Two sides to every coin...

It: the feeling you get when you realize that you will truly miss someone/something, that you are really leaving and that life here will move on without you.

"It" is not a good feeling.

I had my first "it" moment today actually. I went out to a friend's cottage and was saying goodbye to his grand parents, whom I love dearly, when it hit me. Completely out of the blue was this overwhelming feeling of sadness. We were talking about old times and my grandfather, whom I still miss, and I suddenly wanted to cry. It occurred to me that I'm really leaving and that sometimes people might not be here when I get back. I had a very somber car ride home.

All along this has been exciting and fun and one grand adventure, except when it's been stressful, but it has never been sad. It started to get sad. I'm leaving and life is going to change and continue for everyone else. There is no pause button for this. I'm going to miss a lot. I know that I'm gaining so much, but right now, it feels a lot like loss.

Right now...

There is nothing new to post about. Nothing. I have no visa. No news of when the visa will arrive. I'm just in limbo, waiting. I hate this part. So while I wait I'm filling my time. I am having fun I admit, but a very large part of me just wants to know, now. Either way. So that I can just move from this spot and get on with my life. I'm not good at the in between-ness of everything right now.

In this moment...

It's the first day of my orientation in Suriname. Yet I'm writing this from my bedroom in Canada. So clearly I'm not there yet. I'm just chilling here instead. There are lots of things I'm getting to do though. And I'm focusing on that, the here, instead of the there. I can't get to Suriname by wishing myself there, so I might as well enjoy where I am.

I had a really good weekend, hung out with the King's Landing crew and barn danced it up. KL is a historical village and for their staff party they barn dance, any style goes from Irish songs, to the Virginia reel to Sweet Home Alabama.

Tonight is my great-grandmother's 96th Birthday, so I'll get to see lots of my family to say goodbye and take tonnes of pictures with my new camera.

My blog is basically becoming the story of my journey in getting to South America and what I'm doing before I leave. I promise I'll get there though. In the meantime I'm enjoying the here and now. Which is pretty amazing.

It almost feels like reverse, but not quite...

I don't have a ticket anymore. I've canceled it because I don't have a visa. This is the part that feels like I'm moving backwards a bit. However, the minute I get a visa, I'll get a ticket. This seems like it would be incredibly stressful but it's not. It is a minute's notice but I will be ready.

I'm hanging out, getting it together and working everything out before I leave. I've helped prime the kitchen, I'm slowly packing stuff up and I'm spending tonnes of time with everyone before I leave. I've had Christmas with my family (so much fun!), a bonfire with some of my absolutely favourite people and even a going away trip to the zoo! I've played tourist in my own city, saw some great bands and am getting ready emotionally to go.

I really believe that there is a reason for everything, so even though I don't exactly know why I'm still here, I know that I need to be.

Every now and then...

I'm learning so much through this entire process.

I'm learning that sometimes there are people who will disappoint you along the way, sometimes the ones you least expect. But I'm also learning there are people who will surprise you with the most random acts of kindness. And that more then makes up for all the other ones. The people who support me have come out of the woodwork, and the ones that can't, I'm learning to let go of.

On the more positive side: I'm most likely going to get a visa! Hopefully it'll be in Washington by Tuesday. On the down side, pretty sure that means my flight will change. But there is a reason for everything and I don't have to know what it is. I'm still struggling with that one; the not knowing why. I like to know everything.

Anyway, so keep your fingers crossed and pray. Lots of prayer that this process finally ends!

Days Go By...

(I'm thinking of song titles for names of posts, we'll see if it sticks.)

So in theory I leave on August 6th, that is a little over a week away. I have not packed my stuff. It just sits all over my room and taunts me. I can hear it calling, basically telling me that I'm procrastinating and will end up doing it at the last minute; and yet I can't do it. I can't pack. I'm sure there is some deep psychological nonsense behind it but really, I'm just lazy. And maybe there is a bit more to it than that, but either way, nothing has happened yet.

But as it turns out, I'm going to be okay on the packing procrastination because I probably won't have a visa by the 6th of August. (AUGH!!!! Stress!) My visa most likely won't be ready, and we (myself and all the other teachers) probably won't be in Suriname by the 9th. Who knows when this will all be done? So no worries on the packing issue because I'm sitting in limbo right now. My most favourite place to be.

I guess the only thing I can do at this point is to pray, and start lesson planning in my living room, so that when I finally get down there I can begin. I'm just ready to be there, to start this adventure.

Come As You Are...

So I'm not one to put my religious beliefs out there, if you ask I'll share but I don't start the conversation. Guess I should get over that as I'm teaching at a Christian school. I think some of my reasoning for that is, sometimes my attitude and actions aren't very Christian-like. Sometimes I'm just not the person I should be. So this is kind of my warning label: I'm not perfect. (Shock, I know!)

I will fail, fall, stumble and mess up. There are times when you look at me and think that nothing is different, that I am an awful representative for a Christian school and that there must be someone better qualified. And you will be right. There are times when I'm a giant mess, working on getting it together. But that just makes me human. I've never claimed to be the standard, or perfect. If you're looking for perfection I don't know anyone who is that way. Sometimes I'm going to have bad days and deal with things in a way that is counter-productive, I will make choices that are wrong but I'm just trying to get through.

The good news in this whole story is that God forgives. No matter how big the mess, God is there. Which is nice, 'cause I can make a rather large mess sometimes.

Patience, Patience, Patience,

I'm trying desperately to remember that God does it all in His own time, and His time is perfect because:

-I don't have a visa yet (I leave in two weeks)
-I bought a ticket (without travel insurance)
-I'm fast running out of furniture (I've sold it all, including my bed)
-I'm quickly running out of money (this moving to a new continent is expensive)

What's a girl to do? Besides pray and not freak out? Besides pray that her mother doesn't freak out, because trust me I'm looking cool, calm and collected compared to mum. Keep praying. I think there are a bunch of people heading to Suriname who need it.

If you want to walk on water...

You have to get out of the boat.

I heard a really good message this morning, about Peter walking on water. One of the main points however wasn't about walking on the water; it was that God had put the boat right where He wanted it and that you have to get in the boat in the first place.

The other was that you have to get out of the boat. You can't just stay in the boat, you have to leave, take a risk and go for it. No matter how safe it is in the boat. And sometimes I have to admit, I like the boat. Giving up everything to go to Suriname scares me sometimes. I like comfort, and 1st world. I'm not going to lie. The though of 3rd world makes me nervous. But I know that isn't really a choice thing, it's a have to go thing.

And this reminded me that God puts the boat right where He wants it. And that He is in control and knows what He's doing, which is all I can ask for. I don't have to run this show, God will.

Once Upon a Time..

There was a princess, (I'm kidding. Sort of.) who decided to leave her country and move to a far away land called Suriname. And I have no idea what happened from there. But this is that story...

I promised I would start a blog to keep people updated on my big move, so here it is. My story before I leave and my story when I'm down there. I have about three weeks left in Canada before I arrive in Suriname and will try to post a bit while I'm here about getting ready to go.

A little of bit of warning, I'm going to probably talk about God a lot in this blog. For some of you who know me, that might not be different but for some of you who do, it might be really different. Stick it out with me anyway.

I really feel that I can't not include God in this adventure because I'm giving up my entire life to follow what I believe is His will and I'm pretty cool with it. Most of the time. I am also totally relying on Him for everything, which is where the title of this blog comes in. In the books of Matthew and Luke God talks about providing for the Lilies and the Sparrows and if He can do it for them, He will do it for me. This whole thing is one big step of faith for me as well as one giant culture shock. I'm sure at times I will want to cry and at others to really laugh. But either way God's calling and I'm answering.

If you would like to comment, feel free, just keep it pretty PG and no bashing. Thank you so much for following along!