The other night I hung out with some of my new high school friends.
[Let me just pause here to say that I am so excited to be a part of these kids lives and it's so much fun to have high school friends!]
So, I was hanging out with these girls, you know, baking brownies and chatting about life. They are three seniors, Jerone, Renee, and Gretchen, who have been in Singapore for 10 years, 7 years, and 2 years respectively. Like the majority of the kids at SAS, they are expat kids with dads who work for oil companies and travel a lot.
As the conversation progressed, I got to hear about all of the ups and downs that high school girls experience (which aren't that different from what I went through in high school, surprise surprise). And then it dawned on me: High School sucks.
Even if you go to a ridiculously awesome school in Singapore, High School still sucks. Teenagers are mean to each other, they do and say stupid things, they place importance on things that don't really matter. I was hearing stories about the cliques at SAS and how extreme they are. I thought my high school was cliquey, but it's nothing compared to this school.
My high school had it's run of the mill issues with cliques, bad teachers, drugs and alcohol, gangs, crappy facilities, and stupid teenagers. And because of all those things I wouldn't choose to go back to that period of my life. I sort of assumed that SAS wouldn't have the same problems because they have a fairly elite teaching staff, amazingly nice facilities, and no gangs. As it turns out, this unique school has it's own set of unique issues.
I was told about the insane amount of drinking that goes on, backstabbing, and poor attitudes that overrun the place. It honestly sounded like the movie Mean Girls, a writhing cesspool of passive aggressive meanness.
These poor girls seemed so discouraged and are just biding their time until they graduate in June. Thankfully, I got to tell them that it gets better. Way better. Social order in high school is based on physical appearance, age/grade, rumors, and other stupid things like that. At some point after high school, we just realize that it isn't important anymore.
It's nice to be the one a few steps further ahead in life, and to be able to offer encouragement for the season they're in right now.
13 October 2010
Once upon a time...
...I painted a mural.
Yep.
It all started with these animal decals that Mama Bear got to put on the playroom wall. The "playroom" is really just the landing outside my room on the second floor.
So then I was like, man, these animals really need some scenery to go with them. I sketched a design, showed it to Mama Bear, got some paint, and went to town:
Caleb even helped!
It was because of this (to a certain extent) that I got recruited to help the Primary School Library with a similar project...
Yep.
It all started with these animal decals that Mama Bear got to put on the playroom wall. The "playroom" is really just the landing outside my room on the second floor.
So then I was like, man, these animals really need some scenery to go with them. I sketched a design, showed it to Mama Bear, got some paint, and went to town:
Caleb even helped!
It was because of this (to a certain extent) that I got recruited to help the Primary School Library with a similar project...
Another stamp in the passport
I can now proudly add Malaysia to the list of countries I've been to!
A few weeks ago Mama Bear, Mouse, and I went on a day trip to Johor Bahru in Malaysia. I know it sounds exotic and extravsagant to go to another country on a day trip, but seriously, Malaysia is easier to get to than my church. We live about a five minute drive to the Causeway, the bridge that connects Singapore to Malaysia. So getting there was a cinch.
It was definitely a new experience, considering that I have never passed through customs and immigration outside of an airport. We drove through this massive checkpoint, going through emmigration on the Singapore side, across a bridge, and through immigration on the Malaysia side. And once we safely made it through, we were in a whole different world.
As you know from my previous rantings and ravings about Singapore, it is a beautiful country. It's clean, safe, and fancy. Very rarely do you see litter on the ground, let alone graffiti or other typical marks of disintegration in a big city. The economy is thriving and there is a high standard of life. If there is any poverty, you certainly don't ever see it. It's comparable to having Minneapolis without North. Or Madison without East. Or Chicago without the Southside. I think you get the point.
Which makes Malaysia the equivalent to North Minneapolis, the Eastside of Madison, and the Southside of Chicago. As we drove into Johor Bahru, I turned to Amy and pointed out that we didn't just cross a border, we crossed the poverty line.
It reminded me a lot of Dakar. Garbage everywhere. Storefronts crammed together, with advertisements accosting us from all sides. Old cars. Dirt and dust. A lingering smell of gas and trash and rot.
We had a pretty great time, Mouse certainly thought it was an adventure. We did some shopping and found a fantastic bakery with the most delicious and cheap buns. Given the chance, Mouse would probably eat his way through Malaysia.
A few weeks ago Mama Bear, Mouse, and I went on a day trip to Johor Bahru in Malaysia. I know it sounds exotic and extravsagant to go to another country on a day trip, but seriously, Malaysia is easier to get to than my church. We live about a five minute drive to the Causeway, the bridge that connects Singapore to Malaysia. So getting there was a cinch.
It was definitely a new experience, considering that I have never passed through customs and immigration outside of an airport. We drove through this massive checkpoint, going through emmigration on the Singapore side, across a bridge, and through immigration on the Malaysia side. And once we safely made it through, we were in a whole different world.
As you know from my previous rantings and ravings about Singapore, it is a beautiful country. It's clean, safe, and fancy. Very rarely do you see litter on the ground, let alone graffiti or other typical marks of disintegration in a big city. The economy is thriving and there is a high standard of life. If there is any poverty, you certainly don't ever see it. It's comparable to having Minneapolis without North. Or Madison without East. Or Chicago without the Southside. I think you get the point.
Which makes Malaysia the equivalent to North Minneapolis, the Eastside of Madison, and the Southside of Chicago. As we drove into Johor Bahru, I turned to Amy and pointed out that we didn't just cross a border, we crossed the poverty line.
It reminded me a lot of Dakar. Garbage everywhere. Storefronts crammed together, with advertisements accosting us from all sides. Old cars. Dirt and dust. A lingering smell of gas and trash and rot.
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| "I got my milk, I got my lollipop, let's get this show on the road!" |
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| Our fearless driver! |
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| "De-wi-chous!" (aka Delicious!) |
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| We did our best to decipher the signs... |
20 September 2010
19 September 2010
17 September 2010
My holey heart
Singapore has been a huge blessing to me. It is for this reason that I haven't spent too much of my time looking back on what I left behind. It has taken me two and a half months to really feel the weight of homesickness. Maybe I was in the honeymoon period.
For whatever reason, a lot of things happened to coincide this week and last that have made me miss America intensely.
My Grandpa is in the hospital and I just want to be with my family.
My friends have all started school again and I want to be there with them for that.
Some of my friends here went back to America for various reasons this week, and where's the fairness in that?
One of my kids in Minnesota is turning 2.
Fall is happening in America!
And the list goes on.
It's hard to be here and know about all of the things I'm missing there. But I also have this gut feeling that if I were there I would have the same trouble missing all of the things here. There is a hole in my heart for the people and places in America that I love.
Regardless, God is good, and He's taking care of me here. I guess the more I miss, the better it'll be when I finally come home again.
P.S. You are encouraged to email or video chat or send snail mail or contact me in anyway or form. I miss all your faces!
For whatever reason, a lot of things happened to coincide this week and last that have made me miss America intensely.
My Grandpa is in the hospital and I just want to be with my family.
My friends have all started school again and I want to be there with them for that.
Some of my friends here went back to America for various reasons this week, and where's the fairness in that?
One of my kids in Minnesota is turning 2.
Fall is happening in America!
And the list goes on.
It's hard to be here and know about all of the things I'm missing there. But I also have this gut feeling that if I were there I would have the same trouble missing all of the things here. There is a hole in my heart for the people and places in America that I love.
Regardless, God is good, and He's taking care of me here. I guess the more I miss, the better it'll be when I finally come home again.
P.S. You are encouraged to email or video chat or send snail mail or contact me in anyway or form. I miss all your faces!
the Young in Life
There's this organization called Young Life, and I am apparently the only American ever who hadn't ever heard of it (at least before I moved here). Basically, it is a ministry for international high schoolers in other countries (i.e. Americans). They provide youth groups and other fun stuff for the students, and in general provide a good influence, support, and teachings about Jesus. It was really a natural progression for me to become involved, because most of the staff go to my church and I live two blocks away from the school where 95% of the students in Young Life go.
Every Monday night I volunteer and help out with Club, the weekly large group meeting. It always takes place at some house or another along my street, which is fantastically convenient for me. We sing songs and put on crazy skits and do crazy games, all in all its a good time.
For the last two weeks we've had an average of 50 kids. That's a lot of high schoolers. Most of whom have lived here for years and years, and have known each other for a while. It has been overwhelming to try and introduce myself to them, mostly because I'm the newbie--to Singapore and Young Life.
I'm excited to be a part of it, and am hoping that by living in their neighborhood, I'll be able to just be around for these kids. Who knows, I might even start up a bible study for some of the girls. One thing I do know is that I get to be a Cabin Leader for a retreat in November at an Indonesian Resort. That's what I'm talking about...
I'm sure I will have plenty of stories to tell about my adventures with Young Life. So far it's involved lots of waffles, wiffleball with shaving cream, and pretending to shave my legs in front of everyone. I realized that it's a lot easier for me to put myself out there in a crowd of high schoolers now than it was when I was in high school. It's probably because I really don't care what they think of me, and they have to deal with me no matter what.
Every Monday night I volunteer and help out with Club, the weekly large group meeting. It always takes place at some house or another along my street, which is fantastically convenient for me. We sing songs and put on crazy skits and do crazy games, all in all its a good time.
For the last two weeks we've had an average of 50 kids. That's a lot of high schoolers. Most of whom have lived here for years and years, and have known each other for a while. It has been overwhelming to try and introduce myself to them, mostly because I'm the newbie--to Singapore and Young Life.
I'm excited to be a part of it, and am hoping that by living in their neighborhood, I'll be able to just be around for these kids. Who knows, I might even start up a bible study for some of the girls. One thing I do know is that I get to be a Cabin Leader for a retreat in November at an Indonesian Resort. That's what I'm talking about...
I'm sure I will have plenty of stories to tell about my adventures with Young Life. So far it's involved lots of waffles, wiffleball with shaving cream, and pretending to shave my legs in front of everyone. I realized that it's a lot easier for me to put myself out there in a crowd of high schoolers now than it was when I was in high school. It's probably because I really don't care what they think of me, and they have to deal with me no matter what.
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