Of Bug Bites and Boys

It's been a little bit of time since I updated, so I thought I'd take a second to do that tonight. These last few weeks at work have been hectic -- hectic the way only 40-odd kids can be. I love my job, but there's no denying that it takes a lot of patience and engery. Good mom training.

In the last two weeks, I've been sunburned three times, twice pretty badly; gone swimming three times (which is three times more than I have in the last two years); broken a pair of sunglasses without touching them or otherwise coming into contact with them in any way (still trying to figure that one out); been so sore that I couldn't get up off the floor; gone two days and 100 miles without showering and air conditioning; and received 30+ mosquito bites. Those last two were accomplished this last weekend, when my sister and I went on a little camping trip with some of the LDS singles in our region.

We left for Land Between the Lakes Friday after work, having thrown together an overnight back at the last minute and slinging a tent and some sleeping bags into the back of our (air conditioning-less) car. We drove up there, windows down, feet on the dash (mine, not Heidi's, since she was driving) and arms hanging out the windows, belting out the songs on the radio. It was a lot of fun, and after stopping for directions only once and consulting the map while sitting in the middle of the road only twice, managed to arrive and set up camp. Unfortunately for us, as we later figured out, we selected a less-than-stellarly-brilliant camping spot. One, it was right in the middle of a high-traffic area; two, it was right under a street light (no idea why that was there); three, not only was the light emitting light and thereby making it light, it was attracting lots of noisy, annoying bugs; four, there was no breeze whatsoever. I slept horribly, when I slept at all.

The next morning, we didn't get to sleep in and were awoken by the sounds of breakfast being made (I forgot to mention, we also cleverly placed ourselves near the main campfire and the center of all-hours socialization), gave it up as a bad job, and just got up. We ate, changed into our swimsuits, broke camp, and headed down to the lake.

...To be continued later, I just found out that my sister got locked in a bathroom at work for five hours...

You know...

Life is a highly complicated thing.

It's a good thing we don't have to go through it alone, and nor are we left to make our way without guidance.

Three Days Out

*AnnMarie collapses onto the floor in a heap* Today was my third day at my new job, and let me tell you, it's wearing me out! You'd think that with all of us helping out it wouldn't be that bad, but despite having six 20-somethings on staff, as well as three older adults, those forty kids run us ragged every day. We only have them for four hours (10:30 to 2:30)...but they are four very long hours indeed.

Despite being exhausted, I do love my job. They're really great kids who have less-than-ideal situations, and despite a certain amount of attitude and lip, they're very loving and eager to do well for us. We spend our days doing various planned activities, like martial arts with a local instructor, visits to the library, and swimming at the pool. We play outside on the playground, eat lunch, and play board games and color. Today, we had a visit from a dentist, and tomorrow the First Baptist Church will take some of our kids fishing. It's a great job, and I'm really lucky to have it. I very much dislike working at jobs where I don't feel I'm making a difference, and working with these kids I can feel that I am. Plus, I love working with the other staff members, especially Mr. Robert. He's the director of the program, and in actuality, he could be doing five hundred other, more "profitable" things as a career. But he loves these kids so much, and it shines through everything he does, and it's reflected in every child's eyes. The kids can't get enough of Mr. Robert; they always want to be around him, and they're constantly hugging him and tugging on his hands. It's the most adorable sight. :)

This experience is helping me in ways I'm beginning to see even now. Despite my (quite vast) experience with kids (for my age, at least), I've never interacted with kids quite like these. A lot of these kids have authority problems, along with all the other problems you'd expect kids growing up in the projects to have. As a result, we spend a lot of time calling kids out for their attitudes and reactions toward our authority. You'd expect that, but I was surprised and mildly upset by how severe and angry our reactions to their reactions were. I'm not saying I'm perfect by any measure, but unless I was very upset and at the end of my chain, I wouldn't react that way to a similar outburst by one of my siblings or a child I babysat. As I thought about that in the shower this morning, I decided that I wasn't going to let myself be molded to the situation; rather, I would try to mold the situation to be more Christlike. I don't want you to think that the other staff members are being unusually mean or rough, but I didn't think that Christ would necessarily approach the situation in that manner. So I gave it a try today. I failed quite a lot, but I do think I succeeded as well. As I keep working at it, I hope it will help me practice patience when my temper is short, as well as helping me to work on my communication skills and other skills that will be of value when I ultimately become a mother to my own children. All in all, I'm very grateful to my Heavenly Father for giving me this opportunity to both help these great kids and learn about myself.

It Makes a Pretty Picture

I just thought I'd let you know that I really love looking at the picture that's the header for my blog. Specifically, it's a picture of the Han River in Seoul, Korea, taken through a slightly dirty subway car window as the train raced over one of the many bridges spanning the river. This is a perfect example of the "take a thousand pictures and maybe one of them will turn out to be worth looking at" theory of photography; I usually take very unremarkable pictures, but for some reason, this one turned out very well. I don't really know what it is about it -- the lighting, the composition, the subject -- that so fascinates me, but I just love looking at it, and I get more proud of it every time I do.

I'm sure you all wanted to know that, and I can tell you that that feeling you're feeling right now? It's a feeling of inner peace that only comes when a hole in your innermost soul is filled -- a hole that you didn't even know was there. Enjoy your feelings of fulfillment. ;)

First Day on the Job

I wish I had a picture I could post along with this entry, but alas, there is none. I shall have to try to paint you a picture in words instead, and hope that suffices.

Today was my first day of work at the summer youth program the housing authority does for the kids who live in the projects. I wasn't sure what to expect, since we're actually hired through a government grant and not through the housing authority and they didn't really know any details, but I showed up at their main office this morning bright and early at eight a.m. like I was told. It turns out that the programs doesn't even begin until ten-thirty, so we sat around for awhile waiting for all of the staff to get there, then filled out paperwork for a bit, and then finally headed over to the building that houses the program.

The director of the program (and all youth activities) is a Mr. Robert Nunley, a dignified older black gentleman who nonetheless still wears khaki shorts and tennis shoes and acts as the umpire for the kids' baseball games. As I said, he is older, but hasn't any hint of the middle-age spread that seems to accompany advancing years. The liberal patches of white in his close-cropped beard give away his age, however; it doesn't tarnish his image one bit, though. Rather, it enhances it. He has a no-nonsense attitude that goes along with is appearance, but there's a hint of a sparkle in his eyes that denote a well-developed sense of humor and fun. The latter is completely necessary when working successfully with children.

The kids themselves come in all kinds of shapes and sizes: big and round, little and thin, thin and tall; little and round, white, black, Hispanic. Some have accents so thick it's hard to understand them. Some have cornrows, and some little girls have braids that stick out all over their heads, with groups of beads swinging at the ends. Some don't have any hair at all. All are anxious to show you their drawing or the trick they can do on the trapeze bars, and will tug on your clothes or hands or whatever else is convenient to them until they have your attention and can display said drawing or amazing feat.

The morning was spent out on the playground playing on the jungle gym or at four square (a very popular, and from the comments, very controversial sport with the kids) until the rain drove us inside to do introductions and an impromptu spelling bee. (The last little kid -- a tiny, adorable little black boy with a high, piping voice and the cutest little face ever -- got out with the word "water;" pretty good, considering he's just finished kindergarten.) After lunch (spaghetti, cheese toast, corn, and a lettuce salad), we played on the playground some more until it was time to load up in the vans and head downtown for some martial arts. That was most entertaining to watch...until we got conscripted to be the punching bags for the kids to practice their jabs, crosses, left hooks, and uppercuts. Even that was alright until we had to stand in front of all the kids and do it with them; keep in mind, none of the three of us have ever done anything of that sort before. But we survived, and it was fun. I just need to make a note to myself not to wear jeans again on Mondays. Mondays are martial arts day.

An Obsession for Everyone

WHAT:꽃보다 남자

WHERE: 

http://www.viki.com/channels/50-boys-over-flowers

WHY: Because it’s the coolest show that’s no longer on TV. In Korean. 

(with English subtitles, though)

You won't regret watching it.

Trust me.