Am I crazy, ambitious, or just trying to engage my students?

Within the past two weeks, I have started some pretty involved science and art projects with my students.  I'm not sure if I'm crazy or overly ambitious.  Perhaps I'm just trying to engage my students, or have a little fun myself.  Or maybe I'm finally comfortable with the grade 1 curriculum, and ready to take on new challenges.  Whatever the case, here are some pictures of the science and art projects I recently started with my grade 1 boys:

When studying plants, we made models of a flower and labeled the different parts.  The flower was made of a red cupcake liner, the leaf was a green cupcake liner folded in half, the stem is a green straw, and the roots were drawn in pencil by the students.  They really enjoyed the project, but I am so thankful I had the TA in my classroom at the time so she could help them with the glue.  It was only the second time I allowed them to use elmer's white glue instead of glue sticks.  Thankfully, I only had one student who took the entire cap off and accidentally dumped half of the bottle onto his construction paper.  Fortunately, many of the glue bottles had a protective piece of black plastic seal to prevent this from happening.  Unfortunately, the seal was on some of the bottles so tight that even the two adults couldn't open it.  Kid proof and adult proof.

Our major art/science project is to build a frog (since that is our class theme) out of recycled materials.  The students helped choose and tape on the materials.  Hopefully this will inspire them to reuse recyclable materials at home, since Saudi Arabia really doesn't recycle things.

Step two of this art project is to papier mache it.  We are currently still in the process of that, and a project that I thought would only take a week will probably turn into a month long project.  I am taking only half my class at a time to papier mache the frog, which means I have to wait until the other half is occupied with swimming or computers.  This means we will probably be working on it only a couple of times a week at most.  Once it is finished and dry, I am going to have them paint it.  I have a feeling that I might have to speed the process along by doing some of the papier mache myself before or after school.

My final big science/social studies project is our new class pet.  We went on our first field trip to the pet store (with 24 boys, and one nanny and driver to help chaperone).  The were so excited, before we even left the school.  As soon as everyone was seated on the bus, one student pipes up, "Miss, we want to sing the Canada song."  So, as we are pulling out of the school parking lot, all my boys start singing, "Nova Scotia, and Manitobia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island...".  They were too cute!  We had just sung the song in an assembly the day before, and when they get to some of the provinces and territories, they start mumbling because they can't pronounce the words.  But they always sing the final "Canada!" with gusto.  I got a video of them singing it on the bus.  I wish I could put it up here, but I don't think that would be such a good idea due to security reasons.  Needless to say, the pet store field trip was a little chaotic, but I was surprisingly laid back about it.  I guess I knew they would be a little rambunctious, so I went in expecting it.  

We voted on a name for the bunny and they unanimously chose "Shadow".  Apparently it is the name of a character from a Sonic the Hedgehog video game, but I think it is fitting since the bunny is dark gray in color.  He (at least I think it's a "he") has the cutest little white paws and belly, and is tiny enough to fit in  one hand.  I'm not sure how old it is or what kind of rabbit it is, but I'm hoping it will stay fairly small.  Maybe it's a dwarf rabbit?  It's about the size of a large hamster right now.

I'm not letting any of the boys hold Shadow, since it is so small and fragile.  Instead, I had them form a circle "criss cross apple sauce" on the carpet, knee-to-knee to create a fence.  I told them they had to keep their hands behind their back or they would have to go sit at their desk.  I then put Shadow in the middle of the circle so he could explore and meet the students.  He loved sniffing their shoes, and even climbed into one boy's lap.  Surprisingly, these very physical 1st grade boys who are always getting caught hitting or pushing each other, were afraid of the rabbit.  Some of them started to back away as Shadow came close to them, so I had to get behind them to keep them from breaking our "fence" and letting Shadow escape.  

I take Shadow home on the weekends, and let him hop around the classroom in the mornings before the kids get there.  He is so adorable, and I think it has been a therapeutic experience for me to have a furry pet to take care of.  I just home I can teach these boys a little responsibility in the process.  My plan is to have one of them take him in the Summer, but I'm not sure yet which one I trust to take good care of him.

"Shadow"

Birthdays in Jeddah

Three of the teachers at our school have birthdays within a week of each other, including myself.  We had a joint celebration at a local tea cafe, went to the beach for one birthday, and finished the "birthday week" with a boat trip on the Red Sea.  I was able to use my new underwater housing for my camera, so here are the pictures from the beach and boat trip:

Digging for clams in the Red Sea.

Dinner...fresh out of the slimy ocean bottom.

One of our family traditions used to be to go to a japanese hibachi restaurant for our birthdays.  I found a Benihana's in Jeddah, so a few of us went out for dinner just for fun!  It was delicious and reminded me of home...although I must say that the chefs at Saito's put on a better show.

Me pretending to be the chef while we were waiting for our real chef to come.  Since it is Saudi Arabia, there are separate rooms for each table.  So, we had a private room for just the three of us...nice and relaxing.

Snorkeling in the Red Sea on my birthday!  What could be better than that?

Holidays in Jeddah

I have not posted on my blog for awhile because a lot of the things I would love to tell about are things I should not post due to security reasons.  Just know that my Father has blessed me with a fellowship of like-minded individuals that have become my family.  Another teacher and I found this group of people on Thanksgiving, which was perfect timing!  We were able to have a nice turkey lunch with them and have been meeting with them regularly.  The group is made up of individuals from all over the world: South Africa, Australia, the U.K., Kenya, India, Canada, U.S.A., etc.  It is a blessing to gather with these people who are so diverse in their ethnicities, but unified in their love for our Father!

Another exciting thing that happened this past month was that my mom came to visit for a week after Christmas (after a month-long hassle to get her visa!).  A bunch of the teachers got together for the actual holiday to have a nice dinner and exchange gifts.  Then, my mom came late the next day and was able to meet my friends and students.  She now has a first hand experience of what I deal with every day with my rambunctious six-year-olds, as she came and helped me in my classroom for two days.  They were actually on their best behavior for her, and they were still crazy!  I also took her shopping at the largest souq (an outdoor market) to get a real cultural experience.  We bargained for gifts and souvenirs that she took back to the States with her.  Finally, we relaxed by the pool and went snorkeling in the Red Sea.  I'm supposed to be going snorkeling again on my birthday, so I will finally be able to try out the underwater housing that I recently got for my camera.

Report cards are due in 3 days, so I will be busy with that.  I will try to post again within the next couple of weeks to show you how my underwater pictures turned out...if they turn out.  Meanwhile, here are a few pics of how I spent my holidays in Jeddah:

All dressed up for our holiday dinner!

Celebrating with my new "family" in Jeddah.

Enjoying time with my mom during her short stay here in Jeddah!

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head!

I awoke this morning to a strange sound. I wasn't sure at first what it was. It sounded like thunder, but it seemed out place in Saudi Arabia. I heard it again and jumped out of bed, pulling back the blinds covering my window. It was raining!
What a rare way to wake up in Saudi Arabia. It only rains once or twice a year, at the most. Sometimes it doesn't rain at all! I remember seeing dark clouds the day before and thinking, "Those look like rain clouds. I wonder if it's going to rain soon?"
I jumped out of bed, made sure I had on some decent clothes, and grabbed my camera. I ran barefoot into the street in front of our apartment building at 7:30am, letting the rain soak through my hair and clothes. I felt like a kid as a stood in the street with my tongue sticking out, trying to catch the raindrops. Some of the other teachers came out with their cameras to enjoy this rare experience. We called out excitedly to each other, "It's raining! It's raining!", laughing like little children.
I'm usually not one to stand out in the rain back home...unless it's during the eye of a hurricane...but I gained a new appreciation for a rainstorm today. I never thought I'd be that excited to see rain! I ran up to our roof to try to get a better view of the streets outside our compound. No one else on the compound seemed to be out. We had been told that when it rained here, it usually only rained for about 10 or 15 minutes, but it has been raining off and on all morning. The streets are even a little flooded. After I decided that I was wet enough from the rain, I went back inside my apartment to see what time it was in Florida. Was it too early or too late to call home? It was about 11:30pm, but I checked Skype just to see if anyone was on. I just had to tell someone back home that it was raining in Saudi Arabia. Luckily, Taylor was still on after having a late night shift as an RA. I Skyped him and told him the exciting news of the rainstorm. He didn't seem quite as excited as I was, but you never can appreciate rain as much as when you're in the desert. Here are some pics and a video of the first rainstorm since I've been in Jeddah:
Enjoying the rain in my pajamas and bare feet.
My flash was on, so the raindrops almost look like snowflakes.

Enjoying Hajj :)

We get two weeks off for Hajj, and I have been enjoying it tremendously.  We have been able to see many different parts of Jeddah, including the not so pretty parts.  Here are some pictures of what we have done so  far:

Jungle Land...a small amusement park we went to with one of the Arabic teachers.  We rode this ride that spun us around and upside down with our abayas flapping in the wind and our bare feet dangling in the air.

Me and the Canadian teachers outside Jungle Land.  I love these girls :)

One of the private Western beaches where we can wear normal bathing suits.

Another view of the beach.  When I'm at one of these beaches, I feel like I'm no longer in Saudi Arabia.

Red Sea boat trip

Here are pictures from our boat trip on the Red Sea.  It was so beautiful and relaxing! What a great way to kick off our vacation :)

Walking through "Diver's Village" down to the boat.

Curious cultural pics

Every mall has a mini amusement park inside for the kids.

This ride was under construction, but looks like a water rafting ride.

This is the front of the Mall of Arabia, one of the biggest malls in Jeddah.

This is one of the souks, closed for prayer.

It's so deserted on the weekend during prayer.

Boom Boom Pow

My 1st grade boys continually surprise me by their behavior (good and bad), academic progress (they are picking up more and more English), and funny things like singing lyrics to English songs I didn't expect them to know. Today, three of my boys suddenly started singing the Black-Eyed Peas song "Boom Boom Pow". They knew more of the lyrics than I did! I'm not sure if they liked it because it had the words "boom" and "pow" in it (typical boys), but I was shocked that 1st grade Saudi boys would know that song! They were so cute and so serious. Then, later that morning, we were creating a mural of the four seasons. The boys who were drawing pictures to represent Spring (some of the same ones who were singing "Boom Boom Pow") decided to add Michael Jackson to their picture. They even gave him an umbrella since it rains in the Spring...and of course a microphone so he could sing. I'm not sure if they know he's dead, but one of my boys idolizes him. He wants to be like Michael Jackson when he grows up, and can even do the moon walk. I have a feeling I'm gonna miss my boys after two weeks of being away from them. But tomorrow I plan to enjoy the sunshine, the Red Sea, and being away from kids for a change.

Hospitals in Jeddah

I have been well the whole time I have been here. I'm used to being sick with a cold this time of year. However, two days ago I came down with a sudden, severe cough. My asthma was affected by it, so I was unable to breathe very well. My inhaler was expired, so I contemplated going to the pharmacy the next day. However, I wasn't sure if they would be open on a Friday - or what times they would be open. I tossed and turned all night with a cough, fever, and headache keeping me up. As soon as it was light out, I made up my mind to go to the hospital.
Now, you might be thinking, "Hospital? Was it that serious?". Well, the hospitals work a little differently here than in the U.S. The doctor's offices are within the hospital, so you could go to the hospital for a wellness visit or something serious. I was a little nervous going, since I had not been to a hospital here before. I was also by myself, since it was early in the morning on our weekend, and I was hoping that someone there would speak English.
I called a cab, and when I arrived I was directed to the Emergency Room. This was the only section of the hospital that looked open at this time of day on a Friday (their Sabbath). I was asked for my insurance card, my temperature and blood pressure were taken, and a female doctor came to ask me my symptoms. I was then escorted to a women's only room where I was put on a nebulizer. After my breathing treatment, they gave me a prescription for meds for my cough, fever, and headache, as well as a new inhaler. I paid 25 riyals (less than $7 USD) to open a file at the hospital and was directed to the pharmacy within the hospital to pick up my meds. Because I used the hospital's pharmacy, I did not have to pay a single riyal for my medication. So, my trip to the ER in Jeddah cost me $7 USD and I was in and out within an hour! I think I like this healthcare system...or maybe I just came at a good time of day?
I am feeling quite a bit better today, but I still have a cough and headache. I took the day off work - my first sick day this year. The hard thing about taking days off is that the school does not have a list of substitute teachers to call in. My principal is actually going to be teaching my students for part of the day, and then other teachers will be asked to cover my class at certain times of the day when they have a break. I feel guilty about taking a sick day and putting more work on the other teachers, but there's no way I would have been able to teach today when my breathing is still not back to normal.
Ask our Father:
* For my health to improve
* That the break we have starting next week will be rejuvenating
* That I will have boldness to speak the Good News to those around me
* That those around me will see J***s in my actions and speech

Internet troubles

Our internet at our apartments has not been working for the past week and a half. The internet at school is off and on. I am typing this at school during my break, so it will be short and sweet.
I just wanted to thank all of my readers for their encouraging words and prayers. My students are settling in to a routine, and I am falling in love with them more and more each day. They are now able to come in to class, put their folders and agendas in the bucket, and get started on their morning handwriting practice. They are even picking up some of the phrases and songs I use in class, and remind each other of the rules/routines. They have improved so much since the beginning of school.
We had parent input meetings last week, and all of the parents that showed up were very supportive and encouraging. A couple of days ago, we were invited to the home of one of the students in another teacher's class. It was just ladies, and we chatted about all sorts of things for three hours, while enjoying good Arabic food. The house was huge! The sitting room had about 7 or 8 couches in it, and four or five coffee tables. They also had an elevator inside the house. The decor was beautiful and the hostess was very hospitable. I wish I had pictures, but it would have been rude to take pictures in their house.
We have one more week until Hajj break. We will be off of school for two weeks, and I have already had many students absent. I'm not sure if they decided to take an early vacation, or they are just sick. I'm not complaining too much, because it makes my class of 25 down to about 20. During Hajj, the teachers are planning on sightseeing, going snorkeling, and shopping in Old Jeddah. All of the teachers are ready for a break, but we're a little worried about the students forgetting routines after a two week break.
I have to go now, but I appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers!