Videos from Last weekend!

Work Hard…Play Hard

Last weekend was very busy, but also very fun! I think I am still trying to catch up on sleep from the late nights, but it was all worth it!

The busyness started with a Christmas Box delivery to an Orphanage in East Jakarta. Some of my friends and I met up with some members from a Church in Jakarta that supports two orphanages. Weeks before this we had all participated in putting together Christmas Boxes for girls and boys of all ages. I still remember watching the movies for Christmas in a Box when I was in school, so when I found out that I could volunteer for the deliveries, I jumped at the opportunity. When we got to the orphanage, the children were all patiently waiting for us. There were so many beautiful faces with looks of curiosity and excitement. There was a short ceremony where the people in charge said a few words and then the children participated in singing and testimonies. It was beautiful to see these orphaned children passionately praising God. After the ceremony, the children lined up to collect their boxes. Most of the boxes were passes out by children of the parents from the Church that supports the orphanage. Although I couldn't pass out any boxes myself, it was neat to see children giving to children. On the count of three, all of the children quickly opened their boxes and eagerly inspected their new belongings. We also handed out snacks and drinks to top off the Christmas celebration at the orphanage. After this, we stopped off at a mall for some food and then continued onto our next destination…the Lifehouse concert!!

The concert was supposed to start at 6, but there were several bands that were going to open for them. We listened to them for a while, but them figured that we would rather be chillin’ at a restaurant close by and then return to the shows. After that we headed back to the concert area. Unfortunately, Lifehouse didn’t come on until 11:30pm!! We were very excited to finally see the main event. Just before Lifehouse came on, one of our friends blazed a trial through the crowd and got us a spot front and center! When the band finally came on, we had an excellent view. The concert was sooo awesome! The sound was really good and they played very well. It was especially fun to sing and dance along to the songs that I knew. Luckily, I had prepped myself for the concert by listening to Lifehouse all week long so that I would be able to pick out the songs I knew. At one point, my friends and I were goofing around and dancing to a song while the rest of the crowd was quiet and listening (only in Indo…), and we are pretty sure the band members noticed our enthusiasm. After the concert when everyone left, we continued the fun with some impromptu and crazy dancing. I was so wired after the concert that I just had to dance off my energy. Thankfully, I wasn’t the only one who did this. (Check out facebook for the video of that)I didn’t get to bed until 2 am, but it was a night of memories and fun.

The last exciting part of my weekend was on Sunday afternoon. After church I headed into Jakarta to the infamous Morning Market in Mangua Dua (2 mangoes). This is a crazy mall that is more like a collection of small booths and shops in every direction. It had at least 5 floors and was like a vortex. I have heard of people who have gotten lost in the store, and it is no surprise with all of the stairs, halls and hidden areas. Needless to say, it was an adventure and a great place to get a few deals, although, we found it harder to get good prices than we anticipated going into it. I came up with a few goodies, two of which will be appearing in a future picture. Stay tuned for fun pictures and craziness during the last week of school in 2010!

When History Comes To Life

I have been teaching a unit on the Middle Ages in my Humanities class for the past month or so, and I have enjoyed re-learning all of the interesting things that took place from AD 400- 1500. I have especially enjoyed the many opportunities for the students to get involved in their learning. The unit that I am teaching includes several simulations that get the students moving and interacting in the classroom. Some of the ones we have done are the Fall of Rome and the Feudal System, and today we did Scribe training. All of these simulations were discovered and implemented by Becky, the other Humanities teacher, and the teachers who were in my position before me, so I can’t any of the credit for being creative. I especially loved today’s simulation on scribe training because I got to dress up as a Nun and keep my little nuns and monks in order! The task was simple: wear a robe, be silent, and copy out scripture flawlessly. But, of course, no one can do that perfectly, so every time they made a mistake, they had to start over!! This was definitely a challenge for the messy writers. Not only that, the students had to quietly say every word 2X before they wrote it. I could sense by the end of the class, they were starting to acknowledge that life in the monastery was no cake walk! I trust that they finished the simulation with appreciation for all of those Monks (scribes) who painstakingly preserved education, including the Holy Bible, throughout the Middle Ages.

Above, I have one picture from the Feudal system simulation, and the rest are from the Scribe simulation.