The Good, The Bad and The Uuugly!

The Good: Kids looove sitting under a tree or laying on the grass
The Bad: School wide AC shutdown for 2 hours daily, not including power outages
The Ugly: The stinky “fa-fa” smells once we head back to class

The Good: 75 crunches every morning to warm up my body
The Bad: Early morning cold showers
The Ugly: The water heater and air-conditioning are off limits this month, and it’s only the 8th day!

The Good: New faces for the Women’s Football Rec League
The Bad: A good friend is leaving next month (What will you do without Diana, Kathy?)
The Uuugly: JUDGE GOVENDO (I know it's mean to talk about other people, unless you have something good to say... but I had too, at least I didn't draw on his face.)

Happy Teacher's Day

I like Ms. Kathy because she is teaching us so we can be good people and smart people when we grow up. All the things that Ms. Kathy is teaching us are so-so-so wonderful. Ms. Kathy loves us because she wants us to learn a lot. We like to do art and we learned about Pablo Picasso and about Paul Klee. Every Thursday we play Jeporty so we can study and have fun. On Fridays, we do do centers like Computer, Game, Art, Science and Math. We also learn different songs and Ms. Kathy plays the ukulele. My favorite ones are Sea Bird, Here's a little song, and Baa Baa Bamba. That's why Second Grade is a great place to be in. I wish I can stay here.

- The Greatest Place to be

by Isa Rabago 2nd Grade(unedited)

My student teaching mentor, Ms. Elaina Weimer, said that if she becomes worn-out, she would simply quit this profession. "A person risks a lot when one stays in this line of work if she or he can’t sacrifice the time, the energy and put in the heart a classroom has to have." Thank You Ms. Weimer for making me realize how much my daily mood makes the weather.

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. Find time to thank or remember "the teacher" who made a difference in your life.

Cunctation, Somnolent and other 50 Cent Words

A recent conversation led me to look up an old blog. We didn’t even call it “blog” back then, more like journal or diary. I had to look through the archives since I’ve long abandoned this site.

As I read through the opening entries I wasn’t too sure if this was the right journal. It had words like “cunctation and somnolent” I would’ve never thought to use those 50 cent words unless Microsoft thesaurus recognized them, and it doesn’t.

Then, when this came up I knew it was me ...

“I Drove off with John, Paul, George
and Ringo this
morning. I was trying to beat 7:10, its
Tuesday, supervision again. At the
same time I was hoping that NX
wouldn't have the audacity to screw up this time… been' cranky lately”

I loved listening to the Beatles on my way to work (still do) and I referred to my first car (Nissan NX) as a being. He even had a name…

As I read on, I laughed about my grievances and objections that came with adolescence. Although I seldom swore, I was quite a potty writer and said weird things like “obey the cow god and goodnight moon.”

I’ve forgotten that I also had “in the depths of despair” phase and found some entries quite alarming…

I need to stultify and dampen certain senses.

I'll probably fall into a stupor, have
convulsions, and even slip into a coma.

But it’ll leave me less aware and
alert... and that's just perfect.
......
If I had a Gun, Id shoot
whoever said writing down

the Pros and Cons of a situation would
work.
.......
I lost sight. No ones there.
The idea of Anguish.
From anguish to outrage.
Rue. I hate you… but despise myself more.
.....
From a distance
her smile signifies content
From a
different angle
she hides behind that fair facade

Then of course entries about love lost and love found made me smile

I just drove. I kept reminding myself
about the promise I made.

But there was this deep-hollow feeling
that just tore me apart.

I tried to keep an optimistic
expression…

but I could just feel my tears
gradually flow..

So, I tried to keep my eyes and mind on
the road…

yet I could solely feel your gaze.

I wanted to hold you so bad and tell
you not to...
.....

The boy- just like some,
he'll have to go.

And just like the others, the reasons were
clearly set.

But unlike the others, a light of hope has
been lit...

I don't know if I should blow it or let it
flicker until it flickers no more.

Yet the memory remains of "Velma and Darthvelma"

and the little sand prince whom she loved
…

But I knew I wasn’t such an unhappy and desperate kid because of entries like this…

If there was an altoids dance,

I’d dance it.
If there was an altoids song, I'd sing it.
Absinthe!!! We have altoids and a
constant supply of King Car.

We have Soy Sauce too and some
Breakfast Pockets

that would last the whole day
through.

.....

I considered the stick as a

priceless possession

even if it implied, "runner 107 was here

30 minutes ago.”

And for the rest of the day, I ate enough
turkey and pie to last me 'till Christmas.­

.....

The thought of me cooking just puts a
silly grin on everyone’s face.

I, on the other hand, am very proud of this
achievement

despite the unbearable taste of my
provisions.

Reading through my entries was like a blast from the past but it also made me realize how much of my life changed and remained the same.

Some things like my addiction to altoids, daily breakfast pockets and calling kids aliens, has changed. But certain things like the Beatles, my passion for teaching, and using my favorite tool, the thesaurus, to make my adventures sound exciting and my confessions moving, remain the same.

Marianas Cup 2008

The CNMI National Teams brought their A game this weekend. The women held strong, played their hearts out against Guam and ended with a victorious tie during last Saturday’s match. It was undoubtedly a success story after last years 7-0 defeat. The men, who played on Sunday, made that day a moment people would be talking about for a really long time. From headers that ended in head collisions to power kicks, it was by far the most exhilarating game I have ever seen. I was watching the entire match through my video camera and I bet the crowd’s roar was recorded way better than my attempt to film the game. It was not only a showcase of athleticism but also of dedication and team work. Although Guam made the winning goal during the last 30 seconds of overtime, we, the spectators, knew that our men gave it their all.
You guys and gals are truly an inspiration!
Go Team CNMI!

Battle Wounds

It was five past five. We were trying to beat the sunset as I drove up to the radar station with my mountain bike crammed in the back. Brad, on his bike, held on to the Rav for a joyride. This was going to be a great downhill ride, I thought to myself. I got on my bike and glanced around the unfamiliar path. To my surprise, we were heading the opposite direction… no pavement, just some good ol’ dirt and loose gravel. I felt unsteady on alien ground and focused on things that I didn’t want to encounter. Eventually, I skidded and fell off. Aside from busting the front brakes, I didn't really hurt myself but I held on to my hunny for dear life as he gently helped me up.

I finally gathered up the courage to shake off the shock and got back on. Oddly enough, I felt more confident and went whizzing downhill. But before anyone could say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious I flew off, hit the ground hard, face and all! I knew I wasn’t superwoman because this time I was hurting all over… I couldn’t even tell where the pain was coming from. I had my face buried on my knees and was crying like a little girl. As I struggled to stand up, I examined the injuries I’m sure I obtained. My right calf was as swollen as a bruised peach, my thighs were bleeding mercy and a tiny piece of skin was hanging out of my thumb. My black clothes were filled with dust and dirt while my watch got all scratched up! It was one of those unfortunate moments where I couldn’t help but laugh in between tears.
We continued on our adventure with extreme caution and saw some amazing sights. Somehow because of the pain, i overcame a steep hill that I use to bike-walk. I’m glad I rode on.
Three days later, with a body filled with battle wounds and discoloration, I rode with the dream team (Vince, Rhonda, Tawny and other crazy bikers) up the dusty Far East Hill and down the paved road.
Riding is definitely a new thrill!

Goodbye Lola

The last conversation I had with Lola (grandma in our dialect) went something like this “for shame, I have a boyfriend and you don’t!” this was spoken in Visayan which made it sound a lot funnier. Lola always made sure that she had her hair combed before picture taking and had a full on smile. At the age of 90 she still wore a bathing suit and joked about meeting guys.
Lola Cheding, as she was fondly called, passed away two weeks ago at the age of 92, she has 10 children (whom she named alphabetically from A-J) and has numerous grands and great grands. In the past months, our family back home said that she had been in bed and could hardly open her eyes. The Lola I remember would walk up a flight of stairs and had great eyesight. She could spot us from her house to the plaza and would yell if we were hanging out with the wrong crew, she was feisty too. When we visited her, she would unload her imported chocolates and goodies so we could enjoy a special treat (most of the time they were expired, but who cares, it made us feel loved). Whenever she stayed with us in the city (Philippines) or visited Saipan, she always worried about her grandchildren in the province and made mom find out if they were doing okay without her. I especially loved her stories about the Japanese era and how she was a guy magnet.

It’s hard being far away from home in times like these but I know she lived a full life and was where she wanted to be…surrounded and remembered by people she loved and people who loved her.

We will miss you dearly Lola.

Crazy Hat Day!

The best thing about teaching is the unexpected highs,

especially when you're just about to give up and consider waitressing