Well, I've completed two weeks here and my classes have been going pretty well. My students range from 8th grade to 12th grade - Algebra 1 to AP Calculus. It rains every few days and when it rains, it pours! The power goes off almost every day. We have a generator at the school, but we can't run the AC when we're on generator 'cause it sucks the energy right up. Sometimes, it gets pretty hot and humid inside unless the power comes back on within an hour or so. I have joined the HS band and am loving it! The band director has been away for two years so some of the students are a bit rusty, but they're getting better everyday. In the past, the band has had several adults join in and hopefully there'll be more than just me this year. We're practicing for the Christmas concert so all I have in my head is Carol of the Bells, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, and The Jingle Bell Rock, even though it's only September. I'm getting to know some of the other single ladies - we have a Bible Study on Monday nights. Also, I went to my first church service, which was held at the school (so I can just walk). The congregation is pretty large and consists of missionaries from various organizations. It lasts for an hour and a half and the music is great! They even get the students involved in the worship band. The school really is a spirit-filled place - it is evident that God is working in the lives of the MKs (missionary kids) and the faculty. I am amazed at the students' mature behavior. They're respectful to adults, they have a good work ethic (complete HW, don't cheat, participate in class), and they have a good overall attitude. It's not perfect, of course, there have been a few bumps in the road and there's still some "drama" that goes on, but there is a big difference between this school and other schools I've been in - the whole atmosphere is pleasant and teachers actually look forward to coming to school and teaching. On another note, I will be starting to learn Indonesian this coming week. I'll be working with an Indonesian tutor twice a week; he also teaches Indonesian to the students at various levels. I'm looking forward to this so I can start to feel more connected with the people here and I can communicate with them. That's all for now.

I have arrived in Indonesia! I got here Sunday morning, which was Saturday night in the States. I'm still recovering from jetlag, but it's not as bad as it could be. I was able to sleep all night in Taiwan during my layover so by the time I got here, I was already transitioning to the new time zone. I started teaching my classes yesterday. I have 5 classes: Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, Pre-Cal, and AP Calculus. I'm a bit nervous about AP Calc. because I've never taught it before and I haven't used it in several years. Please pray I'll be able to do a good job preparing them for the AP Exam. The scenery is absolutely gorgeous!!! My apartment is on the second floor and I have a screened-in balcony around two sides which has the best view ever - you can see Lake Sentani, the airport (you can even see the planes landing and taking off), the whole town, and the HUGE Mount Cyclops behind the school and even the waterfall high up in the mountain. Its like right out of a fairy tale! My apartment is not airconditioned, but the school is. It's not so bad, though - I just open the windows and leave the fans on. We're up on a hill between the town and the mountain so we get a very good breeze. From my apartment, I can hear roosters crowing, birds chirping, planes taking off/landing, and even the motorcylces that are zipping through the streets down below. They drive on the left side here and most people drive motorcylces, but there are a lot of cars too. Driving is quite a different experience - they've offered to find someone to teach me how to drive a stick shift so I can get my licence. I can't buy a car, but they have extras available to borrow when you need to. The mountain is covered with huge dark green trees and literally towers over us behind the school and the hills are covered with beautiful palm trees. It's like a tropical paradise!