I don't have much time, but I thought I'd update briefly. Things have been going well. They've been picking up too. Last night I stopped at the ad building during study hall to get something and was mobbed by sick/supposedly sick students the entire time. I had one boy with chest pain, one with a mysterious rash, lots of sore throats, headaches, congestion, earache, etc. I've recently had a lot of guys with sprained ankles and wrists. They're all too cool to use crutches though.
I've been pretty busy lately. Teaching four classes and being the nurse. But it's good. And I've learned a lot. I went to give one of the boys in ESL medicine in between the classes, and a bunch of the other ESL students came over and were saying they had the flu, etc. ("The flu" to them is apparently anything--fever, congestion, sore throat, headache...?) Taylor said that after I left the class just went crazy. She has the lower end ESL students who hardly speak any English whatsoever. She said they were fake coughing and sneezing and saying, "Miss Sara!" "Ana ruah Miss Sara!" She said that someone "tripped" and fell dramatically on the floor and someone else ran into a desk and toppled onto the floor and acted all hurt. They were making so much noise that the students from the classroom across from hers were all staring to figure out what was going on. It apparently took ten minutes to calm them down and shut them up. I was laughing so hard when she told me, and I'm smiling really big as I type this. How funny is that? "Whoops! I just ran into a desk and fell over"? I avoided study hall at all costs tonight. When I had to go see a couple students for follow up, I went around the back to find them and stayed far far away from the library, where the ESL students are.
Yesterday I had a really meaningful conversation with one of the students I had taught in ninth grade who is now a senior. His English is really good, and he is quiet, thoughtful, and just good. We talked for a while about life and our personalities and worldviews, etc. I haven't had as many deep conversations with students, and I felt like he and I could relate to each other a lot. He told me that when he first came to NUA, he was so nervous and everything was so new to him. He wasn't doing very well in his classes, which was so unlike him. But he said that Jessica and I made him feel like himself again. He just expressed in a very articulate and deep way how much he appreciated us. That made me feel so good. If I look back at my blog posts from 2009, some of those times were the most trying and low times I've ever had. This student told me that he wanted to tell me something. It was only him and me in the staff room at this time, and I hadn't expected it but then was filled with anticipated horror, "Oh no... what if he's going to tell me he's in love with me..." (I've had a couple students tell me that in the past and I really didn't expect that from this one, but I got incredibly nervous and prayed that that wouldn't be it.) Then he said very earnestly, "I own you." Pause. "What?" "I own you." My racing thoughts were trying to interpret that: "Oh no! Is he saying that I belong to him like he's trying to be romantic?! What does that mean?!" And then it clicked. He meant to say, "I owe you." Al humdolillah (Praise be to God.)
Last week, there was a problem with one of the water heaters in the girls' dorm at about 10:30 or 11pm. It was making really loud noises--I'm not sure what was happening exactly, but apparently it was really scary. All the girls ran out of the dorm freaked out. And the heroic boys dashed out of the dorm, running across the center of campus to rescue anyone in need. Crises are handled in two ways here: panicking and fainting. It's a school rule that the girls aren't allowed to faint. There was too much fainting before, so Peggy said that they'll have to see a doctor off campus before they're allowed to come back if they're going to faint. Anyway, a couple girls fainted, and the boys didn't know what to do. Chris, one of the SMs, told some of the confused and worried boys to get her water. To drink. They ran and got the hose and sprayed her down... hahaha! I was taking prayer requests the next day in class, and one of the guys said, "I want to thank God because we were heroes," and he smiled proudly. (He wasn't one who hosed down the girl.)
There are many funny stories. I'm sure that they'd be funnier if you were here with me and knew all the people. Much love to you.
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