just 2 more days....

There's a mantra between teachers...we always count down to vacation. Doesn't matter what kind of vacation--it can even be a measley 3 day weekend...we always count down to it. We even have countdowns on the board so we can count down with the kids. Now, if you're not a teacher, I can hear you saying, "teachers are always on vacation! You get 3 months off + all gov't holidays, etc, etc." Yes, we get many days off in the year, but every "non teacher" that has entered my classroom understands why we need the days off.

just to preface: I have no reason to be stressed out right now. I actually love my job and because I'm not in a traditional self contained classroom (read: I don't teach all the subjects to one class) I don't have the stressors a regular classroom teacher has right now. I am simply counting the days to fit in with the other teachers. haha. Also, I wasn't working for so long (in SC, I finished the school year in June and didn't get a job in Hawaii until November!) so I'm pretty refreshed and like going to work.

So this is my blog to defend all the teachers out there, counting down the days to vacation. (or in Carrie and Amanda's case: off track!!)

Teachers need vacation because:

... They are responsible for 18+ students. Everyday. Think about your last encounter with a child over 5 years old. Now add about 18 more of them. Yeah.

... Now think about those 18+ kids and add to that the grading of their papers. You think your paperwork sucks? Try reading 18+ papers on the same topic. With spelling mistakes.

... So you're excited for Christmas? Multiply that energy by 100 and you get a kid's excitement for Christmas. Now think of a classroom full of that! I only have about 7 students at a time now and they drive me crazy!

... Winter time calls for rain/inclement weather. That means the kids don't go out to play. They're in the classroom all day...pent up with energy + holiday excitement.

... Endless singing of Christmas carols. Now, I know those who work in retail have to hear it all day, everyday too. But this singing is from students who can't sing on key for the life of them.

...Winter break usually marks the middle of the school year. That means quarterly testing...try making your own child sit and take a test during the holiday season. Not. Fun.

I'm sure there are tons more and my teacher friends can attest to it all. But nonetheless, teaching is quite rewarding and it all is worth it. Sure, our closets are full of random Christmas gifts and we're all pretty sick of making those reindeer candy canes for the students (c'mon, you know you've made them!) But nothing is more rewarding than to get that one Christmas card from a student/parent that expresses their gratitude that you're their teacher. :)

Just two more days, teachers!

Ohana

For the most part, I have accepted the fact that I am a military wife now and I just have to go along with everything that entails. Sure, I'm not one of those overly-involved wives and I'm pretty sure I will never be. But I fully support my husband and am really proud of what he does. And because of the life we've chosen, we've been able to live in places I probably would otherwise never choose to live.

The one and only thing I can't get over, is being apart from my family and friends. It's especially hard this time of year--with holidays and birthdays going on. It's going to be my first Christmas away from home. It was my second year not at home for my birthday. It's all still new to me and it's hard for me to get over.

So this year, on my birthday, I thought it was for sure going to be a bummer--not only am I away from home, but I just moved here and don't have any friends close enough to go and celebrate with. Jerome had to work (at least he wasn't on 24 hour duty!) and I thought I'd be completely alone. I didn't even tell anyone at my work (although Crystal told me I should've have worn a "It's my birthday!" shirt...) so it was no big deal. I continued to tell myself, "it's fine." But it wasn't so bad. In fact, it was a great day. My email box was bombarded with birthday wishes. I received text messages all day long. My phone was ringing nonstop and eventually ran out of battery life. I talked on the phone practically all day from the time I got off work. I receieved comments on my Facebook & Myspace pages from friends and some family members I've never even met! I received cards and presents in the mail. It was all overwhelming, but I was so happy. Jerome ended up having to stay at work late due to a stupid incident, so we just got some takeout that night and called it a day. We had a good time on the weekend, though, exploring more shops and enjoying the (finally) good weather. It was a great birthday--because althought I was techinically by myself, I was really surrounded by love.

Here are some pictures from various days. The first one is from Thanksgiving--we had turkey, chicken and ham sandwiches on the beach. This is Bellows Beach, a military owned beach opened to the public only on weekends.

Julie gave us steaks for my birthday and Christmas. Jerome was more excited about the dry ice it came in. This is him with the spray hose from the sink! On the right is a picture of what our freezer looks like after all those steaks are jammed in! Thanks, Julie!

Here's Bella in front of our tree! Doesn't she look like she's in the Christmas spirit? hahah..

My In-Laws are coming in on Monday. I can't wait! It's going to be so nice to see family again.

Hau'oli La Hanau

"The weather outside it frightful..."

So this Christmas song is ringing in my head today. Although the rest of the song has nothing to do with the holidays in Hawaii, the weather last night was frightful. We were under severe weather alert--the winds were so strong and the rain was extremely heavy at times. (the heavy rain, however, did not stay long due to the strong winds) The rain and random debris was hitting my window last night, making it hard to stay asleep. This morning was dreary and dark, and when I turned on the radio as I got ready for work, there was a list of schools being announced that were closed today--due to power outages or floods or fallen trees, etc. I listened intently for my school--but I didn't hear anything. They said something about some Leeward schools being closed (I'm on the Leeward side) but it was the Western most schools, and that doesn't include my area. It's ok--I like going to work. :) The school is quiet today, though. Seems like a lot of students decided to stay home today. Looks like some teachers decided to stay home too. But all was normal for me--my commute was not affected at all and most of my kids are here today.

So it's Hau'oli La Hanau to me tomorrow. Another year has gone by--one more year older, one more year wiser?? It was indeed an interesting year for me--Living in SC, driving across the country, moving to the islands. Finding a job I really liked, leaving the job, finding a new job I really like. Surviving my first year of marriage, seeing some good friends get married, preparing for others to get married. It's all so different from even 3 years ago. It's amazing how life changes to drastically in just a few years! Pretty soon weddings will become baby showers and we'll be sharing tales of parenting. I know I'm "grown up" (according to my students, at least) but I really don't feel like it. Do you ever feel "grown up"? I mean, I have all the responsibilities of a grown-up. I guess maybe when you have children you'll be forced to feel it. hahaha...maybe I'm just in denial? I'm rapidly approaching 30 and that scares the heck out of me! Maybe I'll feel grown-up by then. MAYBE. help?

Jerome and I getting more adjusted to our schedules. I'm getting used to sleeping by myself (with Bella) every 3 days. Gets really lonely, but then I think about Jerome having to sleep in that tiny bunk of his and I don't pity myself anymore. haha. Despite the bad weather, we're enjoying our time here so far. Jerome's parents and sister are coming in for Christmas, so we're looking forward to that! We plan on doing touristy things and have drafted a list of things we have to do when they're here. Hopefully the weather will be cooperative so we can make the most of it!

I don't know who reads this, but just in case: Happy belated or early birthdays to: Victor, Josh, John, Alice, Charlene, JR, and Crystal! My parents both celebrated a birthday too! Happy Anniversary to Lisa's parents! (same day as my bday!) So many celebrations...can't handle it! :)

Still waiting for those girls to update. boo.

Keikis

i'm at work now and I have some down time since it's an early day for the kids. So far, I'm really enjoying my time here at this school. My groups (reminder: 3rd grade Language Arts and 6th grade Math) are really good keikis and so far, it seems that I'm really going to be helpful to them. Especially in the 6th grade math class...they're starting to open up to me and aren't afraid to say, "can you please slow down?" or "I don't understand..." Usually, I don't find out that they "don't get it" until their homework comes back completely wrong.

So I'm starting feel more comfortable here. I'm starting to throw around Hawaiian words like "keikis". (kids, students, child) I've also learned to say "Merry Christmas!" Ready.... "Mele Kalikimaka!" I'm currently working on "Happy New Year"...haha..it's all too much to remember. "Hou'oli Makahiki Hou!" geez...the keikis like to teach me new words...so we're learning from each other!

Not much going on here. Jerome ended up not having to work on Thanksgiving, so we met up with his crew (the few that didn't have to work) at Bellows Beach. Bellows Beach is owned by the military (you have to show your military i.d. prior to entering) and is closed to the public during the week. It's opened to the public on the weekends and is really popular for camping. (not roughing it though--there are cabins!) It was a beautiful day and we had turkey, chicken, and ham at the beach. The chief and his wife made all the food--I felt bad that I didn't bring anything, but we didn't know that Jerome didn't have to work until 8am that morning...so yeah. I had a reletively stress free Thanksgiving. We went shopping on Friday--just a little bit. We went to the NEX and Jerome got me a purse for my birthday. Afterwards, we wanted to go out to Kailua for breakfast (macadamia nut pancakes!!) but we got a Christmas tree instead. :) We then we to the Ala Moana mall later in the day--there was a big UH game that day, so we figured that most of the crowds would either be at the game or watching it. Although the mall was crowded (it always is!) it was not as bad as it could have been.

Jerome is also settling at work nicely. He basically works from 6am - 6pm everyday. Every third day, however, he has a 24 hour shift (he's on "duty") and so his work day is 36 hours. Today is his duty day...he left this morning at 6am and won't be coming home until 6pm tomorrow. 'Tis the life of the military. The reason for the 24 hour shift is b/c his part of the boat always needs to be manned by someone...you can't just turn off the reactor or leave it unattended. (the chinese will steal the secrets, apparently...haha!) So yeah--it's me and Bella when he's gone. Sometimes I think Bella misses him more than I do because she is SO SAD when he's not home. She's always looking at the door to see if he's coming in. Such a cutie!

That's all for now. I really wish other people like Crystal or Gloria or Fina would update their blogs. It's not fun reading your own blog everyday. haha!!

ps--no pictures because I'm at work--maybe I'll upload some from home....MAYBE

mahalo!

Another reason why I'm starting to love it here: All road construction and closures will be removed until the second week of January!! They're removing all equipment and cones to clear all the lanes on the entire island....specifically for the holiday shopping season!! GENIUS. Why can't all states do that????

It's beginning to look a lot like (a warm, tropical, palm tree) Christmas...can't wait to get my tree! :)

working hard for the money...

Today was my first day at my new job. So far, so good--although I deal with kids from all over the spectrum. It should be a good experience, though. The frustrating part is that I can't remember people's names. I'm usually really good at names, especially if I've met them more than one time. This time, however, all the teachers I've met are Japanese women, so I can't remember their last names!! I feel bad for calling them by their first names (I remember their first names!) but I can't call them by their first names in front of the children. Oh, well. I will learn. It's also a totally different experience for me as ALL of the teachers are asian. And 85% of the students are asian. All new to me. It should be fun!

To top it off, it's been raining ALL DAY. You teachers out there know what that means: rainy day schedule. Rain also equals craaaaaazy kiddies. But I guess they're so used to it here that it doesn't phase the kiddies at all.

So Thanksgiving is all the talk now and I can't wait for turkey. Jerome and I had several invitations for dinner this year, but of course, it's all for naught because he has to work. Yep, you heard me folks, Jerome has to work on Thanksgiving!! It's all ok, though. It actually works out well because now I get to have dinner with Jerome at his work. In his sub! At least I think it's in his sub....whereever it is, I get to see where he's working. I'm sure it's in the sub because I have to get cleared through security. Should be interesting--and the food is catered, so no cooking for meeeeeee. Yay turkey!

Jerome, however, gets Black Friday off and we're trying to decide if we want to brave the crowds. I secretly want to, but Jerome hates shopping, so Black Friday is probably amplified times 100 for him. hahaa...we will see.

This past weekend, I had to take a test to receive my Hawaii Teaching Certification. I didn't really prepare for it and I was really NOT happy that I had to take it. I mean, c'mon....I've been teaching for 4 years and I have 2 freakin' masters in the Education field. AND I also happen to be employed by ETS (Educational Testing Services) to GRADE THE SAME TEST THAT I HAVE TO TAKE. Yup...how ironic is that? What if I come across my own essay when I grade the tests online??? Well, the test was from 2:30 - 4:30pm on Saturday...so it basically ruined my day. Then on Sunday, Jerome had to work--but came home early unexpectedly!! So we went to the Aloha Tower Marketplace (not that interesting...) and tried to explore Chinatown. I say "tried" because apparently Chinatown here shuts down on Sunday afternoons. It was dead. Too bad because I was craving some yummy Chinese food.

I was telling Crystal about these "cup signs" that the Navy wives put up to welcome home boats/subs. It's located right outside of the side gate and it's on a 20-ish foot fence....so you can see it when you leave the base. It's initially made with cups...you stick the ends on the cup through the fence and you write a message. It's really neat and I love it when I see a new one. But they're getting super fancy as now the cups aren't cutting it. There's a new product out there that is especially for the fence signs...they're plastic diamond shape things that fit perfectly into the fence...so it can get really fancy. (with regular Solo cups, there's only so many colors, you know? Well, here is the most recent sign, and the best one I've seen since we moved here.

And just for fun, because I love to torture Bella with new outfits....she says, "ALOHA!!" and, "Kiss meee!!!"

island in the sun

I just got a call from my principal and I start on Monday! Even though I'm still waiting for my contract to come in the mail, I can start on Monday. Good thing too, because all I do all day is either go shopping or shop online. Dangerous....but I've finished 1/2 of my Christmas shopping! (don't be jealous.....and Crys, no pressure!)

So I've been compiling (in my head) a list of things about Hawaii life that I find interesting and/or amusing. Life here is definitely much more relaxed and you can really sense the overall feeling of "aloha". Definitely a change from the hustle and bustle of LA--but I still love my Cali Cali and would move back in an instant!

Here are a few things that I've made a mental note about: (*note: this may be an ongoing list, so keep posted!)

- Everyone here is friendly. Doesn't matter if we're in Waikiki where people are hired to be friendly or not...all locals I've met have been friendly. Right down to the cable guy and the guys who moved my stuff into my house.

- Biggest weather news here is "where are the trade winds?" Trade winds come in from the northeast end of the island and basically blow away the humidity that the daily/nightly rains and clouds bring in. Trade winds are good. Makes humidity go away.

- Because Oahu is a weird shape (not really round...i just learned it's because a huge chunk fell into the ocean many, many years ago) the directions North/South/East/West doesn't really work. Instead, it's Leeward, (Honolulu area) Windward, (Kailua/Kaneohe), North Shore, and Waianeae. Also, the H1 doesn't go East/West...it goes KoKo head bound (right past Diamond Head) or Ewa Bound (basically west). Doesn't matter to me because I'm always lost.

- H2 goes to the North Shore (passing the Dole Plantation). H3 goes to Kailua.

- To add to the "aloha" spirit, the speed limit here is 35mph on the side streets and 55mph (sometimes 50mph) on the freeways. I often see the bumper stickers that say, "Slow down, this ain't the mainland". Love it, but not the speed limit.

- The birds here are all so interesting. There's so much variety, unlike the pigeon/sea gull/finch variety Los Angeles has. I've seen cranes, canaries, and other colorful birds. (that's the extent of my bird knowledge) I always want to take pictures of them, but then I'd be taking pictures all day.

- There is a rainbow everyday. Because of the frequent (light) rain, there is always a rainbow. When we just moved here, I always took pictures of these rainbows. I've stopped now.

* a rainbow I saw on my way to the Social Security office. See? They're everywhere!

- The sun is hot here. I've learned it's because of the position of the islands latitudidly (is that a word??) that the sun hits much more directly here.

- Most of the local commercials on TV have a jingle. It's so funny sometimes and Jerome has memorized some of them. I'll tell him to sing them to you --his favorite is for the Hawaii public storage.

- There is much more freedom of speech on the radio. Although they don't say the curse words, there's lots of bleeping...even in the commercials. ("It's time to party, b*******!!) And they talk about much more risque topics on the morning shows.

- The wealthy are WEALTHY. The poor are poor. The middle class is the military.

- SO many asians here. Especially Filipinos. Jerome and I are right at home.

That's all for now. I'm sure I'll remember more and will add to the list. :)

license to drive

Wow, so much pressure to update! Both Gloria and Crystal asked me to update today...man! I guess since I'm not working yet, it's ok. Even though I haven't really done anything interesting.

Let's see...I woke up at 6:30am this morning to take Jerome to work. We only have one of our cars here now, so if I need the car during the day, I have to take him to work and pick him up in the evening. Not a big deal--it takes me 15-20 minutes round trip (would be faster if it weren't for the 30mph at all times on the base!) and then I'm back in bed. It's really interesting to be able to drive onto base. I always pass by the big ships (Japanses Naval Ships are in the harbor now...so interesting!) and I always want to take pictures. But then the big sign with a camera and a slash across it prevents me. :(

a random ship...found the picture on flickr

After another hour of sleeping, I got ready and headed down to the "satellite city hall" and applied for a new license. I don't really need a Hawaii license because 1) my Cali license doesn't expire for another year and 2) I'd probably be able to renew by mail when the time comes. But, I recently changed my name (I know, it's been over a year since I got married...) so I needed a new license. So after applying, giving them the necessary paperwork (new SS card, marriage license), the guy tells me, "now you go to pay $2 for the written test." WRITTEN TEST?!? Why did I get so nervous? So I go pay the fee and when I approach the line, the lady asks if I want to take the test or if I want to study first. ummm....STUDY. haha. Overall, the test was straightforward, but I did miss 2 questions. Passing is 4 wrong or better. :)

Driving in Hawaii is not much different than anywhere else...except that it's sloooow. It's 35mph on the streets and 55mph (sometimes 50mph) on the freeway. If there's construction on the freeway, speeds reduce to 35mph on the freeway!! In the morning, going Koko head bound on Nimitz (east on the raod that goes parallel to the H1) the 2 middle lanes on the OPPOSITE (west) side is coned off and becomes the HOV lane for going east. It's bizarre to me and I would never want to drive on that side b/c it doesn't make sense to me. haha...but yeah, that's their solution to the morning traffic going in that direction. (which is horrible because it's going towards Downtown Honolulu & Wakiki) Jerome tells me that it's the same on the freeway--where the HOV lane is on the opposite side of the road, but I haven't seen it.

After the DMV, I went to get some groceries at the Commissary (only 5 minutes away from my house!) and then to the Navy Federal Credit Union to get a new bank card with the new name. Again, pretty painless changing my name to Jane old middle name, old last name, new last name. (No, I didn't hyphenate--my maiden name is now my second middle name!)

That's pretty much all. The rest of the day will consist of watching TV and cooking dinner--and playing with Bella. Yesterday was her one human year birthday!! Too bad she's still like a puppy...we love her though! Happy Birthday, Bella!

Peer Pressure

So my dear friend Crystal has convinced me that I NEED to have a blog. She tells me that it'll be easier for me to keep in touch with my friends and family--instead of writing my quarterly update emails, I can just give them this link. Personally, I think it's because she wants another friend on her blogger. But I'm here now, starting a blog which will probably be updated quarterly....who knows.

So you all know (due to my email update!!) that Jerome and I have arrived on the island. The big lava rock. Paradise. Call it whatever you like, but for now, it's home for us. So far, so good. It's a much different experience than South Carolina and quite honestly, I miss the sloooooooow-ness of SC. The "traffic" in SC was pleasant compared to what you can get stuck in here...or LA for that matter. Do I miss anything else? Not really. Just a handful of people and that's about it.

The thing I really love about it here is that there is just so much to do, all the time. Although we experienced a bit of bad weather, the majority of the days are sunny and warm. (seriously, do we really need a weatherman here?) Jerome and I have been able to visit a handful of beaches and have eaten at a lot of fun, local restaurants. We haven't, however, done much "touristy" things such as Diamond Head, Dole Plantation, Polynesian Cultural Center (btw, Amanda, we thought about you when we passed by...hahaha!) or Manoa Falls. We figure we'll be able to do all that when we take visitors...so we can save it. Jerome has been to the Arizona Memorial (we live about 10 minutes away!) with his crew--they were able to bypass the 3 hour line (they were in uniform) and they were even an attraction when some Japanese tourists asked to take pictures with them!

Jerome and I celebrated our first anniversary this past weekend and it was exactly like we wanted: fun and relaxing. Our friend, Phil, and his girlfriend were in town and we took them to our favorite beach, Kailua. We swam in the ocean for about an hour and attempted to go kayaking--but we were too late for rentals. We also had a small picnic with some Teddy's Bigger Burgers and Maui Tacos and it was perfect!! Later in the evening, Jerome and I went to Ruth's Chrisfor dinner. We sat next to some obnoxious guys, but the dinner was fabulous and we got a free dessert. YUM! To top it off, Bella arrived this past Saturday so it was an especially happy anniversary for us. Happy One Year, Jerome. I love you!!

I got a new job and I am anxious to start. The days are so long when I'm home all day. I will be an Intervention Support for teachers grades 3-6 at a school about 5 miles away from my house and I already know I will be happy there. The school is small and the staff is so friendly. The kids seem so calm compared to what I'm used to and there's just a general homey feeling. The principal is especially friendly--and you can tell his heart and soul is in the school. (his kids attended there, he taught there, etc.) He showed me the a/c he installed in the computer lab, the a/v equipment he installed in the auditorium and the walls he painted around the school. He did all this! I've never seen/heard of a principal doing all that for a school.

I have a quite a bit to do today, including getting Bella's pictures taken for the housing office, returning some stuff and going to the post office. Hopefully, I will start work soon (LAUSD isn't the only slooooooow district to get things done...) so I won't be so bored at home.

By the way--if you have a blogger, let me know so I can add you as a friend! :)