This is how long I have been on the other side of the world on a little island named Saipan. A place I had never even heard of or knew existed until about a year ago when Dr. Kamm put the bug in my ear of student teaching here. He showed me pictures of the students at the school along with the views of the beach and sold me right then and there.
I'm now here. I've been living here for 44 days. Sometimes this seems like it's been fovever, sometimes it feels like I just got here.
I remember I kept telling myself before I came that a 14 hour time change really wouldn't be bad at all. We got past the 12 hour mark so really, it was going to be no big deal.
I'm now here. I've been living here for 44 days. Sometimes this seems like it's been fovever, sometimes it feels like I just got here.
I remember I kept telling myself before I came that a 14 hour time change really wouldn't be bad at all. We got past the 12 hour mark so really, it was going to be no big deal.
It is a big deal.
14 hours is hard and I have to say, I was out of it for about the first week. It is all quite a blur to me of trying to stay awake/trying to sleep on local time. (The roasters and chickens that live right next to my window did not help the whole sleeping issue as apparently they are on US time when they begin crowing at 9pm at night.
One of the first instructions the school staff gave us, DON'T drink the water from the tap. We have big jugs of imported drinking water. So we didn't drink the water, but of course what did my world traveling/outdoorsy self do? I cooked with the water from the tap. Why not? I thought whatever was in the water would be boiled right out. Eh. I was wrong again...Within a week of being on the island I woke up and could not even make it out of bed without passing out. I was out and sick for a good two days thinking I had the flu until a local found out I was cooking with the water and looked at me like I was the biggest idiot around. So my first Saipan lesson learned...when the locals say don't drink the water, they mean don't drink the water!
To be honest, Saipan has been one of the most challenging places that I have lived mentally. 3 days of travel is a FAR distance away from family and friends. Not to mention the time change allows only talk during the morning and night. As a teacher, mornings are out for talking, so that leaves late at night. This has been a very challenging part of the trip to me, but at the same time such a beautiful gift in disguise. When everything else is chaos in our lives, when everything normal and comfortable is stripped from us, there is always one thing we can count on and that is our relationship with God. I have found God in a way that I have never found Him before. He IS my constant, my peace, my refuge in hard times.
Honesty moment, there *may* have been a few times when I have had minor little panic attacks that come when living on a 5 mile wide, 12 mile long island. (Sorry Deeds and mom for the mass texts you woke up to) One time in particular, it was 5 days of straight cloudy humid sticky rainy weather. This type of weather means no beach. Saipan is great, until you have to find something to do on raining days, then there is literally NOTHING to do on the island. I definitely had a panic attack in that moment and if I had the option, may have swam to the island right next to Saipan just for something new to look at. But no worries, guys. I survived. I'm here and nobody was hurt in the process.
Even with the mentally challenging part of this trip, I would never switch this experience for anything. Living on and island is so different than any other place I have ever lived. It's beautifully simple. One does not worry so much about life, you just let it be. Island life you live each day for it's unique aspect; waking up every day with no agenda except to live fully in the moment and have no regrets.
God's hand in my life is so evident and I am beyond humbled that He continues to use me in the ways that He does. I know God brought me here not only to touch other lives, but to work on my life personally. To have time away from my life back in the states, to be in a place where I have nothing else to turn to but Him.
I only have a few weeks left on this island. Again, some days this may seem like ages(especially since my labradoodle puppy was just born), but for the most part this seems like such a short time left here.
Coming to Saipan my motto for this trip was to be fully engaged. I don't want to look back and regret the time spent here because I wished it away. So as I'm writing this I am going to end because in about 5 minutes I will have climbed to the roof of an old run down house looking at the sun setting on yet another day here in Saipan. Making sure I soak up every minute, every wave, every students smile, every sunrise, and every sunset of every day because all too soon my life will begin another chapter and I want to be fully engaged wherever I am.
One of the first instructions the school staff gave us, DON'T drink the water from the tap. We have big jugs of imported drinking water. So we didn't drink the water, but of course what did my world traveling/outdoorsy self do? I cooked with the water from the tap. Why not? I thought whatever was in the water would be boiled right out. Eh. I was wrong again...Within a week of being on the island I woke up and could not even make it out of bed without passing out. I was out and sick for a good two days thinking I had the flu until a local found out I was cooking with the water and looked at me like I was the biggest idiot around. So my first Saipan lesson learned...when the locals say don't drink the water, they mean don't drink the water!
To be honest, Saipan has been one of the most challenging places that I have lived mentally. 3 days of travel is a FAR distance away from family and friends. Not to mention the time change allows only talk during the morning and night. As a teacher, mornings are out for talking, so that leaves late at night. This has been a very challenging part of the trip to me, but at the same time such a beautiful gift in disguise. When everything else is chaos in our lives, when everything normal and comfortable is stripped from us, there is always one thing we can count on and that is our relationship with God. I have found God in a way that I have never found Him before. He IS my constant, my peace, my refuge in hard times.
Honesty moment, there *may* have been a few times when I have had minor little panic attacks that come when living on a 5 mile wide, 12 mile long island. (Sorry Deeds and mom for the mass texts you woke up to) One time in particular, it was 5 days of straight cloudy humid sticky rainy weather. This type of weather means no beach. Saipan is great, until you have to find something to do on raining days, then there is literally NOTHING to do on the island. I definitely had a panic attack in that moment and if I had the option, may have swam to the island right next to Saipan just for something new to look at. But no worries, guys. I survived. I'm here and nobody was hurt in the process.
Even with the mentally challenging part of this trip, I would never switch this experience for anything. Living on and island is so different than any other place I have ever lived. It's beautifully simple. One does not worry so much about life, you just let it be. Island life you live each day for it's unique aspect; waking up every day with no agenda except to live fully in the moment and have no regrets.
God's hand in my life is so evident and I am beyond humbled that He continues to use me in the ways that He does. I know God brought me here not only to touch other lives, but to work on my life personally. To have time away from my life back in the states, to be in a place where I have nothing else to turn to but Him.
I only have a few weeks left on this island. Again, some days this may seem like ages(especially since my labradoodle puppy was just born), but for the most part this seems like such a short time left here.
Coming to Saipan my motto for this trip was to be fully engaged. I don't want to look back and regret the time spent here because I wished it away. So as I'm writing this I am going to end because in about 5 minutes I will have climbed to the roof of an old run down house looking at the sun setting on yet another day here in Saipan. Making sure I soak up every minute, every wave, every students smile, every sunrise, and every sunset of every day because all too soon my life will begin another chapter and I want to be fully engaged wherever I am.
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