So the Adventure Begins

So I finally got to starting a Blog. I will try to write here at least every few weeks and keep whoever is interested up to date on what is happening. This one will probably be longer than others, but then again a lot has happened.

The first three days after flying out were spent in orientation at the Hawaii Mission Academy in Honolulu, Hawaii. During this time we were taught many different things on teaching. Some of these were new and others were not. Early in the morning on Monday and Tuesday  we had a chance to either go and climb the Diamond Head crater or go to the beach. I did both, one each morning, though the hour was 5am for the beach and 5:30am for Diamond Head. Both were good and fun experiences, which then led into breakfast and meetings from 8:30 pretty much until bedtime with breaks for meals.

On Wednesday morning at3:30am we had to be up and ready to head to the airport for our 6:55am flight. We got to the airport, checked in, went through security and after this we waited for our flight. During this time I got a chance to  experience one last Hawaii sunrise.  We boarded the flight and flew out to what will be our home for the next 10 months. The flight we took is an Island Hopper flight that flies 3 times a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday). Because of this fact, all the student missionaries going to islands mostly between Hawaii and Guam had that flight. Landing safely in Majuro (which was the first stop), proved to be a lot smoother experience than anticipated.  As small as the airport Is and as much as you think it will be a rough landing possibly over the water, that landing was the smoothest the entire trip. We did not bounce like on a trampoline as we did in Hawaii. I did initially wonder whether we were going to land over water, however, because we were so low to the water that we could have touched down on it any second and in the process of turning, one wing did actually touch water. It was a crazy experience. Upon landing in Majuro, everyone had to get off, and we said our farewells to our new friends and old at the airport. It was a bittersweet moment to say the least.

One of the first shocks I experienced was my apartment. I expected it to be different, but it was even more different then expected. The floor was all tile which with the dust is nicer to clean. Metal was rusted to an extent at least from the humidity and there were cockroaches around. Now don’t think of the small laughable ones. These were probably an inch or so long and later we found out they can also fly. They have diminished though, and I have not seen as many anywhere and almost not a single one in the apartment. J

The entire first week of being here we had orientation, setting up of our classrooms and figuring out our classes and textbooks and preparing ourselves for the task of teaching. They tell you in the student missions course to be flexible and adaptable. One cannot fathom, however, that concept until they come here. Things are constantly changing and are greatly laid back. I have been learning every day what my schedule will be like and what classes I will be teaching. Even as today was the third day of school and we are underway, not all the students have been registered, my schedule is still changing and the only thing that is constant is change. This has in turn taught me that trusting in God fully is the only way I can make it through and though my students are wonderful things will keep changing and God will see me through all of it. J