Now I'm going to write some disturbing news. Prepare yourself for something quite dreadful. On Friday I went to the Ann Taylor Loft (yes, they know my name there and yes, it's embarrassing for all involved) and I tried things on and liked some of it and I didn't buy anything...nothing! Don't panic. The end is not nigh, dogs and cats will not start living together. I just was a smart shopper. Dry clean only and spaghetti strap sun dresses aren't exactly appropriate for Uganda. So off I went to the most obvious choice for all African trips - Express.
For those of you not laughing, Express is an interesting store. I used to shop there in college, when the percent of clothes with sequins or gold lamé was practically zero. Now it's stuff looks like a Las Vegas showgirls' store. So why would I pick that place? Because I have a favorite pair of pants from them and I was hoping to do well again. The first pair was difficult to describe. Picture a poodle skirt made out of denim. Next picture someone sewing this skirt into a pair of pants without changing the volume - or the length. Can you picture it? Now make them hip-huggers. Yes, that was horrible.
Another pair was more normal, but had gold and hot pink stitching on the back pockets. "Careful, a rhino might attack you..." Julie quipped. I didn't pick those. I did find several cargo khakis that will work quite nicely and were on sale.
Are you ready for more unexpected news? Well, this one was my first fear to come true. I received an email from the missionary board saying that I had chosen the wrong return date for my flight. Because it takes so long to drive to the airport, they tried to time my arrival and departure with the arrival or departure of other large groups so they would not have to make the trip just for me. The large group is leaving Entebbe on the 20th of August and I had a ticket for the 22nd. This would mean spending two nights in a hotel in Entebbe; one of them alone. This was a scary prospect. Not just because I would be afraid to leave my hotel, but also because I would have to tell my mother.
I called travelocity to make the change in my flight. They were trying very hard to be helpful, but after about an hour, they discovered that the flight was full. I was sweaty palmed and sick to my stomach. It is so hard for me to talk to strangers on the phone and arrange details. I've just been able to order pizza (something my family would make me do to help me get over this irrational fear). I think that I'm afraid that I'm going to make a mistake and heaven forbid that I not be perfect. Or I'm afraid that they'll ask me a question that I won't know the answer to. Or maybe I'll make an unwise choice and not have time to think about it. It's a bizarre fear, I know, but I was just defeated by the travelocity team. I put myself out there so I could get my flight changed and it came to nothing.
My roommate was very helpful and told me I should call the airline. I felt defeated and I was willing to accept the fact that I would stay two nights in Entebbe. I was near tears, but I was convinced to try the option of calling Northwestern. I called the airline directly and in about 5 minutes (and an extra $215) I was able to change the flight to the 20th. She even got me window seats. I was very prim and proper as she asked me my initial questions: spelling my name slowly, saying 'zero' instead of 'oh' for all numbers containing 0, calling my condo suite D instead of #D, etc. But when she said that she was able to make all the changes, I nearly cried and said, "Thank you so much. You have no idea how much you've helped me today!" She was so friendly.
I called my mom and told her the whole story from start to finish because I had been afraid to give her any details until the problem was solved (or deemed unsolvable). We bought all of the food for tomorrow's fund raiser and discussed how my small error, even though it cost me money, was fixed and so it doesn't matter much. I've decided that a lesson can be learned from every mistake, so here's what I've learned from this one:
1) I need to be diligent in asking for what I want or need. Customer service is there to help the customer - me.
2) Next time I go to Uganda, I will double check the dates before I buy tickets.
3) This mistake is no where near as embarrassing nor as expensive as one that Julie's sister made involving Lakers tickets and Florida.
4) I'm not perfect. And that's ok.
Next step is getting my visa...I hope I fill out the paperwork correctly...
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Thursday, June 19, 2008
What time is it?
SUMMERTIME! It's our vacation (all HSM2 fans know what I'm talking about and if you're asking yourself "What's HSM2?" you're not one of them). Today was my last day of work until the end of August and it's not real yet. This year has been the toughest of my teaching career and I certainly learned a lot. Here is a list of lessons I've learned:
1) I am a good teacher, but I still need to work on discipline. I need to realize that all kids aren't like me, so some don't need reminders of what to do, but need to be told, every day, several times.
2) When reading the names at commencement (my first year doing this). I looked at the faces of each kid as I said his/her name. I was overwhelmed by the number of kids that I had somehow been a part of. What an amazing job I have! I get to be a part of thousands of lives. Whether they remember me or not, I still can make a difference. That sounds cheesy and I know it is, but it’s still cool.
3) I need sleep. I've been working on about 5 or 6 hours for the past two weeks and I'm cranky and moody and unmotivated. Well, as cranky as I get.
4) Respect is really important. I have students that respect me because I've poured respect on them. I have two students who don't because after constant disrespect from them, I caved and was rude back. That was when the battle was lost. I could no longer say, "I've never been disrespectful to you..." That is sometimes the hardest part of my job.
5) Words are powerful. My students have encouraged me so much in these last few days. They have written me letters, signed my yearbook, or said to me how much I've helped them. What a great job! People say that teachers don't get appreciated and maybe in some ways that's true. People outside of education may look down on teachers as a group (those that can do, those that can’t….). Yet in my job I get accolades every day from coworkers and from students. How many people have jobs where the people they work for cry because your job is finished? They give you gifts in thanks and say that you've changed their life for the better? Maybe Dr.'s and the people from Extreme Home Makeover.
6) Kids can change for the better. One student who was a particular challenge this year actually ended the year with a wonderful showing of maturity and leadership. He got an A in my class and was so respectful. I have hope.
7) Teachers need summer to remind them that they love their job. They also need to experience life without homework. And for those of you with 'real' jobs who are still working and are complaining about the cush 3 months off we get, let me tell you some things. First, it's only 2 months. Second, we don't get paid time off. Third, have you ever spent 7 hours a day with 168 Jr. Highers for 180 days? Trust me, you'd need the break too.
Well, don't call me at 6:15 in the morning tomorrow, because I will be sleeping. I'm free as a bird for 5 days and then my crazy summer starts. I'm going to enjoy every minute.
1) I am a good teacher, but I still need to work on discipline. I need to realize that all kids aren't like me, so some don't need reminders of what to do, but need to be told, every day, several times.
2) When reading the names at commencement (my first year doing this). I looked at the faces of each kid as I said his/her name. I was overwhelmed by the number of kids that I had somehow been a part of. What an amazing job I have! I get to be a part of thousands of lives. Whether they remember me or not, I still can make a difference. That sounds cheesy and I know it is, but it’s still cool.
3) I need sleep. I've been working on about 5 or 6 hours for the past two weeks and I'm cranky and moody and unmotivated. Well, as cranky as I get.
4) Respect is really important. I have students that respect me because I've poured respect on them. I have two students who don't because after constant disrespect from them, I caved and was rude back. That was when the battle was lost. I could no longer say, "I've never been disrespectful to you..." That is sometimes the hardest part of my job.
5) Words are powerful. My students have encouraged me so much in these last few days. They have written me letters, signed my yearbook, or said to me how much I've helped them. What a great job! People say that teachers don't get appreciated and maybe in some ways that's true. People outside of education may look down on teachers as a group (those that can do, those that can’t….). Yet in my job I get accolades every day from coworkers and from students. How many people have jobs where the people they work for cry because your job is finished? They give you gifts in thanks and say that you've changed their life for the better? Maybe Dr.'s and the people from Extreme Home Makeover.
6) Kids can change for the better. One student who was a particular challenge this year actually ended the year with a wonderful showing of maturity and leadership. He got an A in my class and was so respectful. I have hope.
7) Teachers need summer to remind them that they love their job. They also need to experience life without homework. And for those of you with 'real' jobs who are still working and are complaining about the cush 3 months off we get, let me tell you some things. First, it's only 2 months. Second, we don't get paid time off. Third, have you ever spent 7 hours a day with 168 Jr. Highers for 180 days? Trust me, you'd need the break too.
Well, don't call me at 6:15 in the morning tomorrow, because I will be sleeping. I'm free as a bird for 5 days and then my crazy summer starts. I'm going to enjoy every minute.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
My cousin rocks!
School is coming to a close and the kids feel it. The teachers feel it. Even the janitors feel it. We all sense summer coming and count down to it like the opening sequence of High School Musical 2 (or HSM 2 if you're as cool as my friends and I are). Yet school is not over, we still have finals and projects and graduation - commencement, if you're picky.
So my duty is to help the kids stay focused, continue learning, and not scream at them in the process. To do this, I called in reinforcements - my cousin Kenneth, the Rubik's cube champion. I told my kids we would have a special guest on Thursday, named Mr. Brandon. Here are some of the conversations that ensued:
Roberta: "Is this a real guest or is it like the time that you 'went to Hawaii' and we had that Pythagorean chick teach us?"
Me: "No, no, he's real."
Bob: "So is his first name Brandon?"
Me: "No, Brandon is his last name."
Bob: "I'm confused, what's his first name?"
Me: "His name is Kenneth Brandon."
Bob: "Whoa, he has two first names, cool!"
Bobby: "Wait, if he's your cousin, why isn't his last name Dempsey?"
Me: "You see his mother and my mother are sisters."
Bobby: "I don't get it."
Me: "See, my mother once had a different last name from Dempsey and his mother had that same last name before she married Mr. Brandon. They each got married and then changed their names."
Roberta: "Oh, yeah, girls used to have to change their last names!"
Yes, these are the bright minds of the future that I teach...Well, they loved having Mr. Brandon come visit (even though we had to explain his name a couple more times). He explained to them about the number of positions on a cube and relating it to how long it would take to you to spin the cube once every second and reach every position (1.5 trillion years, in case you were wondering). Then he wowed them all by solving the cube (in one class he did it in 25 seconds). They were amazed. One girl even said, "I can't do that, I can't even tie my shoes!" Aren't they great! She's such a funny girl and we all laughed.
The kids all thought it was really cool and some of my Geometry kids brought out their cubes after he left and solved it. One did so in under a minute.
So my cousin took time off work, drove up to my school and taught in 3 of my classes from 9:20 until 1:00 with various breaks. He's so cool.
So my duty is to help the kids stay focused, continue learning, and not scream at them in the process. To do this, I called in reinforcements - my cousin Kenneth, the Rubik's cube champion. I told my kids we would have a special guest on Thursday, named Mr. Brandon. Here are some of the conversations that ensued:
Roberta: "Is this a real guest or is it like the time that you 'went to Hawaii' and we had that Pythagorean chick teach us?"
Me: "No, no, he's real."
Bob: "So is his first name Brandon?"
Me: "No, Brandon is his last name."
Bob: "I'm confused, what's his first name?"
Me: "His name is Kenneth Brandon."
Bob: "Whoa, he has two first names, cool!"
Bobby: "Wait, if he's your cousin, why isn't his last name Dempsey?"
Me: "You see his mother and my mother are sisters."
Bobby: "I don't get it."
Me: "See, my mother once had a different last name from Dempsey and his mother had that same last name before she married Mr. Brandon. They each got married and then changed their names."
Roberta: "Oh, yeah, girls used to have to change their last names!"
Yes, these are the bright minds of the future that I teach...Well, they loved having Mr. Brandon come visit (even though we had to explain his name a couple more times). He explained to them about the number of positions on a cube and relating it to how long it would take to you to spin the cube once every second and reach every position (1.5 trillion years, in case you were wondering). Then he wowed them all by solving the cube (in one class he did it in 25 seconds). They were amazed. One girl even said, "I can't do that, I can't even tie my shoes!" Aren't they great! She's such a funny girl and we all laughed.
The kids all thought it was really cool and some of my Geometry kids brought out their cubes after he left and solved it. One did so in under a minute.
So my cousin took time off work, drove up to my school and taught in 3 of my classes from 9:20 until 1:00 with various breaks. He's so cool.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Ahhh!!! That's ok, I'm alright.
I'm a well traveled individual. I've planned trips around the world for myself and others. Yet I just made one of the scariest travel choices of my life. I bought my ticket to Entebbe today.
I was given the names of two travel agents and I found some more online who specialize in missionary travel. One said that he couldn't work with groups smaller than 10 ( 1< 10 so I figured that wouldn't work for me). I then got a quote of $2,600 from someone online. I thought that I was supposed to get a better discount than that so I finally found the number of the last person who was recommended to me. Her two options were $3,800 that would get me there on the wrong day or $2,400 that would get me there on the wrong day and cause me to have an overnight layover in Dubai.
Dubai is a beautiful city that is overflowing with wealth right now. It's the Las Vegas of the middle east. They just built an island in the shape of a palm tree. Yes, they built an entire island. There's also a really cool building that looks like a stack of post-its that was twisted into a spiral. It's supposed to have the world's best shopping and amazing hotels. Mine would cost $136 a night in a safe area, according to my travel agent. But you know what, I'm not going to spend the night in a hotel in a strange country where women don't have equal rights to men - all by myself. If I'm going to be a part of a harem, it will be on the Bachelor, thank you very much.
So I decided against the overnight stay in Dubai - much to my father's relief. I thought I would try this on my own. It seemed that the travel agents weren't getting me the amazing deals I thought, so why not try my hand at travelocity? I did and I found pretty good flights. My grand total (after taxes etc.) is $2806. It's more than one of the travel agents, but it includes traveler's insurance and I don't have a middle man (or a layover in anywhere scarier than Detroit).
I prayed out loud before I decided, "God help me make the right choice," and I chose my own way. As soon as it was processing my credit card (who knew I had such a high limit? I had never let myself check my limit before.) I panicked. What if I made the wrong choice? What if these dates don't work for the missionaries? What if the travel agents get mad? (Seriously, I've talked to one of the travel agents for a combined total of 1 minute and I'm sure that she will like me less for not using her and that bothers me. How sick am I? People pleaser...) Then the travelocity site dinged and said that I was confirmed.
CONFIRMED!! I've got a plane ticket to UGANDA!! I almost threw up. I called my dad and I still felt queasy. I called my roommate and left her a pathetic message about panicking and then I went on my way.
I got through the rest of my evening feeling a little better, but still a little off. You know when something big happens and the rest of the world isn't affected by it and you can't believe that they're acting normally while this big thing is happening? That's how I felt. The little voice in my head (at least the happy one I like to listen to the most) kept saying You have a ticket to Uganda! The evil voice that I was trying to ignore kept saying What if you are alone in the Entebbe airport overnight? What if people try to rob you in the airport while you wait? How will you find the people picking you up? What if you picked the wrong day and they won't actually be at the airport? How will you call your parents once you arrive? Are you going to be so tired you'll get sick? Do you really want to go?
The panic strikes again and I try to calm myself. But you know, the truth is, I know that God wants me to go and the fear is a good thing. If I'm scared to go and I go anyway, it's just going to build my trust in God. If I'm not scared, I'll forget that I need Him.
So I'm going a little crazy. I'm excited and scared and freaking out a bit, but I'm not so crazy that I can't enjoy this preparation. So now I can officially say that I'm going to Uganda this summer - or at least I have my ticket.
I was given the names of two travel agents and I found some more online who specialize in missionary travel. One said that he couldn't work with groups smaller than 10 ( 1< 10 so I figured that wouldn't work for me). I then got a quote of $2,600 from someone online. I thought that I was supposed to get a better discount than that so I finally found the number of the last person who was recommended to me. Her two options were $3,800 that would get me there on the wrong day or $2,400 that would get me there on the wrong day and cause me to have an overnight layover in Dubai.
Dubai is a beautiful city that is overflowing with wealth right now. It's the Las Vegas of the middle east. They just built an island in the shape of a palm tree. Yes, they built an entire island. There's also a really cool building that looks like a stack of post-its that was twisted into a spiral. It's supposed to have the world's best shopping and amazing hotels. Mine would cost $136 a night in a safe area, according to my travel agent. But you know what, I'm not going to spend the night in a hotel in a strange country where women don't have equal rights to men - all by myself. If I'm going to be a part of a harem, it will be on the Bachelor, thank you very much.
So I decided against the overnight stay in Dubai - much to my father's relief. I thought I would try this on my own. It seemed that the travel agents weren't getting me the amazing deals I thought, so why not try my hand at travelocity? I did and I found pretty good flights. My grand total (after taxes etc.) is $2806. It's more than one of the travel agents, but it includes traveler's insurance and I don't have a middle man (or a layover in anywhere scarier than Detroit).
I prayed out loud before I decided, "God help me make the right choice," and I chose my own way. As soon as it was processing my credit card (who knew I had such a high limit? I had never let myself check my limit before.) I panicked. What if I made the wrong choice? What if these dates don't work for the missionaries? What if the travel agents get mad? (Seriously, I've talked to one of the travel agents for a combined total of 1 minute and I'm sure that she will like me less for not using her and that bothers me. How sick am I? People pleaser...) Then the travelocity site dinged and said that I was confirmed.
CONFIRMED!! I've got a plane ticket to UGANDA!! I almost threw up. I called my dad and I still felt queasy. I called my roommate and left her a pathetic message about panicking and then I went on my way.
I got through the rest of my evening feeling a little better, but still a little off. You know when something big happens and the rest of the world isn't affected by it and you can't believe that they're acting normally while this big thing is happening? That's how I felt. The little voice in my head (at least the happy one I like to listen to the most) kept saying You have a ticket to Uganda! The evil voice that I was trying to ignore kept saying What if you are alone in the Entebbe airport overnight? What if people try to rob you in the airport while you wait? How will you find the people picking you up? What if you picked the wrong day and they won't actually be at the airport? How will you call your parents once you arrive? Are you going to be so tired you'll get sick? Do you really want to go?
The panic strikes again and I try to calm myself. But you know, the truth is, I know that God wants me to go and the fear is a good thing. If I'm scared to go and I go anyway, it's just going to build my trust in God. If I'm not scared, I'll forget that I need Him.
So I'm going a little crazy. I'm excited and scared and freaking out a bit, but I'm not so crazy that I can't enjoy this preparation. So now I can officially say that I'm going to Uganda this summer - or at least I have my ticket.
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