Anak-anak

That's Indonesian for "children." I like them. I cannot believe how my first day this year compared to my first day last year. Last year I called my parents at home before I left for school that day, around 6:30 p.m. Nebraska time, 6:30 a.m. here. I was terrified. I somehow made it through the day with a good number of hyperventilating panic attacks (only four!), and when I got home at the end of the day, I crawled under the covers of my bed and sobbed until it was late enough for me to call my parents again without waking them up. "I...wanna...go...hooooooooooooommmmme..." I don't know quite how I got out of bed the next morning, but somehow I did.

This year, my first day was fun. I cannot believe the difference a year makes. My students are all very sweet so far. I'm teaching English to grades 8, 9 and 10, and Humanities to grade 7, plus my journalism activity. (Or "jurnolist" as it was spelled by...a pigeon? a trained baboon, perhaps? on the student sign-up sheet.) Howdy, y'all, I'm a jurnolist. Wow. Anyway, it should be a good year.

Is this normal for teachers? The first year is terrifying and then it gets better? I've been told this, but maybe I just had to experience it to really get it.

The 11th and 12th grade students here wear the same uniform shirt and pants as everyone else, but they also wear dark red neckties. I don't know why, but when I saw last year's 10th graders in their new red ties, I just about got teary-eyed. They looked so grown up! I can't believe how fond I am of the students here. It shouldn't surprise me, since they're incredible kids. I had my first 8th grade English class today, and the students in it are all students I taught last year for 7th grade Humanities. They are so enthusiastic and bright. I cannot wait to teach these kids for a whole year, I really can't. The first 40 minutes today were great. A lot of them are in my activity, too, along with some older students. It'll be a fun activity, partially because I miss journalism (or jurnolism, whatever floats your boat) so much and partially because the kids who have signed up are definitely kids I can handle spending extra time with during the week. They're all really hard-working and fun, so it will definitely be a good time.

Well, I need to be productive now and try to research some more on ancient Indonesian literature. The problem I've run in to so far is that the books and websites I'm finding (and there are a lot!) are all in Indonesian. Makes sense, obviously, but it doesn't help me a whole lot. Wish me luck!