I Got it Done

Khalas!!! I'm finished! I made it!!! I don't teach students again until September, hall elujah! Wow, what a year. I'm glad it ended with a decent day. Granted, it was a party day, but the kids were pretty good. We sort of watched a movie in the morning, then had some food, went out for break, had some dessert, played a game that involved popping balloons and getting their presents from me, had a nerf-arrow-gun fight that came from the presents another student brought in, and just kind of hung out until it was time for them to go home. I even recieved a few gifts today. One was the same thing that one of my girls brought in for everyone, which is where the nerf arrow guns game from, one was a 20 piece dish set, and the last one, from my little sweetheart Ayesha, was a white gold and diamond necklace from one of the top jewlers here--Damas. It is beautiful. Seven diamonds set in a gentle S pattern, getting bigger toward the bottom. They aren't big diamonds (thankfully), but I mean--I got a diamond necklace complete with certificate! I'll have to take and post a picture. It's actually a fairly typical example of the gifts that people give here. Farah got a couple of gold rings--one with a pearl and one with diamonds, a gold necklace, gold bacelet, gold earrings, and several $100+ perfumes. The expectations/generosity/standard of gift-giving here is amazing.

OH! And...! I got a very special skirt in the mail yesterday, just in time to wear for my last day. :o) My two closest friends from home--Kati and Kara--and I have a traveling skirt. It's been making the rounds for going on three years now, and it's definitely had it's fair share of traveling. Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Iowa, Montana, Arizona, Texas, Washington, Wyoming, as well as Mexico, Ghana, Sweeden, Finland, Norway, and now the UAE. Wow! It's filled with lots of love. That was a pretty exciting thing to have handed to me on Wednesday morning.

Now it's late, and time for me to head to bed. Farah and I had ourselves a little adventure this evening (involving a walk home from a mall, dark streets, and going a little too much right and not quite enough straight) that took us not quite where we intended to go. But, I happed to discover that I live about three blocks from one of the biggest and most reputable new and used car dealers in the UAE, so that was exciting (Dad, we should have walked another two blocks past the one small corner dealer that we went to where we had to cross the road and climb the cement baricade). Seeing as I've been looking at vehicles from this particular dealer, I'll have to go check it out on Saturday.

Ok, tired, goodnight.
~Nikki

A Call to Pryr

Well, I am trying to be more thankful for the things that I have and the many blssings in my life, my biggest ones right now being that I am done with kids on Thursday and that I have a plane ticket home! But... *sigh* I know that we all are in need of pryer, but I'm I'm going to go ahead and share with you a few specific areas in my life that I would appreciate help with.

- I'm in a sticky situation with the school because they just informed me that they won't be paying all of my summer vacation as stipulated in my contract. I didn't work a full year, so I don't get full summer pay. Nevermind my contract, it's "school rules."
- I'm trying to buy a vehicle. That in itself is a big process, but in order to get a loan from the bank, I've heard that I first need to have my salary deposited three months in a row. I just got a bank account last month, and today was the first payday that my salary should have gone in (we get paid once a month). Last night I realized that I accidentally left out a digit when I gave my account number to the accountant here at school, and I forgot to tell him today. Because of they way that we get our summer pay, that means I won't have hit the three months in a row requirement until November. There is more to that story, but I've given enough details.
- I supposed to have a third meeting with my principal at the end of this week. I'm not sure why.
- Housing next year. The school just told Farah and I that we can't move out of Sharjah next year, even though we were promised that we would be going. They aren't even allowing her to move in with a fellow teacher who will have an open bedroom. There is also even more to that story, but just know that housing next year is a mild concern right now as well. The current economy has a lot to do with the timing of signing a lease (one-year) and with buying a car.
- I only have three (two) days left (Prais The Lrd!), but I am weary. They will are going to be some of the longest days I've had yet.

Thank you, and thank you. And please feel free to share any requests that you have. Focusing on others is a great way to stop focusing on yourself. :o)
~Nikki

Thankfulness

It has been said to me at least twice in the last two days that I try too hard. I they might be right. I'm not exactly sure what people see in my life that causes them to say that, or how to go about trying not to try so hard, but I think that I do indeed try to hard sometimes. And I should consider how to change that.

I also realized that I am not as thankful as I ought to be, or just that I don't let it show. You can't really tell people that you have joy, and then not let them see it. It just doesn't work that way. I have previously mentioned that the DNA of sin is selfishness, and here I will also note that the source of joy is thankfulness. I want to be a joyful person, and I am thankful. Therefore, let me tell you what I am thankful for.

- I have a job, and it is secure. Right now, that is an amazing thing to be thankful for. Not only do I have a job, but it pays well, and provides my housing and utilities.
- The end is near. It has been a challenging year, but it is almost over. I get to take a break soon!
- My job and the cheap cost of living here allow me to save a lot of money. I have been able to put a huge dent in my student loans. That is a wonderful bl'ssing.
- My job has brought me to a new and amazing place that I never would have dreamed about coming to otherwise. The people I have met here and the experiences I have had are incredible. I can no longer imagine my life without them.
- I have gone through a lot of difficult things this year, but I know that they are for my good. They are refining me and making into the image of my maker. I realize that sometimes I'll post about what rough things are currently going on in my life, but there is never enough space (or energy) to really explain everything that is going on in my heart related to my circumstances, or to portray how differently I now handle situations. Just ask my family if I ever (more like how often) called home crying during college. Challenges and injustices just don't get to me the way they used to. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything! If the growth on the inside could be seen on the outside, I think I'd be 5'9" or 5'10" by now instead of 5'4".
- I know that I am where I am supposed to be! That may not sound like a big deal, but think back on those times when you were (or maybe right now you are) so uncertain about what you should do or where you should go; if you should choose A or B or F. Talk about frustrating. Yes, I have spent time in "what-if land" recently, but I'm getting a lot closer to not letting that be a problem, and I find that as long as I am resting and submitting to the man with the plan, I soon know what I should do.
- I have people who love me, and who care about me, and who prey for me. I have a savior who did more than die for me. What more can I ask for?
- I have a really great (from scratch) soup simmering on the stove right now. It smells good. I think I'm going to go enjoy it now. (I just had some. It is good!)

As always, I welcome your thoughts or your questions, and also your pr'yrs.

Have a joyful weekend.
~Nikki

again, many thanks to pinkle for the music

Language Advisory

The title is a serious one, actually. I'm going to use a couple of words in this post that are kind of gross. I both apologize and do not apologize

Lately I fear that I am guilty of committing emotional master bay shun (henceforth 'mbs'). Mbs is not just about sex--it's about selfish, self-gratification. I understand that marriage often doesn't cure this habit; it's easier to do than having sex with your spouse. But that isn't really what this post is about.

Lately I've been watching Grey's Anatomy. I come home in the afternoons, and more often than not, I'll pull up an episode online and watch for 45 minutes. Now, I had to take a break for a little while. I watched too many episodes in one weekend, and then something happened on the show that just kind of upset me. The show isn't really about medicine, or even working in hospital. If you watch it more often than once a week, you quickly realize that it's about sex, which is what a lot of shows are really about. This one just happens to be dressed up in scrubs and a surgeon's coat. She has a one-night stand with Him, who turns out later that day to be her new boss. But new Roommate A also has a crush on Her, while Roommate B used to be a model and is gorgeous. She finds out that He is married, and in Her attempt to get over Him, She sleeps with lots of random guys. To get over Her, Roommate A sleeps with a girl, but the breaks it off and later ends up sleeping with Her, except She starts crying partway through because of Him, and now Roommate A has moved out and won't speak to her. Meanwhile Roommate B breaks up with her old guy, hooks up with a new guy, breaks up, hooks up and breaks up again, and Roommate A moves on to yet another new girl. Nevermind all of the other characters. Oh, and somewhere in there they save lives and perform surgeries. It's a great show--it's got lots of interesting medical things happening all the time, it pulls your emotions with something dramatic in nearly every episode, and it has cute relationship stories going on all over the place. It's pretty enjoyable to watch at the end of a stressful day. The only problem? It has no redeeming values. It satisfies your desire to "relax and unwind", and it makes you feel good. But there is nothing honoring about it, and it makes you think about and want things that you shouldn't. It is nothing more than self-gratification for the benefit of no one. And I am guilty. Guilty guilty guilty. Master bs just can't compare with good sex, and Meredith Grey just can't compete with, say, C.S. Lewis. As someone else recently pointed out about herself, I also have realized that too much tv makes my self-discipline decrease dramatically. So, I am resolving to be better. Like the questions posed in my last post, am I done with sin? Will I live my life so that others will praise J'sus? No more Grey's for me. If I can choose to wait for the fulfillment of great sex, then I can choose something better to fulfill my emotional and entertainment needs.

And speaking of sex, that is a topic that keeps finding it's way into my life (well, sex in/and marriage). A friend from church has been bugging me to re-read a book called Sex and the Supremacy of Chr'st. The link will take you to a website where you can read it (and many other books) online. It's based on a conference, and if you look around, you can also find video and audio from that conference. Some of the book I really liked, and some didn't do much for me, but the sections I would certainly recommend taking a look at are the ones to single men and single women, and on what every husband and every wife should know. Men, you need to touch your wife's mind and heart before you can touch her body. Women, when is the last time you thought about and anticipated your husband? Those are just two quick snippets from the chapters I mentioned. It's worth a look. It's free, and you can pick and choose your chapters, which really aren't that long.

Seeing as I'm finding more and more online resources that I'm enjoy/find useful/recommend/that have been recommended to me but I haven't gotten to, I'm thinking about making a list of links on the side of my blog. Would anyone be interested in that, or would that just be an exercise in me spending more time on the computer? You should feel free to give me your opinion.

Well, I was planning on being in bed hours ago. Like I said, I'm exhausted. I actually think there was something else I wanted to talk about in this post (or just better ways I wanted to say things in all of tonight's posts), but I'm too tired to think about that now.

Thanks,
~Nikki

Oh, ps. I finally figured out why I always get an email every time my dad writes a new blog post. What does that mean for you? If you want to get an email when I put up a new post, just leave a comment with your email address (and name, preferably).

One of Those Weeks

I'm am downright exhausted. Not because of my day today, and not because I didn't get enough sleep last night. It has simply been one of those weeks.Very draining both physically and emotionally. I had a short meeting with my HOD--it didn't go the way I was hoping. I had a very long meeting with my vice principal--it went better than I could have hope. And I had a meeting with my principal, which I just really don't want to talk about. Initially I had sort of thought that if two out of three were good, then I would stay where I was and things for next year would be ok. Well, I didn't exactly get what I was hoping for. My last meeting didn't go badly for me, but it was not at all what I wanted. So, Thursday afternoon, I was ready to be done with my present place of employment; I'd already sent my CV to a recruiter and was ready to start visiting some schools in person. I checked out one-way plane tickets home.

Then there was this morning. Our service today was about songs in the Bib le; "sing a new song" (see Ps alm 98). With the aforementioned passage as our reference guide, our guest speaker took us through the Bi' and showed us that when Iz real sings "a new song", it usually because they singing about Gd's salvation; in some way or other, they have been rescued and are therefore prey sing and were shiping out of thankfulness. It was a good message, but what really got to me was the end. The speaker posed four questions.

1. Do you know Jes as your savior? Are you able to "sing a new song" because you know from what you have been saved and who saved you?
2. Are you done with sin? Are you willing to leave behind those things that you know do not glorify the one who saved you from those very sins?
3. Do you count yourself as nothing before Je's?
4. Will you live your life and die your death so that others will praise J'sus?

As I chewed on those questions for myself, I was reminded that my life is not my own. Firstly, it was bought for a very great price. And second, I gave it away a long time ago. I pledged it to the service of one who is far greater and wiser than I will ever ever be. As I remembered these things, and as I pondered those questions, a feeling crept back into my mind. That feeling that said this life isn't about what I want. That feeling that said I was put where I am for a reason, and it doesn't matter if working there is uncomfortable. Those images and ideas for what I'll be doing next year, all taking place in the very same classroom I'm in now. I thought about my HOD and my principal, and even my vice principal--people who are just too busy to properly deal with problems in the school; people I have failed to prey for. I didn't like it. I still don't necessarily like it. But, again, it isn't about what I like. It's about what brings Gd glory. If I count myself as nothing, and if I am truly willing to live and die so that others will preys Js, then I need to be where I need to be, regardless.

I have been saved from many a terrible thing, and I have so many incredible things for which to be thankful. I hope that you will join me in singing a new song. I hope that you are singing hallelujah--"praise God."

Melting Pot or Tossed Salad

I guess it doesn't really matter if you prefer the term "melting pot" or "tossed salad", Dubai is one of those places. I am friends or acquaintances or co-workers with people from at least 24 different countries: The US, India, Lebanon, Ireland, South Africa, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Canada, Belgium, Kenya, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Egypt, Palestine, The Philipines, The UK, Australia, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iran, Iraq, The UAE and Paupa New Guinea. I have also met people from China, Afghanistan, Russia, Somalia, Bahrain, Argentina, and I believe from Poland, the Ukraine, Sri Lanka, and Chad. Those are just the ones that I know of--there are people from many more places that I haven't even met so far. The diversity just in the cherch that I attend is staggering!

So, in case I've never painted an accurate picture of what Dubai is really like, people wise, there it is.

Fight to the Death

Hallas. It's finished. I had two meetings today. After the first, I felt ok. After the second, I felt really good.

The first meeting was right after school, with my HOD. This morning she told me that the principal (aka 'Madam') is coming to observe my class during first period tomorrow. This afternoon she wanted to discuss my lesson plan with me, which is a good thing, except then she went on to basically plan the lesson for me, which is... ok. The only problem is that she wants me to several things that are good activities, but which are completely new to my kids. I'm pretty worried that it's going to cause mayhem in my classroom. And I also get the feeling that she's trying to suddenly save her own skin while not looking out for me. I could be very wrong there. She was really nice and got some materials made for me right away. But yesterday was the first time she came for any sort of extended observation since my previous meeting with her and my vp, and even then it wasn't a full lesson. It just seems awfully coincidental.

Anyway, the first "meeting" lasted maybe ten minutes. The second meeting, however, was with my vice principal and lasted a good hour and a half. It was such a good meeting. We to cover a lot of topics, and I got to share many things that have bothering me. I started out by taking responsibility for what I needed to, and I really tried to continually own my contribution to the problem. Thankfully, I also felt that I was the safety and the opportunity to share some rather ugly things that have been happening here, particularly in my HOD's office. It wasn't a blame-shifting party, but I said some things that I felt needed to be said, got some good feedback from her, and am prepared for my observation and any upcoming meetings with the principal or whomever.

So, here is to attempting to be more than just a cultural Chr stn. Here is a great big thank you for the many pr airs that I know have been said on my behalf. And here's to fighting to the death.

many thanks to pinkle music for the link in this post.

Brokeness

I am weak, I am poor, I am broken, Lord, but I'm yours. Hold me now. Hold me now.

Today, it hurts. Today, my job hurts, and my heart hurts. And I am in need of a little more...

Very Good

Yesterday, someone who speaks the language told me that in Farsi (aka Persian), Nikki sounds like the two words for "very good." Knowing that made me really happy.

It was another looong, week at work, with a less-than-fun ending, but the details of that aren't important. What is important is that, inshalla (God-willing) I'll be getting my plane ticket sorted out tomorrow, and I learned more good lessons this weekend. Before I jump to events of this weekend, I'll note that the vice principal has invited me to meet with her in order to give me a chance to tell my side of the story and to say what I think the school could have done better to help me. I think this will be a really good opportunity for me, and I'm very thankful that I have been given the grace to get through all of this with an attitude that I hope has been honoring. So, tomorrow, I'm planning on staying after school to speak with her. One of the other things I hope to do this week is to also meet with my HOD. Basically, I've just been avoiding the woman since everything started falling apart. I've been doing my part, while she has not been doing hers. I won't lie--that mostly makes me happy. Now, maybe that's the wrong attitude, but I think that good will come out of it. Especially considering the following little narrative.

One of the things I was reminded of yesterday was that we need to prey for our enemies, and that at all times and in all ways it is our duty to reflect the character and the nature of Gd, of Cr'st. If I really stop to consider what that implies for me, have I been doing that? The answer, regretably, is no. I have been faithfully doing my job. I have worked hard to change the things they have asked me to change. I have striven to keep my mouth shut and to not speak to others about the things that are making me angry, just so that I can let off some steam and make myself feel better. I have fought to bear this and respond with grace. And I have been thankful for the patience and attitude I have that I know did not just come from inside myself. But all of that is not enough. Just turning the other cheek is not enough. I need to reach out in love. I need to die to myself, and to take on the character of the one who paid my debts and washed away all of the ugly stains of that were smeared across my soul. I know that I have to go to my HOD, and to try to make things right with her. It won't be fun. It won't feel very nice. I'm quite certain that I won't enjoy it and hope that I get to do it again. But if you leave a gaping wound unstitched because you're afraid of needles, it's just a matter of time before infection takes hold. If you ignore gangrene in your finger because you are afraid to cut it out, pretty soon you're going to lose your whole hand. If sacrificing a little pride and dignity means saving my character, then I'll gladly walk in to that office and start the conversation that needs to be had.

Too often, we get comfortable and we get lazy. Let me be the first in line to say that this description fits me. We read the good book. We go sing and sit in a service on Sundays. We might even be involved in one or more B studies, and we prey for those in need. We put our money in the offering plate, and we don't steal or lie or cheat too often. We've never physically murdered someone, and we don't go out having lusty affairs on the weekends. On the whole, and compared to many, we're pretty good people. We know and love Gd, and that's all that matters. WRONG.
"A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. / Not everyone who says to me, 'Lrd, Lrd,' will enter the kingdom of hvn, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in h'n. Many will say to me on that day, 'L'd, Lrd, did we not prof esy in your name, and in your name drive out de mans and perform many mere icles?' Then I will tell then plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evldoers!' " 7:18am-7:23am. Matthew.

Is your life bearing good fruit? Can it be plainly seen by others? It is not enough to know Gd. Even the deemans know him and tremble, but rest assured that they will not be invited to spend forever with Him. Thinking about this last night really seared me. How am I cultivating my heart so that my life is able to bear good fruit? What am I fertilizing and watering it with? Am I putting good things into it? Lazy people don't have good gardens. When others look at the garden of my life, what do they see? Wow. I can know G, but does he know me as his child?

One of the most beautiful and amazing things to me about people who are new to the family is their passion and their zeal. I almost feel sorry sometimes for those of us who have grown up in Chrisch hen homes. In fact, I think it can be really dangerous. We grow up with people who prey before meals and who live good lives and who sit in pews on Sundays. We rarely experience that amazing transformation of knowing what it is to go from being so lost to suddenly being saved! We fail to understand just how desperately we need help, because we've never really taken a look at the ugliness inside ourselves. We think that going to chatechi sm classes or taking our first com munion or being bapt eyezed puts a stamp on us that says "Approved" --we're going to hev n when we. We believe this very attractive lie that tells us we're really not bad people, and as long as we believe in Gh od and do more good than bad, then we have a "Get out of jail free" card and G will let us in. The ruler of hell is not interested in deceiving mass murderers and Nazi's and tear or ists; people who beat their wives and steal and abuse their children--he already has those people. The people he has to work to trick are those people who think that they are ok, who think that they are doing "the right thing." I beg you. I urge you. I plead with you--take a long, hard look in the mirror. I know that I need to. Do I know what Chr' ist will say to me when I finally see him face to face? When he asks me what I did with everything that was entrusted to me--my family, my possessions, my time, my knowledge, my resources and abilities; what will say to him? When others look at my life, can they tell that there is something different about me? What in my lifestyle sets me apart from those who do not share my hope? What good fruit am I bearing?

Wow. Talk about the need for a reality check. To close, I would love to hear about what is happening in your life. I'm losing touch with people from home, and it's making me a bit sad. How is G working in your life? Or, how about just a few quick sentences on what's new with you? Leave a comment, email me, facebook me--take your pick. I'd just be happy to hear from people on the other side of the screen. :o)

Thanks for taking a few minutes to read my thoughts.
~Nikki

Tripping Along

This weekend has been a really great weekend. I now get to cher ch on Friday's with a couple of guys who live near me--Dipak (DEE-pack) and his brother Dennis. Dipak (their family is Indian, though he and Dennis have a very American accent) is a university student who is finishing up sommething like his 6th semester as a mechanical (I think) engineering student, while Dennis is in his last year of high school. Anyway, they picked me up, we stopped and picked up a few more guys--Karun (kuh-ROON) and Baber (BAH-ber), then headed to Jebel Ali. On the way there they asked me if I was planning on heading to the marriage conference that was being held this weekend. Paul Tripp, who is from Philedelphia, was speaking that morning and was then doing a two-session conference. I had forgotten about lectures and wan't planning on going, but the guys told me that it was ok that I wasn't pre-registered, and that I should just go anyway. So, I decided to go. However, the conference wasn't starting until 6:00pm. That left about 6 hours to kill between the end of the morning service and the beginning of the conference.

Let me back up just a smidge and explain how Fridays go for me. Dipak and Dennis can give me a ride to Jebel Ali (JEH-bul AH-lee), however they don't go back to Sharjah until around midnight. That means that I after the service each week, I have to somehow navigate my way back to Sharjah, which is a good 40 minute+ drive, and very few people who attend on Fridays live in Sharjah. So, it's a little interesting. This Friday, if I wanted to go to the conference, I needed to find someone to hang out with for the day, who could also get me home afterwards (and hopefully back the next day for the rest of the conference). Well, I finally mustered up enough courage to find Karun after the service to ask him what he was doing. During the car ride to Jebel Ali, I realized that he is in a similar situation to me, so I thought perhaps he could help me out. To shorten this story, which is getting lengthy and boring, I ended up spending the afternoon with Karun, another Indian guy named Nissan (NIH-sun), and a Brittish university student named Paul. We had a really great afternoon getting lunch and then just hanging out and talking at a near-by mall. It was very pleasant, and I've now made a few new friends.

Around 6:00, we headed back to the building for the conference, which was fantastic. First, Paul Tripp is a great speaker--his delivery was wonderful. On top of that, what he had to say was excellent. Friday night was basically the diagnosis of what the root of all marriage (and essentially, all relationship) problems are. He spoke until 9:30, with only two short breaks, but man the did time fly. He begins by saying that life is lived in the little moments, not the big, grand ones. The moments that we often tend to overlook are the ones that make the difference. He then coveres the following three principals:

1. A marriage of unity, understanding, and love is not rooted in romance, but in worship. Romance is not the cause of love, it is a result of love. When we begin a dating relationship with someone, there may be romance because we are attracted to the other person and we are trying to win them over. Then, after we get married, we find that the person we dated is not the same person that we married--the person we dated was somewhat fake; it's the "impress-'em" stage. We then live with this other person who does things that causes us to get upset, and angry, and frustrated, and we know that if the other person would just stop doing those things then we wouldn't react so negatively--we wouldn't get so mad, we wouldn't shout, we wouldn't have said those biting words, we wouldn't have to use the silent treatment. But the truth is that what comes out of us when we are angry is only what was inside of us to start. No matter who you are, you are a worshiper of something. What are you worshiping? How is that affecting the person you are in your heart?

2. Sin causes us to shrink the sice of our lives to the size of our lives.
My wants, my needs, and my feelings become the most important things in my life. We fail to keep the important things important. I want the person I married to just stop doing those things that frustrate me! That make me so angry! That annoy me! Why are they always doing things that they know make me uphappy? We let the little things in life become our lives; having to make that extra stop at the grocery store on the way home. Always leaving shoes in front of the door. Someone eating the muffin on the counter that you were planning having for breakfast. Your child cutting up your newspaper for her school project. We allow the little things in life to change moments we can bless someone into moments when we get angry. We personalize things that aren't personal. We become adversarial, and we settle for quick, situational solutions. We forget who and what are really important.

3. Marriage, this side of h'vn, is always a ware between two kingdoms.
We cannot serve both Gd and (fill in the blank). We are always warring between serving our creator, and serving ourselves. We let our treasures here on earth--our nice vehicle, our clean house, those new golf clubs--get in the way. We worry about our those things that we "need". Our selfish feelings rule over us.

To sum up day one, the root of all of our problems is sin, and the DNA of sin is selfishness.

I have now told you about the diagnosis part of the conference, but I'm not going to say anything about the prescription portion that I went to today. You'll have to check it out for yourself. And I highly recommend doing so. Paul's website has a link where you can purchase a cd or dvd format of this conference (he gives it often, and at many places around the globe). Both formats come with a downloadable and reprintable study-guide. This would definitely be a great thing to use in a small-group, with a few friends, just as a couple, and even for you unmarried folk. What he had to say is transferable to any relationship in your life. I've challenged you before, my dear readers, grab some paper and a book to study. Have you done that yet? Have you invested some quality time growing your spirit? If you're not moving toward the Father, you're moving away from him--unfortunately there isn't really a standing-still area. If you haven't yet gotten a book, because maybe you're not really a book kind of person, then I urge you to take a look at Paul's website. I'm just looking at it myself, but I think he has a free download for one of his books if you're not quite ready to make the leap to purchase something. You can find his website here http://www.paultripp[men is trees].org/ (You have to substitute the correct spelling or one word for the three words in brackets) Get moving forward. :o)

And for those of you who may read this and don't believe in a higher power, which would mean that you think all of this is really wouldn't be helpful for you, email me. Let's talk.

Friday night I ended up staying at the Cousino's--always an enjoyable experience. Then today, after the conference, I got a ride home from Dipak's parents, but not without first being invited to their place for lunch with them and Dennis. If you're not familar with Indian food, it's delicious, though spicy. I am not a spicy food kind of person, but I managed pretty well. There was enough mild food and juice that I was able to adequately switch flavors as keep my face from getting beet red. The biggest problem, actually, was the culture. They love to serve you food. And more food. And every kind of food. I think I probably ate about three times what I would have liked to--no joke. Katherine, I realized too late that it is a little bit like Puertoricans and alcohol--don't let your glass get empty. But even that only would have worked after I had tried everything at the table. Good grief. I finally figured out when I was close to bursting that everyone else had some food left on their plates, so it was ok to leave some on mine to signal that I was finished. Finally dishes were cleared away and I lumbered back to the living room to sit down. But I had not been sitting five minutes when Dennis' mom, bless her heart, brought me a big bowl of jello. I could only manage a few spoonfulls--I felt bad. But they were really wonderful people, and we had a nice time.

So, it was a very good and full weekend, and I am ready to face another week at school. Only a few more; holly lou ya, holly lou ya, holly lou ya.

Little Things

It's the little things in life that can make all the difference. Little things can make or break your day. Hearing from a friend what your HOD was saying in reference to you can really ruin your night if you let it. Being summoned to the office by a second person when you just told the first person you can't go because you have substitution in five minutes can be really irritating. Little things.

But then there are the really great little things. Fining a casual dress that is attractive, flatters your figure and that doesn't show more than you want it to! For $10! Finding that really great shirt that you half-dreamed about finding, for under $10! And then, my favorite. :o) As I've mentioned before, this is a pretty aggressive culture. When you buy fruits and vegetables at the grocery store, you get them weighed and tagged in the produce section before you pay. This can be a not very nice experience--you'll never get your things weighed if you don't make a point of keeping your spot in the herd. So, the other day I was waiting to put my bags on the scale, and there were the two staffing the scales. I recognized the guy I was heading toward; he had his head down and his usual tired expression. Someone would plop a bag onto the scale, and he would click away on the right keys, slap the label on the bag, run it through the little contraption that tapes it shut, set it on the counter, and click away on the keys for the next bag that was already waiting on the scale. He did this mechanically, looking up only when necessary, silently working away. Three people in front of me. Two people in front of me. One person in front of me. Plop. Click. Stick. Plop. Finally I got up there, got my things weighed, and as I picked up my last bag I was about to make of point of saying my usual "Thank you", which those poor people never here. But he beat me to it. Before I could even get the words out of my mouth, the man smiled at me and said "Welcome." I was the only person he said it to.

It is the things in life that can really affect your day. Or even a few days. Instead of sweating the small stuff, I'm trying to savor it.

Wonderings and Weddings

*Sigh* Wonderings...
I need help right now. I very much need peryers, and perhaps a few words of wisdom that anyone cares to share. I honestly don't know what I should do for next year. Some days I'm up for the challenge, knowing that in the end I will be defended by the ultimate authority. Then I have times when I can't imagine another year of this, when I'm ready to pack up and head back home to sanity. I realize that I have made many mistakes, and I get just as angry with myself for that as I do with the school for their mistakes. I guess, I guess I just don't know where I'm supposed to be, or what I'm supposed to do. So, I'm very much needing wisdom in this situation. Perhaps I'm not supposed to be waiting for a sign or to be lead in the right direction--maybe this decision is entirely up to me; I don't know. In any case, I want to be upright and honorable. So please, prey for me.

As for the weddings part of this post--I went to a local wedding on Thursday night. WOW. I'm pretty sure they spent as much on the wedding cake (which was just for looks) as I plan to on my entire wedding. It wasn't actually a wedding, so much a reception for the women--no men allowed. So, we walked into this room where everything is white and gold, and immediately in front of us was a mirror that had to be at least five feet wide by ten feet tall. I think it was on a temporary wall that was just sort of in the middle of the room. So, to actually get in, you had to walk around this wall. To the left, to the right, on the back of this temporary wall, and behind it were more of the same mirrors--four or five in all. And at every mirror were women taking off their black abayas and shaylas (head coverings), touching up hair and makeup. On the walls and the tables and floors was glittery and shimmery and gauzy white fabric, and white roses. Everywhere, white roses. That was just the enterance. When you walked into the arena where the event was actually being held (think tall like a gym), then the real decorations started. I already mentioned the cake--which was something like a mini Eiffle Tower, but there was more of the soft white fabric coming down from the ceiling eveywhere, white columns, and tables decorated like you can't imagine. Every chair was wrapped in white and gold fabric with bows, the place settings had decorative gold chargers with two plates on top, another small plate for appetizers, more silverware than I tried to count, and these ornate gold "paperweights" for each of the napkins. Each place-setting also had six little dishes of appetizers, and on the corners of the tables (tables were set in large in large squares around the big, tall columns with an opening for the servers to get in and out) there were little towers with candles and roses and dishes full of sweets. There were white roses everywhere, decorative white boxes with gold decorations on them, and for each guest there were two white and gold gift boxes that must have been specially made; one had sweets inside and the other had a little napkin, instant hand sanitizer (with this specially-made gold logo that was on everything. It says something in Arabic), a toothpick, breath mints etc). When it was time for the food to be served, there had to have been at least 14 different dishes, and sadly a number of them went completely untouched. After the meal, they had several dessert tables. Wow--I wish I would have gotten a picture of just that. I'm going to guess at least 25 different desserts? Lots of beautiful little torts with fresh fruit, chocolate mousse, chocolate-hazlenut, eddible chocolate cups, chocolate swans, edible towers of baked sweets, cheese-cake type desserts, chocolate truffle desserts, and tons of shooter cups of local custards and sweets and... just, wow. The presentation was beyond amazing. They also had women dressed in gold outfits with gold headcoverings walking around serving the traditional tea and coffee and another drink I wasn't familiar with. Later there were dancers dressed in gold performing up on the runway they had built for the bride's enterance, and one of the most famous singers in the middle east performed as wel: Hussein Al Jassmi (I think that's his name. He's from here in the UAE).

When the bride got there (we didn't even leave our apartment until about 10:30 pm, so the bride didn't arrive until around midnight), she had to parade around up on the previously mentioned runway, someone fixing her dress with every step. Then, when she was finally finished (they had three or four camera-men running all around her, along with a camera on a abig swinging boom, filming the entire thing, which was projected live onto big screens place all around the arena), she went up to the front on a platform to sit on white couch, at which point the sparkly, swirly tower behind her began rotating. And then the poor girl just had to sit there for several hours while the singer performed and people mingled. Actually, it was hilarious when the singer showed up. You have to imagine a room with several hundred women, most of them dressed to the nines, all watching this grand bridal enterance. And then, when it's over, there is suddenly all of this movement and women are putting abayas back on and covering their heads and I start to wonder if everyone is just going to leave now. And then, in walks the singer, who is a male. One man enters a room full of hundreds of women, and everyone frantically rushes to cover up. I found it entertaining.

Anyway, you're probably tired of reading about this wedding by now, so I'm going to stop telling you about it. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures to share. I actually had brought my camera along per Farah's request, but she took it for the evening (to get pictures of the singer), and when she brought it back she said pictures weren't allowed. I didn't think to just get a few of where we were sitting. Oh well I guess.

Ok. I hope you're having a good weekend. I'm off to correct more math workbooks.

Thanks,
~Nikki