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November 22 Idioms Hit
the hay...hold your horses...cat got your tongue...pulling my leg...up
the creek without a paddle. All of these are examples of idioms, we
use in everyday life. We don't normally think a lot about them...we
just KNOW what they mean because we've heard them our whole lives. Now
that is not the case with my students here in Cebu and it is hilarious
when they attempt to use them! Last week at a birthday party, Bernardo told me, "Teacher Tammy, you have a book on your nose!" I must have looked a bit confused because he then said, "That means you like to read." He was trying to tell me, "You have your nose stuck in a book." That sparked a conversation about idioms at my table with Leheca (12). Leheca had been learning about idioms in a book she was reading and decided to try some of them out on us. The staff also quizzed her on new ones. These are a few of her attempts at using them... -"You hit the nail on your head." (you hit the nail on THE head) -"Your nose is stuck to your face." (your nose is stuck in a book) -After learning the meaning of "cat got your tongue", she said, "I think a cat has Rael's tongue because he is very quiet." -A few days later, Leheca ran into my class and gave me a big hug, then she said, "Teacher Tammy, you are the apple of my eye!" I love seeing (and hearing) our kids learn new things! November 15 Our YardAt CSC, in between the Eicher and Cherne homes, there is a large grassy area. I love that area because there are not a lot of wide open grassy areas here in Cebu. Most places around the city are covered with buildings, cement, or garbage. That grassy area is our kids playground. Before coming to CSC, most of our kids did not have a safe, clean place to play. For many kids around the city, the streets are their playground. The kids in my neighborhood play in the alley in front of my house. Often times the balls or slippers they are playing with end up in our yard. Driving up to the shelter, we frequently drive right through the middle of kids playing basketball or tag. They normally just pause their game long enough for us to pass by. We are lucky to have such a nice place to play at CSC.
During the day, our playground is always full of activity! Basketball games, tag, foot races, and swinging can be seen on a daily basis. Toddlers get pulled around in wagons. Older kids whizz around on rollerblades and bikes. The preschoolers ride their scooters! Kids pick flowers, dance, and play ping-pong. You can hear their shouts and laughter as soon as you enter the gates of CSC! It is such a beautiful sound!
This week our yard was used for cloud watching. One afternoon, I went down to the shelter to hang out with the kids. It was a beautiful day and before too long, Leheca, Jashly, and I began looking for pictures in the clouds. I love their imaginations! The first thing we saw was a princess- then Jashly noticed a snake. Pretty soon, more kids joined us and we saw a mermaid, a dragon, an eagle, a unicorn, and so much more. Here is a picture of just a few of our kids checking out God's pictures in the clouds! While I love hanging out in the yard with the kids during the day, I also love our yard at night. Standing in the middle of the yard, looking at the dark houses filled with sleeping children, I am always filled with a sense of awe and thankfulness. Even after all these years, I am still amazed that God has called me here to work in the Philippines. I am in awe of the work CSC is doing and how God is using it to change kids lives. I am so thankful that I get to be a part of this ministry. And I am thankful that I have the opportunity to be a part of these kids' lives!
November 08 Memory VersesMany of you read about the reading challenge our school had going during the first quarter. It was a lot of fun for the kids and teachers alike and was a great opportunity to encourage our kids to enjoy reading!
Recently, our school has begun a new challenge...a memory verse challenge. It is a way to encourage our kids to know their Bible well! Each level, all the way down to preschool, has set a goal of a certain number of verses to memorize each week whether it be 1, 2, 3, or 4.. Throughout the week, the kids practice them in class and at home and then share them with their teachers on Friday!
It is so much fun to hear them quoting scripture! Every day at snack time kids run up and tell me, "Teacher Tammy, I know my verse!" They love reciting them to anyone who will listen. The Level A students have even been wearing their verses on a necklace so anyone can stop them and ask them to recite the verse. Yesterday, I stood in the middle of the yard at the shelter with a few kids and all together we ran through the verses we had memorized in the last few weeks! What a beautiful sound that was! November 01 Moving, Moving, Moving It has been a week of movings...last Saturday the entire Eicher house moved into the new Duterte house. Then this Saturday the entire Cherne home transferred to the Eicher house. Moving is a lot of work, but it really was a great morning! I wish you could've seen it all...the whole CSC family went to work moving boxes, clothes, beds, mattresses, cabinets, cribs, couches, and kitchen supplies out of Cherne. It had to be completely empty so that the renovations can be started this week. The aunties, uncles, staff, and all of our kids down to some of the preschoolers pitched in to help out. Melrod made about a million trips back and forth with the little red wagon carrying house supplies. Jashly carried toys one by one across the yard. Jonjon helped Uncle Joel organize the store room. The big boys showed off their muscles by helping with some of the heavier things. But I'd have to say the awards for the best workers would go to Charydyn, Riza Mae, and Rafael. Rafael is small, but he was certainly pulling his weight. I loved watching him carry mattresses! He put them over his head, but he is so short that the mattresses hung nearly to his feet in both the front and the back. That didn't stop him though! As soon as it was deposited in its new location, he would literally run back to find something else to carry. With a lot of teamwork, we were able to completely clear out the Cherne home by mid-afternoon! The shelter is a little confusing at the moment. The Cherne home stands dark, silent, and empty. The Eicher home is now filled up with Cherne kids. (We are calling them "Chicher" kids while their house is being redone.) I'm so used to them living in the Cherne home that I do a double take everytime I see one of them enter the Eicher home. In addition to that, the former Eicher kids are now living in the new Duterte home. All of the kids are still getting used to their new homes...after school many of them have accidentally gone to the wrong houses. But despite being a little confusing, it has been a very exciting week for all! The Duterte kids are thoroughly enjoying their new home and the Cherne kids are excited for their home to get fixed up as well! |
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