Dear Friend,
How was your week? Mine was good. This weekend I was able to practice piano, so that was exciting. My school has one real piano, an upright. On Friday afternoons I ask the music teacher if I can have the key for the weekend so I can practice piano. This is going to become a regular routine I believe. I have bible study on Friday nights at 5 pm, so I can practice from 3:30-5 and then come in on Saturday or Sunday too. I am relearning Deux Arabesque by Debussy, and brushing up on a couple of other pieces I know.
Wednesday was payday so I went shopping to buy a few more big items that the house needed. I was in line, waiting to have my things rung up, and this sort of sing song chanting goes over the speaker system. One of the store clerks who was holding a cup of water says something in Indonesian along the lines of "Finally, thank you" and he took a sip of water. Odd? Perhaps, then again, maybe not. You see, we are in the month of fasting for Ramadan. Muslims do not eat or drink or even swallow between the hours of 4 am and 6 pm. The chanting that was heard at 6 pm, while I was standing in line, was the nation wide call announcing the breaking of the fast. It is all very intriuging. In fact, yesterday I was at the mall buying some school supplies for my classroom, and as I was leaving, all the restaurants were FULL. Everyone was sitting down, they had their food in front of them... but NO ONE was eating. This is because it was not yet 6 and the breaking of the fast had not begun, they were just preparing!
The chanting is really soothing. In fact, sometimes I have woken up at 4 or 4:30 and you can hear them chanting in the distance. For quite a while, too. It is a nice quiet soothing back ground sound.
This week we are launching book month in junior school. Each grade will read a different (simplified) classic book. First grade will read A Little Princess. I believe it is later version of Sara Crew by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Sara Crew is one of my favorite books. Second Grade will read Gulliver's Travels, and third grade will read Treasure Island. I did not know what either of these books were about until early Saturday morning.
Saturdays are meant for sleeping in, right? Well, apparently a pesky little mosquito thought differently this Saturday. I woke up around 3 am with mosquito bites on my legs, I turned on the light trying to spot the insect and squash it, but he was too clever and decided to hide. I went back to sleep until around 4:30 a.m. I heard a buzzing in my ear, I quickly turned on the light in order to turn off his lights, but he disappeared again. One hour later, I was woken up in the same fashion, a buzzing in my ear, I flung my hands around my head and then turned on the light. I decided to give up on sleeping, and instead I read every single one of these simplified classic books! I have checked out the real versions of Gulliver's Travel and Treasure Island, so over the 10 day break coming up in a week and a half I will read them. That way I can tell my students some stories that may not have been added to their versions.
Even though that mosquito was annoying, he actually knew me very well, because my favorite thing to do on a Saturday morning is to read. I love waking up and reading before anyone knows you are up. Sometimes, if I can manage it, I wake up, sneak into the kitchen and grab a cup of hot chocolate and then sneak back into bed to read. It is important that no one knows I am awake or else it spoils the enchantment of reading in bed. Once someone knows you are awake, they want to talk, or have breakfast or do something besides reading. Apparently if you are awake and reading in bed you are being unsocial, but it is perfectly fine to sleep in until forever. Once I am awake and doing things in the day, it is hard for me to sit down and read again, so mornings before the days begin are my favorite time to read.
When is your favorite time to read?
Anything fun happening for you this week?
Well if you don't know of anything, I hope something fun and unexpected comes up!
Let me know!
Rebekah E.
Either early in the morning, like you, or when I'm going to sleep. I love waking up in the night with a book still open in my hands and a soft light on.
ReplyDeleteUnless....do rainy days count? I like those, too. Hm. I suppose I just plain like to read. :)
And as for my fun event, I'd have to say clicking on your blog to see that you posted. No joke, I check this every day in the morning and at night to scout out any latest updates!