One Week of School complete!

We have been unable to blog the past couple of weeks due to a lack of internet service in our building.  Tonight we have a signal, be it a very slow one, for the first time in a long time so we will attempt to fill you in on the past couple of weeks.  We boarded our flights toward the Middle East exactly one month ago today and we have settled in here in Kuwait.  We both finished up in-service (Or pre-training as they call it here) and school officially started on September 8th.  We are happy to say that week #1 is officially complete and we enjoyed it! 

Here are some of the highlights of the past couple of weeks:

*On day three of in-service, which is over two weeks long here, Joe was told by his principal that (in addition to his fully loaded PE schedule) he would be teaching two sections of 6th grade science.  He also learned that he would be developing an entire curriculum for the 7th grade health course.  This entire process is a huge adjustment for him, as his sweet spot is working with college students and older HS students that are driven and ambitious.  Here at his new school Joe primarily works with 6th and 7th graders.  Please pray for him.  He is learning what it is like to work with younger students who are not as driven/motivated/focused as those that he had at Houston Christian, but he is enjoying it!

*Lindsay's school is a very amazing place, but is still located in Kuwait, where things don't always happen as efficiently or as smoothly as we Westerners (particularly Americans) are used to.  Despite school being fully in session, there are crews of workers working during off hours to continue to build out the campus.  They experience internet outages and other delays that come with construction in a country without a highly developed infrastructure, but all in all she has really enjoyed being a part of this start-up school.  They are building it from the ground up and doing it the right way!  The technology they are using is amazing and the faculty is top shelf!  They are building a very special place.  The actual building itself is one of the most amazing and beautiful schools you could ever step foot in and Lindsay loves the fact that her, a co-teacher, and teaching assistant only have ten students in 3rd grade!  They are all awesome kids and she loves working with them!  They are polite, intelligent, kind, and fun and they all really want to learn.  They readily help each other out and Lindsay is enjoying teaching kids like this!

*Joe has joined a local sports club, the Kuwait Harps Gaelic Football Club!  Gaelic Football is the national sport of Ireland and Joe has enjoyed training with the team so far.  He even got a couple of Lindsay's coworkers to join the squad.  They train twice a week and will play in tournaments in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, and Malaysia, just to name a few.  He is excited to be a part of a sports family with a vastly international flair.  The club has members from Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, Australia, Canada, the U.S., Kuwait, and more!  They are a fun group of friends and they have regular social events, which Joe has already experienced and enjoyed!  Expect to hear more about this as Joe learns how to play a game that is completely foreign to him!

*Every classroom at Lindsay's school has a triumph board.  This thing is amazing.  Joe wants one for our home, but we can't afford it.  Think SMART board/touch-screen computer/78" HD TV and more, all in one.  It is an awesome teaching tool that allows for 6 students to be using the touch-screen at once!  Truly amazing - if you have the means, we highly recommend picking one up!

*Joe is excited to be a part of the faculty at his school, which consists of teachers and staff members from 27 different nations.  He misses his good friends and coworkers at Houston Christian more than we can explain, but he is blessed and excited to be immersed in such a culturally diverse work environment.  He is making fast friends with some Irish and others from exotic locales like Sudan, Romania, Hungary, Pakistan, Bangladesh, North Dakota, and California!

*We miss our good friends back in Houston.  While not exactly a highlight, we are blessed to know that there are some loved ones back in the Houston and Baytown areas that we miss very much.  Good friends are a huge blessing and we are thankful for all of them!

We are gonna wrap this up before we lose internet connection, but here are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure:

Lindsay during in-service

The best school in Kuwait!

Lins with the other 3rd grade teacher and their teaching assistant

The view of the sunrise from our bedroom window

This is a picture of Joe at his school on the 1st day of school

Lindsay on her first day of school

Joe took this panorama shot during one of his PE classes this week

Joe negotiating the cost of a real Persian carpet

This is what we took home, for about $35 cheaper than what the locals said would be a good deal!

Lindsay and two of her coworkers, 3/4 of the Hoosier connection, unknowingly showed up at pre-training representing their alma matre!

This is the official crest for the Gaelic Football Club that Joe has joined!

The hallway at American International School, where Joe's Gaelic Football club trains

This is a picture of the pre-K through 2nd grade swimming area at Lindsay's school, complete with Finding Nemo murals!

Lindsay loves it!

Joe took this shot of Lindsay working in her classroom while he watched baseball highlights on her Triumph board!

A shot of Joe's school

Lindsay's faculty/staff picture from their opening ceremony

While enjoying ice cream with friends at a local hangout, this mask floated up out of nowhere!  Can you say creepy???

Joe snapped this shot to represent the end of week #1 teaching in Kuwait