Graduate School

The decision to start graduate school has been long in coming. As soon as Husband finished school three years ago, the plan was for me to do my Master's. I dragged my feet for two reasons: 1) we were working hard to become debt-free, and 2) I didn't know exactly what I wanted to study. The truth is that the options are pretty limited for educators: administration (which is all the worst parts of my job and none of the fun ones), counseling (I already spend too much time at school), curriculum & instruction (standards, outcomes, benchmarks, belch), or library sciences. The latter sounds fun, but the truth is it's mostly about research and technology (not about books), and schools are CUTTING library staff, not hiring them. So as I have considered my options over the years, I discovered something that sounds bad to admit as a teacher, and that is that I don't love the field of education. I love my job because of relationships with kids and my content area, and the academic field of education focuses on neither. I have always known it does not get my heart pumping, and now that it came time to decide on a degree, I just couldn't pledge myself to 30+ credit hours of educational study about which I wasn't wholly passionate. I decided, with some trepidation, to do my graduate work in English.

I considered two major universities in the area. The first call I made did not go well. The woman was incredibly impatient and didn't seem to have time for my questions. To her credit, she did apologize midway through the conversation with "I'm sorry - I realize I'm talking to you like you're a second grader. I didn't get much sleep last night." Not exactly professional, and while conversation was smoother after that, I definitely got a negative vibe from her, the department, and the school. I called the second university and got right through to the dean of the department, who not only took time to dialogue with me as if I was an adult, but seemed enthusiastic about my interest and encouraged me to ask questions. I hung up the phone with no question as to which institution I would be attending.

I got my application in order, turned in all my letters of recommendation, and received approval shortly thereafter. I met face-to-face with the dean the following month to discuss the program. His office was covered with books (obviously), maps, and photographs from all over the world. Turns out we've been to some of the same places abroad, and he was interested in our upcoming trip to Singapore. I felt it was safe to say we hit it off!

The course plan is BEAUTIFUL because there are so many options and so much freedom to choose. There are obviously required classes, but most are personal choice as long as the literature studied falls within a certain time period. We settled on "Rhetorical Theory & Teaching," an online class that didn't seem as fun as some of the others, but responsible, nonetheless, and a face-to-face class taught by the dean himself called "King Arthur in Literature and Film."

I began both classes on Monday, July 3rd. I didn't breathe freely again until I turned in my last paper (54 pages) on July 23rd. I knew grad school was going to be work, but OHMYGOODNESS. I thought I worked hard in undergrad, but the truth is (as any education major can tell you), the degree itself isn't all that hard. It's hoop-jumping, I-dotting, T-crossing type of work. The hardest class I had in undergrad was, in fact, an English class, not an education class.

I felt out-of-my-league for sure when completed the first assignment for my online class. I was the first to post on the discussion board (the assignment was to introduce myself). Since I don't know anyone or anything, I kept it brief, name, where I live, that I'm a teacher. The replies started pouring in, and most of the women (not a single man) were high school teachers or college professors re-certifying. I'm pretty sure I was the only person who didn't teach at either of those levels. The textbook reading was awful and dry and long and complicated, and even though I know this stuff (it was essentially the writing process), it was difficult and exhausting to try to trudge through the scholarly prose, much of which was ancient Greek philosophy that made my eyes cross. The good news is I worked my tail end off and earned a 99.4%. The bad news is that it was truly awful.

But my face-to-face class. MY FACE-TO-FACE CLASS. It was so glorious. It moved at a pace I was completely unprepared for. I bought the 600-page textbook, but I didn't realize we'd be cramming all 600 pages into two-and-a-half weeks! I hired baby-sitters. I went to McDonald's and let the kids play in the play area for like three hours. I stayed up PAST TEN O'CLOCK. I ignored my family and friends. I spent every spare moment reading. I read particularly obscure parts of the text into my phone and then listened to them on the commute. I found LibriVox (GOD BLESS LIBRIVOX) and listened to other translations. I read the entire textbook in under three weeks. I took PAGES of notes in my brand-spanking new Vera Bradley notebook. In short, I worked harder at school than I ever have in my life. The first day I was assigned a 45-minute presentation for the following week over an old, authorless 12th century text. I spent tens of hours researching, busted out my Prezi skills, and practiced, practiced, practiced. We took unannounced quizzes every few days, and I prepared ardently. And the truth is...I loved every second of it. I found Arthur fascinating. I loved reading the various interpretations of his stories. I loved analyzing the patterns in the literature, the language, the form, the prose. I loved listening to the lectures about the time period and learning more about the Roman conquest and resulting empire. I have always loved movies, and watching them (which included INDIANA JONES, GUYS), was actually my least favorite part of the class. My professor was not fond of returning grades or the Internet, so I don't know precisely how I did on my presentation or my final, but my quizzes averaged a 92% and my midterm earned a 98%. When I turned my final paper in, he said, "Well, unless this is absolute garbage, I'm pretty sure you know what your grade will be."

If I had wondered whether I made the right decision, pursuing English instead of education, it was settled unequivocally this summer. The teaching class, although it was second-nature and much easier than the other, made me want to stab my eyes out. I dreaded the reading and the work. The Arthur class, instead of making me want to read less, made me want to read more. Instead of satisfying my curiosity, it multiplied it. Instead of being relieved it was over, I was disappointed. And while I'm sure every class won't be like this one - I'm sure there will be plenty more like my online class - I am looking forward to the rest of the program with great and eager excitement.

The Magician's Nephew

My earliest memory of being read to is being curled up on my parents' bed in our house in Montera. My dad was reading the beginning of The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe to me, and I remember being mesmerized by the concept of a fawn. Half goat, half human? How was that possible? (Of course, I was to learn later on that it is not.) The excitement and wonder of that moment was enough to not only stick with me (I couldn't have been more than four at the time), but it sparked a lifelong interest in stories.

As I grew older, the Chronicles of Narnia became favorites of mine, not just because they were great books, and not just because of the sentimentality that tied them to both my father and my childhood. I loved the writing style. CS Lewis had a way of storytelling unique and unmatched by any of his contemporaries. He also seemed to understand children better than perhaps most authors. As if all of this weren't enough, his stories, though often incorrectly labeled "allegories" are, in fact, "suppositions." This means that, instead of directly representing a story already familiar to our culture, he wrote a story "supposing" that there was a world like Narnia, and there was an evil that had snuck in (the devil), and the land needed to be redeemed. If that were the case, let's suppose that God sent his Son in the form of a Lion...

As Brother took off with chapter books this school year, I decided it was time to introduce him to these favorite books of mine. He's watched the animated movie with which I grew up, but he was completely unfamiliar with The Magician's Nephew, which is the first chronological book in the series and possibly my very favorite. I gathered both kids on the couch this morning after breakfast, and we read chapter 1. Brother begged me to keep going. Sister wasn't quite as interested, so she went to play with dolls. But we kept going, and went all the way to chapter 4 before we had to run some errands. I have the audiobook upstairs, so I asked brother if you like to listen as we drove. He said "Ooo yes, please!" so we listened and listened. By the time we got home, we were on chapter 7… halfway through! "Mom, can we please keep reading?"

As you can imagine, my mommy/teacher heart was exploding. Thankfully, we didn't have any big plans today other than a few things around the house and some errands, but even if we had, it's likely that I would've canceled them to stay curled up on the couch with my boy reading one of my very favorite stories of all time.

As it was, we finished this evening, and Brother immediately pronounced "Let's start the next one! I'll go get it." It was getting late by now, so I told him I would read the first chapter and he could take the book to bed with him if he would like to continue to read. I have no idea how far he got, but I have a feeling we will be reading the entire series in the coming weeks (days?).

I had always hoped my children would be readers. I had also look forward to introducing them to my very favorite stories. We called Pepa (my dad) and told him how we read an entire book in one day and how awesome it was.  It was an exciting thing to share with a third-generation! 

It's hard to put into words what today meant to me. ❤

Days 13-14: Going Home

Previous posts:
Getting There
Welcome to Singapore
Singapore City 
Telunas

Paradise

Marina Bay Sands

On the morning of our departure, we headed out early to catch the sunrise over the city. We actually beat it up, so we got to see the lights and watch the city wake.

 

 

 

We shared breakfast:

 

And after a few hours, began the bittersweet process of preparing to leave this place. Bitter because we had loved every second of the journey, and sweet because by now we were DYING to get home to our babies.

We took a taxi to the airport to catch our 1 PM flight to Taipei. It was uneventful, but I did begin my 5th book of the trip, so that's cool. We arrived in Taipei four hours later, FaceTimed with the kids while we had wireless, and boarded the 13 hour flight back to the states. We were pretty cramped, but THANK GOD Husband's video wasn't working, so she moved us to the back where we could spread out a bit and I got a window seat! SCORE! I stayed up for as long as I could make myself (almost 11 PM Singapore time, guys) and slept fitfully until about 4 AM. We landed in LA at 3:45 PM local time. We FaceTimeed the kids again, who were finishing a movie with grandparents and then heading to bed, and told them we would see them in the morning! We boarded our flight to Dallas at midnight, and because of the time change, we arrived at 6 AM in Dallas. A quick breakfast at Starbucks and we boarded our plane home at 7:30. I was hugging my children at 9:40. It was glorious!

Days 10-12: Marina Bay

Previous posts:
Getting There
Welcome to Singapore
Singapore City 
Telunas

Paradise

Because we stayed with family the entire trip, Husband suggested we splurge for the last two days of our trip and stay at this place:

 

The Marina Bay Sands Hotel. It was INSANE!

We got back from Telunas around noon and were able to check in early. CHECK THIS OUT:

 

 

 

And the view out those windows??

 Whaaaaaaaaat?

But most spectacular of all was that pool.

 

We spent the afternoon up there before meeting Aunt and Uncle for dinner. We wanted to take them out as a thank-you, and they chose Din Tai Fung. I am so glad they did because it tied with prata for my favorite food!

The dumplings were AMAZING!

 

We then went outside to watch the light show:

 

And ended the evening with some frozen yogurt.

 

These two people are so incredible. I have always thought this, but spending time with them in a trip like this brought it to light like nothing else could. What a special experience this has been!

Our last full day began with sleeping in and then walking to the Gardens by the Bay. They were BEAUTIFUL!

 

  

 

 

I then summoned all my courage and mounted this, the Singapore Flyer:

 

Whaaaaaat? It was both terrifying and awesome.

 

And that's us, eye-level with the hotel. 

We returned to the bay mall for lunch. I talked Husband into Din Tai Fung again because ohmygoshthosedumplings.

And, predictably, we spend the afternooon at the pool. Because, well, why wouldn't you??

 

For our last evening in Singapore, my wonderful and romantic husband suggested a dress-up date. I did my hair and my make up (for maybe the third time the whole trip) and wore a fancy dress. He wore slacks and a collared-shirt and we made reservations for Italian.

 

 

After dinner, we took a nighttime stroll though the gardens (and check out that view of the hotel!) 

 

 

And headed back, planning to wake early and head up to the pool in time to watch the sunrise before cleaning up and heading home.

Days 7-9: Paradise

Previous posts:
Getting There
Welcome to Singapore
Singapore City 
Telunas

If I had a dollar for every time one of us has said "Wow," or "This is so incredible," or the like, we could probably afford to come back next summer. I mean, it doesn't get better than this. This is our chalet:

 

And this is the view from our balcony:

 

Each morning, we are served our hot beverage of choice (coffee for Husband, tea for me):

 

And a glorious array of breakfast foods. During the day, we have hiked in the jungle, kayaked, and walked along the beach, but mostly we have enjoyed the sun and scenery. One morning we got up, went to breakfast, and then took naps in the hammocks until lunch time.

 

Husband also read a book! Whoohoo! And one night, a guest caught what they thought was a sea snake, but ended up being an eel. They were able to free it and return it to the ocean, but what excitement!

 

Best of all, though, I have gotten to spend some good, quality time with my dear cousin, who has been overseas for the last 14 years. She was still working during our visit, but we were able to snatch some moments talking and praying together. She is one of the people I admire most on the planet.

 

And my favorite night was when they brought out the guitar and we sat in the midst of one of the most beautiful displays of God's creation. Under the stars with our faces to the sea, we praised His Name together, and I was again reminded, as I am every time I leave the US, of the passage in Revelation chapter 7:

I looked again. I saw a huge crowd, too huge to count. Everyone was there—all nations and tribes, all races and languages. And they were standing, dressed in white robes and waving palm branches, standing before the Throne and the Lamb and heartily singing: Salvation to our God on his Throne! Salvation to the Lamb! 

What an incredible way to close out our trip.

 

We hope to come back some day!

Day 6: Telunas

Previous posts:
Getting There
Welcome to Singapore
Singapore City 

OHMYGOODNESS.

That is pretty much the gist of this place. Husband and I keep looking at each other like, "Is this real life?"

 

We arrived in Batam via ferry just before 11. There, we met Jennie, her husband, and a member of their staff.

 

We boarded a longboat (so cool!) and journeyed from Batam south through the Straits of Macala. It was such an adventure! 

 

This is the "southwest wind" season, so the waves were "choppy," which made for fun bounces in the boat on the waves. After perhaps an hour, we arrived.

 

The plan had been to stay at Jennie's house, but upon arrival, Jennie informed us that we had been upgraded to a chalet. 😍🤗

 

Whaaaaaaaaaaaat? You mean we get our own little stilt cottage thing with a private balcony with a hammock and this view?

Yup. Enter freak out mode. Jennie sent us to our rooms to settle in and we probably walked around fist-bumping and OHMYGOODNESSing for like 20 minutes.

After a delicious lunch, Jennie asked if we wanted to go on an "expedition" (my word) to an uninhabited island nearby to evaluate its potential as a campsite. Part of her job involves bringing school groups to the island, and they are always looking for new campsites. Um...that's a big yes, Jen.

We took a longboat to the island, but because it was low tide, we couldn't get up very close. So we jumped in. It was awesome! We spent about an hour and a half hiking the island so Jennie, Paul, and Bella, one of the guides employed by the resort, could determine whether there was enough room for the fire pit, how many hammocks could be hung here, where the bathroom facilities would go, etc. Husband and I were mainly just there to watch them work and enjoy the scenery. Around 5PM, we headed back to the resort, showered, and explored the beach before dinner at 645. We ate this delicious meal:

 

And visited with Paul and Jennie until it was time to turn in. Once we did, we opened the balcony doors and windows and fell asleep to the ocean breeze and the glorious sound of the sea.

Day 3-5: Singapore City

Previous posts:
Getting There
Welcome to Singapore

I didn't sleep so well on our second night, so I was rarring to go when it was time to get up. We decided to head for the Treetop walk, something I read about that was close by. Aunt rode the bus with us and walked us up to the start point. It was beautiful and deserted. A great combination! 

We hiked until we reached the cable car station that goes to Sentosa Island. We boarded the cars (SO MUCH FUN), and headed for Sentosa.

 

Sentosa houses several amusement parks, including Universal Studios and a water park, but they also have an aquarium. We enjoyed mosying through and looking at the wildlife:

We had lunch at a delicious Mexican place. I wasn't sure what to expect from an Asian Mexican food restaurant, but they pretty much nailed it with these fish tacos (I ordered a burrito, which was good, but I had plate envy).

We ended the evening by meeting friends for dinner. This particular boy had been a boy in our youth group, and now he is working with YounngLife in Singapore. We loved connecting with him and his sweet family at scenic Clarke Quay!

 

The next day, Aunt and Uncle introduced me to my new favorite thing...PRATA!

 

It's this delicious Indian bread stuffed with whatever you want (egg and cheese and "hot dog" and cheese, in this case) and dipped in this delicious fish sauce. It was INCREDIBLE. I mean it - one of my favorite foods the whole trip!

 

From there, we took the MRT to Chinatown, where we bought a ton of stuff! I got some bracelets and some cute things for my classroom, and of course we got gifts for the kids.

 

After all that walking and shopping, we were tired, so we hit up the movie theater and saw he new pirates movie.

 

You can't tell from here, but they had SWEET popcorn! It was delish!

Our last full day in Singapore began (at my insistence) the same way as the previous day:

 

More prata!

 

Today was devoted to visiting the Urban Renewal Authority. It's a museum dedicated to the development of the city, past, present, and future. Aunt and Uncle had never been, and we were happy to join them!

It was such a cool place and it's such a neat city! They have a 50-year-plan that is revisited every five years. Amazing.

And, since we were so close, we went back though Chinatown to grab a few more things and get some pics:

 

 

It was so much fun! We then spent some time down by the bay. This is the part of Singapore we'd be staying in after we returned from Telunas, so we didn't do much, other than walk around and get some pictures:

 

This is the famous Merlion, the symbol of Singapore. 

 

And right across from it is the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. Holy Moly!

That's a pool on top of that building, people!

After all this adventure, we were off to get a good night sleep before our trip to Telunas!