Si Young and Sung Ye

Si Young and Sung Ye and their two boys, Isaac and Daniel

Since mid February I have been privately tutoring a young Korean couple four nights a week in learning English. There names are Si Young (husband) and Sung Ye (wife). After eight weeks they still refer to me as "Teacher". They don't even remember my name. I am not offended by this because "Teacher" is a word that signifies a high honor of respect in their culture. While I am honored by their respect toward me, I want to hear them say my name. I am working on building their trust in me as more than an English tutor, but also as a friend. They know I am friendly and we act friendly toward each other, but developing a friendship relationship takes time and nurturing. We are making good progress in this.

Last Thursday I suggested to Sung Ye that instead of sitting in a room for one hour and looking over an English lesson, why don't we all meet at the Street Market and we can have our English lesson talking and discussing the sites, sounds, smells, and tastes all around us. At first, she hesitated because they have two small boys and they "want this and want that". I understood. Children are a handful...literally sometimes.

They agreed to meet me there and I had prepared a special English lesson that involved them paying attention to as many details about what they saw, heard, smelled, tasted, and felt. We made our way through the food and craft vendors toward the Paseo de Marianas to watch the annual Awa Ordori perform. It was crowded and full of revelers enjoying the evening.

While walking through the crowd, Sung Ye put her arm through my arm and said in broken English, "Please don't leave Saipan." Her husband had said the very same thing the night before. I didn't know what to say at that moment, so we kept walking arm in arm toward the Paseo de Marianas. Finally I found the words I thought would comfort her. "I will find you another good tutor, Sung Ye." She said nothing.

As we made our way to the stage area we heard the strong beating of several drums. The Awa Ordori were dancing their way down the street. We managed to find a spot where we could see the performance and take good pictures. It occurred to me that that was wise of them to bring their camera to video the events and sites of the Street Market. They could use that video to recall what they saw and heard.

After about two hours we parted ways and I continued on in browsing over some of the craft vendors. I look forward to seeing them both again and talking about our "English field trip."

It was a fun, exciting, and I hope purposeful evening at the Street Market. Later when I arrived home, I thought a lot about my relationship with them, their family, and their future. I am only helping them learn English. I am just a small part of a bigger dream they have for themselves. There are many other tutors who could help them. But would they put in the time and investment I have with Si Young and Sung Ye? I really enjoy tutoring this young couple. I don't earn that much money from tutoring them; barely enough for a tank of gas. Yet, I feel like I have a purpose in helping them. It isn't about the money.

Si Young and Sung Ye trust me to help them learn English. They like me. I like them. We are building a relationship. I want to continue to help them. But, do I stay on in Saipan? Oh, if I could only know for certain that they will be in good hands and I will still have a feeling of purpose back home. Why is trusting God when you are uncertain about the future so hard?

The Break

For weeks I had been looking forward to a break from school. Teaching, tutoring every night, preparing for the Eco-Karnival, and report cards were draining. The break couldn't come soon enough I thought. My plan was to travel to New Zealand and spend a week with Owen and Irene Gabbie, but that didn't work out. It was just too expensive to travel there. So, I stayed on the rock.

What does one do with no travel plans and a whole week off? I had no agenda, no plans carved in stone. The only plan I stuck to was to not set the alarm clock. What a wonderful feeling waking up on your own time. The evenings have been cool so I kept the windows opened. Waking up to the sound of birds chirping and the palm leaves rustling was as relaxing as a good massage.

So what did I do on Spring Break? I began purging. I started with the closets, moved on to the drawers and cabinets, and finally removed things from the walls of my apartment. Getting rid of stuff kind of feels liberating, doesn't it? At least that is the feeling I get. Why do we think we need all this stuff anyway? Over time it just becomes clutter and I hate clutter.

Not everything was purged, though. Some things are attached to good memories. Those I want to keep. Those things got packed. I thought packing would be emotional and a drudgery. It wasn't.

I didn't purge and pack all week. I wasn't going to spend my entire week off stuck in my apartment. On Tuesday, I was invited by a Korean woman to have lunch at the Hyatt. She was not aware of my "Saipan bucket list", and had no idea that lunch at the Hyatt was on my list. It was a leisurely lunch with no time restraints and a chance to have deep conversations about faith, work, and love. I listened as she shared her story of how she met her husband and chose not to follow Korean "expectations" on marriage, but rather she followed her heart and trusted that God would make something good of it. And he has. He was a poor man, not good marriage material others would say. But she saw something in him that "pinched" her heart. She took a chance on this poor man and they have been happily married for nearly 30 years and have been living on Saipan for 20. They own a successful furniture company here and another one in Korea. I like listening to stories of love and success.

Another bucket list thing I have wanted to do was accomplished one day while driving around Saipan with my coworker and friend, Debbie. From Koblerville to San Rogue to Kagman, we drove all over the island looking for as many churches as we could. When we found one, we got out, walked around, and took a picture. I find the architecture of the churches interesting and very different from one another. It was fun driving around neighborhoods that I have not yet been too.

I had planned to walk up to Mt. Topachau on Good Friday, but a stomach ache and the fact that it was very rainy kept me from that hike. In fact, the only time I left the apartment on Good Friday was to take a late afternoon walk on the pathway.

I wanted to sleep in on Easter Sunday, but I felt compassion on Pastor Greg. He worked so hard all week trying to get everything organized for Sunrise Service. His car was loaded with items for the breakfast. He needed my help. So, I set the alarm for 5:00 a.m. (the only time I set my alarm during break) and headed up to see my last Easter sunrise service on Navy Hill. Even though it was very cool up there, I am glad I went. There is something magical about watching the sun rise. When the service was over and most had left, I lingered up there for a while savoring the view from atop.

Easter Day ended with a long walk on the beach. I live right on the beach, yet I seldom take advantage of walking along it. As I walked on the sand I thought about a lot of things, random things....thoughts about my future, my work here, why faith can be hard at times, how I liked the feel of sand squishing between my toes, and so on. Sometimes I wish there was someone with me on those long walks. I stare at the horizon and I wonder.

My break was good. It was a time to relax and not think about school, students, or work. I slept until my body was ready to wake. I spent quality time with good friends. I felt the sand under my feet. I saw the sun rise. The break was good.