The Joys of Saipan
It's great to be back in Saipan! I love this place......the warm weather, the gentle breezes, the beautiful scenery, my little loft bedroom, the great people I get to hang out with and call friends....... Don't get me wrong, there is a lot that is not-so-nice about Saipan, like the corrupt government, the seemingly doomed economy, the mangy dogs that rip open garbage bags all over our yard, the gazillion speed bumps, and the inconvenient power outages, but somehow the good always seems to out-weigh the bad. Every time I return to this charming little island I'm a little more in love with it.
Besides all the amazing things about this island that I love, it's actually the students that have stolen my heart. I lost another piece of my heart just yesterday afternoon. After pulling a stack of letters out of my mailbox, I came across an envelop from Korea - it was from one of my former ESL students. He was in my class for about 5 months last year. He was just the sweetest boy who worked hard and always aimed to please me. He arrived in December as a very pleasant child, but as the months went by, it saddened me to watch him grow thin, pale, and almost expressionless. He was homesick for his family back in Korea. When June came, I was sad to see him go, but I was glad that he would finally be reunited with his family, and hopefully return to the happy, carefree child he was when he first came to Saipan. So as I read his Christmas card, it filled my heart with joy to know that he is doing well. This is what the card said:
"Dear Ms. Odiyar, Hello teacher. It's been so long time that I left Saipan. When I went back to Korea, I was very happy, because I could see my family. I had lots of time with my family, but sometimes I miss my teacher, my friends, and principal. So I want to go Saipan. I'm writing this letter, because I love my teacher and friends. I really hope you spend Christmas happier than anybody. I think that Santa will give you a great present for you. Because you're so kind and a very great teacher for every one. I'll pray for you and for my friends. Have a nice Christmas. From your lovely disciple..."
It brought tears to my eyes. Especially the last line. He considered himself to be my disciple! As I've been learning about discipleship, it's humbling to have a student call himself my disciple. I hope that the reason he wanted to follow after me is because he saw that I have chosen to follow the true Master and Teacher.
Besides all the amazing things about this island that I love, it's actually the students that have stolen my heart. I lost another piece of my heart just yesterday afternoon. After pulling a stack of letters out of my mailbox, I came across an envelop from Korea - it was from one of my former ESL students. He was in my class for about 5 months last year. He was just the sweetest boy who worked hard and always aimed to please me. He arrived in December as a very pleasant child, but as the months went by, it saddened me to watch him grow thin, pale, and almost expressionless. He was homesick for his family back in Korea. When June came, I was sad to see him go, but I was glad that he would finally be reunited with his family, and hopefully return to the happy, carefree child he was when he first came to Saipan. So as I read his Christmas card, it filled my heart with joy to know that he is doing well. This is what the card said:
"Dear Ms. Odiyar, Hello teacher. It's been so long time that I left Saipan. When I went back to Korea, I was very happy, because I could see my family. I had lots of time with my family, but sometimes I miss my teacher, my friends, and principal. So I want to go Saipan. I'm writing this letter, because I love my teacher and friends. I really hope you spend Christmas happier than anybody. I think that Santa will give you a great present for you. Because you're so kind and a very great teacher for every one. I'll pray for you and for my friends. Have a nice Christmas. From your lovely disciple..."
It brought tears to my eyes. Especially the last line. He considered himself to be my disciple! As I've been learning about discipleship, it's humbling to have a student call himself my disciple. I hope that the reason he wanted to follow after me is because he saw that I have chosen to follow the true Master and Teacher.
My former student.....isn't he precious?
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