Immeasurably More: Rumble!!!

“Do you dig it Soonho?” A tall thin Korean boy pears back at me through his designer glasses resting between a slight smirk and swooping black hair that screams Korea. Attempting to use his limited English vocabulary to formulate a response, he replies . . . “yes, in the ground.”

Such are the joys of teaching English B at SPH International Kemang Village. I could not help but laugh knowing that Soonho knew full well what I meant, but was attempting to make a joke. It worked. For me at least. Delivery is everything.

Coming to teach in Indonesia I expected to teach Humanities, and possibly some computers as well. A small price to pay I figured, and how bad could it really be? However, as the year has progressed, I seem to have joined many different departments. I am an art teacher, an English teacher, a computers teacher, a part time sound/light tech in the theatre, an assistant basketball coach, and a Humanities teacher. Next on my list will be Beard Growing . . . another subject that I have limited experience in . . . very limited. All jokes aside, God has been very good and has constantly taught me that He will work through my inadequacies to make me adequate according to His mercy and grace. Among other reasons, it is yet another sign of God’s plans that go far beyond anything that I could have ever asked or imagined. It may not be my choice to wear some of those hats, but God knew that I would be needed in this way at school. Therefore, I wear them with pride and attempt to go Col 3:23 in every area I have been called, from Typing Tutor, to the House of Tudor, from painting boxes, to boxing out in the paint.

So where does Soonho fit in to all of this? Last Tuesday, my grade 9 English B class met the Grade 9 English A class on the roof of the school to fight for supremacy. Over the past term, both classes have been reading the book The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, a book that features a struggle between two classes in a small town in 1960’s America. Socials vs. Greasers. So, to make a long story short, these two very different social groups have a “rumble” at the end of the book to attempt to settle things between the two groups once and for all. Therefore, the teacher of the English A class and myself decided to have our classes take on the personas of the two social groups. Can you guess which group I chose? Oh yeah. Greasers baby. You dig it? Your response? “In the ground.”

So, on a hot Jakarta day, we got dressed up, slicked our hair (I was really wishing I had more to really slick back . . . oh well) and headed up to the roof. Not too often do you get to have fake cigarettes and empty label-less Rootbear bottles hanging from the lips of 9^th grade students at a conservative Christian school in a Muslim country. However, in the name of a good role-play, we did just that. To top it off we had a knife fight using permanent red markers and old white t-shirts. Those who were marked by the red marker on their t-shirt were pronounced dead. Unfortunately, a slice to the gut of none other than Soonho sealed the deal and the Socials won the rumble. As for Soonho, he ended his day . . . you guessed it . . . “in the ground.”

The Greaser dudes from left to right: Soonho, Chan, Mr Chris (oh yeah), Andersen, Michael, Edwin

I always jump at any opportunity to bring learning alive for students, and, I also jump at any excuse to get to dress up like Halloween on any day of the year. The students had a great time, and though I was soaked in sweat, so did I. Me and my gang of ESL greasers have since returned to the classroom, wearing our uniforms, and trading in our switch blades for pencils so that we can work on our English skills.

Me and Andersen. I know that I am not supposed to have favorites, but he is definitely one of them.

From left to right: Callista, Jasmine, ChaiWon, Chan, Michael, Andersen, MinJung, Sabina

A few of the "Socs."

Role play . . . to horse play . . . to Mr Chris picking up Andersen off of the ground and telling the boys to settle down. Good times.

Me and Soonho. Though he is not confident with his English, he is another one of my favorite students. Also, the sky is not overcast. That is smog. It was very hot and sunny . . . ish.