Tuesday my teacher went home sick before I got there so there was a supply teacher who didn't say much other than..."Since you're in here more, why don't you take the class and I'll help if needed," I didn't mind I like the kids...but she is the one getting paid not me. Anyways not much happened because we watched a movie with the other P2 class the rest of the afternoon. Although during the movie on of my favorite trouble makers (note the sarcasm) was being himself and the supply teacher said "would you like to come sit by me?" (which mistake #1 was asking him instead of telling him) anyways his reply was "no, but thanks for the offer!" Okay he is 6...so I gave him credit for being clever...but he was defiantly being cheeky!Tuesday night was our last night working with the cumbernald church of christ youth club. The kids were sad that we were leaving and so I got alot of pictures with the kids and had a lot of fun with the girls and making faces. Adam and Melanie do a great job with those kids and it was truly a blessing to get to go for 4 weeks.
Wednesday my teacher hadn't showed up yet and I figured I was going to have a supply teacher and since I'm normally in there I got what I knew needed to be done in the morning out and then some extra things that they could do. And to my surprise I had the same supply teacher..who again told me to run with it and she would just watch from the other side of the room. Well I ended up giving her work to do (sorting papers) while I taught the class. We did a problem solving lesson and a writing activity and then they went to music then it was lunch time. I gave the supply teacher several options for the afternoon and then left. I was tired and it was only 4 hours!Thursday was my last day and I went in expecting to be with a supply teacher but Mrs. Mardon came in and said she couldn't miss my last day! I stayed all day and did our normal stuff. After lunch they watched a short movie and then we had "Ms. Venable" time as they called it. For the last hour and a half of the day I did a open forum where they could ask me any question but I had the right to refuse. The very first question was by a little boy who asked..and I quote "if I go to America will I get shot because I'm from Scotland..because if you go to China they will shot you if you are from Scotland?" I replied..you will not get shot in America because you are from Scotland. I thought it was very interesting that the first thing they wanted to know was about violence. It is sad to think that that is what some people think of when they think about America. Well after that I gave out my goodies from America (some Tyson bracelets, magnets, pencils...and tattoos) and the kids were so excited...especially about the tattoos! Then the kids gave me some shortbread, and chocolate and a card! It was so sweet. After that the afternoon bell rang and the kids started rushing off except a few who stayed to get a picture. I took some pictures with them and then was heading for the door when....my "favorite" came up to me and said.."Ms. Venable, I'm going to miss you but Ill think about you everyday, even in my dreams." Right there in that moment I realized I had made an impact, that little boy noticed something about me and grabbed hold of it. I only hope he searches to find out what made me different (other than the fact I was from America). He proceeded to walk me to the bus stop where I met his mother and he gave me a hug and said see you when I see you, you are the best teacher ever! well, I cried as I got on the bus and then cried the whole 30min bus ride home and cried the 15 min. walk to the Carronvale...but composed myself as I walked in the door. I didn't want to leave, but I knew my time was up and it was time to move on.
That night John and Rhona (a couple that has helped a lot with the program) took some of us to a little town called Culross. We walked around the cobble stone streets. The road had 3 paths...the far sides were where the drainage went down, the small stones are where the poor people walked and the big stones are where the wealthy walked. We then went to the Palace there and the gardens and took a lot of neat pictures. After that they took us to a restaurant called Red Lion. In the girls bathroom is a picture of a man wearing a kilt that can be lifted up....well if you lift it up a loud speaker in fills the entire restaurant and says "We've got a kilt lifter in the toilet" and then as you come out everybody is looking at you and laughing. Rhona demonstrated for us and sure enough it was hilarious! After that we went back to the Carronvale and packed for London...our train left at 9:15 the Friday morning! WOW it has gone by so fast, but has been wonderful! I know God brought me to Scotland for a reason and I know I've been changed forever because of it! 
This is John. John was a cook and fisherman for 45 years on the North Sea. He has been retired for 10 years and says one of his favorite things to do is to cook. He makes an infamous fish pie that he is required to bring to every sweet and savory. I asked him if he had always lived in Peterhead and he replied yes. He began to tell me about his father. His father was also a fisherman but when his dad was 42 years old he was out at sea and had a heart attack and died. John was only 17 and was the only child. He said at that point he knew he was to be a fisherman like his father. I also asked if he had ever fallen in before while fishing. He looked at me and slowly raised his sleeve. Beneath his sleeve was a scar and then he began to explain that in his 45 years at sea he had been thrown into the North Sea 4 times by either the nets or by a wave. I then asked what was the longest time he had to wait to be rescued and he looked at me and said 10 min, but it felt like forever. John is a very interesting man and I will always remember him and smile when I look at this picture! 
This is Donald and Grace. In my opinion her name is very fitting of her personality. I sat across from them at the Sweet and Savory and of course we got to talking. They didn't grow up in Peterhead, in fact they both grew up about 18 miles north of Peterhead. They met at a charity event and Grace wasn't too keen on the idea of getting to know Donald; she was a widow at the time. Anyways, with some charm and some flattery Donald won over Grace but with one condition. Donald had to go to church with Grace at the Church of Christ. He did and has been a faithful member since. I asked him about his parents and if he had been in the North Sea before. He just smiled and replied that when he was stupid he used to go swimming in it with his buddies. He said after he dad got back from WWII they both went and jumped into the sea from a cliff and vowed never to make that mistake again. Camille and Aubrey stayed with them and I guess talked about how they would be able to point out which one I was by how I acted. Well, before I could say by the way my name is Megan...Grace said...you're Megan aren't you. To which I replied is it that obvious. This couple was really sweet and I could see their love for the Lord and their passion for doing his work.
Last but not least there is Uncle Micheal and Auntie Mo. I have already mentioned them but I want to say a little bit more about them. I could not have been more blessed than to have had the opportunity to have stayed with them. They made me feel more at home and at the same time made me feel more home sick than I had this whole trip. It was the little things like putting a jug of water on the side table by our beds, and folding the towels perfectly in the bathroom, and having her moo moo on while we visited. Things like that make a person feel like I could live there and never feel like I was intruding. Micheal and Mo are great people who have done a lot for the people of Peterhead and for the Lord in their lifetime. I only wish everyone could have the drive they do and the servant like attitude they do!
After church we went back to the lighthouse and the harbor to get a few pictures in the daylight. I got to see some of the seals swimming in the water, although it seemed like everytime I was about to take a picture they would dive under water. Mike made friends with the lady who stays at the lighthouse and she let us come in and get right up close to it. They had a guard dog named Lenox who happened to be a german shepard. And since I have the touch as my mom likes to call it, we became best friends and played catch and had all sorts of fun. I was more interested in the dog than the lighthouse, but I got to see the lighthouse the night before.
After that it was time to get on the bus and head back for our last week at the Carronvale and our last week to be a light in a place that in a lot of ways is still very dark. 
Our next little adventure was to the Castle ruins right down the street from the Cathedral. It was really neat to be standing in the same places that James II stood in the 1450's and play in the same water and shore that countless people have stood in. From there we walked to Subway (real Scottish,huh?) and took our food down to the beach by the golf course and ate lunch. Then we headed back to the golf Museum and got on the bus for Dunnotter castle.
Our nest stop was Peterhead, and nothing could have prepared me for the people I would meet there and how much they would remind me of home. We got there around 6:45pm and had some singing and prayer time. This is something that has become a tradition for them because Peterhead is a fishing town and long ago many of the fisherman would have to leave Sunday morning, so they have a worship service for them before they set sail. Anyway, after our praise time we met our families and Jacquiline, Amiee, and I had the pleasure of staying with Micheal (the preacher) and Morline. They were so hospitable and so kind to us while we stayed with them. There house had the most beautiful view of the North Sea and a light house less than 100yds from their front door. After we ate dinner/supper with them we decided to go exploring around the lighthouse. We got some really cool pictures but it was really cold but before we went back to the house we decided to go to the harbor. There we saw bout 25 or 30 seals on the rocks and in the water. It was too dark to get any pictures so we decided to go back Sunday morning. Keep in mind this was at 10:30 at night but it was the longest day of the year and "too dark to take pictures" meant that the sun was just starting to go down. Well that was our Saturday but the best in my mind was yet to come. 
Our next stop was Falkland Palace, which is about 20min from Kirkcaldy. A lot of it was still there but the King's quarters were destroyed. We did go into the chapel and sing. It was so refreshing to hear the voices with 400 year old walls surrounding all of us. I will say it wasn't the coolest castle in the world BUT it had the most impressive and breath-taking gardens I had ever seen. If I could get married anywhere in the whole wide world I would get married in these gardens. The colors of the flowers were so vibrant and they all smelled so sweet and fresh. I played around in there and went exploring and got to see some of the cool things God created all around me. We also saw the oldest tennis court in the world called the Royal tennis court (fancy). For lunch Camille, Kurt and I ate outside the castle at Luiginos and all had pizza. It was some of the best pizza I had ever had. That whole town had buildings that were so castle esq and so much fun to be around. I felt like I was in a movie setting.
Our next stop and last stop for Friday was the one and only St. Andrew's. Our first priority was to check in, and guess where we stayed...at St. Andrew's University! After that we had to walk into town and we had to stop at the golf course..and I touched it. For anyone that doesn't know, St. Andrew's is the home of golf..now you should see how cool that is. After that Camille, Aubrey and I went to the beach by the course. We all played in the sand and I got in the water (which happens to be the North Sea..it was cold). I wrote in the sand, and then we all had sand everywhere so we decided to walk around a little. We then went to meet the rest of the group for dinner at St. Andrew's Cathedral. I only got to look around at the Cathedral ruins for 15 min because they were closing but we did go eat dinner so that was good. After dinner, where I was dared to order an inappropriate drink and refused (not naming names-Kurt) we decided to go back to the hotel and chill. But before we could do that, we were told that we were to get ice cream from a place called Janetta's. Well, there is good reason for why we should get ice cream there, it was really good! So back to us going back to the dorm... I took the lead and well after 25min of semi-wandering we got back to the dorm ( we had to jump off a small cliff and then onto a green box thing then onto the ground, quite fun really). Once we got back, we were all really tired and called it a night shortly there after.
Thursday was great as well. My kids had music so I stayed with them and took some pictures. I just can't get over the fact that I only have one week left with these kids and then I have to move on. It is overwhelming to think that I may be the only Christian they come into contact with. There is one little boy that I really wish I could reach. He comes from a bad background and while there are days I want to beat his behind, I remember that I can be a light in his dark world and that I need to be someone he can trust and respect not matter how annoyed I get or how frustrated I get with him. I really wish I could have more time here for that reason. It will be so hard to say goodbye to my 30 kids in a week. I just pray that I have been enough to at least let them know there is some good in the world and that someone cares about them.
