Here are a bunch of newspapers with my goofy pose :D
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Celebrity
Who is the celebrity? Me of course!
I am now famous. In my own little sphere of the world, anyway. Scott made me take pictures with the storytelling kids that won first place. I asked why he couldn't do it since he was the one that helped them. His response: "I'm not white."
Rude. I pretended to be annoyed. Then he was embarrased he said that. I won't tell him I'm sharing it with the world :)
I was a good sport and posed for the pictures. They told us to do a funny picture so I did something. It wasn't strange, but the whole class we were in front of started laughing. Not sure what that was about.
And now that picture has been in 4 newspapers, it is the main picture on the school website, and you see it as you enter the school grounds. Wonderful! Scott said people will now think white people are crazy. Whatever. I just did what I was told.
Click HERE to go to the school's website.
I am now famous. In my own little sphere of the world, anyway. Scott made me take pictures with the storytelling kids that won first place. I asked why he couldn't do it since he was the one that helped them. His response: "I'm not white."
Rude. I pretended to be annoyed. Then he was embarrased he said that. I won't tell him I'm sharing it with the world :)
I was a good sport and posed for the pictures. They told us to do a funny picture so I did something. It wasn't strange, but the whole class we were in front of started laughing. Not sure what that was about.
And now that picture has been in 4 newspapers, it is the main picture on the school website, and you see it as you enter the school grounds. Wonderful! Scott said people will now think white people are crazy. Whatever. I just did what I was told.
Click HERE to go to the school's website.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Forgot to Mention
I forgot to mention this in the post about Saturday. When we were riding the MRT home, there was a family with a little boy and little girl. They were cute and I looked at them a few times. (Yes, I’m a people watcher).
As they exited the train, the little girl waved at me. It was very cute. I smiled and waved back. Her mom saw it and looked to see who she was waving at. I glimpsed the mom’s smile as they walked off. What a cutie! Waving at a stranger that sticks out like a white thread on black cloth. (Good analogy, huh?)
It was a small ray of sunshine in my day.
Oh and I gave a talk in Sacrament mtg today. It went fine. Sarah is a good translator. I think she has done it for Area Presidencies and their wives. She looked at my written talk to make sure she could explain everything (she had to look a few things up), but then she translated directly from what I said. Impressive!
As they exited the train, the little girl waved at me. It was very cute. I smiled and waved back. Her mom saw it and looked to see who she was waving at. I glimpsed the mom’s smile as they walked off. What a cutie! Waving at a stranger that sticks out like a white thread on black cloth. (Good analogy, huh?)
It was a small ray of sunshine in my day.
Oh and I gave a talk in Sacrament mtg today. It went fine. Sarah is a good translator. I think she has done it for Area Presidencies and their wives. She looked at my written talk to make sure she could explain everything (she had to look a few things up), but then she translated directly from what I said. Impressive!
Some Succeed, Others Don’t
Sadly, my drama group was in the “others” category this year. We didn’t make it to the 2nd round. We were pretty disappointed. And we had such a good speech on the 3 R’s! Sad.
We left the school at 7:15 am and practiced, watched a few others, performed, then returned to school. One thing that made me very happy was lunch. We stopped at KFC on the way home. Yum, yum, yum! Chicken, French fries, and Pepsi. I was happy and the girls were too.
We spent the next 3 hours working on speeches. We thought we had a good chance of going to the second round. They accepted 19 of the 37 teams. 2 of the speeches were pretty good. Then we only had 10 minutes before we had to return to hear the results. So I told everyone to leave me alone and I blasted out a speech (using some other material). I tried to answer 3 questions with one speech. It wasn’t that great, but it was okay.
I was grateful for my late nights/early mornings in college when I wrote papers just in time to run to class :) It came in handy yesterday.
Now we will start preparing for other things. Scott has a topic for his next competition. It is a little strange. There are 3 different geographic areas and 2 of them have detailed topics. Our topic: tell a story. Huh?
Oh yeah. Last night I went out with Emily. We rode the MRT into Kaohsiung and had dinner. I purchased a card to use at the MRT. It’s easy. If I need to add money I can use a machine. No Chinese necessary! We had to wait 20 minutes for a table so we went to a department store. I felt like I was back home! Tommy, Nine West, Clinique. But at RIDICULOUS prices. $2000 or $3000 NT for a pair of shoes or shirt. (That’s $66 to $100 American) No, thank you!
The food was delicious. I had spaghetti!! (Mom, yours is still the best) And they gave us salad and bread with it. Don’t tell my Dad but I dipped my bread in the sauce. Emily made me laugh when she stabbed her bread with the fork and ate it. Is that allowed in American culture? I don’t think it is.
We also had salad with mango dressing. It was very tasty. Emily was frustrated with the fork. She wanted her trusty chopsticks. It did take her a lot longer to eat it.
Our final stop was the high speed train station. I told Emily I had not purchased a ticket for my weekend trip to Taipei. She was worried. But now I have both tickets! And I owe Emily money. I didn’t have that much cash on hand. What a good friend :)
Random thing – I think I bird may have just gotten stuck in my air conditioner. No I don’t hear it. But it was making funny noises and I could hear something moving in there. Hm, maybe it is still there. Ha ha!
We left the school at 7:15 am and practiced, watched a few others, performed, then returned to school. One thing that made me very happy was lunch. We stopped at KFC on the way home. Yum, yum, yum! Chicken, French fries, and Pepsi. I was happy and the girls were too.
We spent the next 3 hours working on speeches. We thought we had a good chance of going to the second round. They accepted 19 of the 37 teams. 2 of the speeches were pretty good. Then we only had 10 minutes before we had to return to hear the results. So I told everyone to leave me alone and I blasted out a speech (using some other material). I tried to answer 3 questions with one speech. It wasn’t that great, but it was okay.
I was grateful for my late nights/early mornings in college when I wrote papers just in time to run to class :) It came in handy yesterday.
Now we will start preparing for other things. Scott has a topic for his next competition. It is a little strange. There are 3 different geographic areas and 2 of them have detailed topics. Our topic: tell a story. Huh?
Oh yeah. Last night I went out with Emily. We rode the MRT into Kaohsiung and had dinner. I purchased a card to use at the MRT. It’s easy. If I need to add money I can use a machine. No Chinese necessary! We had to wait 20 minutes for a table so we went to a department store. I felt like I was back home! Tommy, Nine West, Clinique. But at RIDICULOUS prices. $2000 or $3000 NT for a pair of shoes or shirt. (That’s $66 to $100 American) No, thank you!
The food was delicious. I had spaghetti!! (Mom, yours is still the best) And they gave us salad and bread with it. Don’t tell my Dad but I dipped my bread in the sauce. Emily made me laugh when she stabbed her bread with the fork and ate it. Is that allowed in American culture? I don’t think it is.
We also had salad with mango dressing. It was very tasty. Emily was frustrated with the fork. She wanted her trusty chopsticks. It did take her a lot longer to eat it.
Our final stop was the high speed train station. I told Emily I had not purchased a ticket for my weekend trip to Taipei. She was worried. But now I have both tickets! And I owe Emily money. I didn’t have that much cash on hand. What a good friend :)
Random thing – I think I bird may have just gotten stuck in my air conditioner. No I don’t hear it. But it was making funny noises and I could hear something moving in there. Hm, maybe it is still there. Ha ha!
Friday, October 24, 2008
Neglected, but not Forgotten
That's right, my blog. I haven't talked to you in nearly a week. Don't worry. I haven't forgotten about you!
I almost set a record today for staying at the office for 12 hours. Almost, but not quite! Too bad "almost" doesn't count for anything :(
(For some strange reason I want to reach that benchmark. I don't really understand why. I was only 20 minutes off today.)
I had some fun with 4 of my conversation classes. I introduced them to Elvis Presley (thank you youtube!) They actually knew who he was already, but didn't know his English name. The Chinese name for him means "Cat King". Still not sure about the "cat" part.
Tomorrow is the big day for the English skit. Ah! I'm getting a little nervous. I've been working with 4 students. Our skit is called "The Butterfly Effect" and talks about the environment and problems because of global warming. Our message is that everyone can do a little something to not aggravate the problem. Our background is sweet, and the girls do pretty well. I wish we had another week to perfect it! C'est la vie. I'll get some pictures tomorrow so you can see what I've been up to in my not-so-free time.
Hm, I can't think of anything else. I should get to bed soon since I have to get up early. No sleeping in this Saturday! We leave at 7:15 for the competition.
I almost set a record today for staying at the office for 12 hours. Almost, but not quite! Too bad "almost" doesn't count for anything :(
(For some strange reason I want to reach that benchmark. I don't really understand why. I was only 20 minutes off today.)
I had some fun with 4 of my conversation classes. I introduced them to Elvis Presley (thank you youtube!) They actually knew who he was already, but didn't know his English name. The Chinese name for him means "Cat King". Still not sure about the "cat" part.
Tomorrow is the big day for the English skit. Ah! I'm getting a little nervous. I've been working with 4 students. Our skit is called "The Butterfly Effect" and talks about the environment and problems because of global warming. Our message is that everyone can do a little something to not aggravate the problem. Our background is sweet, and the girls do pretty well. I wish we had another week to perfect it! C'est la vie. I'll get some pictures tomorrow so you can see what I've been up to in my not-so-free time.
Hm, I can't think of anything else. I should get to bed soon since I have to get up early. No sleeping in this Saturday! We leave at 7:15 for the competition.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Weekend Wonders
I don’t really have any “wonders” to report on. I just needed a word so I could have some alliteration in my title! (Anyone unsure of that word? I guess I really am an English teacher :)
Friday night I lounged around reading a book and watching TV. Then I went to church for a baptism. Scott asked me to sing a song with others for it. I’d never heard the song before! He gave me sheet music that morning and I found a recording online so I was ok (but not totally comfortable). It was “I’ll Find You My Friend”. He thought it was a typical YW song. Do any of you know it? I do now!
The person getting baptized didn’t come. So we sang a hymn (conducted by Nathan = very adorable) and had a prayer then ate some treats.
Already forgot what I did after that! I was at the church for maybe 2 hours. I got a ride with Scott’s family.
On Saturday, I woke up early again. So not cool! Then I let myself get sucked into a book. I knew I shouldn’t, but it was so good! That’s right “was”; I finished it. :) I’m not going to think about buying the next one in the series. I’ve got to stay on top of work and church stuff.
Then in the afternoon I went to church by a new route. Actually, I got there super fast because I rode behind Scott. If they were late, he had to buy everyone lunch. And it was very close – 3 minutes to spare. At first I was going to let him drive without me on the last leg. Then I decided that wasn’t fair. I was the YW pres. and shouldn’t be late either. Plus I was leaving on time but stopped at their house and we didn’t leave for 10 minutes.
Anyway, we all got there in one piece. And we piled into a van and headed to downtown Kaohsiung. We saw a movie. I tried to warn them it didn’t look that clean, but they didn’t listen. It wasn’t the best movie for a YW outing. But I was laughing most of the time! And for that short time, I forgot I was in Taiwan because it was in English. (With Chinese subtitles)
I was rudely brought back to earth as I walked out of the theater and didn’t hear any English spoken around me :( We also wandered around before the movie. At a weekend market (that’s what I’m going to call it). I tried fried cheese cubes and they were super good!! I’ve never heard of such a thing.
I’m already considering riding the MRT and going back there to get more cheese cubes. I have had such a ridiculously small amount of cheese since coming here. And I don’t like it! Something that made me laugh was that we bought drinks on the street before going into the movie. I told my girls that isn’t allowed in America and they thought it was strange.
Our final stop was Costco. Yummy, huge slice of pizza! I saw a large box of Cheerios and today in church I wished I had bought it. I’ll probably take the MRT and go to Costco for some “fun” shopping. I just have to eat the stuff fast. Family size portions for one person. Ha ha!
Today I went to church. It was good. Took the new route, as shown to me by Scott’s family. It’s faster and on smaller roads so safer for me. My 2nd counselor, Daniella, taught the lesson. It was really good. The girls paid more attention since it was in their native tongue. I need to find a teacher this week. I only want to do it every now and again.
Oh, I forgot. Sat. night we returned to the church at 6:50 and then I had a 1.5 hour meeting. It was good, but I was really tired. It was YW training for the stake. The stake YW president just had her first child. And she was Yvonne’s first roommate who taught at Chung Shan. (Funny note: she said she wasn’t going to get married her but did so within 3 months of saying that and now lives here.) At first she did English and Chinese, but then another person came and translated for me. I really need to learn Chinese!!
I think that’s about it. Tonight I had to type up the lesson plans that I was supposed to do Sat. morning. And now I have one more thing to do for school. A group of kids went to a storytelling contest today and got first place. Yeah!
Then this weekend, we have the drama thing I’ve been helping them prepare for. I hope we do well! The girls worked on the backdrop Friday and it’s looking good. They just have to memorize their lines, work out the movements, and memorize a bunch of speeches. Yeah, only 5 days to do all this. The speeches are just in case we move on to the next level. Together they have to give one speech. But Scott is having them memorize 4 different speeches. I don’t really know how it all works. I’ve looked at them and want to simplify them. So that’s what I’m off to do!
Friday night I lounged around reading a book and watching TV. Then I went to church for a baptism. Scott asked me to sing a song with others for it. I’d never heard the song before! He gave me sheet music that morning and I found a recording online so I was ok (but not totally comfortable). It was “I’ll Find You My Friend”. He thought it was a typical YW song. Do any of you know it? I do now!
The person getting baptized didn’t come. So we sang a hymn (conducted by Nathan = very adorable) and had a prayer then ate some treats.
Already forgot what I did after that! I was at the church for maybe 2 hours. I got a ride with Scott’s family.
On Saturday, I woke up early again. So not cool! Then I let myself get sucked into a book. I knew I shouldn’t, but it was so good! That’s right “was”; I finished it. :) I’m not going to think about buying the next one in the series. I’ve got to stay on top of work and church stuff.
Then in the afternoon I went to church by a new route. Actually, I got there super fast because I rode behind Scott. If they were late, he had to buy everyone lunch. And it was very close – 3 minutes to spare. At first I was going to let him drive without me on the last leg. Then I decided that wasn’t fair. I was the YW pres. and shouldn’t be late either. Plus I was leaving on time but stopped at their house and we didn’t leave for 10 minutes.
Anyway, we all got there in one piece. And we piled into a van and headed to downtown Kaohsiung. We saw a movie. I tried to warn them it didn’t look that clean, but they didn’t listen. It wasn’t the best movie for a YW outing. But I was laughing most of the time! And for that short time, I forgot I was in Taiwan because it was in English. (With Chinese subtitles)
I was rudely brought back to earth as I walked out of the theater and didn’t hear any English spoken around me :( We also wandered around before the movie. At a weekend market (that’s what I’m going to call it). I tried fried cheese cubes and they were super good!! I’ve never heard of such a thing.
I’m already considering riding the MRT and going back there to get more cheese cubes. I have had such a ridiculously small amount of cheese since coming here. And I don’t like it! Something that made me laugh was that we bought drinks on the street before going into the movie. I told my girls that isn’t allowed in America and they thought it was strange.
Our final stop was Costco. Yummy, huge slice of pizza! I saw a large box of Cheerios and today in church I wished I had bought it. I’ll probably take the MRT and go to Costco for some “fun” shopping. I just have to eat the stuff fast. Family size portions for one person. Ha ha!
Today I went to church. It was good. Took the new route, as shown to me by Scott’s family. It’s faster and on smaller roads so safer for me. My 2nd counselor, Daniella, taught the lesson. It was really good. The girls paid more attention since it was in their native tongue. I need to find a teacher this week. I only want to do it every now and again.
Oh, I forgot. Sat. night we returned to the church at 6:50 and then I had a 1.5 hour meeting. It was good, but I was really tired. It was YW training for the stake. The stake YW president just had her first child. And she was Yvonne’s first roommate who taught at Chung Shan. (Funny note: she said she wasn’t going to get married her but did so within 3 months of saying that and now lives here.) At first she did English and Chinese, but then another person came and translated for me. I really need to learn Chinese!!
I think that’s about it. Tonight I had to type up the lesson plans that I was supposed to do Sat. morning. And now I have one more thing to do for school. A group of kids went to a storytelling contest today and got first place. Yeah!
Then this weekend, we have the drama thing I’ve been helping them prepare for. I hope we do well! The girls worked on the backdrop Friday and it’s looking good. They just have to memorize their lines, work out the movements, and memorize a bunch of speeches. Yeah, only 5 days to do all this. The speeches are just in case we move on to the next level. Together they have to give one speech. But Scott is having them memorize 4 different speeches. I don’t really know how it all works. I’ve looked at them and want to simplify them. So that’s what I’m off to do!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Kids These Days
(I can say that since I'm legally an adult. Right??)
I hung out with Scott's family the other night. And Jessica and Nathan did things that made me chuckle. That isn't too unusual. But this time, I was an integral part of the funnyness.
At the end of scripture reading, Jessica discovered my arm hairs. Apparently they were fascinating to her. So she sat and pulled on individual ones. A very strange feeling. I think it was because she was bored. Then I tried to do it back to her -- not possible! Her arm hairs are so short. I couldn't grab any of them. Interesting....
Nathan has a winter glove that he puts on and then he walks around throwing punches. I think he was inspired by SpongeBob. I saw 2 winter gloves this night, so I put one on and gave the other to Nathan. He got excited and started punching for real! It didn't really hurt; even though he used his entire body. It was funny. I mostly laughed.
So now I've been a human punching bag. YES! I've always wanted to add that to my list of accomplishments.
Then he got the couch cushions and put them on (or maybe I hid under them) and started body slamming me. That was a little more painful. It was just a funny experience. He got so serious when he threw his punches. And he stood on the couch where I was sitting and put his entire body into it. I might take a video of it one day. It's cute.
I hung out with Scott's family the other night. And Jessica and Nathan did things that made me chuckle. That isn't too unusual. But this time, I was an integral part of the funnyness.
At the end of scripture reading, Jessica discovered my arm hairs. Apparently they were fascinating to her. So she sat and pulled on individual ones. A very strange feeling. I think it was because she was bored. Then I tried to do it back to her -- not possible! Her arm hairs are so short. I couldn't grab any of them. Interesting....
Nathan has a winter glove that he puts on and then he walks around throwing punches. I think he was inspired by SpongeBob. I saw 2 winter gloves this night, so I put one on and gave the other to Nathan. He got excited and started punching for real! It didn't really hurt; even though he used his entire body. It was funny. I mostly laughed.
So now I've been a human punching bag. YES! I've always wanted to add that to my list of accomplishments.
Then he got the couch cushions and put them on (or maybe I hid under them) and started body slamming me. That was a little more painful. It was just a funny experience. He got so serious when he threw his punches. And he stood on the couch where I was sitting and put his entire body into it. I might take a video of it one day. It's cute.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
What's Worse?
Q: What's worse than a meeting?
A: A meeting in a language you don't know!
Q: What's worse than a dead cockroach?
A: A live one.
Q: What's worse than a live cockroach?
A: A live one in your house.
I'm thinking no one will be jealous of these moments. AJ and I had to sit through a one-hour meeting yesterday. I would say 3 minutes were in English. The rest was in Chinese. So lame! I fell asleep (just twice that I remember) and drew random things on my paper and then folded my paper.
Conclusion:
Avoid any meetings in a different language.
Always take paper and pen for notes to meetings. It's useful to keep you entertained and maybe, just maybe, focused.
Note folding in junior high school WAS a good thing to do ~ I still use it today :)
A: A meeting in a language you don't know!
Q: What's worse than a dead cockroach?
A: A live one.
Q: What's worse than a live cockroach?
A: A live one in your house.
I'm thinking no one will be jealous of these moments. AJ and I had to sit through a one-hour meeting yesterday. I would say 3 minutes were in English. The rest was in Chinese. So lame! I fell asleep (just twice that I remember) and drew random things on my paper and then folded my paper.
Conclusion:
Avoid any meetings in a different language.
Always take paper and pen for notes to meetings. It's useful to keep you entertained and maybe, just maybe, focused.
Note folding in junior high school WAS a good thing to do ~ I still use it today :)
Saturday, October 11, 2008
I'm Still Here
Don't worry, nothing has happened to me. Well, things have happened but nothing bad. I'm still here teaching away. Yesterday we didn't have school (their Independence Day) and it was lovely. I was totally lazy -- watched general conference, read & finished a great book, and watched a few movies.
I REALLY liked the book. It's Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin. I randomly found it on the Wal-Mart website. Greg tried to climb some huge mountain (I think it's called Karakoram K2) but failed. He found a small village and decided he would help them out by building a school. The devoted students met out in the elements before that!
He has now built about 14 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. It's a really inspiring story. I enjoyed it. Made me want to go out and build a school :) I highly recommend the book.
I think I'll just add a bunch of pictures and comment with those. Enjoy!
One more thing, yesterday I set my alarm for 9:00. Wow! I was looking forward to sleeping in. My mind didn’t register that apparently – I woke up at 6:00. I gave up on falling back asleep and got up at 6:30.
So lame! But today I slept in until 9:20. :) Then I chatted with my parents (technology is wonderful) and now it’s almost noon. I have 28 essays to grade. I plan to banish myself to the office this afternoon. One nice thing is that students have their first midterm tests on Mon & Tues so I don’t have to teach. I just get to be extremely bored as I proctor tests.
OK, another thing. My dad sent 2 fabulous packages this week. They were full of treats from America. I was SO happy to see the Fudge Stripe cookies. (They’re gone.) And AJ had some of the Mac’n’Cheese yesterday. He was craving it (the Kraft kind, of course) and I happened to have my leftover stuff in the office fridge. What a coincidence.
From one of my outings with the Huang Family
Michelle being goofy and fighting off boredom.
Nathan giving Jessica a hug. So sweet.
Moon Festival
A box of moon cakes. The school gave one to each teacher. I'm pretty sure I tried the coffee one since I can't read the Chinese descriptions. It was gross.
Becca and Michelle at the Moon Festival dinner at the school.
Nathan attacking his corn. That boy can eat. They use food to bribe him :)
A man playing a nifty, traditional flute. Sarah said I "had" to go over and see it. I said "Yes ma'am" and jumped up. It was pretty neat.
Sarah & Yvonne
(half of Yvonne); Scott taking his turn; Chuck (our tech guy who doesn't speak English); Andy (barely in the picture)
Yvonne counting up the score. Chuck on the left, Andy on the right.
AJ's turn. You see Steve sitting at his desk coaching.
I REALLY liked the book. It's Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin. I randomly found it on the Wal-Mart website. Greg tried to climb some huge mountain (I think it's called Karakoram K2) but failed. He found a small village and decided he would help them out by building a school. The devoted students met out in the elements before that!
He has now built about 14 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. It's a really inspiring story. I enjoyed it. Made me want to go out and build a school :) I highly recommend the book.
I think I'll just add a bunch of pictures and comment with those. Enjoy!
One more thing, yesterday I set my alarm for 9:00. Wow! I was looking forward to sleeping in. My mind didn’t register that apparently – I woke up at 6:00. I gave up on falling back asleep and got up at 6:30.
So lame! But today I slept in until 9:20. :) Then I chatted with my parents (technology is wonderful) and now it’s almost noon. I have 28 essays to grade. I plan to banish myself to the office this afternoon. One nice thing is that students have their first midterm tests on Mon & Tues so I don’t have to teach. I just get to be extremely bored as I proctor tests.
OK, another thing. My dad sent 2 fabulous packages this week. They were full of treats from America. I was SO happy to see the Fudge Stripe cookies. (They’re gone.) And AJ had some of the Mac’n’Cheese yesterday. He was craving it (the Kraft kind, of course) and I happened to have my leftover stuff in the office fridge. What a coincidence.
From one of my outings with the Huang Family
Michelle being goofy and fighting off boredom.
Nathan giving Jessica a hug. So sweet.Moon Festival
A box of moon cakes. The school gave one to each teacher. I'm pretty sure I tried the coffee one since I can't read the Chinese descriptions. It was gross.
Becca and Michelle at the Moon Festival dinner at the school.
Nathan attacking his corn. That boy can eat. They use food to bribe him :)
A man playing a nifty, traditional flute. Sarah said I "had" to go over and see it. I said "Yes ma'am" and jumped up. It was pretty neat.The Office
Funny things often happen in our office. This was one of them. I was smart and captured it on camera! They randomly starting playing a game of darts. Losers had to buy pizza for everyone. Yvonne told me to choose a team, I said I wasn't good, and she said to not choose her team. I was truly scared. I didn't want to get her mad. Then AJ chose to be on Scott's team. By default I was on (you probably guessed it) Yvonne's team. AH! I didn't do a very good job. Only 1 of the 5 darts hit the board. It was REALLY stressful. Steve and Yvonne were like "don't lose for us!" Luckily we won, even with my poor playing. I told them I would rather just pay for the pizza. I'm not even sure why it was so stressful for me, but it was. And that took all the fun out of it. It was really funny before that when I was just a spectator. Ah well.
Sarah & Yvonne
(half of Yvonne); Scott taking his turn; Chuck (our tech guy who doesn't speak English); Andy (barely in the picture)
Yvonne counting up the score. Chuck on the left, Andy on the right.
AJ's turn. You see Steve sitting at his desk coaching.One good thing- the pizza we had a week later was really tasty. :D
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Better Late Than Never
It has now been 2 weeks since this happened. Yikes. Sorry I was so slow in updating you!
My Saturday with Emily
It was a great day! Even though I woke up tired and became more so as the day progressed. Even though I was sweating like a pig at times. And even though I was neglecting important work for school.
She had me at the school at 7:30 am ready for an adventure. She even had the gall to call at 7:15 and say “hurry up.” Huh! It took some time but we got breakfast, got the students on a public bus, re-grouped at the KMRT station, and truly began our journey.
It was a bit crowded. Opening week = free. Weekend = no work. I can’t think of any fun events during this time. We got off at the transfer station (connects the orange and red lines). They have an awesome dome of light in the middle of the . . . terminal (?) I really enjoyed it and took lots of pictures. I think I could have stayed there half the day then gone home satisfied.
But it was not to be. We added 1 more person to our party and got back on the train. Only 3 more stops! Here we come.
The final stop of the orange line is where we got off: Sizihwan. Here’s a somewhat phonetic spelling: shi-tz-uoh-wahn. (Man, it’s hard to make notes to remind myself of the Chinese sounds!)
We went on a nice walk (bordering on long) and ended up at a university. The person who joined our party was our “leader”. We did walk through a cool tunnel to get to the university. Emily was teaching me Chinese words (of course) and practicing her English. All day she kept trying to throw in the local language; even though I adamantly refuse to learn it. Little stinker.
We got to a mountain behind the university and began our hike. It was good but tiring, long (relatively), and HOT. Phew-ee. Near the end I got into the mode of walk-faster-so-it-can-end. He he.
We were on monkey mountain but I later found out we were in the wrong area. Monkey mountain apparently has TONS of monkeys. I was one of the few people in our group to see one. It was big but gone in a flash. Almost thought I hadn’t really seen it. The scenery was lovely. Did I mention I was hot? :D
We eventually ended our hike and stopped for lunch. More interesting things. I don’t exactly remember what they had me try. I know I was amazingly happy to see a plate of fried rice. Yum! And they had this super cool dessert. A potato-like vegetable dipped in honey. It’s stinking hot so you pick it up then dip it in cold water and the honey hardens while the inside stays soft and burning hot. It was tasty!
I was so happy to hear that we planned to ride the bus back to the KMRT station. THANK YOU! That was one concern nagging at me the whole time – “do we have to do all this again?” Emily read the bus schedule wrong so we sat there for about 20 minutes and then she discovered we still had another 15 minutes to wait. Ugh. We did find a scooter parking area and just sat on other people’s scooters (a bit strange to me).
The bus came and we made it back without any problems (at least I can’t think of any). I had to give a teacher a ride home on the back of my scooter. It was a bit scary but I’m getting better and better.
So now it is around 3 pm. I had a little bit of time to “take a nap” as Emily said. Ha ha! Neither of us got a nap in. She had to help a friend and I had errands to run. *sigh* I did get a shower in – that was important.
I met Emily again at the MRT station at 6:30. It was time for our night adventure (it was better than the morning)! There were SO many scooters parked at the station. Not nearly enough parking. Well maybe there is for normal use. But a Saturday night when it’s free? Totally inadequate.
Emily had told me to meet her at the MRT then I called her during our “break” and she said see you at the 7-eleven. I thought she just made a mistake. So I went to the MRT station. It was no mistake! She wanted to introduce me to her family. We eventually met up at the MRT station (she was waiting for me at sev.) and we were walking to the platform. But she told me her 2 cute nephews were at her house. That did it for me! I said let’s go there. She was concerned that I was hungry. What’s hunger to 2 little boys?? Hello!
So we rode back on her scooter and I met her family. But not her parents. They must have been in the kitchen. The nephews were very cute and were just staring at me. Children are so great! It made me happy just to see them.
Back to the MRT station. Gee, I feel a sense of déjà -vu right now. Ha ha. I think the train was pretty crowded (don’t remember well). FYI: Daliao (my current hometown) is the last stop on the West side.
We got off at the awesome Dome of Light station and went to the Liohu Night Market. It is a well-known market in downtown Kaohsiung. My dad and I actually went there when he had a little meeting with work friends.
It was very fun. I did more shopping! My spoils – a pair of jeans (that they put darts into, jeans are “made to fit” here, pretty sweet); 2 pairs of shoes; 2 shirts. I think that’s all. Yeah. I’ve already worn all of it. One pair of shoes I totally love. I want to go back and get them in 2 or 3 more colors. But I won’t. Time to buckle down and be responsible with my money.
I can’t give you a play-by-play but I can say Emily and I had a great time. It was like we had been friends for years. Our personalities are pretty well-suited. We were laughing and joking. I jumped over a light post (it was at my waist) and I got her to jump over one too. Haha!
She kept pointing out foods and saying they were her favorite. Honestly! I’ll have to go back 10 time just to try it all. We had some noodles at the beginning of the market (we were hungry). Then I tried some things that looked like treats. They were the potato-type things I tried on the way to Kenting dipped in batter and fried. I was really excited for some sweetness – no such luck. But the fried batter was fabulous. Ah! They could have left out the inside and I would have been happy. Ha ha.
We also tried a, um, scone-type treat with a special milk. I put chapstick on right before the first taste and thought that was making it taste so strange. Nope! It was the milk. I was not a fan. Barely touched the cup they gave me. And no sweetness in the treat we dipped into the milk. Argh! I just want scones and sonk-ay-ow (treat in Thailand).
Oh dear, almost forgot another hilarious part. We were pushing it close on getting back home on the MRT. Last train left around 11:15. I had to pay to ride the red line for one stop (we had walked to a different market to purchase the clothing items) and then we transferred to the orange line. It was hilarious to see people full-out running to make it on the last train. I was laughing really hard as I ran. The dome of light flashes above me as I race down the corridor. Can’t miss that train! Ha ha. I don’t know if anyone was walking - seems we were all running. Then we got onto the platform and had to wait for the train. Go figure.
I think that’s about it. Here are a few pictures.
My Saturday with Emily
It was a great day! Even though I woke up tired and became more so as the day progressed. Even though I was sweating like a pig at times. And even though I was neglecting important work for school.
She had me at the school at 7:30 am ready for an adventure. She even had the gall to call at 7:15 and say “hurry up.” Huh! It took some time but we got breakfast, got the students on a public bus, re-grouped at the KMRT station, and truly began our journey.
It was a bit crowded. Opening week = free. Weekend = no work. I can’t think of any fun events during this time. We got off at the transfer station (connects the orange and red lines). They have an awesome dome of light in the middle of the . . . terminal (?) I really enjoyed it and took lots of pictures. I think I could have stayed there half the day then gone home satisfied.
But it was not to be. We added 1 more person to our party and got back on the train. Only 3 more stops! Here we come.
The final stop of the orange line is where we got off: Sizihwan. Here’s a somewhat phonetic spelling: shi-tz-uoh-wahn. (Man, it’s hard to make notes to remind myself of the Chinese sounds!)
We went on a nice walk (bordering on long) and ended up at a university. The person who joined our party was our “leader”. We did walk through a cool tunnel to get to the university. Emily was teaching me Chinese words (of course) and practicing her English. All day she kept trying to throw in the local language; even though I adamantly refuse to learn it. Little stinker.
We got to a mountain behind the university and began our hike. It was good but tiring, long (relatively), and HOT. Phew-ee. Near the end I got into the mode of walk-faster-so-it-can-end. He he.
We were on monkey mountain but I later found out we were in the wrong area. Monkey mountain apparently has TONS of monkeys. I was one of the few people in our group to see one. It was big but gone in a flash. Almost thought I hadn’t really seen it. The scenery was lovely. Did I mention I was hot? :D
We eventually ended our hike and stopped for lunch. More interesting things. I don’t exactly remember what they had me try. I know I was amazingly happy to see a plate of fried rice. Yum! And they had this super cool dessert. A potato-like vegetable dipped in honey. It’s stinking hot so you pick it up then dip it in cold water and the honey hardens while the inside stays soft and burning hot. It was tasty!
I was so happy to hear that we planned to ride the bus back to the KMRT station. THANK YOU! That was one concern nagging at me the whole time – “do we have to do all this again?” Emily read the bus schedule wrong so we sat there for about 20 minutes and then she discovered we still had another 15 minutes to wait. Ugh. We did find a scooter parking area and just sat on other people’s scooters (a bit strange to me).
The bus came and we made it back without any problems (at least I can’t think of any). I had to give a teacher a ride home on the back of my scooter. It was a bit scary but I’m getting better and better.
So now it is around 3 pm. I had a little bit of time to “take a nap” as Emily said. Ha ha! Neither of us got a nap in. She had to help a friend and I had errands to run. *sigh* I did get a shower in – that was important.
I met Emily again at the MRT station at 6:30. It was time for our night adventure (it was better than the morning)! There were SO many scooters parked at the station. Not nearly enough parking. Well maybe there is for normal use. But a Saturday night when it’s free? Totally inadequate.
Emily had told me to meet her at the MRT then I called her during our “break” and she said see you at the 7-eleven. I thought she just made a mistake. So I went to the MRT station. It was no mistake! She wanted to introduce me to her family. We eventually met up at the MRT station (she was waiting for me at sev.) and we were walking to the platform. But she told me her 2 cute nephews were at her house. That did it for me! I said let’s go there. She was concerned that I was hungry. What’s hunger to 2 little boys?? Hello!
So we rode back on her scooter and I met her family. But not her parents. They must have been in the kitchen. The nephews were very cute and were just staring at me. Children are so great! It made me happy just to see them.
Back to the MRT station. Gee, I feel a sense of déjà -vu right now. Ha ha. I think the train was pretty crowded (don’t remember well). FYI: Daliao (my current hometown) is the last stop on the West side.
We got off at the awesome Dome of Light station and went to the Liohu Night Market. It is a well-known market in downtown Kaohsiung. My dad and I actually went there when he had a little meeting with work friends.
It was very fun. I did more shopping! My spoils – a pair of jeans (that they put darts into, jeans are “made to fit” here, pretty sweet); 2 pairs of shoes; 2 shirts. I think that’s all. Yeah. I’ve already worn all of it. One pair of shoes I totally love. I want to go back and get them in 2 or 3 more colors. But I won’t. Time to buckle down and be responsible with my money.
I can’t give you a play-by-play but I can say Emily and I had a great time. It was like we had been friends for years. Our personalities are pretty well-suited. We were laughing and joking. I jumped over a light post (it was at my waist) and I got her to jump over one too. Haha!
She kept pointing out foods and saying they were her favorite. Honestly! I’ll have to go back 10 time just to try it all. We had some noodles at the beginning of the market (we were hungry). Then I tried some things that looked like treats. They were the potato-type things I tried on the way to Kenting dipped in batter and fried. I was really excited for some sweetness – no such luck. But the fried batter was fabulous. Ah! They could have left out the inside and I would have been happy. Ha ha.
We also tried a, um, scone-type treat with a special milk. I put chapstick on right before the first taste and thought that was making it taste so strange. Nope! It was the milk. I was not a fan. Barely touched the cup they gave me. And no sweetness in the treat we dipped into the milk. Argh! I just want scones and sonk-ay-ow (treat in Thailand).
Oh dear, almost forgot another hilarious part. We were pushing it close on getting back home on the MRT. Last train left around 11:15. I had to pay to ride the red line for one stop (we had walked to a different market to purchase the clothing items) and then we transferred to the orange line. It was hilarious to see people full-out running to make it on the last train. I was laughing really hard as I ran. The dome of light flashes above me as I race down the corridor. Can’t miss that train! Ha ha. I don’t know if anyone was walking - seems we were all running. Then we got onto the platform and had to wait for the train. Go figure.
I think that’s about it. Here are a few pictures.
Pictures -- Sat. with Emily
Me at the Dome of Light
One of my favorite images on the dome. Can you tell what it is?
This may have been my most favorite image. Isn't it cool??
Emily and I with Alyn (she' so tiny!) and our leader. Don't know his name.
At the end of our hike, we visited this temple. I love how they just pop up randomly. I was looking around and saw trees and houses then suddenly a temple.
Emily striking a pose.
Me in an old building. The soldiers use them for shooting practice.
The mountain and some of the old buildings
The night market sign. Open from 5 pm to 5 am. Wow!
Me by a sign for the market.Friday, October 3, 2008
Reminders
I’ve realized I have little reminders of home even in this foreign land.
The other day I heard the noise of lawn care – mowing and weed eating. It made me think of waking up on Saturday mornings and hearing my dad doing those things. Good times :) Even though I sometimes woke up apprehensive that I would be pulled into the work.
I’ve purchased sandwiches for breakfast the past few days. If I get to the breakfast shop early enough, I can just pick one up and don’t have to say a word. It’s fabulous. I pick up a sandwich and hand them my money (about $0.60). The sandwiches are cute. It is cut into 2 triangles and then wrapped in a bag. THAT reminds me of grilled cheese sandwiches. My mom always cut them into triangles. If she didn’t, we freaked. It’s just the way it is done!
And finally, working with students here reminds me of student teaching and the students at Albion Middle School. They are similar in a lot of ways!
Oh, nearly forgot. I have a picture of delicate arch at my desk. That reminds me of the beautiful scenery in Utah and the family hike we went on just before I came over. I love pictures!!!!
That’s all for now. Just wanted to let you know I have little reminders of home.
The other day I heard the noise of lawn care – mowing and weed eating. It made me think of waking up on Saturday mornings and hearing my dad doing those things. Good times :) Even though I sometimes woke up apprehensive that I would be pulled into the work.
I’ve purchased sandwiches for breakfast the past few days. If I get to the breakfast shop early enough, I can just pick one up and don’t have to say a word. It’s fabulous. I pick up a sandwich and hand them my money (about $0.60). The sandwiches are cute. It is cut into 2 triangles and then wrapped in a bag. THAT reminds me of grilled cheese sandwiches. My mom always cut them into triangles. If she didn’t, we freaked. It’s just the way it is done!
And finally, working with students here reminds me of student teaching and the students at Albion Middle School. They are similar in a lot of ways!
Oh, nearly forgot. I have a picture of delicate arch at my desk. That reminds me of the beautiful scenery in Utah and the family hike we went on just before I came over. I love pictures!!!!
That’s all for now. Just wanted to let you know I have little reminders of home.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
No Title
I don't have a title for this post. So I labeled it "no title" :D
Here are 2 pictures showing my shorter hair. They're much better since I had gotten ready for the day. It was just before leaving for the office (school).
And here are 2 pictures of my first drawing. I bought the art supplies nearly a month ago. But I didn't ever feel like going to the trouble of getting them out. Tonight I did. It was enjoyable. I can't tell you the meanings (my friend Zach did that in seminary our senior year :)
Kind of cool, huh? Amazing what can be done with a paintbrush, water, and watercolor paint!!
Here are 2 pictures showing my shorter hair. They're much better since I had gotten ready for the day. It was just before leaving for the office (school).
And here are 2 pictures of my first drawing. I bought the art supplies nearly a month ago. But I didn't ever feel like going to the trouble of getting them out. Tonight I did. It was enjoyable. I can't tell you the meanings (my friend Zach did that in seminary our senior year :)
Kind of cool, huh? Amazing what can be done with a paintbrush, water, and watercolor paint!!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Small Victories
I think I am now considered one of his friends. It’s so great! He’s adorable. Wouldn’t you want to be his friend?He gets excited when I come to the house and he even calls me “Amlee” now. I feel so special. PS This is Scott’s little boy, Nathan. It is probably partly because I play with him when I’m at their house. It’s hard to resist his adorable Chinese/English/Nathan talk.
So the last day of the month is here. They always seem to sneak up on me! I’ve survived my first month of school as a “true” teacher. Wow. As I learned tonight, “wo lie luh” – I’m tired. :) Yeah for Chinese lessons.
That is another small victory. I’m getting better at picking out words I know and guessing meaning. Before I kept trying to figure out each word. Tonight I guessed the meaning from the words I did understand. That’s a good beginning!
I’m off to bed. Hope you enjoy these pictures of Nathan Huang. I love to watch him when I’m at their house.
He kind of looks like an elf. So cute.
I told him to smile and he even did a little pose. What a stud.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Haircut Pictures
Here's a picture taken by Yvonne when we were vacationing before school started. One of the few with my hair down. Thought it might help you get an idea of the 1.54 inches I cut off.
(Oops, can't see all of my hair. Guess I'll try again.)
Here you go. Some idea of the length of my hair. (Would've been better if I didn't have to take the picture myself!)
They're not so pretty. Give me a break, it's my day off!
(Oops, can't see all of my hair. Guess I'll try again.)
Here you go. Some idea of the length of my hair. (Would've been better if I didn't have to take the picture myself!)Sunday, September 28, 2008
Typhoon
I guess now would be my first true typhoon. It is really hitting the lovely island of Taiwan. I watched the weather even though I didn’t understand a word! The pictures they kept showing had the entire country covered by the typhoon. Crazy!
One good thing is that I’m safe and dry in my apartment. Another good thing is that I didn’t ride my scooter to church; I went with Scott’s family. (It would have been a rough ride home.) And the last good thing is that I may have a free day tomorrow. Yvonne just called to say as of now she thinks I don’t have to go in. We aren’t exactly sure. Office staff has to be there but teachers don’t. She couldn’t decide what I am. I’d say teacher, but don’t know my official status.
It would be nice to have a day off! It seems like no matter what, I won’t be teaching lessons tomorrow. That’s good because I would love a break. But it’s bad because then I have less time with my students. Funny how it works!
Oh, Yvonne just called back. It’s certain = I don’t have to go in tomorrow. I’m going to sleep in!!! Wahoo! Oh crud, I totally don’t have any food. Looks like I’ll be going for a walk in the rain! (I’ll take my dad’s advice and not drive my scooter.) Hopefully there’s a lull sometime tomorrow. But I don’t have enough cereal for breakfast . . . chances are high that I will get wet.
So I was planning to go to bed early. Now I’m thinking about watching a movie! Hm.
More about the typhoon – it has been raining hard for 5 hours now. I wonder how long it will go on. It was the cause of no church meetings today. It was still an eventful day. We left at 10:20 to go to the 11:00 sacrament meeting. We missed the sacrament part so decided to wait until 1:00. Then Scott was wrong and it wasn’t until 2:00. I was a little bugged, but couldn’t do anything to change it! I read scriptures and rested. They fed us lunch which was nice. Then I thought we were only going to stay for sacrament – wrong again. We stayed for the whole program. Michelle said she would translate but she kept going out to blow her nose. So I didn’t have anyone translate (didn’t want to be a bother). I just sat and looked around. Sadly, I didn’t understand anything.
P.S. I’ve noticed a funny thing about my name – some of my co-workers say it “Ambelee” and roll right over the “r”. They almost miss the “e” before it too. So it’s more like “Amblee”. Funny, huh? I noticed Steve & Yvonne did it today.
P.P.S. Maybe I’ll finally get the post on about my fun weekend. It’s only a week late. Ugh!
One good thing is that I’m safe and dry in my apartment. Another good thing is that I didn’t ride my scooter to church; I went with Scott’s family. (It would have been a rough ride home.) And the last good thing is that I may have a free day tomorrow. Yvonne just called to say as of now she thinks I don’t have to go in. We aren’t exactly sure. Office staff has to be there but teachers don’t. She couldn’t decide what I am. I’d say teacher, but don’t know my official status.
It would be nice to have a day off! It seems like no matter what, I won’t be teaching lessons tomorrow. That’s good because I would love a break. But it’s bad because then I have less time with my students. Funny how it works!
Oh, Yvonne just called back. It’s certain = I don’t have to go in tomorrow. I’m going to sleep in!!! Wahoo! Oh crud, I totally don’t have any food. Looks like I’ll be going for a walk in the rain! (I’ll take my dad’s advice and not drive my scooter.) Hopefully there’s a lull sometime tomorrow. But I don’t have enough cereal for breakfast . . . chances are high that I will get wet.
So I was planning to go to bed early. Now I’m thinking about watching a movie! Hm.
More about the typhoon – it has been raining hard for 5 hours now. I wonder how long it will go on. It was the cause of no church meetings today. It was still an eventful day. We left at 10:20 to go to the 11:00 sacrament meeting. We missed the sacrament part so decided to wait until 1:00. Then Scott was wrong and it wasn’t until 2:00. I was a little bugged, but couldn’t do anything to change it! I read scriptures and rested. They fed us lunch which was nice. Then I thought we were only going to stay for sacrament – wrong again. We stayed for the whole program. Michelle said she would translate but she kept going out to blow her nose. So I didn’t have anyone translate (didn’t want to be a bother). I just sat and looked around. Sadly, I didn’t understand anything.
P.S. I’ve noticed a funny thing about my name – some of my co-workers say it “Ambelee” and roll right over the “r”. They almost miss the “e” before it too. So it’s more like “Amblee”. Funny, huh? I noticed Steve & Yvonne did it today.
P.P.S. Maybe I’ll finally get the post on about my fun weekend. It’s only a week late. Ugh!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Cutting My Hairs
Yes, it’s true. I cut ALL my hairs. (As opposed to just cutting one.) And I’m happy with it. My head is lighter; I use less product/time in the shower. And I feel rejuvenated. Funny how a haircut can do that!
I was thinking of cutting around an inch off – just a trim. Scott’s girls said they always cut more than you want them to, here in Taiwan. That’s ridiculous!! I’m the paying customer. But Scott took me to a member’s shop. (The mother of Kelly, who helped me learn the way to church & was part of the sleepover at the hospital.)
The overall experience was wonderful!! Kelly washed my hair as I sat in the chair – they didn’t have me put my head in a sink until rinsing the shampoo out. Different, huh? And I got a head massage as she scrubbed my hair. Then I got a shoulder massage!! That was fabulous.
She held up a comb with ruler markings and asked how much I wanted cut off. I ended up choosing 4 cm. Yeah, I know, a little more than an inch (actually an inch & a half). I don’t think they took more than that off. It’s a bit shorter. I like it though. It was getting long! I haven’t had it that long since 10th grade; and it was starting to bug me.
I couldn’t bring myself to truly chop it – I love the ponytail option. It’s so nice to be able to pull it all up when I’m totally sick of it or totally hot.
So, there you are. My first hair-cutting experience in Taiwan. Another great thing – it was $200 NT ($6.50 US). Here’s a picture. (Just kidding. I don’t feel cute enough to take a picture. Maybe later.)
I was thinking of cutting around an inch off – just a trim. Scott’s girls said they always cut more than you want them to, here in Taiwan. That’s ridiculous!! I’m the paying customer. But Scott took me to a member’s shop. (The mother of Kelly, who helped me learn the way to church & was part of the sleepover at the hospital.)
The overall experience was wonderful!! Kelly washed my hair as I sat in the chair – they didn’t have me put my head in a sink until rinsing the shampoo out. Different, huh? And I got a head massage as she scrubbed my hair. Then I got a shoulder massage!! That was fabulous.
She held up a comb with ruler markings and asked how much I wanted cut off. I ended up choosing 4 cm. Yeah, I know, a little more than an inch (actually an inch & a half). I don’t think they took more than that off. It’s a bit shorter. I like it though. It was getting long! I haven’t had it that long since 10th grade; and it was starting to bug me.
I couldn’t bring myself to truly chop it – I love the ponytail option. It’s so nice to be able to pull it all up when I’m totally sick of it or totally hot.
So, there you are. My first hair-cutting experience in Taiwan. Another great thing – it was $200 NT ($6.50 US). Here’s a picture. (Just kidding. I don’t feel cute enough to take a picture. Maybe later.)
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Happy Surprises
Ha ha. This made me smile and laugh. (Always a great thing.) I walked up to my 4th period class; a conversation class with regular high school kids. It is a small class {Thank goodness. Helps make the class of 61 somewhat bearable.}
Some students saw me and said the typical greeting for teachers. Direct translation: teacher good. It shows respect. Teachers respond with “good” of hao (in Chinese). So I did that. Their response was one of shock. I just heard “oooh!” and then a jumble of sounds as they spoke to each other. Then they told the kids inside the classroom and a got other people to say the greeting so I would respond in Chinese.
It was funny to me. Did they honestly think I could live in a country for 3 months and not pick up any of the language?! I guess they just didn’t think about it. It was quite enjoyable. So I guess they think I’m kind of cool, or maybe a little bit smart.
I decided it was just too much fun and I couldn’t pass up one more chance to surprise them. At the end of class, they stand up and say “thank you, teacher.” My normal response: “thank you” or “you’re welcome”. My response today: Bu ke qi (Pinyin spelling of "thank you" in Chinese)
I totally got them! Again, I heard exclamations of surprise and admiration. Rock on! What a great way to leave the class. I wonder what will happen next week . . . :D
Some students saw me and said the typical greeting for teachers. Direct translation: teacher good. It shows respect. Teachers respond with “good” of hao (in Chinese). So I did that. Their response was one of shock. I just heard “oooh!” and then a jumble of sounds as they spoke to each other. Then they told the kids inside the classroom and a got other people to say the greeting so I would respond in Chinese.
It was funny to me. Did they honestly think I could live in a country for 3 months and not pick up any of the language?! I guess they just didn’t think about it. It was quite enjoyable. So I guess they think I’m kind of cool, or maybe a little bit smart.
I decided it was just too much fun and I couldn’t pass up one more chance to surprise them. At the end of class, they stand up and say “thank you, teacher.” My normal response: “thank you” or “you’re welcome”. My response today: Bu ke qi (Pinyin spelling of "thank you" in Chinese)
I totally got them! Again, I heard exclamations of surprise and admiration. Rock on! What a great way to leave the class. I wonder what will happen next week . . . :D
Monday, September 22, 2008
Happiness in a Little Box from America
You may think I’m referring to a package . . . you would be wrong! I’m referring to a little box of Macaroni and Cheese that my mom sent a few weeks ago. I finally found a measuring cup that measures in “cups.” My roommate had it in the cupboard :) The only other thing I needed was butter.
I had asked Scott’s family about this earlier. When Becca and I explored the local grocery store, she showed me where the butter was located. So this need was easily met. I popped downstairs and drove my scooter to the store. I was back in just a few minutes, getting excited about my meal.
And things went off without a hitch. Sa-weet!!! Guess I’ve made Mac’n’Cheese enough to know how to do it. :P It tasted so good. Man oh man. And as I put the cheese sauce, milk and butter in I remembered doing that as a little girl.
I would fight with my brother for the chance to dump in the cheese sauce. I’m not sure why that ingredient was so cool. Mom would let us bring our little stools over to the counter and pour in some ingredients. Sometimes we even got to help stir things in. Oh the joy of simple childhood emotions. (Remember that Mom & JJ?)
I think I could have eaten that entire box of Mac’n’Cheese. I snarfed my portion down. Almost like my brother did back in the day. We always gave him a hard time by asking if he had tasted any of it. I did taste mine. I tried to make myself slow down – it was hard.
And I’m happy to say I choose the route of a better person. I only ate about half the box. The other half I put into a container to share with Scott’s girls. When I told them I had Mac’n’Cheese, they got way excited and jealous. They thoroughly enjoyed it too. Sarah, their mom, doesn’t understand why they like it so much. I tried to explain – but what can you say?? It was a childhood staple and it’s deliciously cheesy. YUM!
PS -- THANK YOU, MOM!!
I had asked Scott’s family about this earlier. When Becca and I explored the local grocery store, she showed me where the butter was located. So this need was easily met. I popped downstairs and drove my scooter to the store. I was back in just a few minutes, getting excited about my meal.
And things went off without a hitch. Sa-weet!!! Guess I’ve made Mac’n’Cheese enough to know how to do it. :P It tasted so good. Man oh man. And as I put the cheese sauce, milk and butter in I remembered doing that as a little girl.
I would fight with my brother for the chance to dump in the cheese sauce. I’m not sure why that ingredient was so cool. Mom would let us bring our little stools over to the counter and pour in some ingredients. Sometimes we even got to help stir things in. Oh the joy of simple childhood emotions. (Remember that Mom & JJ?)
I think I could have eaten that entire box of Mac’n’Cheese. I snarfed my portion down. Almost like my brother did back in the day. We always gave him a hard time by asking if he had tasted any of it. I did taste mine. I tried to make myself slow down – it was hard.
And I’m happy to say I choose the route of a better person. I only ate about half the box. The other half I put into a container to share with Scott’s girls. When I told them I had Mac’n’Cheese, they got way excited and jealous. They thoroughly enjoyed it too. Sarah, their mom, doesn’t understand why they like it so much. I tried to explain – but what can you say?? It was a childhood staple and it’s deliciously cheesy. YUM!
PS -- THANK YOU, MOM!!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Stairs
Aren’t they just so great?! Okay, I’m being facetious. I have decided I am tired of stairs. If I don’t wait for the elevator and walk up to my apartment – 120 stairs. (If I counted right. I was huffing and puffing by the end.) Walking to my classes on the 7th floor – 100 stairs. And that is just one direction. So 200 stairs for my 4th period class on Wednesdays. Another 200 stairs on Thursday (classroom next door). And then I have classes on the 5th and 3rd floors. So many stairs!!!
It isn’t that great that I don’t like stairs already. We are only in week 3 of a 20-week semester. Oh my. I wrote little paragraphs for my students the other day and one of them was about how I wish I could fly. I feel more strongly about it today!
That’s all for now. I just wanted to do better at typing things out right after I think of them. It is my lunch break and I’m planning to read personal e-mails. Lately I’ve worked through lunch. Not today! I’m curious to hear how everyone is doing.
PS Congrats to my friend Kristen and her husband Garrett. I just read her blog saying she is pregnant. So exciting! (Blogs are fabulous things. I feel much more connected after all my reading last night.)
It isn’t that great that I don’t like stairs already. We are only in week 3 of a 20-week semester. Oh my. I wrote little paragraphs for my students the other day and one of them was about how I wish I could fly. I feel more strongly about it today!
That’s all for now. I just wanted to do better at typing things out right after I think of them. It is my lunch break and I’m planning to read personal e-mails. Lately I’ve worked through lunch. Not today! I’m curious to hear how everyone is doing.
PS Congrats to my friend Kristen and her husband Garrett. I just read her blog saying she is pregnant. So exciting! (Blogs are fabulous things. I feel much more connected after all my reading last night.)
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