Let me assure you to start that I am:
a) alive
b) healthy
c) still ok with being in Hong Kong.
phewph. Now that you're minds are all at ease, I shall express to you what the last month or so has been like.
Well, I'll start with REPORT CARDS! T'was the season, and I was not exactly thrilled to be a teacher at that time. I actually find report cards fairly simple as we do not mark very much in Kindy, so I go based on observations, and a few small and simple assessments. However, some of the things that we have to mark Kindergarten on seem to me like they're strange. I was talking to someone else about it, and we figured that by me teaching people to stand and walk nicely in a line, or to raise their hand, I'm teaching them really, only school skills. Not life skills. And it makes me sad, as if I let them run free I think I'd be "let go"! - potentially an overstatement FYI.
Anyway, The parent teacher conferences were fun, one parent almost cried because I told her that her daughter was doing very well and gaining skills in English and in reading...well, talk about bad news, ha ha. Actually, it was a relief to her and I found it fairly ridiculous that she would have been so worried. He daughter is lovely. It's cultural. I am lucky, as most of my parents were really just grateful and happy that their children like school....but many many parents here are obsessed with marks. Even in Kindergarten. They're all incredibly advanced right now, and based on my curriculum, not a soul will be left behind for grade one.
Other things that have been going on? Well, adventure Saturdays had to take a break. I am in a Christmas play at church, which has a dress rehearsal today and goes up tomorrow. It's a compliment that I got a lead role in a church I've been attending for approx. 7 weeks. I am happy to be able to have fun in small doses. Granted, due to the short time span, they did the whole show in 4 weeks, and I missed the 1st. AHHH!. So, it's a three week thing. I auditioned the first week, and had to have lines written (that I wrote myself) the past week, and this week is dress, tomorrow we do three performances as the church has three services.
The person who is the male lead is a comedian...it's interesting to work with someone who lives for improvisation and who never says the same thing twice...as if testing how funny the new phrases can be....but me, who is not strong in Improv, has to attempt to catch up, and respond to all of the things that he says...which can include but have not yet been limited at all to: WWIII, North Korea, being drafted, being strip searched at an airport, not having money and losing his job, not eating enough fruits and vegetables, and, we're having a baby girl. So, when we're supposed to be chatting about his fear of being a father and his lack of confidence as family provider and role model...and then he is pulling out these topics as a rate that defy's sound....I am sometimes as a loss. I do my best, but, I enjoy the challenge.
Not too long ago some friends of mine and I went to a place called STANLEY. It is only capitalized because I enjoy the name, and I want you to remember it....not for any other reason. The area is South of Kowloon, and you can reach it from central. It is a beach, pier, quiant small towny place....etc. Gorgeous and peaceful, really interesting shopping (a bunch of random junk...which some of you might recieve for christmas?? ha ha). I truly enjoy anytime I can leave the hectic city and go into the outter less-hectic city. Granted, there are always people all over. I can't help but wish I lived way further out, but, most people go for convinience over sound barriers and fresh air, so, I'd be living far away and no one would come over anymore...no more hosting. Lame. Anyway, there are several areas with a good view or nice trees that I'd be interested in going to. Just thinking. But to move again is going to cost more money. The goal is to find a room mate. We shall see.
Also, yesterday was a birthday of a colleague, and I was able to go and see her place, which is directly in front of a pier of small fishing boats. She's practically on the beach! I want to live where she is...the only problem is the airport is close by so #1: no one would come visit, it's way way too far #2: long commute #3: lonely. But, I'm wondering if I can deal with all that because it's so so far away from where anyone is. I could go run outside and everything.
I'm trying to think of funny news. I know my regular stories, though keeping you posted, are not that entertaining. We've been working so hard on a kindergarten musical at school that most of the kids are too tired to be funny. BUT, one kid, the "dinosaur kid" whom he shall be affectionately named, did literally try to follow through on his threats to eat me. I was talking to a different teacher, and I feel a little pulling behind my leg...and there he was. biting me. But, you have to know that he is absolutely one of my favorites, he is so so funny, and when caught, he didn't say anything, he just crawls backward, growling like a cat, and maintained slow motion eye contact.... brilliant moment. He is a joy for me. He writes "novels" about dinosaurs...I'll see if I can get his permission to show you!
Yesterday a huge ply-wood tree fell right on my head and cracked in two. I had a bump...needless to say, but, I'm feeling ok otherwise. Just soft and tender. However, the fun part was that people all said "you're head it so small, it's amazing that it hit you so directly!"....thanks guys. Thanks.
I have a little girl, and a janitor (who speaks zero english) who are now giving me a constant supply of fish skin. The one little girl gives it every other day in the form of small soft strips. She watches as I eat... that is one of the downsides to being a KG teacher... ha ha. You just can't break their tender little hearts yet. The janitor, wants to be my friend, and she talks with only gestures and cantonese, so I try pretty hard to keep up. We share the occasional word...and then she takes my arms and I walk her to the bus stop. She is much older than I, and I feel like she must need a friend so we go. Yesterday I had to stay late, so I was in the staff room eating dinner, and she saw me, commented on my food, and how big I was (even though she's clearly bigger than I), and then left for a few moments...coming back with deep fried, or sugar covered freeze dried fish skin in hard clumps. Mmmmm. I said thanks so much, and she too waited. So, I took a bite that wasn't really a bite and said , Oooo, thanks (in Chinese). She then walked out....praise the Lord! So I didn't have to finish it.
this Christmas season is going to be quick to come. We have 4 more teaching days left, and my evenings out of those are also taken. I am hosting a Love Actually party tomorrow. I am having my last choir rehearsal on Monday (which I find funny, as I can't actually sing at ANY of the concerts due to Christmas trips). But it's on Monday non-the-less. On Tuesday I have something...though I can't remember just what it is. On Wednesday, Kids Christmas show. Thursday, Happy Potter (yes, it's out on the 16th, and I'm going with a huge group of colleagues). And, finally, Friday we have PD, staff Christmas Party, and I leave for our next GID mission trip to China. We're going to a new town, and I'm getting up in the kid's case about being ready and being professional and being on top of things. I don't think any one has required this kind of preparation...but I think we need to aim for excellence. SO, they might not like me for very long. BUT, we'll have good work coming out of it. I hope anyway. Better than last time, which was less than prepared...and a little sloppy overall.
Then, back for one day, and I leave again for Singapore, for just a couple of days to see the major sights, see the kids and family, and then off we go. We're actually leaving Christmas eve for Lankawi, in the morning, and get there near the evening. And on Christmas day, IN Langkawi, shall be trekking a rainforrest! It's a Muslim nation, so no one is closed. We did want to go to a different island as well, but didn't check on weather and it seems, t'is monsoon season and everything is closed. Too bad. Next time I guess!
I have now adjusted to living in the city, but I don't love it...there are smells wafting that vary completley every few minutes. Like, you'll smell cow stomach, then car oil (at a mechanic), then launndromat fumes, then hot pot, then wet dog, then diesel, thena touch of fresh air, then B.O., then flowers, then hot dogs...you just can't get away. It's gross really. The air is not ok. And it's always hussling and bussling. I am a country girl it seems.
Anyway, i've decided to do a surprise for Christmas...so, stay tuned and watch the mail.
Love.
T
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