the Christmas tree in Room 102

My super-talented sister Maria, who is a professional teacher with fabulous ideas, gave me this one for our classroom holiday decor. I got right on it! All my students traced their hands several times to make the leaves (needles?) of the tree. I also made several red circles, and the kids can give the ornaments to each other by writing an affirmation for another student, and then putting it up. I'll post more pictures when it's decorated!

It looks small but it's over 6 feet! (See height chart to the right!)

munchkins

on neighbors

I got home around 7:30 last night after a so-so day. I'd had a lot of weird dreams and night-migraines the previous night so was just dragging a bit at school and was happy to be home and relax.

*Cue drilling and hammering noises coming from somewhere above my bedroom.

Um, no. The incessant construction around here really gets to me sometimes, but it's one thing during business hours. At 8 in the evening? I think not.

Maybe they're just hanging a few pictures on the wall, I thought. But it kept going. Before I could check myself, I was flying up the staircase and knocking on the door of the apartment directly above mine. A woman came to the door.

"Excuse me, what are you doing?" I asked in Chinese.

"Sorry, shrrchung jeeshaoyaobushrr rchishichirjeeeshrr chungjeeshaoyao bushrrrchishichir jeeeshrrchungjees haoyaobushrrrc hishichirjeee," she said. (No, that's not Chinese, just what it sounds like to me and I didn't understand anything she said. Mostly I'm like Charlie Brown when his teacher or other adults are talking.

"You can't do this, it's 8:00. How many minutes?" I asked in Chinese. But she went off again in Charlie Brown's Teacherese, and I caught nothing that I knew to be a length of time. "My baby is sleeping!" I made a cradling gesture with my arms and frowned.

"Ahhh, ahhh, 20 minutes, okay?" She said. I said okay, thanked her and ran back downstairs. I'm a little embarrassed now. Being one of the only foreigners in this building she's probably seen me before even though I don't recognize her... and she's definitely never seen me with a baby!

*I do, however, have a sweet little cat who was definitely annoyed with the drilling noises interfering with her precious naps. So there.

on walking

Last night as I left work, one of my students came out of the school after me. "Teacher!" Yvonne called, and I slowed down, surprised that she wanted to walk with me, as the 12-year old girl is pretty shy in class. "Are you walking home?" I asked her. "Yes, my house is over there," and she pointed just around the corner.

"Teacher, you walk so fast!" she observed. I laughed... "Yeah, I guess I do." But you should see my dad! I thought... he never seems to alter his pace from his professional mail carrier gait to a more chilled out stroll.

"But, why, Teacher?" Yvonne persisted, seeming to get at something deeper.

"Hmm... I like to get where I'm going?" I offered. Isn't it obvious?

"My mom says Americans and other... (she pauses and I suggest the word she is looking for--Westerners) yes, Westerners... always walk fast." She looks at me, waiting for confirmation of what her mother has taught her.

I laugh and affirm her suspicions. "That's probably mostly true."

"Well," she pauses and I see her gears churning--both coming to a conclusion and then internally interpreting her thoughts into English from Chinese. "Not in Taiwan. Taiwan people don't like to walk at all!"

I smile and we say goodnight to each other. She turns the corner to saunter home with her older brother. I keep walking straight, down the street I take to get home, picking up the pace.