We are being infested with roaches. I know that has nothing to do with the picture of the lovely gentleman playing his flute - but really, when you are being infested by roaches, you cannot think of much else.
Especially when you have to find a way to catch one that is the same size as your pet hamster. No roach should be that big.
It should especially not be so when you hire an exterminator to spray your house and come home to find another LARGER one writhing in the middle of your kitchen floor.
Dear sweet goodness, they are mating.
This past week, what time I didn’t plan to spend curled up and sobbing in the middle of my bedroom with a can of Raid was to be spent actually being a tourist in Seoul. School was on holiday for Korean Thanksgiving and I ambitiously made a list of things to sightsee.
What started off as noble plans fell into mornings spent sleeping in and watching Korean daytime television while eating chocolate ice cream after my roommate left for China. It was simply heavenly.
I did take some time to visit Gyeongbokgung Palace. I am always in awe of the the skyscrapers rising out of the gardens of the ancients and this palace was simply another example.
My poor friend who undertook this journey with me was forced to spend much of this visit alone as I skipped along merrily with my camera. I would run ahead of the tour guide, only to have the group overtake me as I photograph. Repeat ad nauseam. Our supposed “bonding experience” involved her patiently ignoring my antics and retelling everything the tour guide explained that I missed. More evidence of this is located here.
Thankfully, I retained her retelling and was able to parrot it back to my class on our visit to another palace yesterday. This field trip lacked a tour guide as well as a teacher aware of anything about the palace. I explained what I learned from the other palace while my student corrected me from their translations of the Korean and Chinese information texts.
When we stumbled across a carriage, the students began the routine of making wild guesses before finally settling on the story of an ox cart for market day. After finally reaching this conclusion as a class, one student turned to me and responded: “I read it in Korean. It says it shoots fire out of the back of it.”
I should have known. Things are never as they seem. Especially ox-carts with ancient flamethrowers.
Filed under: teaching
I am officially in kindergarten from seven to four each day and am answering to my last name.
Does this finally make me a teacher?
My teacher that I work with happens to go quite overboard with St. Patrick’s day. Please let me explain:
I arrived Friday morning to find chairs overturned and toys scattered all about the classroom. As I stumbled, tripped, and concussed myself while entering, the teacher calmly stated, “Those crazy leprechauns did it.” I laughed and looked confused at this cute little lady smiling manically at the thought of the leprechauns.
When the children entered, they immediately began cleaning – looking for clues for the mysterious evil leprechauns. All except my favorite student – the ADHD student who stood in absolute amazement. I kneeled down next to him and asked him what he thought. He softly whispered, “Did the leprechauns really do this?” Well, I don’t believe in lying desperately to young children so I responded, “Well, I wasn’t here when this happened so I haven’t seen one. Did you see one today?” His adorable little eyes opened really wide. “Yeah, I saw them break in and do this. They will pay for this.” And he immediately dropped to the floor and began examining every Lego block for clues.
My teacher walked by and leaned close to whisper to me, “Wait till they discover the green food coloring in the toilet.” She giggled evilly and walked away.
The four of us adults who were in the room eagerly watched for the first student to use the restroom. The first student spent fifteen minutes in there, but not so much a peep about the green water.
During recess we put more food coloring in. The next student spent ten minutes in there, but nary so much a word about the mysterious leprechaun-tainted water.
During lunch, we hid green coins around the room and added more food coloring. When we came back after our lunch break, the students were in a frenzy about the coins and the leprechauns’ bathroom habits. Of course, we knew nothing about it, so I was dragged by twenty-one little five year olds into the tiny little restroom to witness the greenness.
I think we created an irrational fear about leprechauns and bathrooms in the hearts of those kindergartners.
I feel no guilt. It was quite worth it.
