Sitting in my classroom. My desk is catty corner to the room. My students Joseph, Jenny, Manhei, and Qubee are in Chinese class in front of me. This is my one 4o-minute break all day.
In many ways, I am an irresponsible teacher. I did not do a lot of prep work last night. I was too busy responding to emails and stringing blue lights around the mini silver Christmas tree that Karen gave me. Karen is all about decorating for Christmas.
It hit me this morning that Christmas is less than one month away. That’s hard to believe. Where did 2011 go? It seems just yesterday I was bundled up by the river in Danshui, drinking hot cocoa from 7-11 to stay warm, watching the New Years’ fireworks with my dad and brother. It is scary how quickly time goes.
I told my 4th grade boys that during Religion this morning. They didn’t believe me.
Why would they? They’re nine.
I’m looking forward to Christmas—even though I’m not going home, even though I won’t see my family. It will be nice to find time to breathe. I’ll probably work–at least a little. Otherwise I will never catch up on grading. I also hope to visit friends in Taiwan. Hong Kong is slowly becoming more and more familiar, but, honestly, I’d still be lost here without the help of my good friend/local guide.
It’s warm here. I keep expecting it to get cold. I miss having four distinct seasons.
Just another day in my classroom.
Just another day.
[Every day–even a down day (see my last entry)–is a gift.]
shift 
Jessica,
Derek commented just a few days ago that he couldn’t believe it had been almost a year. We’re going to miss being with you this year. And since every year slips past faster than the previous one, every day can’t be “just another day”, and making memories becomes more important every year. So I’ll be looking for a way to make up for missing these holidays with you.
:-)