Where to?

I know, I know.  I still have work to do.  I'm proctoring/invigilating (neither words I've used before) a few exams and I have 89 finals coming in on Thursday and Friday to grade before Monday before heading to Delhi with the kids on Tuesday and coming back in time for the banquet and final meetings next Friday and Saturday.  

...I'll keep in mind to watch my schedule next semester- if I make it there.

But, despite all the work ahead of me, I'm excited for a vacation.  I received a few more details about my trip to Nepal.  Everything is apparently set up for us except my train tickets that need to be purchased.

I'm still figuring out exactly what to do between June 20th and July 5th, though.  Some of that time will be taken up by moving and settling into my new house, of course.  I'm also looking into excursions to places not that far away.  There are so many, though and I just can't decide.  It would seem, however, that unless I go farther away than I want to, I will be stuck in the monsoon conditions.  I might just make a pilgrimmage to a place known for its apple cider...

I'll let y'all know.  If I don't write in the next two weeks, it means the exams have killed me.

Viva Nepal.

Today, as we do almost every Tuesday and Thursday, we started the day off with a high-school assembly.  After a devotion by the art teacher about the story of her getting married, a blurb about change in our lives, and announcing her pregnancy to the kids (go Guenthers!), one of the Nepali students got up on stage.  The Nepali students are possibly the most patriotic students we have at our school, with the Bhutanese right behind them.  Wait, you've never met a Nepali or Bhutanese person before?  What's that?  Where's Bhutan?  Never mind.  

The Nepali girl described how eight years ago today almost the entire Nepali royal family was killed by one of the princes.  It's an engaging true story, so if you haven't heard about it... hear about it.  The video that followed was a tribute to the royal family comprised of a bunch of pictures and videos set to a Nepali rock song.  What?  You don't know Nepali rock music?  Whysoever not?

Anyways, after it was over, the Nepali flag went up on the screen and the national anthem started.  Instantly, every Nepali student sprung to their feet.  I noticed a few other students do so as well.  I watched one of my colleagues, an Indian Christian woman who I knew would be doing what I should be doing.  As I saw her rise to her feet, so did I.  Within seconds, the entire student body was on its feet.  It wasn't about politics- most of our Nepali students are Royalists, in the minority in Nepal.  Most citizens of other countries just don't care.  It wasn't about national identity- students and staff from all over the world were standing.  It was just a moment of solidarity.  Standing with those young people whose country has been suffering and unstable for eight years.  I wouldn't normally stand for a national anthem from a country I've never been to.  I don't even stand for the American national anthem that often.  But, I stood, I realized, because I like my Nepali students and wanted to support them.  

This place, and especially the students, seem to be winning me over.

Senioritis

I've said a few times that if you want to get to know people and think they are decent human beings, meeting them the last semester of their senior year is not the way to do it.

I try my best to keep a good attitude about these guys, giving them the benefit of the doubt.  But this week was a little much.  Consider:

Tuesday was the senior skip day.  It was hastily organized and no teachers, advisors, or administrators were informed about it.  Basically a slap in the face.  One lone girl didn't go, which prompted all sorts of nasty comments about her by her "friends".  The principal went to where the students were and gave them the choice to come back with minor consequences or not come back with major consequences.  Half came back.  Some were indignant that they had their "right" to skip revoked.  Oh, the hubris.  I hate pride, unless it's me that is prideful.  Then I don't notice.

Okay, so the skip day was bad enough.  Maybe I just can't relate because I was really never a senior in high school.  Today, however, I was called into the principal's office (oooooooo!).  Apparently, some of the students claimed that I told them it was a mistake for them to come back.  Huh?  Me, who supported the administration a lot more than some other teachers did?  I said that?  The closest thing I can remember saying is a comment about how they think that if ALL the seniors skipped that they can't be punished.  I guess it's possible to misinterpret that...

My last episode just happened.  I've been working with a student to do an independent project for credit so they can graduate.  To make a long story short, that project has not yet appeared.  To top it all off, after hearing excuses about why it's not in my hand, I find this student with friends at char dukan, the closest thing to the Max these kids have (SBTB reference, YES!).  I was not pleased.

Oh, only four more teaching days and a little over a week of exams to go.  We all need a vacation at this point...

Who got the scoot?

I had never ridden a scooter. A part of that goes back to the blood oath my mom made me made about never getting a motorcycle. But, it's a scooter not a motorcycle and I only rode on it, not owning it. So good. As I zipped up to char dukan on the back of my Spanish student's (i have a student?) I noticed we were going about 15 kph. Still, SO much better than walking up that hill.
...
...
I want a scooter.

Very different questions

I had a lesson yesterday in my Intro to Christianity class about the differences between Catholics and Protestants.  Here are some questions I was asked:

"If a priest is giving last rites and the dying person chokes to death on the wafer, do they still go to Heaven?"

"So, let's say that a priest is hearing confession and someone confesses to murdering the priest's wife (I explained why this couldn't happen)-  Okay, his son then (I explained why this couldn't happen)- Okay, his sister.  Would he kick the guy's butt?"

"Is suicide the same sin as murder?"

Not only such a quick switch from the absurd to the serious, but pretty hard to answer all of them.  Five more classes to go before exams!  I'm going to miss this class.

sitcom

I am happy to say that I see my life like a comedy.  It's really the best genre for the way I see the world.  Also, since my other options are romance, horror, and tragedy, it's really the best option.  I have at times wondered aloud why there are never any sitcoms about teaching.  There is so much ripe material in the things that people say and do in this job.  Take this example from the past week:

On the test for Judaism, I asked, "When was the Jewish Temple destroyed?"  The answer, for those of you who don't know, is 70 AD.  Most students got this correct.  One student, however, answered "1780."  Get it?  Get it?

The students I teach are often the funniest people I come into contact with.  There's something that goes on in my head when I get into a battle of wits with my students that I can't describe, but I know I enjoy.  When they're trying to think of a way to push back a test date or raise their grades and I can outsmart them?  Amazing.  

What I enjoy even more is when the students outsmart me.  A while back, one of my students was trying to get a Starburst out of me.  Conventional asking and begging failed.  After class, she offered me a mint.  The second I put it in my mouth, she gleefully demanded a Starburst.  Dangit, I couldn't say no with that mint in my mouth.

Upon more thinking, I'm not sure a sitcom would work, really.  A teacher's cast of characters is so big, including students, co-workers, and administration, that there'd be no way to keep storylines going.  Teaching is more like a gigantic, middle school orchestra.  It's huge, messy, and chaotic on the outside.  But, every so often, that middle school orchestra surprises everybody with their harmonies and beautiful music.

I feel like this post has been very cliched and cheesy.  Forgive me.  I just don't have a ton to write about.

Right now, life is normal.  I'm teaching, scraping together something like a social life, and planning my summer and next year.  It'll be more exciting in a month or so, I swear.  New house, new experiences, new classes, new people, new season of my sitcom.

Spring has sprung

... and love is in the air.

Pretty much everyone under the age of 20 has noticed that with the warmer weather, comes more public displays of affection here at Woodstock.  I don't know if that's the best word to describe them, though.  They are IN public, but the kids would be horrified and offended if you call them on it.  Ask the teacher that decided to take a picture of a couple making out, much to the horror of the students involved (it was deleted).  They ARE displays, but with the word display, I think of manequins in a store window.  It's the word affection that I especially don't care for.  How many of these students are REALLY in love and truly have affection for each other.  So, my term that I'm sure won't catch on:  Public and oblivious showings of codependancy and/or saliva exchange, or PAOSOCADSE.  In Spanish, this is a reflexive verb meaning "to be codependant and/or swap spit."

Watch the dipthong.

Besides the average temperature of teenage bodies, other things are heating up around here as well.  The lack of rain, dead leaves, and winds have teamed up to create forest fires.  The hills have been in a perpetual state of haze from the smoke, and a few nights ago, I looked out to see that pretty much every hill surrounding us was on fire.  There was even a fire on the Woodstock hillside yesterday, not a 10 minute walk from my house.  Let's hope nothing gets worse!  Monsoon is just around the corner, from what I hear.