when the aim of the game is to talk about following instructions – most 8th graders’ eyes glaze over and your “conversation class” turns into a Shakespearean hell of monologues and asides.
but lo and behold! pose the question: “how do you skin a cat?” and they rush you for your white-board markers!
PETA might not be proud – but i had the most interactive class with these kids to date!
luxury caves in Turkey – now there’s an idea!
The wind blows hard against this mountainside
Across the sea into my soul
It reaches into where I cannot hide
Setting my feet upon the road
My heart is old it holds my memories
My baby burns a gemlike flame
Somewhere between the soul and soft machine
Is where I find myself again
Kyrie Eleison
Down the road that I must travel
Kyrie Eleison
Through the darkness of the night
Kyrie Eleison
Where I’m going will you follow
Kyrie Eleison
On a highway in the light
When I was young I thought of growing old
Of what my life would mean to me
Would I have followed down my chosen road
Or only wished what I could be
so here’s the deal: in an attempt to get a better blog-rhythm going, i’m trying to set up a kind of “daily schedule”. sticking to it isn’t all that easy – but i plan on improving ;0)
one of my intended weekly installments is “photo blogging”.
so here goes:
——————–
this weekend (before the ninny typhoon), me and Ben – my American colleague – went to LiouCiou (LiuCiu) Island with 6 Taiwanese friends. the fun never stopped ;0)
Enjoy!
me, Mathilda, Ben and Stacey (Heather took the picture) having breakfast at a Mei&Mei in DongGang.
Stacey, Ben, Heather and myself waiting for the ferry (notice the absence of people around us… i think our brand of humor might have scared our fellow passengers a bit ;0)
Jackson… *sigh*
me and Heather playing it up for the camera!
Emma just looks so cool in this shot! (yes, i’m chuffed with my work)
Simon (Mathilda’s bo) and Jackson – two very cool dudes!!
random DILF
we laughed more than we talked :0)
me and Heather playing it up again (see what i meant with “brand of humor”?)
my finest hour – before boarding the ferry back home.
yup – no holiday behind storm doors for me. 2008Fengshen dwindled to a mere tropical storm edging past us…
anyhoo – some more pics for you:
Computex rocked!! (Taipei 101 in the background – recently downgraded to the 2nd highest building on earth…)
ready, set, go! some of my kids at Kindergarten
how do you punish rowdy kids? have them jump/practice their riverdancing.
the view from my laundry room (back balcony) – yup, it’s the sea in the back.I was almost beginning to look forward to my first typhoon (2008fengshen), but the eye changed direction today – so we’ll only have rain tomorrow…
so yeah – life rocks in Taiwan! adjusting to my new job (whilst running the one in SA at night), the weather, an amazing new culture and finding my own apartment was (and sometimes still is) a bone-chilling rush!
teaching kindergarten is no walk in the park… as an activist – I spoke in public, on the radio and even on TV. but standing in front of eighteen odd 3-year olds is downright scary. especially at first, when three of them would spontaneously burst out in tears the moment I set foor in the classroom.
my Mom explained this to me: not only have they never seen someone with so much hair (legs, arms, chest, beard) – not to mention the color of my hair, skin and eyes – I’m also a giant! from their perspective, I’m a tree right out of Tolkien’s imagination: all trunk and branches – topped with two nostrils!!
Thankfully, they’ve grown accustomed to me and have forgotten all about the “hairy troll” that the smallest one saw on the first day. (they’re reading (well, listening to) “the three goats”)
Here are some random pics for your entertainment:
a golden Buddha outside PuLi
that be chicken feet y’all… collagen rules!
outside a restaurant in Jhubei – notice the parrot, two pig-chefs and live pig…
happy as a Palestinian pig
he would probably tell you why – if you understood Chinese
On Thursday 22 May, my buddy Quentin turned 35.
On Saturday 24 May, I turned 30.
On Sunday 25 May, it was Jaco’s turn to be 31.
This is how we did it:
Luzanne, Quentin, Richard, Liezel and Chris – we dined in Prince Albert, en route to Matjiesfontein.
dinner at the Lord Milner – everybody’s here!
the owner of Matjiesfontein graced us with his presence.
hot dogs on the lawn.
some played poker…
some played boules…
everybody relaxed :0)
caught in the courtyard
save yourself a trip and stock up!
me and luz – friends since 1993…
making the big speech.
how to feed 30 people.
everyone tried on my hat.
…even my dad!
setting up the decks in the Lairds Arms.
and the party started!
the last group photo – stairway of the Lord Milner
the very last group photo by the courtyard fountains.
Richard – the DJ to end all DJs.
tea in calitzdorp, on the way home.
good times ;0)
IMG_0455.JPG on Flickr – Photo Sharing!
Big love to Jockohomo for posting the link to photos of the opening of Banksy’s Cans Festival in London.
We went to see a local High School’s production of Rogers & Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music” on Friday – and I must admit to rather enjoying the whole affair. The singing wasn’t especially horrible and most of the kids had more than 4 facial expressions. (That makes 4 more than Richard Gere.)
Basically, babe, your Pa should go Nazi.
The Von Trapp family decides to sing.
But the Nazi was cute…
Elsa tried her best to get Max to stand still.
Whenever she got nervous, Maria imagined them all wearing curtains.
