so

I didn't realize I was going to be ShangHai-ed by a drama department today and put in a skit during church.

But I'm getting ahead of myself again.

Over the past two weeks or so since that last one, it's been a constant go without looking up. Today in fact was my first day to just sleep in and rest a bit. I like rest. I missed it.

But I have created my portion of finals for two of my classes and created the entirety of another for my English majors. Just waiting on that last one to get final approval. All midterms are reviewed by the teachers in a department. It's a great idea.

The teaching has been hard, and rewarding at times when I manage to actually teach something, but my techinical English class and my English one class, the first section, are a challenge constantly. I don't know how to get some of this stuff across the language barrier. It can be discouraging. And I hate the idea that I'm wasting their time. But with my other classes I enjoy the challenge.

So still waiting to see what happens at midterms.

I'm still teaching two student for cash outside of class, and teaching one in exchange for Thai lessons, but I'm going to be cutting that down to one for cash and rescheduling the other two in a couple of weeks.

But I'm still enjoying it.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

respite

I can see the stars tonight. I noticed them as "Such Great Heights" came on my iPod. They are a little faint because the moon us so bright, it's reflecting off the flooded rice field outside my apartment.

It's been a while since I could see lore than one or two stars. It's no view from velveetaview, or underwater bridge, or Stockton, or pomme de terre, or even Oklahoma on a clear night. But I like it.
It's a nice rest.

I've been pretty busy here lately. Between making up classroom material on the fly, picking up three students outside of class to make some extra dough, trying to find a balance between working and staying afloat while trying to keep focused on the reason I'm even here. All this with trying to stay on top of the things I'm supposed to be back in the states and deciding if I'm coming back to live or visit this fall.

Nights like tonight, with the postal service jammin in my earbuds and a sky half clouded, half starry, completely moonlit remind me how little it all matters. If the guy who designed all thus is taking care of me, I think I'll be alright. It just a hunch.

Not much new news to tell. I did get to go to a VFW fourth of July party in Chiang Mai. There were imported dogs, good drinks (sweet tea, a&w cream soda, they were sold out of DP by the time we got there), traditional American music, including Billy Ray Cyrus, a raffle, darts, and fireworks. Followed up with about 4 or five hours of playing rockband back at Baan Kanoon. It was good.

People at BK have been getting randomly sick. People are leaving to go back to the states (more) and i've met a fee new people that will be coming around that are pretty cool. Three of them are from Arkansas actually. It's been ever changing.

Anybody ever heard of Bahrain? Me neither untli I started with one of my students who is going to live and work there.

I'm putting together my portions of midterms this weekend, that's weird. I'll have been teaching for a month next week, that's weirder. They still like me as a teacher for some reason, I think that's the weirdest.

but I'm still alive. I'm feeling good, healthy at least. And things are rockin along like they usually do. Well, i don't actually have anything else to say, so enjoy, and I'll post again at some point. Thanks so much for those of you keeping up with me and praying for me. I think the next few years of my life are going to be very interesting.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]