the dongguan monster

this past wednesday was the first time i felt truly discouraged at school. nothing in particular happened, it's just hard. these kids are really bright, but i speak a language that isn't spoken in their home. i have 2 little new korean girls, and one speaks and understands a little english, the other not at all. she just randomly gets up in the middle of class and walks to the door or meanders around. i think she is learning the word "sit". it's so frustrating, but i understand her pain because when people talk to me in chinese, it means nothing. i can completely tune them out because the sounds are meaningless to me. so, she tunes me out. but, she started going to esl  for a few hours yesterday, and that is supposed to help her learn so she can transition back into my class full time.

i have one girl from singapore, one boy from taiwan, one girl from china, one indian girl, one hong kongese and american girl, one girl from thailand, and 6 korean kids (1 boy, 5 girls). 12 students, 10 girls, 2 boys. they are the largest class in the school, and they are a handful. i am tired, and i am so burdened to be a good teacher for them, and it takes so much work and planning. and it's not the way  i think at all. i am so used to high school kids, and this is so different. 

the foreigners that i work with here have been wonderful and so encouraging to me. i hope to do a video blog soon and introduce you to them. i also want to put up pictures of stuff on here and facebook, but i am having difficulties uploading them with this mac. i know that's blasphemy, but it's true.

i've been riding my bike for this past week to and from school and other fun places, and i can't get enough of it. i just went out tonight at 10, when all of my friends were tired and going to bed, and drove around town trying to figure out the town. it's wonderful, the bike. and riding it here is so much fun. her name is maggie. i didn't name her. she came with that name painted on her side. she's a grandma bike. you know, wide silver handle bars, big seat, totally cool. all of my friends here have road bikes, and they're nice, but i have a cruiser, and i love her, even if i am at the back of the pack :)

the other day i pulled out onto the street from our apartment complex on my first solo ride, and i saw the back of a naked person. completely and utterly naked from head to toe. he was just walking down the street, eating some food, and being naked. it was shocking, and strange. i had been forewarned though that there was a naked man roaming about whom they named "the dongguan monster", but i had pictured him more muddy and barbaric. this guy was just naked.