Well, I'm certainly glad THAT is over!

What a week! I started out a bit behind in all my evaluations, and then both the mom's class and intensive class started. Both are going well by the way, but it is an extra two hours of teaching a day. Plus we just finished all the testing and evaluations: choosing the best reader, best book report, and best presentation. I really like my students a lot, and I'm pretty happy because the most serious scholar of all actually smiled at me on Friday. Can you believe it! I was so shocked I think I almost fell. Perhaps she will say more than one word to me next week.

I started walking along the river again, and I'm surprised at all the changes. The hibiscus are back of course, only now the mini ones on tall bushes are out, and so are the giant ones, and small yellow star flowers, and camellias and baby's breath. It is quite the display. The dragonflies have formed a complete squadron, and were showing off for a calico cat sitting on a fence post throne.
The grass has completed its bridge, and now has foxtail pom-poms to shake in celebration every time the wind blows.

Friday was payday, so I feel a bit better about finances, and we (Steve the New Yorker and I) decided to treat the rest of the staff to duck. We went to a place that was so popular we had to wait 20 minutes -- this is after 9:30 pm. It was taken as a very good sign. And we were right, it was so worth the wait. First they brought out small pieces of duck that were grilled right at the table, on a black metal dome. It is eaten with a sweet sauce and garlic slices, each piece wrapped in its own lettuce leaf. Then we had the smoked duck slices, and that had a mustard sauce that was to die for, and then the kimchi duck, which was just as spicy as you would imagine, but goes perfectly with the burnt rice porridge. Each "course" was even better than the last. I am about to burst, and I sit in awe on my Korean colleagues and their ability to eat, I am about to give up when a duck soup arrives, then the burnt rice porridge, then a dessert of shaved ice with sweet red beans and jelly squares. We of course drank beer and soju, (soju is a bit like vodka but made with rice, and you don't mix it with anything, and it is best to not even try to keep up with the Koreans, because they drink a lot of it already)

I went home, washed my face, brushed my teeth, and lay in bed saying "why do I do this to myself" I could barely waddle across the room to the fridge to get a glass of water.
And so it goes