It Is Not As Easy As Some Think

Hey hi everyone! :-)

My keyboard is gradually wearing out so if you see some weird spelled (missing (“a”s mostly) words you'll know why. :-)

Life is going okay this week. We actually had our last snow last week and I am riding my motorcycle again. Yay!! At least I am hoping it is the last snow. :-( It was a long cold winter. Fine though. No matter how cold it got outside it was warm and cozy inside our little home. Did have a couple glitches though. When a public water main burst in January the resort turned off my water pipes for 10 hours while they fixed it. But at -30 it caused my pipes to freeze and my back water tank to burst so had to bypass tank for 6 weeks until that was fixed – thanks to Dad. A challenge, but doable. Then a couple weeks ago the electrical pedestal caught fire. That was the one that made me cry because it happened while I was at work. Miraculously it didn't burn the RV down. But it was teary for me because Harvey and Pearl are at home alone during the day, and it the RV went up in flames it would be the end of them. As a joke, when I am leaving in the morning for work, as they are sitting on the couch staring at me, I give them instructions: “if someone knocks growl once then run and hide under the covers, if a flood happens run and hide under the covers, and if there is a fire run to the corner of the yard and wait for someone to save you.” Never thinking that any of those things could actually happen. ...Now that the weather is improving I am just looking forward to a nice uneventful Spring and Summer.

All is great at work. I work with really great staff who are nice people, great teachers that are really invested in teaching, and of course the students that make each day interesting. I am so thankful Jehovah gave me the motivation and ability to get that training. However, I was recently reminded of what people think of teaching, or maybe it is about what people think of teaching English. :-/ When I was taking my teaching program, the instructor told us that many native speakers think that anybody can teach English because they speak it. But when you actually hear someone say it, it leaves you feeling deflated. When a group discussion about teachers came up among none-teachers recently, I just sat there and said nothing, and then eventually tried to offer a couple small insights into what being in a classroom is like, and then someone turned to me and asked, “you still just teach English, right?” ...yup...sure. When other people talk about their jobs inside my head I am always in awe because I think about the skills that person must have to do what they do, whether it is working at McDonald's, or being an artist with special talent, or doing some job of intricate skill a person got special training for. (When it was slow a while back I had time to talk to a McDonald's worker about the best things about her job, and it was really nice to find out some details and gave me some insight.) Anyway, this morning, I was feeling a bit defeated about this. I guess I don't have pride about my job per say, but feeling it is nice to be somewhat respected for what you do...like anyone else, so I started reading an essay written by another teacher on the subject and it really put things into perspective for me. He was a molecular biologist that decided to become a teacher and what he learned. Since some of you reading this are classroom teachers too, if you want to read it it is can be found at this link: http://www.musingsonlifeandlove.com/2010/09/13/the-hardest-job-everyone-thinks-they-can-do/ And you know what....maybe I will never be respected for my work by some, and I guess that is okay too. :-)

Okay, it is the long weekend. Very exciting. :-) Soooo, I am going to study my WT, then go into town to do some GEOCACHING. A cool activity where a person hunts for hidden “treasures” or spots in an area. I decided I will take my GPS unit on my motorcycle and see what I can find. There is an international website of maps for anyone interested.

And finally, wash the truck and motorcycle so they can be all sparkly for the week. :-)

I have been able to have a couple discussions with students about the Bible lately so that has been great, AND our Memorial attendance on Thursday was 189. Awesome numbers for our area.

Have a great weekend!

Love to all,
d :-)

Spring Has Sprung

Well I guess Jehovah heard me whining because exactly on March 1 nice weather appeared. An older lady here told me that the way to tell Spring is here is when the Snow Drop flowers shoot up. They apparently come before Crocuses or anything else. They are tiny with a white head, thus the name. So things are looking up.

I am sore like no tomorrow. Two days ago I was carrying something out of my RV and my foot caught the door edge and I fell down the metal steps, hitting the door frame first and then the edge of every step before the hard cement full force. I think it was the worst fall in years for me. I just laid there for a bit because I felt faint every time I tried to sit up. Harvey and Pearl knew something was wrong and came and pawed at me, and then hopped up on my chest and just curled up. Must thought I was providing a nap opportunity for them. :-/ After about 15 minutes I could get up, but now I am blue from my kidney to my behind on one side. Will take a few days to heal up I guess. The good part of living in a resort is that if I needed an ambulance or something I could yell and for sure someone would hear me. High point to almost everything. :-)

Work is going good this week. Meetings have been good. So life is humming along. Harvey and Pearl are doing awesome, and playing in the yard lots. Pearl is barking at my neighbor Frank as usual as he works in his shop in the next yard. Entertainment for her, and he says he likes hearing her...mmm...he really is a nice man...if I had a chihuahua as my own private fan I am not sure I would be as sweet. :-(

Okay, bus is almost downtown so will close up. Have a wonderful week!

Love to all,

d :-)

Hoping For Spring in Two Days

Hey hi everyone, :-)

I have to admit, this week has been hard..really hard. For the last four days it has -10 and -12 again. I am officially ready for winter to be over, and for it to stop being cold. However, tonight we are expecting four centimeters (2.5 inches) of snow. :-( When I was at school this morning I was talking to another teacher and asking him how he copes with the cold all the time since he moved here from Uruguay. He said he reminds himself how clean the air is. That makes him love it. Mmm...I will give that one a try. :-/ In the BIG picture though I just remind myself that I love my job - and that to me is very important when a person has to work to support a home. Going to work each day is hard enough at times, but loving the job and appreciating the people you work with helps a great deal. ...And then there are the students.

Three months ago a Japanese university student became one of my students at the college. He is very uptight and rigid. He was quick to tell me that he is not fond of his family and had no intention of keeping contact with them while he was studying abroad. We had many “chats” about his conduct in the classroom (grumpiness). This week the students had to produce a writing assignment about someone in their life. I was kinda wondering who he was going to write about, but didn't want to ask. I got the paper yesterday and laughed to see it was ME. He started out by saying how “she is the strangest teacher I have ever met. When she does role play in class with us she uses many different voices. I have never heard someone with so many voices in their head. And also, when I look at her in class I see she touches her glasses too much, and they have fingermarks on them. This disturbs me greatly. However, I have learned she is a very good teacher because now my English is good.” It makes me sound like some weird teacher in an old movie, but I laughed and laughed because I knew where it came from.

Then there is Diego. I have learned that good manners, and bad manners cross all cultural barriers. Diego is from Mexico and has been over indulged his whole life. He does his best to be obnoxious in the classroom and will take moments to attempt to make other students cry by his remarks so I have to intervene frequently. Recently he was saying some nasty things and I told him that he needed to stop and think about how he could express himself in a more mature manner. He proceeded to fling up his shirt and say, “mature? I am mature. I am a MAN! Look at all this hair!” I have a whole slew of responses I save for such moments. :-/ Oddly, whenever his program expires he keeps renewing, knowing that he will get me again, and again, and again. However, on the program evaluations yesterday the College Director was laughing because on the bottom of his evaluation form he added his own category of things he hates, and listed only one item underneath: me. The Director says it is okay though, because no other teacher wants to teach him. I actually think the training at the Ministry meetings comes into play here because we are taught to be nice or tolerant no matter how rotten or defiant someone is. ..and as post note to this, as I wrote this initially in the morning - Diego came to me later in the day and said he wanted to change himself but didn't know how. We sat down and made a plan together, and gave him the analogy of a highwire walker that becomes the star of the show - before he achieves his goal he falls a zillion times but he keeps trying otherwise he will spend his life on his back in the net. He understood and now each day we are working at his internal and language goals.

Even with the stress of the job I have to say I love it, because there truly never is a dull moment. From the moment I put foot in the class to the moment I leave, it is an adventure. I just have to work on appreciating this cold time of the year here. :-/

Okay, I must run, as the bus is almost pulling into the bus loop. If you have a meeting tonight have a great time!

Love to all,

d :-)

Beautiful Sunday Morning

s

Hey hi everyone :-)

I am almost ready to run out the door to the meeting this morning, but wanted to share a couple pictures. The first one is of Pearl riding shotgun. It is pretty cold right now and after about 20 minutes she wants to ride. Harve does good with all his hair, however when it hits -5 and below there is no way he wants to go out so I wait til the sun warms things up a bit. His only problem is that when he is walking in the snow it collects on his body and he gets HUGE snowballs that we have to pick out along the way or when we get home. Sometimes he can't walk until we take them off because they get under his paws. The second is of our walking lane. In the the park there is a 3km trail. It is all fenced and safe. The last is of the lot with the miniature train. In the summer the owner has trains running through a perfect little village he has built with people and cars. When I was walking through the resort this morning, I was thinking that I absolutely LOVE resort life. After living in apartments, condos, and houses, I really prefer this lifestyle. Simple but interesting. I think I will always be a full-time RVer, because no matter where a person goes - down south, Mexico, or up north here, it is just such a nice way to live. Okay, enough blithering, off to the meeting!

Love to all,
d :-)

Went Down Hard, But Samsung Is Amazing

Well it is snowing again! This morning on the way to the bus, I went down hard on a snow covered ice area. One second up, the next second looking up. The good thing is I didn't hit my head because as usual I was wearing my backpack with the neck pocket behind my head. The worrying part was the laptop. But Samsung came through again! This mini laptop takes a licking and keeps on ticking. It has been pulled off the table a couple times by clumsy Harvey, pulled on my desk by unobservant students, and then today took my full body weight as I landed on it, as well as being hauled back and forth to work everyday – but it turns on every time. I do know that one day it will die, but I really think I will look for a Samsung again due to the beating this one has taken and done so well.

Anyway, almost to work, so time to start staring out the window as I listen to the WT being played on my earphones.

Love to all,

d :-)

Pearl Pooping Fire

You are looking at the face of a naughty dog.



Hey hi everyone :-)

All is going good here. Still icy cold, especially in the mornings, but it gradually is getting warmer...kinda. By my estimation we are exactly 4 weeks to Spring. I got out before work this morning and shoveled the yard a bit, but then it is supposed to snow again for 3 days starting Saturday. It should be very very pretty and maybe it will be our last big snow so I will get out with my camera and take lots of pics.

Pearl is paying for her naughtiness. I rarely buy any hot food because I am always afraid that Harvey or Pearl with get at it somehow and make themselves sick. Well when I was shopping at Walmart last week they had a tray of HOT SPICY SAUSAGES on sale for $5 and I decided I really wanted them.Well last night I cut them up into chunks and cooked them up. As I was taking them out of the pan suddenly everything flipped and sausage bits went all over the floor. I was screaming NOOOOO! to scare Harvey and Pearl away, and grabbing bits up and throwing them in the sink. I was feeling pretty good about how fast I moved...and then I looked over my shoulder to the couch and saw Pearl standing on the couch looking back at me with a sausage between her teeth. I yelled at her to DROP DROP DROP! but instead she started chewing as fast as she could like a rabid gerbil as I ran toward her. Her pointed little teeth never moved faster. I was horrified knowing how hot the thing was, so I immediately put her on the floor and gave her some cream and cheese to try and neutralize the spices. I could tell by her face she was amazed at the fact that she had been naughty, and then got rewarded for it by being able to eat two of her favorite things. I checked the internet and it basically said she would be sick and either vomit it up, or poop it out. She seemed fine during the night, but when I came home tonight I could see that she had done both. But she seems fine now, thank goodness.

Work is great this week. We are having spirit week (not the type where we all wear sheets with eye holes) so that means the teachers and student body have theme days. Today was hat day. For any guy that showed up without a hat I made little paper hats and pinned them to their heads. The other teachers said they all looked like Burger King workers. :-)

Anyways, hope everyone is having a lovely week.

Love to all,
d :-)

Twilight Zone

Hey hi everyone! :-)

Remember that old show from the fifties where they had eery music and then went on to examine some odd occurrence, like Why Mrs. Smith's oven kept working despite the knob being broken? From what I understand, the new Twilight show is more along the lines of blood guts and sex – part of the times we live in. However, this morning I had my own twilight moment. When I walked out the door this morning to the bus there was a full on blizzard going on. All the way to the gate of my resort – then suddenly it stopped. When I got to the highway I looked back and a person could see this blizzard cloud engulfing the resort, but everything around it was clear. So weird. :-/

This was a good weekend. I stayed home and did organizing things. The meeting in the morning was good. I figured something out though. Our conductor ALWAYS looks to his left when he first asks a question. By the time my hand goes up five times (that is my limit due to the possibility of tears) I give up. However, this time due to coming in at song time I had to sit near the back and could observe more to see this pattern. So if I sit to the left of the platform I HAVE to only answer secondary questions because first answers will go to the right. That is okay. Years ago, in my congregation in Burnaby, we had a brother who was also the city overseer give our special needs talk on commenting. He reminded everyone that even if a person doesn't get called on each time they put up their hand they have commented in Jehovah God's eyes. He always had such a loving perspective about things.

Well now I am sitting on the bus flying down the highway to work, and Pearl and Harvey are no doubt laying spread eagle on the couch or bed. So everyone have a wonderful day and hope you had a great weekend too!

Love to all,

d :-)

The Best Job

Hey hi everyone! :-)

Sometimes I feel like I really do have one of the best jobs in the world. We just had international culture day at the college. Each national group of students made dishes from their countries and then everyone wandered from classroom to classroom sampling everything. It was sooo good. I was able to eat all my favorite Korean dishes, but also try quite a few new Brazilian ones. Just an absolutely wonderful afternoon. ...and no Pearl wasn't on the menu, but she is just soooo cute when she lays around that I had to include the pic. :-)

The Lake Was Just Gorgeous!

Hey hi everyone!

I wish I had my camera on my yesterday. Harvey and Pearl and I took our afternoon walk along, or should I say ON Duck Lake. It is completely frozen and snowy now, and flocks of ducks and geese were skidding across it as they landed. With the sun hitting it, it was just beautiful.

This weekend was really good. Kind of. Actually was good, but had to work hard for a bit too. You see a pipe burst under the road in front of my place. The workmen all arrived to fix it and turned off the water for the road. The only problem is, that when they turned it back on it realeased a blob of wadding from their pipe fix material that went straight through the pipe to my unit causing no water. :-( So I broke open my plumbing manual, and made a quick call to Dad in Mexico to make sure there was nothing extra I needed to know about my pipe system and get some tips, then gathered my tools and got to work. First problem to solve was that the water system box is really tall. I couldn't reach the area I needed to work on unless I had arms like a gorilla. After finding my small stool I just balanced my stomach over the box and hung down. Thank goodness it was strong. But the pipe fitting was really tight, and the wrench kept slipping and then the water started spraying everywhere because even though I turned off the second water valve I missed the first. And it was minus 6. So I started to cry. But just momentarily. Once of those hard moments. I personally don't believe that crying means you are a wimp (unless you are a wimp or whiny by nature :-/ ) but rather that we are human. And after a good sobbing moment we can pick ourselves up, finish what we need to do, and have accomplished or learned something in the end. Now my water is working good again. :-)

Meeting was really good in the morning. Brother Elair gave a really good talk about visualizing ourselves in the future, and changes we may need to make in order to get there - everything from entertainment to helping one's wife clean up after dinner. In other words, how to be a better person. Then a good WT.

I hope all of you had a great weekend too, and have a great week ahead. Wish I had pictures to share - next time.

Love to all,
d :-)

What a Great End to 2011

Hey hi everyone! :-)

The last few weeks have been busy busy. A while ago I broke the bridge piece in my mouth. I phoned EVERYWHERE up here in Canada to get it fixed. All the dentists were asking $3000. Way out of what I could afford. So I knew eventually I would have to save up and go down to Mexico and get it done...saving was sloooooow though - just so many expenses this year. Anyway, Dad and Mom gifted me a ticket down there for the middle of December. Even though it was a rush trip to get the dental stuff done, seeing Tracey, Eric and the kids, and all my friends in the congregation was definitely the best part of the trip. That congregation really does feel like family to me. When I walk in the door I feel like I know them - small hall but really great people. I was telling Dick Lee that he is so consistent at being the door greeter, that I KNOW 100% when I open that door that he will be standing there, no matter how much time passes. :-) And to make it that much better I hit the CO week, and he was an AWESOME speaker. His Thursday night talk was "Continue Making The Truth Your Own". He laid everything out so clear, and covered every angle for each age group and circumstance, that I am grateful I could be there.

The break from the cold weather here was perfect too. Having warm weather for a week made it nice to get off the plane here. I really want to get down there regularly now because with Allegiant Airlines out of Bellingham it makes it affordable. If a person flies on specific dates during the week they can get there and back for $39 each way. Really can't beat that.

The last couple weeks back here though have been great though too. Mike and Marcelle, and Tyler and Janelle have been visiting with all their kids. So lots of hanging out and chatting. Marcelle and I even went to Silver Star tubing together one day. I haven't done that is sooo many years - and never on a professional run. The only tubing I have done in my life involved climbing hills in an exhausted manner, then bouncing down the run, richocheting off trees or moguls and then hoping not to break a limb in a pile up at the bottom. :-) This however, was more cool. I highpowered ski lift thingy would grab YOU and the tube at the bottom and pull you up the mountain as you bounced along enjoying the scenery. Then there was an attendant that would launch a person, and their partners or partners off the run, and a pile of straw at the bottom to slow you from break-neck speeds. It was absolutely fabulous! :-)

Today is the last day of official government holidays. Tomorrow back to work. But that is okay. For the last few days I have been breezing through the 2012 YEARBOOK posted online. Rhwanda is featured, and it is REALLY REALLY good. The whole book is very motivating. So this afternoon will continue on with that which is just fine as it is minus 7 out there right now. I keep waiting for it to warmup a bit so I can take stinky and stinky out for a walk, but no movement on the temps yet.

Okay, love to all. Hope that everyone is having a great holiday weekend.

d :-)