Friday, February 09, 2007

High Tea on the High Seas

Just as I had decided to have a Mad Hatter's Tea Party for my going away theme, I received an sms from Johnny 'Do Ya Want Some' More saying that he's having a Mad Hatter's Tea Party for his birthday. So I hastily changed my plans...

As some of you may or may not know, I have recently been collecting pirates. Not physically, just building up a list in my head of the pirates that I know, i.e. the Dread Pirate Roberts, Le Chuck, Capt. Jack Sparrow, etc.
So I've decided to have a
Pirates' High Tea

instead.

The Rules:
- You must bring a pirate for my collection.
- You get minus points if you double up with a pirate someone else has already brought.
- You may invent your own pirate, but ensure you bring a profile as well as a name (bonus points for inventiveness; minus points if you forget to bring a profile)

I will endeavour to publish a list of the pirates after the event.

So what are the details? I hear you ask. Well...

Where: My place (email me or comment if you don't know where that is and I'll get in touch somehow to let you know)
When: from 4pm, Friday 23rd February, '007

Bring a plate/drink to share.
Please RSVP ASAP

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Hmm.... the new blogger... the drama... the intrigue... the annoying unfamiliarity

Hey guys,

Was just forced to switch over to new blogger, and now it says that only Erica and I are contributors. I think this means that you guys are gonna have to make the switch as well..... grr.... It'll probably force you to do it the next time you log in anyway.

I have yet to discover the greatness/benefits of new blogger. Please let me know if you find any.... cos at the moment I'm just mildly annoyed.

xxx

PS. On a more exciting note, I got a job in Katherine and will be moving there before the end of the month. I will be posting a going away party scheme in the next few days...... word on the street is to keep Friday 23rd Feb clean and free from dust (but not filled with washing-up liquid).

word.

Saturday, February 03, 2007

Hi Everyone

I haven't posted for some time and I haven't sent an email for awhile either. This is less of an update and more of a bunch of random things.

First a bit about some of the kids I've taught.
At the moment (at the smaller school) I am helping a girl named Rikako with preparing for her high school entrance exam English interview test. English is her favourite and strongest subject so getting together with her at lunch breaks and after school doesn't feel too much like extra work. I was surprised when she told me that our interactions remind her of the ' Babel' story. I thought it was funny that she assumed I was Christian and knew the story (I know it now but I didn't before).
There's a girl at the other school named Erika. Her English is great but she hates to study. She basically ignores the teacher in class and does whatever she feels like. She told me that his classes are boring(she's right). Erika and her friends keep me up to date on who's with who and what the 'gangsters' are up to.

There are boys at both my schools that propose to me on a regular basis. One of them Daiki (from the smaller school), has now taken to asking "size cup? B? C? D?" and saying "nice body" whenever I pass him. Some of the boys tease each other about fancying me and also ask if I "play sex."
I asked a few kids in class today (at the big school) what they were going to do on the weekend. The responses I got were 'play basketball', 'game' (video games), 'I don't know' and 'Sex. With my honey. She is Noriko'. I was a little surprised at that last response but not entirely as this kid Takuya is a 'gangster'.
At the bigger school there is a charismatic fellow named Rikiya who says "you are my honey". He wants to be a movie star. He has friends named Kohei and Takafumi who go to the other school so they always ask if I've seen the other(s). It's a good talking point. Rikiya told me that Kohei is cool and Takafumi is strong.
There are a few stand out kids at both schools but still plenty whose names I can't remember or just haven't learnt. They all wear name tags on their uniforms but it's all kanji so there are very few names I can recognize. There are a couple whose first names are written in hiragana so I can read those.

I still see a lot of the elementary school kids when I go shopping. I remember about three of the thousand or so I taught.
I can't remember if I told the story of the little boy who couldn't pronounce 'this' so I'll tell it here.
I was teaching (2nd grade I think) colours. One genki little fellow volunteered to stand in front of the class and ask them 'What colour is this?' Unfortunately he had trouble pronouncing 'this'. The little fellow stood in front of the class and asked them 'What colour is shit?'. I had trouble holding back a laugh and so did the two other teachers in the room. I can't remember what colour flash card he was holding.

Ok. That's enough typing for the time being. What are you guys up to in the land of Aus?