The top picture is the view from one of my uncle and aunt's bedrooms. They live in Guangzhou, China. I stayed there the last time I made my trip down to Hong Kong. The bottom picture is my room with the curtains closed. It looks a little different now, but that's about it. It's too big for me (and too expensive), but it's where I live for right now!
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Question: How can the fact that human emotions and feelings are capable of leading to massive physical responses in our bodies not point to the fact that we are fearfully and wonderfully made by a creator? The intangible can cause the tangible. Things we hear or view change who we are; how incredible is that?
That just doesn't seem likely to have been an ability we developed as we evolved... and if it was and evolution is the reality of our existence, then that just sucks. Think about it! If something as beautiful as an Aristotelian understanding of catharsis was simply evolved into being... that just sucks, man. It just sucks.
And I don't believe that it did.
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How often do Americans actually say the word, "Hello"? I only say it when I answer the phone and I don't know who is calling, or if I want to greet someone profoundly or formally.
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Hearing the phrase, "Everything Will Change" repeated over and over again at the end of the song "Brand New Colony" by the Postal Service has a profound impact on me every time I hear it. It sounds hopeful.
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Alright, teaching stories:
I have one class in which the students are named Jim, Anna, Terry, Kerry, and Frank. They are 8-9 year old Chinese kids, so a take a second to read those again.
While teaching class, I'll often say their names individually to get their attention. Well... I said Jim and Kerry's names back to back, respectively...
...and then the same thing happened the next day with two students, one named Jerry and one named Louis (pronounced the same as Lewis).
=Jim Carey
=Jerry Lewis
These are the times when it's tough to be the only American in the classroom.
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I was teaching the days of the week to 4-5 year olds a few weeks ago. I was highlighting the first letters in each word to help them differentiate.
"Bobby's" Wednesday simply became "W-Day", which is quite fun to say, I must admit.
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Check out this link for pictures of Chinese kids. None of these scenes are uncommon!
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I miss Seattle.
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I had a nightmare about homework. And doing homework.
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Eisley- The Valley (album)
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According to my estimates, I have approximately 106 students. I've also got most of their names memorized. Most.
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I'll wrap up by saying rather simply that, sometimes, it's hard to remember what is important when you live in the city.
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