Happy Fruit Day!

This morning at Dom Bosco, we worked on the poem recital yet again. These kids are about burnt out on it. Fortunately, next week they will have the competition. I get to sit as a judge for the younger kids competition. Our 2nd class was cut short today by a trip outside in the recess area for Fruit Day! Fruit Day is where the students bring fruit and eat it and socialize. Many of them also offered it to their teachers. The principal gave each of us a cup of watermelon (which is one of the more expensive fruits here) Score. One thing I will miss about Macau when I go back to the states is the availability of lots of different fruits. (And you know I love those fruit markdowns!!)

The last English lunch was cut short today by an interview workshop that we were conducting. I interviewed Ted, and since there wasn't a huge crowd, he also also interviewed me as a way to learn some good example answers. The hard part was he put me in a scenario he was in a year ago--applying for a 1 year studying opportunity at Peking University...I made up that my parents went there and that's what attracted me to the school...ya know, mom, remember school in Beijing? Ted knew that I wouldn't have all the answers, but he did get one he asked to 'borrow.'

After the students were done, Ray and I were goofing off interviewing each other. He's a pretty decent B.S.er, but we already knew this. I'm still not to the point of narrowing down what my dream is when people ask me that big question. I mean, I suppose I have aspirations, but the big house, big money and top of the line electronics/jewelery/etc don't do it for me. I'll probably get married, but wedding bells aren't my fairytale dream. I guess my dream life is much like my dreams in my sleep--random, odd, and hard to completely understand.

It must have been national Macau small child Fruit Day today, as my Hou kong students celebrated it today as well. By the time I had them in the afternoon, they had already celebrated it, but they were excited to show me their leftovers. There was a plate of bananas left in the room I teach in, and when they walked in, they all thought that I had treated them. Their faces were that of 'you shouldn't have' and excitedness, but then they learned the truth...Ms. Ho purchased no nanners for them. Call me a horrible teacher.

Tonight was the last Debate meeting for the year, and although I don't normally help out with Wednesday night Debate, I joined for the farewell dinner. We went to a hot pot place. For those of you that have never experienced hot pot, it literally is a hot pot of boiling broth that you throw your veggies, meat, etc. into and cook yourself. This hot pot place also had a bbq spot on the table to grill meat. On the bus on the way to the hot pot restaurant, one of the first year girls (Bexin) said she did not know if she believed that I majored in Economics. To this, I responded kind of in surprise, wondering why she would question it. She said because I must have majored in beauty I am so beautiful. Haha. I wonder if any guy ever used something like that for a pick up line. Bexin and I were talking in a circle of 2 other girls. They're sweet, and my students have frequently complimented me. It's always a nice pick me up and reminder that I am very blessed to hear such things. Everyone likes a little affirmation now and then--we just need to remember to hand it out as well.

At the end of dinner, I found out that the hot pot was all you can eat. I ate all that I could anyways, but it would have been nice to know. I kept telling Jeff that we had plenty of food and didn't need to order more. The most interesting thing I tried tonight (that I know of) was chicken kidney. Jeff could not understand why people do not eat pig feet in the U.S.--it's a delicacy in China. I explained to him that feet are normally seen as a dirty thing...and that's really the only thing I could come up with. I couldn't really explain fully why many Americans don't eat organs either. But, oh, liver--some weirdos (like my mom) love that. ;)  I'll eat chicken feet any day over weirdly textured liver. Actually, I haven't had it in years. Bring it on. My eating mentality has become 'what the heck, why ever not try it?' since I've been here anyway. The kidney was tough, though that may have been because it got overcooked in the hot pot. I'm not sure. We're no experts.