I'm Sore-Continued

Sorry about that last one. I looked back today and realized that I didn't even explain why I'm sore. And I am still sore, even 3 days later...

I played tennis with one of my students and his dad last weekend. Now, you have to imagine that I haven't used the muscles associated with tennis in quite some time, and to go and play 4 sets is really quite foolish. I played like crap and it was really embarrassing. Seriously, I couldn't get a shot to save my life. My saving grace is that my serve was "on", so I didn't make a COMPLETE jackass out of myself.

So, yeah, we had another 3 day weekend, which was pretty much unnecessary. It's hard to justify taking so many breaks when you don't really need them. It's not like life is rough here. I'm totally settled into my job, which means that I plan from day to day. It was tough at first, to actually prepare lesson plans. Now, I just wing it like I always have. It works for me and the kids like it too...especially when I walk around the room looking for things or forget to give them homework. Today I played a funny little trick on them. They don't know me well enough to understand that when I get this shitty little grin on my face, it means I have a trick planned that I think is going to be hilarious.

Every week, we do something called a "Logic Number Puzzle." I come up with a mystery number and give them 10 clues to figure out what it is. They've had a tough time with it in the past, but have gotten better. Today, I made one up that was relatively easy, so I knew they'd all get it right. Plus, I always say that if every group gets it right, they all get candy. Huge motivator. They've never actually succeeded because there's always one completely clueless group. Anyway, today we start in on this puzzle and I tell them that if they all get it right, they're going to get a "surprise." They're pumped. I'm grinning. They don't know why. I start giving them clues, and I can tell that they're getting it. I go around and pick up their post-its with the answers on them and we begin to debrief the problem. With each clue, they are all getting closer to the "surprise." You can sense the excitement. As I get to the last clue, they all realize that they've gotten it right, and when I announce the answer, they all start screaming! I say something like, "Nice work, everybody!!! Way to go! Are you ready for your surprise?" They can't wait and they are SO excited. I go over to my desk and grab a stack of math homework and say, "Here it is! Your surprise is math homework!" There is an immediate silence. They're all sitting waiting for the punchline, but there is none. The "surprise" truly was math homework. I started busting up. I thought it was hilarious, and in time, I convinced some of them that it was. They're so spoiled, they won't miss a piece of candy.

Going back to the weekend, it was really boring. Practically everyone went away, which left me to my own devices. I got lots of sleep, and enjoyed plenty of DirectTV. I watched the movie, "Alexander" on HBO. It was great. You should see it when you get a chance. I give it two thumbs up.

Last night was interesting. I tutored a kid for an hour and then took myself out to sushi (which really sucks down here and isn't cheap). I overheard some people speaking English and so jumped on the opportunity to make some friends. My Spanish comprehension is much better, and I've got a lot of vocabulary, but I'm still pretty bad at speaking it. Anyway, I ended up making acquaintances with this girl and her sister. They were really nice, and the sister's boyfriend, who was also there, is in a band. We're going to go check them out sometime. It was funny though the way this girl was interacting with me. Talk about a "Gold Digger." Everything I said was hilarious to her and I could tell what she was after. It was nice, all the attention, and I like to think I really was charming and funny, but I think she went a little overboard.

Well, I guess that's about it. I can't believe that I'll be back in about a month. I hope I get to spend some time with everyone while I'm back. However, I'm not going away, so I'm going to have to try to convince everyone to come see me in, you guessed it, the 209.

I'll drop another line after next week. I should have some more tales. On Thursday, a bunch of teachers are going out to a Cuban joint for drinks and dancing. Next Tuesday night, the school is sponsoring a fancy Thanksgiving dinner at a local restaurant, and of course, next weekend I'll be in Santa Marta.

Talk to you all later. Have a great Thanksgiving.

BK