Week of October 29, 2007

Monday
Tutoring in the morning with my family. I made a spreadsheet for Salta so she could start doing applications. We also registered her for the SAT IIs. However, later in the day she decided that she wanted to unregister for the SAT IIs and instead take the SAT I again in January. She could only take one or the other. If some of you remember from applying to schools, or helping others apply, the top schools require SAT IIs. Those top schools are where her parents and sister want her to go. So, she is in a pickle now and thinks she might want to switch back. She is going to drive me crazy before the end of this.

After tutoring, I headed to school to prepare for my class and input some mid-term grades. That took a while. I taught class and then tutored another girl in the afternoon. After tutoring I reorganized and headed off to teach another course. Unfortunately though, it was cancelled and no one told me. I was a little pissed. I gave up talking to my parents on Skype to run around school to try and find a class that didn’t exist. Sometimes I really miss America.

Tuesday
Nothing too exciting. I graded papers, went to Russian lessons, did my lessons and taught. I really didn’t feel like teaching my last class that day, so it wasn’t the best class ever.

Wednesday
Happy Halloween! Today was the English Club’s Halloween Party. For my costume I originally was going to wear a traditional Kazak outfit, but at the last minute that didn’t work out. So I had to think of something else. I did that about 45 minutes before I had to be there; I was a tree. I didn’t have too much time to figure out another costume when she called at 11 am saying I couldn’t wear the Kazak dress.

Classes and papers went relatively well. I had lunch with Joey. He has been feeling sick for the past three days, so he went to bed for a little while after lunch. I headed to school to finish up a Jeopardy powerpoint for the Halloween party. I then taught class and gathered things for my costume.

The actual Halloween party went over relatively well. We went over some Halloween terms and the kids practiced those for a bit. Then we divided the group into 4 teams and they played my Halloween Jeopardy game. I think they like that. The questions were a bit simple for them, expect for the ones about Halloween’s origin – a pagan holiday. But I think they had fun. After that, we had stations and games set up that they went to. We had apple bobbing, a mummy wrap relay, guess the food which is disguised as a body part, and pumpkin carving. They carved the pumpkins you eat, not the typically American Halloween pumpkins. They don’t have those here. The skins are much thicker on the pumpkins here.

After about 25 minutes, we had a pumpkin carving and costume contest. The costume contest awards were for the scariest, the most creative, the kindest, and something else. And yes, the kindest was a category. Don’t ask. I was the judge somehow.

After the contests, we had musical chairs with a cake as the prize for the winner. I had three separate groups of 8 going individually. When there were two people left in each group, we had them come together in one circle and go one more time. The kids liked seeing them fight for the chairs. Finally, one person was left. But we had two pieces of cake so the first and second place winners got a prize.

Joey had his own Halloween party for his students, which I think went well. After cleanup at my school, I made dinner for Joey and myself and shortly after I went to bed.

Thursday
I am just getting started with the day. But I suspect I will finish typing this up, do some things on email, grade some papers, continue to figure out mid-term grades, prepare for my classes and try to find an adapter. Dinner at Joey’s tonight, so I don’t have to worry about that one.