Since writing the last blog post, I've remembered how much fun it can be to write even if what I have to say isn't exciting or particularly noteworthy to anyone other than myself.
Today I find myself at work drinking the same chai - tea and preparing for my ELC 220 class from 5-7PM. I'm currently only teaching two classes at the moment, both in the evening hours. The students in these classes are particularly nice and I even have some old ones who advanced from the last lower level class that I finished a couple weeks ago. This week I've also been subbing for a co-worker who was on leave and taught her classes at the British Embassy. This is the class that I taught when I first arrived to Kabul for about one month. It was nice to see some of the old faces again, but the class was really informal chat this week for those who did show up.
Lately I've found myself picking up the strange habit of drinking Perrier water. I've been buying the stuff when I've been grocery shopping. I enjoy the fizziness in my mouth. I just wish that they had a lemon flavor that I could find. That would be the perfect combination I think. Anyways, I think I'll survive.
The weather has been slowly getting cooler over the last week or two. I'm looking forward to the cooler weather, just not the snow and chills that follow the autumn breeze. Last winter was one for the record books, apparently. Judging from the picture that I've seen, there will be lots of snow. I'm glad I brought a couple of pairs of warm clothes. I think the local suits I had made will also work good in defending me against the elements of Central Asia. Time will tell.
Life is continuing as normal following the bombing two days ago. The rooster woke me up to another normal day today, followed shortly by the ice cream cart that plays a loud song from a megaphone-like device. All of this before 7 AM. After a few more cockle-doodle-doos, I finally get out of bed to an inspiring scene of a couple of hundred school children buying stuff in the local market just down the road from me. The school is about a block away and is visible from my second floor balcony. At 7:30 I got picked up by transport and began my half hour journey to the British Embassy. Along the way I passed a legion of guys heading the work on bikes, police officers guarding the roads, and lots of people waiting in line to get water from the local water pumps that exist on the road sides here.
Before getting dropped off, I had the driver stop at Finest, the foreign supermarket, so I could pick up a coupe days worth of Perrier. In feel quite elitist buying such things in fancy green glass bottles. Following this, I arrive at the embassy and do my thing there. After my class I was dropped off at Peach House and fiddled around my room for a couple of hours. At 12:35 I was picked up and brought to work and had a nice lunch with two of my Spanish speaking colleagues here on campus. It's been a good day, overall.
Now I'm at my desk with 1:44 minutes left before class. I still have to print some things out and look over the lesson plan in the book. It's the usual routine, but at least the bills are getting paid year ahead in advance. I just have to remember that. Work now, play later.... or maybe a bit of both?! I like that last idea.
Speaking of play, I'm getting excited about my vacation in November. I know it's two months away yet, but six weeks is a good stretch of time to see some seriously cool stuff. Halong Bay, Vietnam, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Luang Prabong, Laos, Saigon, Vietnam, etc... October's Eid vacation is turning out to be a dilemma. Officially I don't have a week off, however everyone except me is taking time off at this time to go away on holiday. I'm being encouraged to do the same. The problem is that I would like to have a month off next year before my first contract ends in June. I'm up in the air about the whole thing. Going to Istanbul for a week or to Sri Lanka would be great and big relief, however with my big vacation shortly after, I'm tempted just to bear with the time and save the money for my big trip. What do ya'll think, spend now & worry later, or wait and enjoy more in Thailand, etc...? Remember that I did stay here during the last holiday and it was UBER boring. This one would be even longer and probably more stressful since I've been here for a while now.
- J.
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