Always an Adventure...

Here I am at Starbucks again, which probably sounds wonderful to you, but I have to tell you, I've been logging a LOT of hours at local Starbucks and other coffee shops this semester. I just handed in my last assignment for one of my two courses, and boy does it feel good. I still have 3 assignments for the other class, which are due at the end of the month. So yes, my blog posts have been few and far between, but I am getting pretty good grades ;) I have a 2010 reflection post in the works, but for now, a little on teaching with passion (from a book discussion in one of my classes) I love the term “dynamism” on page 136. I agree that a passion for teaching is important. The writers note that this means not only an enthusiasm for their subject, but also a love of teaching itself. It’s true that “If you are not excited about teaching, then why should students be excited about learning?” (136) I find if I’m getting bored while teaching, then my students must be bored, and if they’re ...

I decorated my Christmas tree tonight ! Click the link to see pictures. I like getting into the Christmas season with friends and students. Most people here don't put up their own tree, though that is changing, and there are Christmas decorations all around the city now. And Starbucks has my favorite drink back: the toffee nut latte! It's still been quite warm out until today, when it finally dropped to 10 degrees. Now it really feels like winter! My updates have been quite scarce I know, but I did write in my Chinese blog last month. I've also been to two weddings this month, which was interesting. One was a Christian/international wedding and the other was a very traditional Taiwanese wedding. Weddings banquets are an extended affair with a 10 or more course meal. Sometimes there are interesting/exotic things like sea cucumber, intestines and the like. There's usually a lot of meat and seafood. And at the international wedding I went to, foreign guests were even se...