Home Front News

The summer seems to be a month of change for me. Birthday last month aside, I've got a new class, some new writing clients, and will be starting my grad program next month. I'm also moving at the end of this month into a new apartment. There are things to pack, furniture to debate keeping or selling, and organization to be had. Good thing I've been writing about professional organizers here recently! It's mostly exciting, not overwhelming (though I'll be hiring movers for the first time - back preservation says no lifting for me! Especially not with 1 flight of stairs going out, another going into new place).

I also saw Tales of the City at the A.C.T. last weekend. What a musical musical. I think they tried to jam every 70's reference ever into it, but I found the tales of these different residents on an imaginary San Francisco street engaging and amusing (for the most part). The stories were serialized and come in many volumes, though I've yet to read them. However, I've also become addicted to Alexander McCall Smith's 44 Scotland Street series. These are also serial stories published first in a newspaper (see the theme?) and hysterically funny to brutally honest by turns. I find them almost impossible to put down, especially since the short chapters mean you can read just one more. And then one more. And then yet another.

See what happens when I join summer reading? SFPL tracks your reading by time, not pages. I just signed up and need to post some backdated reading times, but I'm fairly sure that I read at least 40 hours in two months. As do most of the people I know, though our material is wide-ranging.

There may be photos of apartment transformations in the next month, but look for student and birthday party ones sooner than that.

English Episodes #15 - The Land of Intermediate

From advanced to intermediate - the range of English is so broad! I've been teaching an intermediate class now for a few weeks, which has proven somewhat entertaining as we all get to know each other better. I find a sly humor and childlike glee in their scatological humor because they're excited to get puns, even bad ones.

Speaking of bad puns - did you hear about the accident in the pie factory? 3.1415926 people were killed. Colleague told this joke this morning - the groans were loud.

We took a field trip to the market yesterday. They attempted to find apples (not really in season), discover new foods (doughnut peaches, tiny cucumbers, bizarre giant squash), and map out the area of Civic Center. We went inside City Hall to explore some more and happened upon a wedding! Looking at a statue of Harvey Milk, a justice of the peace asked us to move as there was going to be a wedding. It was just the couple and another (friend? brother? other family? hard to tell), we all loosely gathered around and watched. My students were curious (and concerned): where were their families? Is this common? Don't you need two witnesses? We all clapped and said congratulations when it was over. I love unexpected surprises on excursions!

Today someone told the class that a qualification you need to be a rock star is to have good looks and be a womanizer... where even to begin on that one? I did point out that it doesn't have to be that way, particularly if the rock star in question is a woman who likes men.

On the other hand, one of my new students loves Jane Austen. Another is a professional chef. We definitely have things to talk about. Entertainment abounds! Stay tuned for excepts from stories about someone getting a new job we wrote today (I love circle writing activities): I may have added zombies, vampires, and aliens to a few, but why not?

English Episodes #14 - Final CAE fun

Some amusing incidents from the last few weeks of my CAE course:

• Playing Taboo: big chimpanzee to gorilla to Godzilla. What?
• I gave my students chopsticks for good luck before their exam. When we all went for Japanese food a few weeks ago everyone not from Asia had been excited to perfect their skills. My Korean students told me that it's a Korean tradition to give a small gift before an exam, like chopsticks. So culturally savvy I am!
• Shocking class with my new, short haircut. "It looks like you!" says a student. (I hope so).
• Some students are describing a picture of a wizard with a "magic stick." I explain that this is a significantly different item than a magic wand, which is what is in fact pictured.
• "I fly with my private jet."

I'll miss them for sure.

English Episodes #13 - The End of CAE

June is a great month (and not just because it's my birthday!). I've successfully completed teaching my Cambridge CAE class; students did written exam on Wednesday, speaking test on Thursday. They were a great bunch and really bonded in what seems like a meaningful way. We had lots of fun at the end, playing silly games (one learned that Charlie Sheen is known for cocaine use - shocker, right?!?) and generally trying to not stress about the looming exam. I had them over to my house for class on Friday and everyone brought food from their country, a mix of Korean and Swiss starches it was with noodle and bread-based mains, pudding cake and my world-famous chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

The funniest part? When one came in with a 18 pack of Budweiser - I can't remember the last time I saw anyone drinking such a thing.

It's a weekend of birthdays, so popping around to parties around the city. Mine will be Sunday since Monday isn't an ideal party day... Impressed because I actually already have the supplies on hand. Plus a long RSVP'd list. Tres exciting!