Too special.

Several weeks ago my students made little notes for special people in their lives. I was even lucky enough for a few students to give their notes to me. Now when your students are not native English speakers, you get really good at being a creative reader. But sometimes you just can’t make it work.

Like this:

Student: “For you.”
Me: “Wow! Really? For me…’Dear Jill, I love you because your…um, your…’ What does it say?”
S: “I love you because you’re teacher good.”
M: “Of course.”

Now I would have read that a little more like, “Dear Jill, I love you because your tits are cold.” but maybe that’s just me.

xo, jill

PS. Do you remember this little love letter?

Sparkly.

I promise this is my last post about National Day. I told you it was kind of a big deal!

During this time of the year the city and business owners put up fantastic light displays.

And if you squint, you can kind of pretend it’s all for Christmas.

xo, jill

Take cover.

For those of us not attending posh or official National Day parties, the place to celebrate is in the streets.

Here’s how it works.

#1: If you have a car, deck it out. If not, skip to #2.

National Day 2009
National Day 2009

#2: Head on down to the Corniche. The Corniche is where the street party culminates and refers to both the actual road and the waterfront.

#3: Avoid gangs of men equipped with silly string and snow spray.

All kinds of trouble / Photo by Molly

#4: Spray and be sprayed!

Photo by Mike
Photo by Mike

Photo by Molly

Photo by Molly

Photo by Molly

While I’d like to say it’s all fun and games, this year the silly stringing felt a bit obnoxious. It’s fun to engage in combat with strangers, but when you’re surrounded by a circle of men who are all aiming for your face and you can’t see or find your friends… it’s a little unsettling.

The bottom line is if you decide to celebrate on the Corniche, be prepared to be a target.

Mike and I also walked along the Corniche the night before and I’m glad we did. We were able to enjoy the displays, watch the fireworks, and dance in the snow [spray] in a much calmer but still festive atmosphere. If you’re not up for a good silly string/snow spray dousing, I’d recommend visiting the Corniche the night before to avoid the chaos.

xo, jill

Special thanks to Molly and Mike for bravely capturing these photos.