A day in the life....

So this morning as I was walking to teach class, I thought hmmm maybe I"ll write a blog about just my day. I know sounds kind of boring, but maybe you'll get some humor out of this.

8:10 AM, alarm clock goes off (yes I know it's not early, but still, it is), I hit snooze probably 3 times at least, rolling out of bed about 8:35. Then I realize that class is starting at 9:00 not 9:30. See the past several months we have started school at 8:30 but since the university classes are out, we have pushed back to 9:00. For some reason I was thinking 9:30. If I only had a brain! So I somehow manage to pull on clothes, wash my face, put my hair in a pony tail and walk out of my house by 8:50 to walk the dog around the complex...quickly. I notice as I'm walking him that my two oldest students are sitting outside of the school house apartment building..waiting. Yikes, they are early! I focus back on the dog who is trying to run away with me as we round the corner. I notice a car parked next to the sidewalk and what at first I think is a body bag strapped to the top. I got closer and realized it was like seat cushions. Yes, this is how my brain works and hey, it's early.

I quickly got the dog back to the apartment, put him on the back balcony, grabbed my makeup bag...yes I'm that vain, stuffed my Mac and keys in my backpack, threw on the uggs....do i have time for breakfast or at least a coke...no Whit, no. Okay, okay I'm out the door. Whew 9:05ish, not bad. I hurry to the school house building where I now have 4 students waiting and apologize for my tardiness. good job teacher So as I'm apologizing my second grader says, "oh no worries Miss Smith (he has picked up no worries from me) we had fun." If only the work world was okay with you being late as long as they had fun.....lol. One of my girls who is in high school says, Did you dye hair?" "Nope," I reply, "just didn't' have time to wash it." Great Whit, just great!

We worked on school till lunch time and then my fourth grader came by to walk the dog. 10-15 minutes later the dog and student came back with no business done. So now it was my turn. I think the dog and the student get so hyper they forget to take care of business..lol. I had told myself on my lunch break today I'd go visit my friend Maggie. Her mom and dad own a restaurant close by and we talk of higher things, often. So I walk down to their place and by the time I walk in I noticed they are kind of busy and Maggie isn't there. I spoke to her mom and was like "whoa, you are busy huh?!" "Oh we are okay," she replies. "Wait a minute." Oh brother I'm thinking. Wait a minute in this culture can mean 5 minutes or 1 hour. To late to walk out now, you'll shame them. So I order my fried rice and eggplant, feeling defeated that I won't be talking to them or Maggie today...not in the way I want, they are slammed. I spent about a minute or two once again wondering my purpose here for about the 50th time today. Almost an hour later, I get my food and hurry back up to my apartment to scarf down my lunch, fending off the dog, who obviously wants some too.

1:30 I'm up and out the door again for school. This time I'm on time..lol. English, Geography, Science and a quick science scavenger hunt and project and we are out the door at 3:45 on the dot. Mental check...grocery list, money, bus pass, sunglasses, and cell phone. I've got time for the store! I walk to the bus stop at the end of our road, wait 5 minutes for bus #5. All the while there is a guy standing behind me with a camera. Not a regular camera either, like the news kind. The local radio and Tv station is right down the street from us, but he is holding the camera like he doesn't want me to noticed it's point at me. I'm starting to get nervous and annoyed. I don't need to be on the local tv news. Won't be good for the reputation...lol. So I hide at a wonderful angle beside the telephone poll. Hah, take that...can't see me know can you?!!! Bus 5 finally comes and he boards too. I calm down now because I don't think he is really filming me, just another paranoid moment, remember the body bag on top of the car?.... Welcome to my thought process. So I ride to the supermarket/grocery store place, doubting for the 75th time my purpose here and pr for all the people I'm passing, thinking Father please snatch them from the fire, please help them...knowing I can't. Father you see that man in the wheel chair, shaking, Father heal him, heal him....

At the store, I have to check my huge backpack at the door, because they are thinking, "shoplifter." (this is totally normal anywhere here, for anyone). I grab my money and list out of my bag and turn it in to the attendant. Up the slanted/flat escalator and welcome to the second floor, only entrance in and also welcome the stares. Begin being followed by every attendant through the beauty section...again unfortunately normal. I feel like the sit up there, eyes hooked on that escalator, going "blond white girl 4 o'clock, swarm, swarm, swarm." Agghhh!!! Good Grief, here they come! I dodge and dart in and out a couple of aisle and manage to lose most of them. Hmmm good day. Okay, now for the list. Detergent, "oh I wish they had liquid here...why don't they get liquid detergent here...live it alone Whit, move on." Trash bags, bone for the dog, fabric softner, dvd???..."nah, better not," Okay now for the downstairs. Welcome the inclined escalator going down...."don't slip, don't slip, hold the rail....you are gonna make it." Mandarin oranges, apples, hmmm dried kiwi. Oh is that my stomach, i don't feel so well. Oh no what did I eat for lunch....hmmm, rice. How could I go wrong with rice." "good grief I better get out of here." You see the think about living here vs the states is that there are no public bathrooms, well a few but not that you want to use. No back of Wal-mart of slip in McDy's...nope not here. So at the first sign of trouble you better head....somewhere. So I breeze through the chip and snack aisle. Oh, yummy chocolate cakes, don't need them, but gonna buy them. On to the cash register were they don't give you bags, but you can buy one, all the while I'm thinking...But my gianormous backpack is just right there, I realize though that I can't hold all this in my hands and make it. "Yes, I'll buy a bag"....I'm such a wimp and sucker. I purchase my items, the man at the exit marks my receipt without every looking in my bag...way to catch shoplifters buddy. I go give the attendant my ticket and begin stuffing all my newly purchase items in my backpack. Oh, stomach again...ouch. I should take a taxi, no, I told myself I'd be wiser with my money, I have this bus pass, I can make it home. Well long story I did make it home...not fun after that, but welcome to this country. It's an every other day occurrence. Put up groceries, took the dog for a walk, and now I'm typing my day to you.

I've still got one more dog walk to squeeze in, some studying of both the sprl and language kind, dishes and trying to avoid the evil TV....lol. I love my life and at the same time often hate it because there isn't enough time in the day to do all that you want to do without having to do the regular stuff like buying trash bags. Plus if I did have time, they might not...i.e. Maggie's parents at their restaurant. Oh this world!

So I shared my day, what did you do with yours?? I'd love to hear it!

Beautiful Feet