This must be the “Year of the Bugs.” Some of you have already heard the watermelon story, and last night I had a similar experience.
I had made some coffee and popcorn to enjoy while writing out my lesson plans. When I finished my popcorn, I got up and put the bowl in the sink. Per usual, I was distracted for a short while before returning to continue with my school work. Eventually, I took a drink of coffee. With the liquid in my mouth, I felt a piece of kernel (you know, that thin shield part that sheds off) move in my mouth, or so I thought until I bit it. CRUNCH. The object suddenly felt very foreign in my mouth, so I spit it out on the tip of my tongue. It was an ant – and not one of the cute, little ones but a big, ugly, belligerent one. Needless to say, I was not impressed. Despite the distraction (I spent some time rinsing my mouth out), I did finish my lesson plans, a good thing since today was the first day of classes.
Then today, while brainstorming and planning with other teachers in the computer room, we saw a tarantula web. The tarantula wasn’t unusual, but the web was; so it made us curious. Closer examination revealed that she had webbed herself into for protection(?) as she was carrying an egg sack. Yay, just what we need – more tarantulas.
Other than that, the day was fairly typical. It was fun to see the students again. They all asked for “Story Time” about my visit to the States; so I entertained them for a while with tales of my nieces and nephews. I have two new students this semester, one is a former FAer (an MK recently returned from furlough) while the other is a Brazilian commercial student, completely new to the American school system. New faces, of course, mean new opportunities.
I feel a bit overwhelmed as I look ahead over the next semester, but I know it will go by much more quickly than it feels like at the moment. It is best to redeem the time one moment at a time. Speaking of time, it’s time for me to go to bed. G’night.