Shamrock Festival...in CHINA!

So I finally realized what living on campus here reminds me of! The Shamrock festival weekend (all the Ennismorons will know what I'm talking about).

When the truck pull is happening we can always hear it from my parent's house. If you're on the back deck, or sometimes even if you're inside, you can hear the trucks rumbling and making all kinds of noise. In between trucks (and sometimes during? I doubt it) there is a man who announces [he has to go back to work on Mondayyyyyyy...(I forget what he says exactly, but I know it's funny and that someone else will get it lol)] and that is what it is like here! There is random machinery coming on all the time and random voices over the intercoms and today I got back to my apartment and sat down in my room and burst out laughing. I could not believe I hadn't thought of it yet!

So I tried the honey nut cheerios I got here; not bad! They aren't the exact same, but still tasty! I also had a PB and J sandwich...yummmm!! And I bought shrimp for the first time since I've been here and steamed it and I'm still alive (knock on wood).

My students were doing mini-presentations today (really they just all had to explain a problem on the board). And they are so funny. The kids are really into the "slow clap" or they clap really loud for a minute straight. It gets kind of annoying especially when you're running short on time for what you wanted done before the weekend! So I laughed at them thinking about how people also did the slow-clap when I was in high school. Then I made a comment that we may need to implement a 3-second time limit on the clap (I was kidding and said it pretty quietly from the back of the room). The next time the students clapped it was for 3 seconds, it was HILARIOUS. I burst out laughing and they all thought I was super weird (as per usual).

Mel and I went for lunch today. We went to a place we've been to a couple times but the problem was that we usually point at the dishes we want and the main dish we usually get wasn't in the fridge. So we decided we'd risk it and try one with a mystery meat in it. We got it; wow I have no idea what it was but it was chewier than anything else I've ever eaten (I was so hungry that I ate it all anyway). Again, I'm still alive...so far...so hopefully that holds up!

I cleaned my apartment when I got home and I did more laundry. So now I think I may have a coffee and sit on my "front porch" (outside of my door to my apartment on a chair).

ALSO....I reminded myself of this the other day but one of the students asked the date today and I said Oct. 12. Which reminded me that it was one of my friends Birthdays! Jesse and I went to the same schools together for 18 consecutive years; crazy stuff! Now, our first year apart (not in school anymore...even though I kind of am) and he turned 23...HAPPY BIRTHDAY!