Surprises everyday

Some surprises are better than others. One of our students bit another student today. A teacher saw her crying in the hallway and it turns out another student had called her and some other kids names and then proceeded to bite her. I could not believe this was happening in real life. May I also remind you that my students are now 18 years old ! I had to have a talk in this afternoons class about how people need to act in ways that are socially acceptable. I really feel like sometimes I teach kindergarten.

I forgot something that happened on the weekend. I went to Starbucks to do some work and while I ordered a barista said hello and called me by name. I am assuming she must have asked for my name for the cup one day and just remembered it but it threw me off ! Then while I waited for my drink she said your hair is curly. I said yes. She said last time it was not so curly. I said oh well its wet right now.... she said oh curly because of rain. Conversations are strange here.

Another funny thing that happened today. I said something in general to the class ( I forget what it even was) and a girl responded with dui which is Chinese for correct or yes. All of the other students immediately pointed it out as if I wouldn't have noticed it wasn't English. Later in the class the same girl spoke in Chinese to me again ! They have a word " niga" which they say kind of when they are thinking how we would say " uhhh" or "like". I couldn't help but burst out laughing when she did this. Then they continued to teach me how to say idiot properly in Chinese, I'm pretty good at that word now lol.

Oh my gosh AND yesterday one of our kids brought a knife to school. Not like a little pocket knife , we're talking like a big knife that has a leather sleeve and could do some real damage. He brought it to use as a prop in a skit! I'm so glad it wasn't in my class ! In Canada you'd be in so much trouble but I honestly don't known what will happen to him.

I also had a nice surprise today. One of my kids left near the beginning of this semester. At first he said he was sick but then he just never came back. I had actually thought of him the other day and how I may never actually know what happened. This afternoon as I walked to the bus he was standing on the path at the school with his mom ! He told me he had gotten into a school in Australia and will be going there in June ! He had tried to drop out of school last year and we weren't sure what he'd be doing since he left our school so this was good news !

My friend Megan sent me the book On the Road so I'm just at Danny's Cafe reading it tonight.