Mr. Chatterbox

Did you ever read those “Mister” books when you were a kid?  You know, there was Mr. Uppity, Mr. Nonsense, Mr. Strong, and my favourite one, Mr. Silly.  Well, I seem to remember one called Mr. Chatterbox.  I distinctly remember thinking that it was modeled after my sister, Annelie, who, in case you didn’t know it, has no problems when it comes to talking.  Well, I kind of wonder if little Jakob isn’t training to give Tante Annelie a run for her money!

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Why is this boy sitting in a sink in my classroom?

Jakob has taken to driving around the compound.  Heck, in this country he’s got more of a legal right to drive than his mother!

Facebook is Old News

Yup. Sorry to break it to you, but Facebook is old news. Lucky for you, I’ve found a much better alternative. A place where you can connect with people who you can truly relate to. A place where, you could say, people speak your language…

That is, if you speak God’s own language. Yes, Plautdietsch.

I jest.  Heck, I’d be very hard pressed to even hold a conversation in plautdietsch, unless it stuck to the topic of furtzing.

 

All kidding aside, these two guys from Abbotsford have set up a pretty slick little website that allows for quite a lot of connectivity with members. I’ve set up an id – it’s chrisdeestah. Hope to see you around. Ha ha! as if I, or you, have all that much time to goof around online! (oh wait. this post is pretty much goofing around, isn’t it…nuts)

A Week of Firsts

This week was eventful in that both Jakob and myself did something that we’ve never done before.  For the first time in my career, I offered to present a session for our school staff as part of their professional development (PD).  I have to admit, I never thought I’d be one of those “keener” teachers who would volunteer to prepare and present something for PD, especially a PD that focused on technology, something I’m certainly not a natural at! (friends from tcis, need I remind you of the Yahoo mail ”reply to all” epiphany I had a couple of years back….?) A-hem, moving on…what did I present on, you ask?  Something I know a thing or two about, you know, blogging!  Yes, who knew you could take a hobby and apply it to education?  But, I better not overdo the tech-geekiness, or else I may have the urge to wear shirts like this….

 

 Enough blathering about me.  What was the “first” for Jakob this week?  Well, he now knows how to crawl!  Yes.  I think life as we know it is about to change a lot.  Elisha and I thought Jakob would follow in his parents footsteps and skip the crawling stage completely.  Not so, he took great interest when I crawled on my hands and knees toward him the other day, and sure enough, it didn’t take long for him to put 2 and 2 together and realize that what’s good for the goose, is good for the gander… (I think I may have mixed that up…) 

 Anyway, here’s some footage.

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The Furnace is Running Again

Spring is officially over.  I forgot what 38C feels like.  Sheesh, it’s ovenly hot.  Must be global warming.

This past Thursday, my weekend, in case you didn’t know, Jakob and I had a father/son bonding time.  I took him with me to get the car washed, and then I went to explore how much window tinting would cost on my new rig.  My exploring led me to a place that sells car accesories and before I knew it, 5 Yemenese guys were pimping my ride!  Full tinting, for a whopping 40 bucks.  The only problem now is that the tinting is way too dark.  It’s completely black, which looks kind of cool, but it’s too dark to see out of.  So, I guess next week I’ll be heading back to get it all stripped off and a lighter shade re-applied.  Well, I guess that’s my next weekend planned. 

 What follows is a video that only a Grandma could enjoy.  Now, I know I’ve said that before, but this time I mean it.  Apparently Elisha’s mom liked the last video so much, she’s watched it every day.  So I figured I’d better give her something new to look at.  But, it’s either quantity, or quality.  This video is a definite rush-job, so don’t expect the AMAZING acting, editing, scripting and plot development that typify the other videos I’ve put up before….

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The Layers Keep Peeling Away

Sometimes understanding a new country and culture is a little like an onion. There are many layers that need to be peeled back before you get to the core. I’d say, little by little, layer by layer, I’m starting to get a better grip on life in S.A., and at our school. What follows is a random assortment of “layers”, so to speak…

Here’s a little anecdote that gives you a better idea of what kind of kids Elisha and I work with. As I was approaching my class the other day, some of my gr. 8 boys were gathered together in a clump, and one of the boys was obviously showing off his muscles by flexing his bicep. As I came up to them I figured, “ah, what the heck?” and I rolled up my sleeve and flexed my bicep for them. (see the picture of it above.) You wouldn’t believe the roar that hit my ears. It was hilarious. They were so impressed! Ha ha!!! by my bicep??? In fact, they pleaded with me to do it again! I thought it was funny.

Here’s an ad from the Arab News.

“A Canadian Pakistani urdu speaking family seeks alliance for their daughter age 26 years, 5′5, B.Sc passed with honors, religious. Boy should be from good family background and should be a doctor, CA or prof. qualification holder”

Pretty different, huh? Interestingly, one of our senior girls is already arranged to be married. Some of my gr. 7 girls fully expect to have their husband picked for them by their parents too.

The other week, we went to a beach area about 35 minutes away. Here are some of the pictures of the place. It wasn’t really on the open Red Sea, but it was kind of like a lagoon/inlet of the larger Sea. It was so peaceful.

Thanks for checking in. There are more pic’s at Flickr – just click on any of the pictures along the side.

 

** anyone know who’s bicep that really is?  Prize for anyone who can give the right answer…