Updates

Several things have been happening lately, so I thought I'd put them all in a blog entry rather than try to squeeze them into Facebook updates.

First, I'm loving my job.  I'm at the tail end of my first course, and it has been a wonderful experience.  The students have been lovely to get to know and work with.  I've found my lessons most successful when I use very explicit instruction and give them lots of practice.  Also, the concept of what plagiarism is has been a little difficult to teach well.  However, I've had a lot of ladies who have worked very hard for me.  Many of them have even admitted that they worked harder than they planned on working in my class.  :)  That is music to my ears!

In a couple of weeks the next term will start, and I'm signed up to teach two classes.  I'm looking forward to teaching a full term; the class I taught this time was a shortened course (just 9 weeks).

The library where Woody works is in a state of transition right now.  One librarian has just left; supposedly another is to be hired, and another is out of the country on sick leave.  Hopefully the dust will settle soon, and some routine will develop.

I found out today that in a couple of weeks there'll be an international fair at Griffin's school.  It's possible that we're the only American family in the school.  I haven't met any other Americans, and I haven't heard any American accents.  They're looking for volunteers to hold booths at the fair, and I realized how important it is for me to contribute.  I have to represent the U.S., if nothing else, for Griffin's sake.  It's hard to communicate how this feels.  I've never felt a responsibility to represent my country in this way before.  It comes at a terrible time; the first week of classes, but there may be no one else to do it, and I can't have Griffin walk through the international fair and not see a booth for the U.S.  Now I have to decide what is "American."

I quit drinking coffee a couple of weeks ago, and I'm really glad I did.  I feel much calmer and more rested during the day.  I also have more energy for my workouts and get more out of them.  In addition, I've lost the couple of pounds that I wanted to get rid of.  I think drinking coffee encouraged me to overeat because if I felt sluggish after a big meal, I could just drink coffee to perk up.  Now I make sure that I don't get too full so that I don't get tired after meals.  I'm not saying this is true for everyone.  I just don't think coffee and I are a good mix.  I'm one of those people who doesn't handle it well.

My mother is coming on March 24th.  She has her passport and her ticket, so it's official!  I think about it every day.  We've bought a bed for the guest room for her, and now I get to work on decorating her room.  It's so much fun putting it together and thinking about her visit.  There are so many things we want to do with her and show her.  I'm also hoping that she'll have a chance to relax a bit while she's here.

Also, our plan for the summer is that Griffin and I will come to Mississippi in the beginning of July, and then Woody will come (he doesn't get the whole summer off work) lat July or early August.  Then we'll go to Dallas/Fort Worth for a week during that time and possibly even Santa Fe to see family.  We'll fly back to Dubai probably mid-August.

That's all I can remember for now.  I'm going to go relax a little after work before Griffin gets home.