I feel obligated to put down what I've been doing, when the real important words are those that describe how.
So it's strange, all this.
I've been planning out my last trimester, looking ahead to the business and hecticness that it will create without trying to look behind it. At the same time, there's a good chunk of me that's starting to really look at my trip home as an imminent reality. It's as if time is on two different paces, one for the known quantities and one for the unknown.
It all comes down to one thing - new shoes. My current shoes have holes in the bottoms and are essentially irreparable. If I get new shoes (and slacks, too), I will be quite comfortable on my feet for an average of 8 hours a day. And if I'm comfortable for 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week, I'll thoroughly enjoy the work I put in and feel some closure so that the trip home will feel less like a random event and more like the next logical step.
So, what HAVE I been doing? Writing down grades on big sheets of paper in 5 different ways and planning out all my lessons for the last trimester. Two of my stuents will fail (or, have failed) because of absences, which may or may not cause controversy. I gave grades of 100% to several students, which has already caused quite a stir, some good and some bad reactions. I have been playing lots of chess with Dinho, Nanosh and Lisa (Nanosh's girlfriend who has come to visit from Tonga). Most importantly, I've had time to relax to some extent. It'd be nice to have a couple days next week as well, but I'm not counting on it.
So, yes, Nanosh is back and getting into the swing of things, but it's difficult. I don't know who it's harder for - him, his family, or the people around him. Only the test of time will tell.
Peace
John
