i'm a teacher now!! detentions for everyone!!
first of all. . . SUCK IT GMAIL! that's right, i'm so over you. i've moved on, to another free web-based email service provider who knows how to upload. that's right, i said it -- gmail can't upload in the 'stan [it's ok, it happens to a lot of email providers. . . NOT!] if anyone wants to email me now and have me be able to read it, just check my profile. i'll change the email there. if gmail ever comes to its senses and starts treating me right, i'll let you know first thing.
second thing -- thanks for care packages, i can't wait to tear them open like so many christmas presents. this might sound like a strange request, but i just thought of it. could you send spices? like for cooking and baking. (i want to make i pumpkin pie come thanksgiving. . .) they don't have much here but dill and garlic and dill (did i mention dill)? if you do, i promise to bring spices (pronounced DILL) back from the stan and have a kazakh-style cookout. yay!!
so, last weekend i went to a birthday party in shimkent. . . an AMERICAN birthday party. there are, apparently around 10 other americans within reasonable traveling distance from me. i'm super stoked! we ate nachos at this party, like, real, mexican-influenced, american cuisine. they were prepared with love, the only way taht nachos can be made, by my warden martha, and her neighbor sandy. i can't even begin to describe how delicious they were -- martha and sandy are nacho goddesses.
i have been teaching now for a little over a week and, as promised, i have hilarious teaching stories to tell. one of the first questions that my students ask me is "are you married?" and when i respond with "no" they immediately ask "why not?" because at 22 in the stan, i am a spinster. sorry mom, apparently you'll get no grandkids outta this old maid ;) but one girl tried to console me by reminding me that "there are a lot of english boys in shimkent." so, when i went to shimkent, i obviously looked. ann, my sitemate, and i walked up and down the streets of the city searching. ann said to me "i don't see any english boys." the hunt, of course, is still on. . .
also, just today. . . a girl dropped her pencil on the ground and yelled "shit!" after i laughed for about 3 minutes, i had to remind her, that in english, shit is not a word that should be used in the classroom. after i got the class under control -- after the "shit hit the floor" -- buh-dum-ching, i innocently asked them to turned to page "six." they thought that was hilarious b/c six sounds like sex. . . . hardy har frickin har. then we had to read a poem about a "beach" which i never thought of before, but it sounds like "bitch." another 4 minutes gone. but i can't be too mad. . . after all, in kazakh the word for sugar is pronounced - no joke - [kuhnt]. . . so i crack up like the ninth-graders in my class everytime a kazakh offers me sugar for my tea. . .
now that i've told my sugar story, i have to go. . . my hour's almost up. talk to you all later!
second thing -- thanks for care packages, i can't wait to tear them open like so many christmas presents. this might sound like a strange request, but i just thought of it. could you send spices? like for cooking and baking. (i want to make i pumpkin pie come thanksgiving. . .) they don't have much here but dill and garlic and dill (did i mention dill)? if you do, i promise to bring spices (pronounced DILL) back from the stan and have a kazakh-style cookout. yay!!
so, last weekend i went to a birthday party in shimkent. . . an AMERICAN birthday party. there are, apparently around 10 other americans within reasonable traveling distance from me. i'm super stoked! we ate nachos at this party, like, real, mexican-influenced, american cuisine. they were prepared with love, the only way taht nachos can be made, by my warden martha, and her neighbor sandy. i can't even begin to describe how delicious they were -- martha and sandy are nacho goddesses.
i have been teaching now for a little over a week and, as promised, i have hilarious teaching stories to tell. one of the first questions that my students ask me is "are you married?" and when i respond with "no" they immediately ask "why not?" because at 22 in the stan, i am a spinster. sorry mom, apparently you'll get no grandkids outta this old maid ;) but one girl tried to console me by reminding me that "there are a lot of english boys in shimkent." so, when i went to shimkent, i obviously looked. ann, my sitemate, and i walked up and down the streets of the city searching. ann said to me "i don't see any english boys." the hunt, of course, is still on. . .
also, just today. . . a girl dropped her pencil on the ground and yelled "shit!" after i laughed for about 3 minutes, i had to remind her, that in english, shit is not a word that should be used in the classroom. after i got the class under control -- after the "shit hit the floor" -- buh-dum-ching, i innocently asked them to turned to page "six." they thought that was hilarious b/c six sounds like sex. . . . hardy har frickin har. then we had to read a poem about a "beach" which i never thought of before, but it sounds like "bitch." another 4 minutes gone. but i can't be too mad. . . after all, in kazakh the word for sugar is pronounced - no joke - [kuhnt]. . . so i crack up like the ninth-graders in my class everytime a kazakh offers me sugar for my tea. . .
now that i've told my sugar story, i have to go. . . my hour's almost up. talk to you all later!
posted by ashli at 5:47 AM
7 Comments:
what kind of spices do you want? i can throw that in with the tea, and then i can make a pirate sail it across the sea for that real authentic "tea and spice barge" flavor.
Ok if we all coordinate here we can keep from duplicating spice shipments.
I have some rosemary growing in my yard so I can send that. Also have some dry hot red peppers from this years garden.
She will need some "sage" for the dressing - a real Thanks Giving necessity, anyone have some? And some cinnamon, nutmeg & clove. No mention if she had just plain black pepper. And what about yeast? Need to make some bread.
You know, of course, that the English are famous for their bad teeth (except for James Bond who was actually Scottish). Might be too much sugar in their diet??
The Mommers is preparing you a care package even now as we type. She has some cool stuff for Haloween and some other "girlie stuff".
I hope you're enjoying your assignment. It sounds like if you're there long enough, you may be able to put a "stand-up" act together.
Be good and be safe, sweetheart- we all love and miss you!
As always- building yet another birdhouse.
Love,
Evil Stepdad
I haven't gotten around to teaching bad words just yet, although I've been accosted more than once by the girls in my classes asking me if I'm married. It's not the spinster image that gets me, it's the class wide, titter/giggle in unison when they ask me my age and I respond 22, followed quickly by my no answer to the "girlfriend" question.
Yikes.
That is truly hilarious. Why is it that the first things foreigners learn when they learn English are the swear words? And on another note, why aren't you married yet? You should have been popping babies out years ago. Oh, wait, this isn't Amish country! [Runs away]
hello, ashli!!!
i lost track of your site, then found it again while idly browsing sedhe when i was supposed to be working.
i am going to try to e-mail you now because i think that i figured out your address.
I've got sage growing on the farm here in Appalachia Kentucky, and will send you some soon as I get back on US time...(I'm still on Scots time, *sigh*, and have to get to work sometime on Saturday).
I just returned home from Scotland (the Highlands and the Orkneys)Friday night, so that's my excuse for the late reply to your post, Ashli (I've been away since Sept. 5).
And, yes, I ate haggis at every opportunity ... it's great stuff!
Paula
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