It's Different Than Last Years First Term Break
Unlike last year when Lisa sort of went stir crazy during her first term break this year she's much calmer and is enjoying the rest. In part that seems to be because she's been in her community for another whole year and she has friends to visit and the locals are inviting her to lunch and dinner more often - because they know her better too! Time has a way of doing that!
Also she has a good handle on this whole teaching thing so she's getting more planned for the next term and is doing less panicking than she was last year. She received another copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - now she's up to 15 I think - Thank You Grayce Burian! And she's excited about teaching it to her classes.
So the break hasn't been boring, or stressful, it's just been relaxing.
Reading Shakespeare
Lisa finished her 60th book - Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida. She's on track to finish the Bards complete works within a year by June 16th. T and C was a bit too bloody for her but she said she liked it because she could follow the story easier than some of the Histories which while she enjoyed them she felt a lack in her knowledge of British History. Knowing bits and pieces wasn't really enough for her. Her Dad told her T and C was Shakespeare's most popular play at the time. I've actually never read that one myself.
While Lisa agrees that reading all of the Bard in a year is an accomplishment, she's slowly coming to accept that not everyone eventually reads every word the Bard has written. ( Mom and Dad have mentioned this to her before! GRIN) I think that she's mentioned her goal to other Peace Corps Volunteers who shall we say are surprised by her devotion to old Will. He's not usually considered light relaxing reading.
And before we leave Will Lisa decided that though she didn't think much about Romeo and Juliet when she read it in HS she's decided it wasn't that bad - the story beyond the two kids was interesting. And that brought her to realizing that they were 14 - they really were kids! She said that really was like a light going on for her - "that's why they acted so stupid! they were 14 year old kids!" She said in Middle School the kids she hung out with weren't that much smarter about love either. Of course the Middle School crushes they had didn't end up deadly - "R and J were whiney little kids because they WERE little kids!"
Lot's of books are different when read at different ages - Ahh life experience! At 24 Lisa is looking at these tales a whole new way! It's a lot of fun listening to her relate these discoveries.
Home
This week she made chicken stock and going by Food TV terms it was a success - when chilled it "jelled" so she knew she simmered it long enough. GRIN She only got a bit less than a quart but considering she had a small pot on a hot plate it was still a success! Of course since her power kept going out on and off it took a bit longer than she planned.
I guess though it's fall going on winter in Namibia the weather has been nicer than usual - a bit more rain and a bit warmer than would be expected. Which is nice because when it gets cold it gets cold there! And without heat one needs a lot of layers.
Oh a last comment - one of her "big accomplishments" has been teaching the little babies in "The location" Peek-A-Boo. The "location" is the term they use in Africa to describe what you might see in a "Save the Children" ad - the poor side of a town. Shanty town vs the newer areas. Lisa's school is sort of on the border to her town's "location" and I gather all the tiny kids loved learning Peek-A-Boo. One never knows where one will leave an impression. GRIN
Till next week -
Susan Rothman
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