school starts

today, technically. but classes won't really start until monday the 5th. and guess who has a 7am class? me! and this morning i had 4 classes, but i was gonna teach 3 different grade levels...aka too much work. so my censeur enlever-ed my 4eme class (9th grade) but i am okay with that because they were my worst class last year. so i am again stuck teaching only 3 classes. i am going to try and get a fourth class.

the other day i was really upset because my neighbor once again asked me for money to build her a building on their land so they could make some money. and that was really frustrating, but i forgot to bring my flashdrive and i am not as angry as before; so i guess it's good that i didn't post that blog. but it makes me wonder: if someone who has been friends with 2 PCVs and has gone to 2 Camp GLOWs ...if someone like that still doesn't understand that i am not here to line peoples' pockets with money...what hope is there for everyone else? wow, that totally sounds Debbie Downer, but i don't know how to express it any other way =(

back to the topic of school. i am really looking forward to this year. already i kinda know how things work. and showing up at school isn't gonna be all awkward like it was last year cause i déjà know the admin and the teachers (sadly, i don't know their names) and i know my students! and i also have my lesson plans from last year, therefore i know what went well and what didn't; therefore i am hoping that the lessons will be at least 50 percent better. (i don't know why 50 percent, but 50 percent it is.)

This year’s birthday was one of the best I’ve had. Pizza, beer, bar-lounge, dancing, champagne, tequila and a car ride home.

Swear-in was good. Lots of speeches were given. Food and drinks at the end. And this year I just jumped right in there and attacked, otherwise I’d be left with nothing. And then I left for home around 4ish with lots of goodies, including cheese!

My birthday meme was awesome. I woke up and it took me several moments to realize that it was really my birthday. Initially, I thought it was the next day. Hahaha, I guess that happens when you’re old, ha. When I read a text from a PCV I thought she had gotten the date wrong, so I double checked the calendar, oops! I started the day by doing some laundry, followed by cleaning of my house. Then it was a shower et après ça I made myself lunch/dinner. I sliced up the cheese and made me some nachos. Not macho ones or deluxe with all the toppings. Just regular tortilla chips with cheese and some salsa to dip them in…just like my mom made when I was little. Before I started to eat, I opened up my birthday cards from the fam and shed a tear for each of those cards. (I am even more of a cry baby these days, especially when it comes to hearing from my family.) Moving on, I put in The Breakfast Club and for dessert I ate some gummy candy I bought in the city and some Greek chocolate from Christopher and Weihow. Around 21:30 my dad called and I got to talk to him and Melissa and Nathan. Mom wasn’t home, but we reserved some minutes so that she could call me later. I went to bed around 22:30 and was reading in bed, finishing up The Time Traveler’s Wife (a VERY good book, btw). And mom called around 22:45 and we got to chit chat. Overall, it was a very nice, low-key birthday and I could not have asked for anything more.