Yesterday, I worked a FOURTEEN HOUR day.

It was long.

And the last three hours were devoted to parent-teacher conferences. Sounds like fun, huh?

They actually went quite well. 18 out of my 19 students' parents showed up. I was only expecting 17, though.

Here are some differences between PT conferences in the US, versus here, in the big K:

1. In the US, parents pretty much want to hear how wonderful their child is. They don't care about the other kids, really. Here, they want you to compare their child to everyone else's and they want you to tell them their child is better than everyone else's.
2. In the US, parents don't want their 7 year old to have to do homework. And I agree with them because then, I have to grade it! In the big K, they want me to bog their 7 year old CHILD down with homework so that they don't have to interact with them when they are home.
3. In the US, parents understand that reading at home will help their child in pretty much every other aspect of school. In the big K, they look at me like I'm crazy.
4. In the US, some parents don't want their child "confined to learn a certain way." In the big K, they want me to use this special paper that they apparently use in the ex-Soviet schools that has a diagonal line so that their letters slant JUST RIGHT. I quote, "Students should not be using this plain lined paper (notebook paper) for writing until they are in University. They need more structure." The father even offered to buy these notebooks with the diagonal lines for all of Year 3. So, not only does he want his son to write in it, he thinks everyone else should write in it, too. I said no.
5. In the US, the parents shake my hand when they come in my classroom. In the big K, there are no smiles, no handshakes, just a simple "Zrastveetche" (hello) and they sit. It's a little awkward to get started.
6. In the US, parents want to get their kid picked up right after school to rush to soccer, dance lessons, gymnastics, or whatever extra activity they have signed up for. And it's not unusual for them to pick them up early, in order to get to these things on time, which I don't agree with, but whatever. In the big K, they want their kid to stay at the school as long as possible, so their drivers usually don't pick them up until about 5:30, even if they are done at 3:30. It is sad. But mostly annoying because I am expected to baby-sit them because they "cannot be unattended."

I realize I'm not just talking about conferences now. Now, it's more of a comparison of schools. Oh well. Deal with it.

7. In the US, when it's winter time, the kids MIGHT bring in snowboots to change into when they go out to play. In the big K, the kids ALWAYS change into their "outdoor shoes" before they go out, even if they're going to be on dry ground. It takes a long time and is unnecessary, in my opinion. I appreciate that US kids aren't afraid to get dirty.

8. I had two parents last night complain to me that their child doesn't like it when I mark things wrong in their workbooks. This makes sense, as my non-English speakers REFUSE to answer a question during my lessons if they are absolutely positive that it is the right answer. I like that US students are comfortable with taking a chance and making mistakes. It seems so much more real-life.

9. In the US, it is funny when you see a mullet. In the big K, most little boys have mullets and are proud of them. MULLET ALERT!!!

10. In the US, kids sport most of their clothes from Target, Wal-Mart, and any other store where clothes are relatively cheap, as they grow out of them quickly or dirty them to oblivion. In the big K, two of my boy students wear Prada dress shoes with their uniform, one of my girls wears a Burberry coat, three boys wear ridiculously nice leather jackets outside to recess, and 3 of my girls wear diamond studs in their ears. I'm 95% sure they are real. Let me clarify: these are the richest of the rich kids in this city. It's still disturbing.

11. In the big K, the kids pronounce my name "Mrs. Br-r-r-uce" - the "r" is ALWAYS rolled. It makes me laugh every time I hear it.

12. In the big K, they write their numbers funny. The 1's look like 7's and the 7's look like F's. It takes concentration when marking their Maths notebooks.

Anyway, that's all for now. But now, you know some of the differences, big and small, from what I'm used to!

25 Random Facts About Me...

My Aunt Steph tagged me on Facebook for this, so I thought I'd post it on here, too.



Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

1. If I could live during any other time period, I would love to live during the 1700's or 1800's. It has always fascinated me. I absolutely LOVE walking through historical homes, like Mount Vernon and Monticello and imagining what it was like. Stephen and I are watching the John Adams miniseries right now and (I think) it is really well done. I think I would've made a good Abigail Adams.


2. The end of my nose pops. Yes, it sure does. If you push in just the right spot, you can feel it pop! No, it doesn't hurt.


3. I hate jello. I mean really hate it. It makes me gag, just thinking about it. Ugh.


4. I don't make the bed in the morning (usually because my husband is still in it), but I have to make it before I get in it at night.


5. I would like to take private tennis lessons. I grew up playing tennis in the summers and I'm helping with tennis after school two days a week, but I am not good. I want to be good at it. And I think to have a tennis player's fit body would be neat-o.


6. On that note, I also think it'd be fun to pick up the violin again and be really good. I would play at church and for weddings, if anyone wanted me to.


7. Most of you know this, since most of you are family members, but I used to be a cheerleader in high school. Captain, actually! G-O-O-O-O-O-O EAGLES!


8. I cannot wait to be a mom. I know, I know...surprise, surprise. But seriously.


9. I really like to cook. I look forward to the day when I have a nice, big, gourmet kitchen with lots of gadgets and appliances and space to work on. I want to learn to make really complicated things. And I want to be the mom who makes the world's best chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.


10. I never thought I could love someone as much as I love my Huzz. I love him more and more each day. It makes me emotional, just typing about it.


11. I think it'd be neat if a lot of people read this blog. But I don't really expect it because it's not that thrilling, is it? Haha!


12. I most despise waking up in the morning. Especially when it's dark outside. I don't mind it when I can sleep as long as I'd like and then slowly emerge from the bed and leisurely make Huzz and I some pancakes. THAT is the way to wake up!


13. I wish I saw my cousins more. I grew up with them, but we don't see each other as much anymore, since we became adults and have our own lives to be busy with. I miss them.


14. I like Creamy Roobois tea. I am not much of a tea drinker. I like coffee much more, but when we moved here, coffee became a thing of the past. I discovered Creamy Roobois tea and it is delightful. I highly recommend it. It's herbal, decaffeinated, and good for you. And it doesn't need any sugar, honey, or milk to taste nice. It's from South Africa.


15. I have 181 friends on Facebook. I think it's so great to reconnect with people you haven't in so many years. I am friends with some people that I went to kindergarten with, but haven't seen them since!


16. I have 29 cousins.


17. I have been this height since I was twelve years old.


18. I don't wear heels. I hate them. They make me angry. The only heels I will agree to wear are my Nine West boots. Well, mine aren't exactly like those, but they're about the same heel height. Mine are square toed, so they don't pinch, and the leather has stretched to my feet, so they fit just perfectly. I love them.


19. I am laid back, but I worry a lot. I worry when things are up in the air. I know this is an area He is working on in me to trust Him more. But it's hard!


20. I never had braces or a retainer and I don't have any cavities still. Knock on wood.


21. I have never eaten so many tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, beets, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots in my life until we moved to the big K. Those are just about the only veggies you can get here.


22. I had seven bridesmaids in our wedding! It was a large and in charge wedding party! And it was SO MUCH FUN.


23. I wasn't in a sorority in college, but I did live in a house with 6 other girls. There were some pretty fun times! One of my favorite memories is the time we threw a HUGE party with a keg...of root beer. We had so many random people showing up, asking where the keg was. Imagine their surprise when they realized what it was!


24. My hair is naturally pretty curly. People tell me all the time how jealous they are, but what they don't understand is that it's not Julia Roberts-type curly. It's more like Richard Simmons-type curly. Just kidding. It's not that bad. But it's straight in the front and super curly in the back! It's like a mullet, in the curly sense.


25. We are moving like it's going out of style! We are moving to our third apartment in 7 months on Saturday.

I'm supposed to tag TWENTY-FIVE people, but I don't know that many people in the blog world, so I'll tag all that I know.

I tag: Alexis, Jessie, Emily, Kate, Becky, Diane, Brie, Heather, Jennifer, Angie, Megan, Melanie, Amy, Becky K, Josie, Cowboy

Skiing, Shashlik, and a Bruise...

This weekend, we finally decided to go skiing. There is a small ski resort only 30 minutes from our house. The teachers have been going for several weeks, every Saturday, but this was our first time going.
At the top of the mountain, look at the view!

They had 3 lifts open - all 2 chair lifts. They were painfully slow, so by the time you got to the top, you were F-R-E-E-Z-I-N-G.

I had to take these pictures FAST because my fingers felt like they were going to fall off. Here is Stephen, all ready to go!

And my self-portrait. Isn't it lovely?

Nick (Woody's friend who is visiting), Anthony (Ant), and Robby (Woody)

We all met up for lunch at the outdoor cafe and had really tasty Shashlik. (Meat kabob) We had lamb shashlik and frites (fries).

I quit by lunch time because the slopes were SO ICY!!! I had taken a couple of good diggers and my hip was hurting. I decided I'd go to the indoor cafe and have some hot chocolate (beer) while the rest skiied for a while longer. I went inside and there were three empty tables, so I sat down at one and waited about 10 minutes for someone to ask me what I wanted. Eventually, the waitress came over and said I couldn't sit there. There's no point in me asking why because I wouldn't understand what she said. I'm pretty sure it was just because I was alone. And because people are really rude here. So, I went back outside, where it was F-R-E-E-Z-I-N-G, but at least the sun was shining, and waited for Stephen.

This is what I looked at for an hour and a half.

And this.

And this! They were giving hot air balloon rides, but the the balloon was tied down, so it just went up and down, up and down, all day long.

I took some other pictures, but they didn't really turn out, since it was too cold to take my gloves off to take the pictures, my glove is in most of the pictures.

Eventually, Stephen did show up, along with some other teachers. By then, it was about 3:00 and everyone was exhausted. Skiing on ice is just too much work, in my opinion! We sat inside and had some beers before the bus left at 5:15.

When we left the cafe, I kind of had the feeling I needed to tinkle, but I figured I could wait until we got home. I was advised to wait, as the bathrooms left much to be desired. Think squatty potties that haven't been cleaned in who knows how long.

Well, by the time we got only halfway down the mountain, I thought I was going to pee my pants. I have never had to go so badly in my life. There's this skating rink halfway down the mountain that my friend said we could run in there to the bathroom. So, I jumped off the bus and ran to the gate, but another mean lady said "Niet!" She pointed to the trees.

Yes, I peed behind a tree. Oh, sweet relief.

But honestly, I would rather do it there than in a stinky squatty potty.

And later that night, as I was putting on my pajamas, I noticed a HUGE bruise on my hip. It is dark purple right now...almost black. Very pretty.

We decided we're not going back skiing until they get some more snow.

A-Towns...

So, Stephen's on his way to Astana today, for business. Just a day trip and he'll be back late tonight, thank goodness.

The last time Stephen went away on business, he went to Aktobe and Aktau, which are oil cities in the western part of the big K. He was supposed to get back late at night then, too, and was supposed to be home by 2:00 am. I had gone to bed and found myself waking up at 2:30 am, in a cold sweat.

I was freaking out. Where was he? I called his cell phone. No answer.

It was the first time I have ever felt like I had an actual panic attack. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't stop crying. I was so worried, I didn't know what to do. I actually ran around the house, calling for Huzz and checking every room, just to be sure he wasn't home.

Once I gained some sense, I cracked open the Big Book and read some comforting words. I sent up big P's for a long time, in the bed.

When I heard the car pull up around 3:00, I ran down the stairs and greeted Huzz at the door, sobbing uncontrollably, and so relieved. He hadn't answered his cell because he had to turn it off for the flight and at the time, we had to put a pin # in to get it back on and he couldn't remember what it was. Needless to say, we figured out how to disable that setting!

Let's just hope all of this does not happen again tonight. His plane is due back in at 11:30, so he should be home around 12:30, as he has no luggage, since it's a day trip.

Last night, we were talking about how this will be his fourth A-city he's been to in the big K. Almaty, Aktau, Aktobe, and now Astana.

I'm noticing a trend, as 7 of my 19 students have names that start with "A".

I have a big 'ol headache today that I woke up with and I have to teach tennis after school to twenty 8-year-olds. Oh, the joys.

Has Anyone Seen the Piece with Weird Colors?...

Look what kept us busy for the better part of while we stayed with Stephen's parents?
It's a 1,000 piece puzzle! The last piece found its place on the last night we were in Colorado. Rarely have I seen a puzzle from start to finish. Pretty cool.

New Year's Eve...

For New Year's Eve, our good friends Karl & Kelley Marie invited us up to Denver to their house, along with Kyle & Alexis, and Erik & Julie.

We had a great time. We ate a ton of cheese fondue....mmmmm, cheese. I made queso dip. I LOVE queso dip, don't you?
We also played Trivial Pursuit! That was a ton of fun, which I NEVER think that Trivial Pursuit is a lot of fun.

Unless I win.

And Alexis and I did win.

Actually, the game went on for so many hours that by the time we quit at 2:00 am, Alexis and I had the most pie pieces.

Alexis also wrote about New Year's Eve here, so you can see pictures from my favorite part of the night: when I read Hannah "Goodnight Moon."

We also had a lot of fun watching the little ones play. Karl & Kelley Marie have a two-year old, named Christian. He is all boy and is very busy! A little friend of his and his parents came over for a couple of hours. You could tell Hannah was a little bewildered.

And Stephen and I were amazed at the cars from Cars that Christian had. Remember the days when you dragged the car backwards on the floor to make it go?

Now, you just shake the car and it goes and makes noises! What will they think up next?

It was pretty funny because the little boys were shaking EVERY car that Christian had to see if it would go.

We had a lot of fun, and since we're all in our late 20's-ish, we were in bed by 2:30...Except for the boys, minus Stephen.

The boys went in the hot tub for a while.

When we all woke up the next morning, sweet Kelley Marie made a huge breakfast for everyone!

Thank you so much! We had a ton of fun. It was one of the most fun New Year's Eves I have ever had!

Scenes from the Crash...

**CORRECTION** The rental car is, in fact, a Toyota Corolla. Stephen informed me that this is why you get TWO sources when you are researching information. Guess who was my first AND second source? Stephen.

Remember this post? When I told you about the first time I've been in a car wreck, when I've been driving?

You didn't believe me, did you?

Well, here's proof:
See? We got hit HARD! In MY humble opinion, I would say he didn't just "slide through the stop sign."

Do you agree?

The good news is the other dude's insurance is going to cover everything. The car is getting fixed, although it will take a month for it to get done. And, my in-laws have an awesome Honda Civic to cruise around town until then.

I am once again, glad this wasn't my fault.

Although, you can send some big P's up for my friend Angie, who is still not feeling so hot because of the accident.

Colorado...Part 8...

Hannah had a great time, crawling around my parents' house. I was surprised at how fast she is! She really gets going and you can tell she is thinking, "Faster, faster, faster!"

Harper...

Hello all,

Just a quick note to ask for the big P word.

I'm "speaking" in code so that some friends in a land far, far away can continue to read the little bloggy here.

For more information, click here to go to Kelly's Korner blog, or click on the link to the right.

Kelly's story caught my attention a few months ago. She was a wife, struggling to get pregnant with their first baby and she blogged almost daily about the struggles with that. Well, she got pregnant, and had the baby three days ago. The baby's name is Harper and she is in the NICU.

Just wanted to do my part and ask that you join me in P-ing for her. Ha! That sounds funny in code.

Yes, I am 28.

Anyway, I hope you're moved to do this.

Thanks, and have a wonderful day!

Colorado...Part 7...Auntie Kelsi

One afternoon, I came downstairs to find this:
And my camera just snapped away...

Turn the page, Aunt Kelsi!

As a teacher, I LOVE it when babies begin to read...

Yes, Hannah is already a reader....

She knows how to hold the book, which way to turn the pages, and she studies the pictures...

Aunt Kelsi is F-U-N!!!

She listens to you, as you read the words...

She laughs and interacts with the books...

What a good reader!

Read it again, Aunt Kelsi! I love books!

Colorado...Part 6...

Huzz and I managed to make it to Mimi's not once, but twice, for breakfast while we were home.

What? It's tasty.

Even Hannah enjoyed Mimi's once.
Well, for the most part...

She is waving to all her people, down the table...

Isn't she so cute? She's so happy!

I don't like this picture of me, but it's so cute of Hannah...

Can you tell I love being an aunt?

Christmas in Colorado...In Iowa...Part 5...

If you haven't read the post below, do so first.

The day after Christmas, we took off with Stephen's parents and Erik & Julie and headed across Nebraska to Iowa. Thankfully, we had great weather to and from Iowa, so we were able to make the trip in about 13 hours, each way. We drove on the 26th, stayed the 27th, and drove back on the 28th. It was quick, but good.

The Memorial Service for Grandpa was nice. We all even managed to have a chuckle while singing "That Old Rugged Cross," as there was a little typo. Instead of the words in the bulletin reading "for a world of lost sinners was slain," it said, "for a world of lost dinners was slain." I was sitting in between Stephen and Erik and was using both of my elbows!

Here is a picture of Erik & Julie Even though we were in Iowa to mourn the loss of Grandpa, we were able to have some fun with Stephen's cousins. Here are Stephen, Erik, and Nick. And for some reason, this picture won't show up in blogger upright, even though I've turned it around. This is Bruiser. He belongs to Uncle Randy and Aunt Cinda. The first time I met Bruiser a year and a half ago, he was still a puppy, but managed to almost knock me to the ground. He is much more docile now. Good boy, Bruiser!

Us In the evening after the service, we got Papa Murphy's and hung out at the house, playing "Would You Rather" and "Fact or Crap." Two quality games...
Uncle Randy preferred to focus on the football games. Uncle Randy likes me more than Stephen because I am a HUSKER fan! After we ate, we went over to the nursing home to have Christmas with Grandma. Here is Stephen, giving her the present from us. And here she is, laughing at something. I love this picture of her. Stephen and his Grandma Us and Grandma Almost all of the grandchildren: Stephen, Nick, Coury, Rob, and Erik - Michael had to leave early to head to Colorado for a ski trip The whole crew It was great to see everyone! Most we hadn't seen since our wedding, more than a year ago! Maybe we'll get to see you again this summer!

Goodbye Grandpa Bruce...

**UPDATE** I wrote this way back on December 2, and for some reason, never published it. I thought I had! This will help you understand the next post.

On Sunday night, about 1:30 in the morning, I woke up to my cell phone ringing on the floor next to my side of the bed. I was in a deep sleep, so I'm sure it took awhile for it to actually wake me up.

I answered with a froggy "hello"? There was a man's voice on the other end that I couldn't really recognize and it sounded like it was a wrong number. He said "hello" back a couple of times, but wasn't responding to me.

So I hung up.

A few minutes later, it rang again and I had a feeling of dread come over me. Something has happened back home.

It was Erik, Huzz's brother. He said he didn't have good news. I handed the phone right to Stephen.

Since I could only hear one side of the conversation, I was confused. But, I thought I knew what the bad news was.

Stephen's Grandma Bonnie has been quite sick for the past several weeks. In and out of the hospital, and now permanently needing hospital care. It has been a worry for everyone, as his grandparents have lived in Iowa for over 30 years, and their home is about 2 1/2 hours away from any family. Stephen's aunt and uncle live in Omaha, which is the closest.

After talking to Erik for about 10 minutes, Stephen hung up the phone and was just quiet. I asked him what happened and he said that Grandpa had died.

What?

Thankfully, it looks like he died peacefully in his sleep, as his book was resting on his chest when Stephen's aunt went to wake him up on Sunday morning.

We are thankful for Grandpa's life.

I am thankful I was able to meet both Grandpa and Grandma Bruce before Stephen and I got married.

Stephen is shocked, as I'm sure the rest of the family is feeling this way, too. Please keep everyone in your thoughts and prayers. Making memorial service preparations, while taking good care of Grandma is a lot to deal with all at one time.

We are hoping we get to travel to Iowa to see Grandma while we are home in the US.

We will miss you, Grandpa. We hope you are dancing in heaven!

Christmas in Colorado...Part 4...

We met another new little baby, while in Colorado. This is Jonas. He was born at the beginning of December to my friend from high school, Seth, and his wife, Amie.
He was just a little snuggler! Here he is, nestled with Nathan.

Awww, isn't he tiny? Again, I LOVE them when they're this small!

A few of us got together to meet Jonas, including our friends, Chris & Amy and their little guy, Micah.

Micah entertained himself while we all visited. What a good boy!