Turning Corners

i.ehow.com

The sun came out in this part of the world at long last. I ran around doing errands and getting things done.

For one thing, I purchased a plane ticket.

Things are set in motion, and I am taking a trip!! Hooray! Now I have five weeks to tie up loose ends and get prepared. Just a little scouting mission, just a chance to see what Sverige is like.

A Little Extra Cash

Longitudebooks.com

I am all about picking up a little extra cash any way I can in the next five weeks, so when Jack offered me the paper route while he's out of town in a few weeks, I said yes.

And I took a heavy box of books to Tin Can Mailman and made $40, but I turned around and spent half of it on a Guidebook to Scandinavian Europe, a set of tapes of Colloquial Swedish (uber helpful and just in the nick of time), and a Margaret Atwood novel that I've vowed not to crack open until I am on a plane somewhere.

Thumbs Up from Students
When I got to work the results of student evaluations were in. I had given my students a heads-up about this last week and told them don't be afraid to be honest and offer constructive criticism; anything they said would only make me a better teacher. So I didn't know what to expect.

But the results were gratifying. Two important (to me) things are obviously getting across: 1. I really like and respect my students for what they have already learned and the bold thing they are doing by being in an immersion program, and 2. I really very badly want them to succeed, in passing the TOEFL exam and going on to fulfill their dreams.

I take over for the other teacher, who is quitting, next Wednesday. Monday and Tuesday, I will observe. Busy, busy, busy.

Summer Begins

Tomorrow, my son meets with his independent study teacher for the last time as a sophomore. It's the end of the school year-- another hooray! Then he is going away for the summer to be with friends in Sacramento. I hope he has a fantastic time.

My Brave and Brilliant Sister

exeterhospital.com

My sister starts chemotherapy tomorrow. She is full of dread but also gratitude. It is really an inspiration to behold. I am not sure I could ever be so courageous.

She went to a workshop called "Look Good, Feel Better," put on by the American Cancer Society. It was all about finding ways to deal with the appearance-related side effects of cancer and cancer treatment. She found it so inspiring that she wrote about it, breaking about 15 years of writer's block.

Basking in Svenska

Svenska är
ett mycket sexigt språk!

When I got home from work there was still plenty of sunshine left. I spread out a white cotton quilt on my newly mowed lawn, brought my little stereo out onto the porch, lay in the sun and listened to the new Swedish tapes.

The new tapes are quite rigorous. What an overwhelming language! They speak so fast I can barely read along in the book. I get a wonderful soul-deep frisson when I hear Svanska spoken in long stretches, in dialogue for example. I absolutely love the sound of this beautiful language.