school is in full session

Ok, so school has been in a couple of weeks now. I've had a lot of people asking over the Summer 'are you going back' ? Yes, I did.

I am with the same class but with a different teacher. We have 9 kids, but can go up to 12. There are 4 kids from last year, including my little friend who is borderline autistic. He hasn't changed...

We also have a new little guy, can't be more than 30lbs, 5 years old. He likes to lick and eat everything. I mean EVERYTHING!. When we give the kids a worksheet to do, we have to keep an eye on him. As soon as he does the work, he starts to tear the paper and eat it. So we have to collect it fast. He is also a little tornado. He can't hardly sit for more than a couple of minutes, runs around the room. I feel like I am looking at the tasmanian devil running in circles.

But he is SO stinking cute!! That is what saves him... that and the things he has said about home. One day we were working on our speaking skills and my teacher had a book with pictures on it. She pointed to a picture of a glass bottle (looked like a milk bottle) and she asked him to say what it was. He said 'beer'. Then the other day as we were going to PE, he started telling my teacher that his dad drank beer from a BIG glass and gets drunk and then the cops come.

Now these words: beer, drunk, cops, are words a little 5 year old SHOULD NOT know. It breaks our hearts. So, we love him. He will get discipline, but he will always know we care about him.

The class is not much different than last year in terms of the kids being difficult. But I have a teacher that is a good match for me and we vow to stay consistant in the way the class is run and HOPEFULLY the kids will respond positively from it. I told her we have to stick together, there are more of them than us!!

My prayer is that I can be a difference in these kids lives. Also, I would like to be a witness to the teacher I am working with. I am not sure she is a Christian. Also, there are 2 other ladies that are friends with her that I feel I need to pray for. I don't want this year to pass by and me not take the opportunity to share Christ with them. This is not easy for me. Sure, I can 'live' a life that shows them their is something different, but I think I should do more than that.

Maybe it's the book I just finished reading. It was a small novel by Terri Blackstock called "The Listener". http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/terri-blackstock/listener.htm It was really convicting.

So, I am looking forward to what this school year has in store.

But it's also nice to have a 3 day weekend!!!!!!

Final Olympics Update... for now

Dear Family & Friends,

Hi, yes the fat lady has sung and it is all over, well at least for 4 years !!!

The Olympics draws to a close on a high note, just as it began 17 days ago, I am sure you enjoyed it on TV, in one way the time has zipped by, in other ways, it seems we have been here for ages. The photo today, speaks for it's self....... who's a happy boy ?

What a super way to end this world class festival of sports, standing amongst the world best athletes, in center field of Beijing's National Stadium, under the Olympic flame lighting the night sky.

Over the past three weeks I have tried to bring you a taste of the Olympics that is not shown on TV or in the press, much I have still to share with you, so once I get home, my feet back under the desk and clear some of what must be waiting for me, I will offer some more insights.

For my Chinese friends, I will show you the fancy seat your President got to sit in, did you know he has his own mini A/C unit under under his table, no wonder he can look so cool and calm, while the rest of us feel like we are in a sauna.....

Take care,

David

Olympic Update #15

English almost American living in Macau, with Shi Lanka Delegation gets Beijing Olympic Medal

Dear Family & Friends,

Hi, I pray all is well, you will guess from the photo's I was a very happy man, when I received my Beijing Olympic Participation Medal & Diploma today. No National anthem was played, no flag raised, no TV coverage, but your truly is just as proud to have been part of the most successful Olympics ever.... as anyone.

Well done China & BOCOG

warm regards,
David

ps: Every NOC athlete & official who participates in the Olympics get this sort of medal. Praise the Lord this is my second of these medals, the 1st from Atlanta 1996. Now I must think if I can I make it a 3rd from London 2012 ????? Only God knows !

What we woke up to on Friday

Fred & I were on our way out to work on Friday, when he said 'hey, Valerie, come check this out'. I go out thinking he had something wrong with his car... NNNNOOOOO!!

We saw this:

An armadillo! He was sound asleep after he tore up our front yard. I have never seen one in our neighborhood. Fred had the nerve to say 'scare it off' . He was out of his mind if I was going to mess with the giant rat! I just got in my car (after taking pics) and went on my merry way to work. It was gone by the time we got home. Fred is going outside right now to see if the little stinker came back. I doubt it, though. We were probably a 'Motel 6' to him.

Yuk! he was gross!!

A night of dinner & murder

I have been meaning to post about this but the Olympics have had most of my attention lately...

For the second time (in about a year?) The Ross' invited 3 couples over to a wonderful dinner and a game of 'murder mystery'. I have always wanted to play that, so I was real excited to be part of it. The only thing, you don't really choose who you are going to be. The first time, well, let's say, I was very 'friendly' with some of the other characters... how embarrasing! :)

So when Colleen called and said we were getting together, I stipulated I was NOT going to be the 'floosy' again... hehe So, instead, I became the 'religious fanatic'. Ok, not great, but better.

I was real proud of Fred this second time. The game is so out of his element, but he was pretty good with his character. And, for the record, I was the only one who guessed who the murderer was! I had no concrete evidence, just a gut feeling. But isn't that how most detectives work???

I love the couples we got to play with: Ross, Caddells, Moores. Now that we go to different churches, I am grateful we can still get together and keep our friendships strong. And, by the way, Wayne & Jan Moore are hilarious when they get into character!!

I hope we don't wait too long to do it again!

Olympic Update #14

Dear Family & Friends,

Hi, hope all is well. Things are going well here, this morning it rained "cats & dogs" as I wanted to go shopping. Thus I decided to try the new subway line that joins the exciting very good metro system, to get the crowds of spectators to the main Nation Stadium and Water Cube.

At the moment this section (Line #8) has only 4 stops, but is free to anyone with games tickets, plus, of course, all the 16,000 athletes and officials also get it for the free. Plus we get the whole Beijing underground network too, pretty cool..

The new line goes north into what is now call the Olympic Green, a park that will remain for the benefit of all Beijinger's & visitors.

Photo to the left shows the new station platform, note the design copied from the Birdsnest, all platforms now have (or on the main system) will have automatic doors, keeps the aircon in the summer & heat in the winter, and on the platforms, not along the tunnels, also stops accidents on the line.

The other two photos show the interior views of the new trains.

My outward trip was fine, walked 5 minutes from the OV, took the new Olympic line, to the interchange station to get on the #10 line to find the shopping market I needed. However, on the way back, at the internet station, instead of changing platforms and picking up the new Olympic I was bundled out of the station, with the crowds, into the street, then forced to walk about 10 minutes around the block to go through a security check point......

Security is fine, I am all for it, but come on, throwing your citizens and visitors out in the pouring rain, making them walk alomost a kilometer, only to find yourself back where you started at least 20 minutes longer than moving from platform to platform when changing trains.... is far from smart.

Up to now I have only offered the highest praise, so to be balanced, I feel I need to air this grip. Of course, I know why some bright soul thinks it easier to do the security checks in a huge empty area of tarmac, than in the rail station. However they are doing these same checks all over Beijing in the subways, just where the normal trafic flow is......

Ok, I am back to positive mode.......

Last night I was privileged to see Usain Bolt, blaze into Olympic History, with his win in the 200m........ for an Olympic final, leaving the rest of the field for dead is almost unheard of, such was this new World & Olympic record run.. After being witness to his 100m final, when he did the same thing, most people were sure he would win, but not so utterly destroy the other runners...

Micheal Phelps move over, we have another super star on stage.

I am still in part shock, part very proud that my tiny little island can hold it's own againist such power house like China and the USA, and still keeping 3rd stat in the medal table........ GO UK.............

Take care, I wonderful what I can find to you good folks tonight. Yes, back to the Birdsnest, even the volunteer helpers in the Stadium, are asking me if I want my favorite seat..... he, he.

warm regards,
David

Oooppsss!

David sent out the update below yesterday morning and I didn't post it hear right away... not on purpose!! So don't be mad when I tell you that Fred won!



Dear Family & Friends,

Hi, today I meet the young lady in the photo, can you guess her name ??? Will it help if I tell you she comes from Liuzhou in Guangxi, is 143 cm tall, and weights only 30kg. The first to tell me her name gets a prize.............

I am not a tall man in anyone's book, but she only reaches to my shoulder, and she was wearing a small healed shoe. We were both in the Olympic Pin trading center, she was giggling and having a great time. So I just had to ask for a photo.

Take care, I have a busy day, at 2pm to 4pm I will watch the Gym medal winners give a special presentation performance, then it's off to watch China play basketball at 4;30pm, followed be another evening in the National Stadium, our best medal hope is in the women's 200m semi finals, please check the TV at about 9:25pm tonight.......

warm regards,
David