The trip to the Pacific Northwest was extremely pleasant. Today I'm getting ready for a trip to Central Asia. I leave tomorrow and there are many things I
must do to get ready. I think I can do this. The problem, as I see it, is that I am pretty tired today. Probably because I stayed up til the wee morning hours watching the best
movie in the world for the 100th time. But hindsight is 20/20 and all that. I'm going to simply plug along. Won't be blogging for awhile, but I will be reading. So please help me out by
commenting daily. That would really mean a lot.
The trip to the Pacific Northwest was extremely pleasant. Today I'm getting ready for a trip to Central Asia. I leave tomorrow and there are many things I must do to get ready. I think I can do this. The problem, as I see it, is that I am pretty tired today. Probably because I stayed up til the wee morning hours watching the best movie in the world for the 100th time. But hindsight is 20/20 and all that. I'm going to simply plug along. Won't be blogging for awhile, but I will be reading. So please help me out by commenting daily. That would really mean a lot.
Comments
jw
I listened to this podcast 2x. It's such a wild story.
jw
I do love the Smart Cars, but I also heard a feature on NPR about how you get pretty much the same benefit with those really small normal cars like the Fit and the Yaris. So, I think you may not need to sacrifice the trunk.
BEST WISHES for an awesome trip!!!
I love Fugitive too. Did we see that together? (One of the 100 times?)
jw
I'm in a hotel in Dubai.
The taxi driver ripped me off, but
after that things went fine.
I had a great veggie curry at the hotel and now
i'm heading to bed. The real adventure begins tomorrow, but even this very western feeling hotel in Dubai has some interesting things to see.
love 2 u
l
I have been thinking about you and imagining your very whereabouts each day, and we report to each other here about just what we think you are doing at that very minute. Glad you made it well on this first leg of the trip. I'm sure that taxi guy won't be your last ripoff, but do hope you have many more wonderful meals. Can hardly believe youare where you are! Keep us posted!Miss you!
N
It's good to hear that you are safe in Dubai with good vegetarian food to take the edge off of dodgy taxi drivers. Many thanks for the update. Sleep well, my friend.
I'm also very pleased to have a new room in our hotel.
Old room: small, extremely hot, reeking of cigarette smoke, noisiest fan on the planet, no internet.
New room: medium, coolly air conditioned, smells mildly of cigarette smoke, quiet, lots of internet.
I couldn't be happier. Today we're going for some sightseeing. Everyone's been so nice here.
N
jw
Hope you're taking photos.
Hope you're enjoying.
What day is your workshop?
D/
It's great to hear from you and that you have a better room. Please keep the updates coming whenever you have the chance.
Oh, and Paul and his band were standing on a marquee, not a marquis -- although that might have been good too.
Headscarf situation is giving me some bad hair problems.
Okay, back to prepping for the workshop which begins tomorrow!! 6 days of work ahead.
I imagine you bought me something quite lovely as well??
jw
i'm so happy to hear you're doing well. this is great.
D/
There are so many wonderful pieces of information in your latest account. Very vivid. I love it.
Take care of yourself.
N
Last night, I went to a development worker's compound, sat in a garden rimmed with roses and heard cool stories about being in international development work. So many countries mentioned. It seems a great and difficult life. Security was super tight there.
Workshop 1 starts today. Of course I woke up at 3am, but coffee will help.
What's going on stateside???
Is it as hot there as you thought it was going to be?
I'm glad you got to eat dinner with some Brits!
Do they know Mark Cavendish, the great bicycle sprinter who's burning up the Tour de France? He's British. :)
jw
mac is still getting those one-year molars still, and he was up every hour last night from midnight on. it was a real bummer.
today, dan and i are going to look at some potential new houses. we're thinking of selling our house to move closer to everything we do.
miss u.
Madeline and I walked up to the Rose Garden this week and the flowers there were on their last lap -- but still lovely. The California budget mess continues but I've urged them to have it all sorted out by the time Rosalyn arrives. I mean, really. Our backyard garden is producing green beans and chard like crazy -- we've never been healthier. And that's about it for breaking news from Berkeley. Can't wait for your next update. Love, cb
I am wide awake at 344, as usual. Annoying.
Day 1 of the workshop went very well. There were 18 men and 1 woman, all EFL teachers. They were very sweet and friendly and participated in all the activities.
They seemed very interested in talking about their teaching. I enjoyed myself despite the fact that the room was 1000 degrees because the Air Conditioning blew up around 9:30 and there was a strong smell of burning in the room for most of the rest of the day. Electricity goes off and on here, so there were times when my power point turned off, but I had xeroxed copies for all the participants. And it worked out okay. Today I will teach part 2 of the workshop. Turns out the people here love to get certificates and wanted to know if I had certificates for them. I looked at the boss and said, "I would have..." And she said, "They'll be getting certificates." Phew. I got to talk to some of the participants. They tell some really sad tales about how life has been for them during the time of the T. There are still places in the country that are very dangerous. Some actually risked their lives to get to the workshop. That really makes you want to do a good job for them, you know what I mean?
Mitzi broke her leg and has to go home today, so last night we had dinner on the balcony of the hotel with her. I feel really sad for her. She wants to see all the people at the workshops v. badly. Now I'm giong to try to do her parts of the workshops. Wish me luck.
love 2 all of you,
l
Good grief!
No other details?
D/
I've been cleaning windows in my house. It doesn't seem like I should even mention it considering what you're doing. I need to beef up my summer next year.
I think I'm going to see Breaking Away tomorrow at the Buskirk Chumley. I know lots of people who were extras. It was filmed my first year out of high school.
jw
2 days of workshopping is done and
4 more to go. I'll be taking over for Mitzi,
since she's on her way home.
My favorite part of today was sharing
the peeps' social narrative stories with the
Afghan teachers. They wrote the nicest
letters to the peeps and I was so excited
to be sitting outside watching all these people
reading the stories that were the result
of months of reading and discussing about
Afghanistan. It was a huge charge.
I was a little stressed yesterday afternoon even
tho I felt the workshop went really well. It was super hot here and some of the stories the workshop guys told me during the day about their lives here made
me feel somewhat sad. But today I felt the sharing of the peep stories somehow made me feel really connected and inspired. It's funny because I wasn't planning on sharing these but I got a good idea during breakfast. Of course.
I think I was a little stressed too because even tho it's cool to be driven everywhere, it starts freaking you out a little that you can't just leave and take a walk.
But today was really pleasant. A teacher invited me to her house for dinner. The people are ridiculously friendly! Everyone's calling me "Miss Lee," which I really like. And the teachers are fun to tease. One young guy brought in a cup of tea in the afternoon for someone else and I said, "Where's mine?" And he ran off to get one for me and said, "It is my great pleasure!" See, I like this!
Love 2 u dears
Your posts have become a highlight of my day. It's so great that you shared the peeps' stories.
News from the home front is pretty low key in comparison. We went to a backyard party of John's former and current newspaper colleagues yesterday. The mood was really good, considering. A couple of guys even made up a few songs for the occasion and played guitar and sang them. "It's the end of the Chron as we know it," was my favorite. Love to you, cb
N
jw
It is my great pleasure to read your comments each day.
Day 3 of the workshops went very well. But I'm a little sad because I'm attached to this group, and they're done and a new group is coming in. One young man said to me today, "MIss Lee, We will miss you." And I thought, "Geez, I'm going to miss you too. How'd that happen?"
Another cute young guy said, "Lee, Afghanistan is always open to you."
It's just the way they talk, but you almost want to start crying, don't you?
(the crying thing could be the jet lag as well, since I was up from 1 am to 5 am last night). Good thing I'll be adjusted to everything by the time I leave.
3 more days of workshops. These will be with a different group and will be different content. I feel a little nervous, but I think it will be fine.
It's so odd to teach all day with people nodding, smiling, and cheerfully doing everything you ask them to do. I'm kind of in a state of shock at the end of the day.
Sending all love
There is a book to be written about your experiences and then there’s the movie rights, of course. John immediately picked Rene Zellweger for the role of Miss Lee but Maggie Gyllenhaal comes to my mind. Wait, Jodie Foster! Love, cb
N
i love that miss lee, business. i also love that story-sharing. i'm going to be figuring out how to do the social narratives with the sophs and juniors (what can i call them??), and i'm hoping you might give me a little tutorial.
also, my friends who left k-12 classroom teaching to do adult ESL in minnesota describe the students just like yours - nodding and smiling and saying cute things like, "teacher, can i help you?" no wonder they will no longer consider jobs in my school.
i'm supposed to be working right now, but i'm drinking coffee and doodling around on the internet. so sue me.
xoxoxo
Cynthia's comment about the movie reminded me to tell you this.
At the end of the workshop, one of the young men asked me if I was from California and I said yes, before I lived in Indiana, I did live in California.
"I thought so because you have the same voice just like Jennifer Anniston."
So maybe we should have Jennifer????? But I think Maggie would be my first choice. But if we got Jennifer, they wouldn't have to spend so much time with a dialect coach.
By the time I scroll down and read all the comments, I barely have time to add to them.
As you know, M is home, and has a new, light, walking cast. All is well.
The weather has been coolish, but lovely.
Went to photo club portrait meeting.
Am reading more really good books. Will fill you in on those when you return.
Keep up the good work.
M is so happy that you've been able to take over.
Did you end your first group with your "Amen?"
D/
although, jessie IM'ed me to say she did think that alexis bledel and i are like twins, which made my week. so, in the movie, can one of the internet commenters be played by alexis? that would be awes.
would you like to know what mac did last night? he stayed up until 1:30 and i was forced to repeat decades of the rosary, lest i lose my mind. i also cried. thank god the blessed virgin stepped in and fixed the situation.
can't wait to read the next update!!!
Hurray for a good night of sleep! After a certain point in life, there is nothing better than that.
California finally has a budget. It’s horrific but it’s ours and does nothing to diminish our status as the most embarrassing state in the Union. If it weren’t so foggy, I’d just head to the beach.
My father is driving up to visit Madeline and me this morning. He has been cleaning out the house and always brings some treasure that he has uncovered. Last time it was a poem that I had written in second grade. My father has joined the simplicity movement. Pretty soon the house will only contain a chair, a table, a lamp, a bed and a couple of books.
Keep safe and best wishes for your workshops.
Love, cb
jw
I should be in the shower getting ready for Day 5, but I'm pushing the envelope. Day 4 with the new group went well, they're a bit older and they are professors, so they're not as cheerful as the young guys of the last group, but I think they were more easy going by the end of the day.
It was a long day though. As they were doing lesson planning, I was circling around, giving suggestions. Again, it's great to work with people who think every idea you give them is fantastic and then actually use your idea in their presentation. Yay.
En route to a famous bookstore yesterday, we passed a British convoy of tanks coming down the street. In the last tank, a soldier very suddenly, to my mind, took out a pistol and shot into the street. He seemed to be shooting just at the ground and
someone told me later that they do that to keep traffic back. I didn't really see much traffic near them, but who knows? I said to my companion, a Brit, "I'm so glad they weren't Americans!" Our guard thought that was hilarious.
I have to say, that was the highlight yesterday. After that little scenario, the book store was a little blurry to my mind. I bought some postcards and
then I worked some more on the workshops. I met up with some people for dinner in a beautiful open air garden restaurant and stayed up a bit too late.
We'll see how it all goes today.
love 2 u.
love 2 hear what's going on with you!!!!!!
(Marion, I'm surprised Nancy had to give you a reminder about blog reading! Come on FRIEND! )
Off to day 5 of workshops. These are long days!!!
I bet those days are long days but it is way cool that they respect you and appreciate your great ideas.
But come home.
jw
No tank convoys in Berkeley today. My dad brought us some things from his house, enjoyed himself talking about this and that during his visit here, then left us and stopped in at the Cliff House for crème brulee and an espresso (?!) before returning home. He sends good wishes to you.
I’m reading Ahab’s Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund -- only a few pages in, but I’m enjoying it.
Love to you,
cb
So we worked that out, and went back to our work.
Today was day 5 of workshop world and i'm really exhausted so I'm just staying in tonight. I will go downstairs for dinner pretty soon and bring my book.
The lunches at the guest house are really good and today the professors motioned for me to go ahead of them in line. I said that it was no problem for me to stand in line. They insisted and said, "In our country, the women go first. Even outside the restaurants, just in case of land mines."
These peeps are pretty funny and most of their joking has a kind of horrific undertone to it. But that makes sense considering.
At the end of the day someone asked for my business card. I said, "Only important people have business cards!" Of course that resulted in a slew of talk about how important I am. This place is really extremely funny. I handed out my email to a bunch of peeps who asked for it because they said they would email me with problems they are having. GREAT!!!!!
I'm in the hotel, looking out on the tennis courts. They are always busy in the evening. Mountains loom behind. The mountains here are always in view when you're outside, circling the city.
More later, gators....
N
For god's sake go first...go first!!!
jw
I'm trying to stay focused and finish some fundraising plans for Chanticleer before we leave for our vacation. But the summer provides so many distractions.
Much love and wishes for your safe return. -- cb
mac fell asleep for ten minutes in the car, and now he thinks he's not going to nap; but OMG that kid needs to nap.
you'll be glad to know the rapid strep test was neg, so maybe we just have a virus. i think it's not the swine flu, so that's good.
home on sunday, then??
Ha!
Wait till you get home!
Everyone will want to see you, touch you, hear your stories...
Love, D/
We went to Splash something or other in French Lick yesterday. Basically it was an indoor water park. I helped Kathy with her two littles all day since Ray couldn't go. And I went down some awesome slide things with big Mac.
Guess what? Today I can barely move!! Just when ya think you're in fairly good shape it's all blown to hell.
I'm off to lunch with Jayma. She's thinking about you!
jw
Later in the day a woman came to talk to us about her new job/role in the project. She was incredibly inspiring. She got her degree in the states and she said, "When I came back to Afghanistan, I was so inspired by what I had seen at my university, I wanted to do one small thing. I knew I could not do much, but I thought I can do something, I can do something small. So I started a school. And that school has eventually educated over 3,000 women." I didn't think that was the appropriate time to clarify the actual definition of the term "small," so I just nodded with admiration.
I wore my Afghan outfit today and got a lot of nice compliments on it. Someone took my picture and then showed me the pic in his camera. "Wow, I look very beautiful, don't I?" I asked him and he readily agreed. As you can see, I'm clearly in the swing of milking the group for compliments at every turn.
Now I'm going out with the project people to a pub. I wish I could talk these peeps into quitting smoking, but I'll leave that for another trip. For now, my work here is done.
Tomorrow Fiona's bringing me out for some sightseeing and then on Saturday I head home.
v. inspired by that "small" difference lady and her school. whoa.
this is not in the same league, but i made a pledge to rachel to be a "bright light" this year at ehs. cheerful and creative. she seems a little skeptical, but that's just how she is. ;)
shef is back at camp today. i'm about to wake mac to go to his last music class of the summer.
wish i could've joined you on those waterslides, jw!!!
When I was in my freshman year, I put an 8x10 headshot of Al Pacino as Serpico up on my dorm room wall. My new and clueless roommate asked me if it was my boyfriend. Sigh.
Love to you and safe home.
cb
Have you realized that you teach the adults in the same manner as the 8 year old peeps? That's what makes a good teacher.
Hey JW! Next time you see her, give Jayma my love. (And keep a bunch for yourself.)
D/
jw
That's the one word I learned here.
I will do better if I ever return.
Today is my last day. Fiona took me on a whirlwind
tour. We drove up the mtn, which is a pretty hairy ride , to a fort that overlooks the city. We had some good views from there and I took some pix of some kids who were walking around up there too. Very cute. Then we went to the museum, then we drove on the bumpiest road on the planet around Lake Qarghai, and then we had lunch at a Lebanese restaurant, and then we shopped on Chicken Street.
I'm very happy with how this trip has gone. I have lots of great little details I could share from this day, but let's save it for when I get home and it's wine time. CB, KC, you come too!!!!
Thanks for taking the trip with me commenters and readers. I loved coming home every evening to alittleleeway and connecting with you.
Now the big journey back. After I pay my hotel bill. And pack.
What a wonderful adventure you are having. Many thanks for sharing it. I really wish I could be there for wine time.
Stay safe.
Much love to you and your family,
cb
Safe traveling!
D/
I wanted to buy a small copper bowl for my international bowl collection yesterday and the man said, "It costs 15 dollars. How much do you want to pay for it?"
I was silent for what probably seemed a long time because I was wondering how strange it would be if I just told him that I really wanted to pay 15 $ for it, the designated price."
Finally Fiona said, "Ten."
He said, "Twelve."
I handed over too much money again, but our guard helped sort that out.
As we were leaving Fiona said, "You are really bad at this."
I'm glad I don't live in a bargaining culture, for obvious reasons.
Here’s wishing you safe travels on the last part of your trip home. You rock, Miss Lee!
love,
cb
D/