Learning in paradise, July 7-8
Two-inch geckos are cute. Five-inch ones under the kitchen sink? ...not so much. It’s too big to vacuum up, but Waldemar claims it disappears before he or Jono could catch it. We toss our garbage down the chute on the porch, where it slides down into the dumpsters on the ground floor.
The pool lures Jonathan and me down after breakfast each morning. Waldemar is not a swimmer and stays behind to work on the computer, and Kirsten sleeps late to ward off joint swelling. There’s no one in the pool but the groundskeeper and us. He scoops leaves from the bottom of the water and starts the pond-vac as we troll around. Jonathan picked up prescription goggles at the sports shop, which makes swimming a lot more fun. He's learning to swim with head in the water, breathing in rhythm with strokes and kicks.
“No one ever told me to exhale continuously underwater. No wonder I always avoided it!” he says. "I always got a nose-full of water." His long legs and arms and thin body boost his speed as soon as his head goes under.
We have our first taste of parata at lunch. These multi-folded flat pancakes that are grilled and stuffed with potatoes, bananas, or other fillings. Kirsten chooses potato-filled Thosai Masala, W and Jono have Chicken Muertabak. I order two Plain, with curry gravy on the side. Despite valiant efforts, none of us can finish.
The guys head back to begin the video of W’s classes, while Kirsten and I wander around the open markets under the condos beside church. Wide pillars and concrete cores support most government apartments. On the ground floor under the dwellings, shopkeepers sell everything. There are shops for hardware, clothing, groceries, and Chinese medicine, beside bath fixtures, storage containers, a post office, lottery shop, and household linens. Everyone seems to have a specialty. Kirsten finds a red jersey top and pastries. I'm just happy to be outside where it is warm.
My class (Teaching Methods) is such fun. Only one of the students is openly reluctant to change, but the others cajole and coax – or joke and pull - him along. We’re learning together as we go through information. I leave my mind open to possibilities, and every “glitch” becomes a teaching moment, positive or negative, “Look for opportunities like this,” we say. Or, “Try not to let the class get wrapped up in this.” Waldemar takes the last hour of class to show the Bible and Bible tools online.
After 5pm, Kara takes us to the flat so we can drop off our books. Then she chauffeurs us to the mall. We eat at a Hokkienese noodle place inside, a bit disappointing with its wraithlike, vermicelli-style noodles. Kirsten and I were both hungry for chewy noodles with substance. The guys have rice and chicken. We shop for an hour afterwards, but Kirsten and I only make it around two floors. She tries on cute dresses and finds a wide belt. We're both delighted with a Korean-French-like collaboration where I find some cute notebooks. I’ve missed my pen and paper already.
We catch a taxi home and I fall into bed exhausted at 9pm.
