Finding some "alternative sunshine" when that real stuff can't be found...

I hate to go on and on about how much it has rained since Thursday, but really....enough is enough!!!

Sadly, the weather forecast for us is still more rain...through Saturday.  Some parts of Nagasaki have "heavy rain" forecasted for tomorrow.  It's humid. It's sticky. It's smelly (due to the fact that our laundry juuuuust doesn't get dry. ew.).  It's cool until you move and then, voila--your sweaty.

I hate this time of year.

I really do.

I guess I need to work on this negative-blechy feeling so..I'm working on finding "my happy/sunny place", I'm looking for bits and pieces of "sunshine"...things that make my heart smile to help me through until the rain stops.

Take for example, what happened yesterday.

I don't usually teach kids' classes and focus mainly on adult language instruction.

With kids, one never knows if they are in your class because they truly want to be there or....their mom wants them to be there.  I worked in a language school for a couple of years and that was long enough of having to put up those kids whose moms forced them into my classroom.

A special version of "hell".

On Mondays, I teach a family of kids that I absolutely love.  There are 5 kids in the family (4 girls, 1 boy) and they lived in the States for a little over a year.  They came back a couple of years ago and their parents didn't want them to lose the English ability they gained...and here is where I come in.  Our classes range from wild games of Monopoly, Uno or this crazy game called Gorillas... to Apple to Apples and Pictionary...all in English, of course.  We also do writing, grammar and vocabulary exercises.  I don't mind this class at all becasue the kids truly love English (and they like me, too...so it's a win-win).

This week, when I got to their house and went up to the room we use for class, the boy (who is 10) had a package on the table, a really cute smile on his face and said, "This is something you are going to love." 

He unwrapped the package and handed this to me:

A really cool flamingo coffee cup, that the mom said he saw in the store and told her,

"I need to get this for Debbie."

I smiled the rest of the night and most of today  about this.

It's a great cup.

I love it.

*******

Today.....I found yet more "sunshine".

On Tuesdays, I have class with a group of ladies that I have so much fun with.

Their ages range from 23 to 72....there are a few housewives, a librarian (she was also my student when she was in high school!), a geisha (uh-huh...that's right!!), the youngest works in a cookie shop (we love it when she brings us cookies!) and there is a lady who is in charge of a student international exchange program.

We are an eclectic group, but...we are a great group.

As today was the fifth Tuesday in June (most classes only have 4 lessons a month), we decided to have lunch instead of class.  We have been studying 'restaurant English' for the past few weeks, so we went to a place where the manager (again...someone who was my student in high school) is studying English, too.  We actually go to use some of the things we had studied.  One lady brought her papers....'cheat sheets', if you will.  We all got a laugh out of that!!

Here is the manager....and since the place serves mainly bagel sandwiches, I will call him--Bagel Boy:

**Yes, that is the kitchen he was working out of and no, there wasn't much more!!**

You may not think that a bagel is a big thing, but for those of us who love them and really have a hard time finding them, this was a great treat.  The Bagel Boy had quite a few sandwiches on his menu and I had a really hard time choosing.  The tandoori chicken one and the salmon, cream cheese and onion one were both popular with the ladies.

I, on the other hand, had the BBQ pork sandwich.

It was delicious!!!

The seven of us (two couldn't make it) sat in there for almost 2 hours and laughed and talked and had a really great time.

Thank you, ladies....I'm lucky to have such good friends....and to be able to share the great time and wonderful food together really did brighten my day!!!