Hey there guys! Please don't glare at me for not posting for so long! I honestly, really did try to update the other day. In fact I had written a very long, very in depth post and was in the middle of adding some pictures to it when Internet Explorer had some sort of error and closed the entire thing down on me. I was about ready to scream. But maybe it was a good thing: instead of finishing the post I called home and talked to the family for a few hours. That was really fun.

Ok, I guess I'll start by telling about our Christmas. The funnest thing was that James came and stayed with us for about three days. What a total hoot. That guy so totally rocks.

I got some cool gifts for Christmas. I gave all the guys on the team a leather wallet that I had made and the girls got a leather change purse. I was pretty happy with how they had turned out. And interestingly enough, nobody had guessed what I was going to be giving them. I had figured that what with all the noise involved in leather tooling it was kinda obvious, but apparently not.

Last Tuesday I went with some of my 6th graders on a field trip. It was really fun. But because Kinmen is pretty small, there really isn't very many places to go on a field trip. So one of the places we got to visit was the waste water treatment plant. Yea, what fun. Dude, it sure did stink! I'm just glad I don't have to work there!

Thursday we went to Taiwan. First we went to Taow Ywen and visited our friends at Sheow Zsteye Jr. high (the Jr. high for the kids from troubled back grounds). What a hoot. I can't wait to go back and visit them.

Friday night I went into Taipei and after a little shopping, met up with James and stayed the night at his place. Then in the morning he and I went shopping and sight seeing and then I got to help him with some of the vocab he's learning for the TOEFL. It was kinda cool to get to help him with his English: he's done so much to help with our Chinese.

Speaking of James, here's something really really cool he posted on his Xanga talking about his visit to Kinmen for Christmas:

"My roommate Samuel is always cool, I am really amazed how fantastic his Chinese is now. Half year ago, I was teaching them, the so-called "new comers", meaning new members in the team, the basic phonetic alphabets, and now I saw him communicating with MSN messenger in Chinese characters. In fact, not only he but also the whole team can both speak and understand Chinese. I used to translate everything, but I didn't have to do that anymore."

Ok, that's very much a shortened version of the post I wrote the other day. But it will have to do. Now here's some pictures from the past month.


I love this picture of Bekah. It was totally unplanned.
Posted by Picasa


A few weeks ago the dance school had a recital. A bunch of my girls from Jing Who were in it. All the girls in this picture are my students.
Posted by Picasa


This is a really cool 6th grader. She's not a bad dancer either.
Posted by Picasa


Here's a group picture of all my Jing Who students who dance.
Posted by Picasa


4 6th graders. The three on the right are a hoot to hang out with.
Posted by Picasa


These girls are also a hoot. Esp. the one on the bottom. She's one of the shortest 6th graders I have.
Posted by Picasa


Twin 5th graders. Both very fun, energetic girls. And they behave in class, which is pretty uncommon in Jing Who.
Posted by Picasa


Monday 4th gradres. There's only 9 kids in the class. Some of the most extreme character are in this class.
Posted by Picasa


I have started going to a class at the college on Monday night's taught by Dr. Henning (via satalite). During class I normally just practice Chinese and then during breaks and after class I visit with the students. It's been really fun. This is a one of the students doing a presentation on (you guessed it) "Bee Dancing".
Posted by Picasa


We had a Christmas party for the dorm kids about a week before Christmas. One of the activities was decorating cookies. It was a pretty big hit.
Posted by Picasa


Jimmy got kinda morbid in his cookie decorating...
Posted by Picasa


Peggy made a tie-dyed cookie. I've been training them well.
Posted by Picasa


Susan and cookie
Posted by Picasa


Lucas
Posted by Picasa


Jen and cookie
Posted by Picasa


Anny, Megan and Drew at the Christmas party. We brought our Christmas tree downstairs for the party.
Posted by Picasa


This is a good picture of Kiwi, the teacher who I teach 11 classes with.
Posted by Picasa


6th graders. The class these girls are in was a very tough class until I started coming down really hard on them a few weeks ago. Now they behave a lot better.
Posted by Picasa


The other day this girl was going through my bag after lunch and got out the Curious George book that I had with me. She said she wanted to read it to me, but of course she couldn't read the English. So she simply looked at the pictures and made up a story in Chinese. It was one of the funniest things I've heard in a very long time.
Posted by Picasa


Enjoying lunch break in a very Taiwanese fashion...drinking something and playing Chinese chess. BJ, remember that kid on the right? Yep, he's one of my students now.
Posted by Picasa


One of the sixth grade home room teachers. This lady is really cool. She can actually speak some English but would rather speak Chinese with me.
Posted by Picasa


My hunter orange hat is a big hit.
Posted by Picasa


I went up to the high school the other day for an event of some sort (it was kinda boring actually) but Kuyu and Stella were the MC's. Kuyu is making a name for himself at the high school and seems to be pretty well liked...still, he isn't anywere close to as loved at his brother. I think every single person on the island knows who "Boss" is.
Posted by Picasa


Somebody and Black Cat and Jason. BJ, whenever I see Black Cat she asks how you are. The first thing I think of whenever I see her is the time that you and her were standing behind the church talking. She was talking all in the Chinese and you were talking all in English.
Posted by Picasa


My crazy girl from 910...she's really enjoying the new freedom allowed by the abolision of the hair rules
Posted by Picasa


5th graders. This class totally rocks.
Posted by Picasa


Eagle and Windy, Sunday school kids.
Posted by Picasa


The Friday before Christmas some of the teachers that Lucas works with came overr to visit. They (plus James) had a fun time making Christmas cookies.
Posted by Picasa


Pastor Samuel telling the Christmas story at the Christmas Eve party at church. There was a really large crowd there.
Posted by Picasa


Me and Grace, one of my high school friends (at the Christmas Eve party).
Posted by Picasa


My Sunday school class sang. They were awesome. Chuck-u-lee (Chinese for "Chocolate") was great.
Posted by Picasa


Christmas morning with the Kinmen team.
Posted by Picasa


Making Christmas brunch.
Posted by Picasa


Final Advent service of the season.
Posted by Picasa


Andrew and his "shell". You have to know him to understand this joke...
Posted by Picasa


Enjoying opening presents.
Posted by Picasa


Megan did something...um...interesting to the Christmas tree
Posted by Picasa


BJ, there was a 904 reunion at the hot pot place the other night when I was there with Jean and Jennifer...so I took a picture and told them I would send it to you.
Posted by Picasa


Last Tuesday was a field trip with the 6th graders...what a hoot!
Posted by Picasa


Climbing the hill...
Posted by Picasa


And finally reaching the top!
Posted by Picasa


Enjoying the beach
Posted by Picasa


This is currently the wallpaper on my desktop.
Posted by Picasa


Class 604
Posted by Picasa


6th graders with two teachers. The teacher on the left is really cool.
Posted by Picasa


Kinmen power plant. Dad, I wanted to get some more (and better) pictures for you, but we were only there for a short time and part of the time I wasn't actually sure were my camera was (I like to let the kids use it...sometimes you get some really good pictures that way).
Posted by Picasa


It was kinda loud and stinky in the power plant.
Posted by Picasa


2 super awesome 6th graders.
Posted by Picasa


Showing God's love to the students...
Posted by Picasa


Hanging out near the port
Posted by Picasa


Awesome 6th grader.
Posted by Picasa


Ever wonder what it looks like to be a fish?
Posted by Picasa


My students really love me..
Posted by Picasa


Super duper handsome
Posted by Picasa


Me and Sky...a very cool and yet difficult student.
Posted by Picasa


The two students I hung out with most of Tuesday.
Posted by Picasa


Wednesday night Christmas party (the Wednesday after Christmas...oh well!)
Posted by Picasa


Stella and Elly fighting over a gift during the gift exchange.
Posted by Picasa


Wednesday night class picture
Posted by Picasa


Andrew's flashcards. He left them in the living room the other day so I took a picture of them. You can see two things from this picture. One is that Andrew is very serious about studying Chinese and knows a LOT of characters. Two, his hand writing is very poor. ;)
Posted by Picasa


Anny, one of the 9th graders at Seow Zsteye Jr. High. Unless I am very mistaken, what you are seeing is the result of a very very well done surgery to fix a cleft lip. She speaks with a strong lisp and has a small scare under her nose...but you would never notice just from looking at her.
Posted by Picasa


Ivy, one of the sweetest girls ever.
Posted by Picasa


8th graders. Friday morning the kids did a performance for us. They had apparently spent a lot of time preparing for it too: they did some really cool stuff!
Posted by Picasa


Principle of the school...super cool guy.
Posted by Picasa


"Nose rubbing" performance...
Posted by Picasa


Phantom of the Opera...these kids did an amazing job of it too! 9th grade (my class).
Posted by Picasa


More Phantom of the Opera.
Posted by Picasa


more 8th graders
Posted by Picasa


Alan...one of the most Amarican looking Taiwanese people I've ever seen.
Posted by Picasa


Naomi always brings a new perspective to things...it was a real hoot to get to hang out with the Nantou team while visiting the Seow Zsteye kids.
Posted by Picasa


Playing the "add E-S-T" game...I love this game.
Posted by Picasa


Measuring noses'...another fun part of "add E-S-T".
Posted by Picasa


Me and Thearsa...Thearsa is one of the most beautiful girls I've seen in Taiwan
Posted by Picasa