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Another Country Heard From
My mom used to always say "another country heard from" when one of us kids had been quiet for a long time, then suddenly piped with a pronouncement, or showed up after a long absence in our room. I'm thinking it applies to me pretty well, lol! Since I haven't been seen or heard for more than a month on this side of my journal. However, by posting today, I have managed to squeak one LJ post in before the month ends, whew! Wonder where the time went...?
Anyway, I'M FINE! Though one wouldn't know by the amount of posting I do. ;-) Life in Chicago is busy and interesting. I am quite occupied with teaching English these days, and it's extra fun because I'm teaching some Pakistani ladies. It is a great temptation to speak a lot of Urdu when we are together, so I have to behave myself. It's both an advantage -- for explaining complicated grammar points or the meaning of words -- but it's also a disadvantage, because it's quite natural to lapse into Urdu, and forget to speak English. It's actually a bit of a problem with all our students here, as most of them speak some language that is related enough to Urdu that I can communicate quite freely in that language and most people understand me well. Cool that I can do that in Chicago of all places! :-)
I went to a seminar a few weeks ago about ESL, and learned some good stuff. Now I'm considering taking some more courses in it -- not that I have much time for it, or even much money for it, but I think I can swing a three-week session that is being offered at a college in the area. So we'll see how that goes. A little bit of learning and training under my belt and I think I'll do better; as it is, I seem to be doing all right, and my students are happy with what they are learning from me. Even if it's sometimes Urdu instead of English!!
We are still wearing sweaters here in Chicago, alas. And in Wisconsin, too. It's been nothing but rain lately, and that's not too great for flooding. Hopefully it won't be another year like last year with the floods! We ran out of oil for our old furnace up there before the cold weather ended -- luckily our son who lives in our place doesn't mind being on the cold side. At least we still have space heaters there and a gas fireplace. As for Chicago, we are sandwiched in between to apartments that run their heat high, so we have actually been too warm, even when it's cold! They saved us some money on gas bills, thank you, neighbors!
We are taking some time off this coming weekend to head up to our place in Wisconsin so that we can spend a good week doing yard work, repairs, replacing the furnace, etc. etc. It will be a good work out, I'm sure, but I'm looking forward to it. At the end of our week there we plan to go visit my dad, and spend Mother's Day weekend with him. It will be one year exactly on Mother's Day that my mom passed away.
I had planned to write something meaningful about my mom by now, but I haven't managed it yet -- though I did begin it! I'm going to work on it seriously in the next week or so, to have it ready BEFORE Mother's Day.
Related to belated posting, I have a lovely Icon Meme that I got from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
telperion1 that I want to post, but I haven't gotten around to it, even though it's been some time since she gave me the icons to write about. I'll try to get that up shortly, it's really a fun one!
Other than teaching English, eating curry, driving to and fro from Wisconsin, and trying to keep my wee apartment clean, I have been trying to keep up with my fanfic writing, but I haven't succeeded very well. I seem to have a bit of writer's block. I'm picking away at it, but when it gets too blocked, I drop it and go watch anime. ;-) Some days it's more anime than writing, but either way, I'm enjoying myself and making progress -- slowly!
So that's what I've been doing this month!
Anyway, I'M FINE! Though one wouldn't know by the amount of posting I do. ;-) Life in Chicago is busy and interesting. I am quite occupied with teaching English these days, and it's extra fun because I'm teaching some Pakistani ladies. It is a great temptation to speak a lot of Urdu when we are together, so I have to behave myself. It's both an advantage -- for explaining complicated grammar points or the meaning of words -- but it's also a disadvantage, because it's quite natural to lapse into Urdu, and forget to speak English. It's actually a bit of a problem with all our students here, as most of them speak some language that is related enough to Urdu that I can communicate quite freely in that language and most people understand me well. Cool that I can do that in Chicago of all places! :-)
I went to a seminar a few weeks ago about ESL, and learned some good stuff. Now I'm considering taking some more courses in it -- not that I have much time for it, or even much money for it, but I think I can swing a three-week session that is being offered at a college in the area. So we'll see how that goes. A little bit of learning and training under my belt and I think I'll do better; as it is, I seem to be doing all right, and my students are happy with what they are learning from me. Even if it's sometimes Urdu instead of English!!
We are still wearing sweaters here in Chicago, alas. And in Wisconsin, too. It's been nothing but rain lately, and that's not too great for flooding. Hopefully it won't be another year like last year with the floods! We ran out of oil for our old furnace up there before the cold weather ended -- luckily our son who lives in our place doesn't mind being on the cold side. At least we still have space heaters there and a gas fireplace. As for Chicago, we are sandwiched in between to apartments that run their heat high, so we have actually been too warm, even when it's cold! They saved us some money on gas bills, thank you, neighbors!
We are taking some time off this coming weekend to head up to our place in Wisconsin so that we can spend a good week doing yard work, repairs, replacing the furnace, etc. etc. It will be a good work out, I'm sure, but I'm looking forward to it. At the end of our week there we plan to go visit my dad, and spend Mother's Day weekend with him. It will be one year exactly on Mother's Day that my mom passed away.
I had planned to write something meaningful about my mom by now, but I haven't managed it yet -- though I did begin it! I'm going to work on it seriously in the next week or so, to have it ready BEFORE Mother's Day.
Related to belated posting, I have a lovely Icon Meme that I got from
telperion1 that I want to post, but I haven't gotten around to it, even though it's been some time since she gave me the icons to write about. I'll try to get that up shortly, it's really a fun one!Other than teaching English, eating curry, driving to and fro from Wisconsin, and trying to keep my wee apartment clean, I have been trying to keep up with my fanfic writing, but I haven't succeeded very well. I seem to have a bit of writer's block. I'm picking away at it, but when it gets too blocked, I drop it and go watch anime. ;-) Some days it's more anime than writing, but either way, I'm enjoying myself and making progress -- slowly!
So that's what I've been doing this month!