eat-teach-pray

It seems I have not aptly named this blog. Eating is something I have done less of these days. I have discovered a fool-proof dieting plan: place yourself in a semi-remote village where you don't take well to the local (usually cold) food & don't get enough snacks for yourself. I thought I could smell pizza just a minute ago: it was kind of like a mirage. I doubt they do pizza hut delivery to a monastery. What I would give now for 24 hour McDonalds delivery. I made a joke at the end of class that I feel like McDonalds but they didn't know what I was talking about. Fortunately, or unfortunately for me, they do not serve plastic food here.

I was very tired today in my second class. The beginner classes are very repetitive, but it's such a great feeling when you say a sound or a word or part of a word over and over and then finally, on the 10th attempt, they get it! I break out a big smile and put my thumbs in the air and say "yes!" and they laugh.

I must go soon to my evening class, which is an extra class I suggested so that they can ask me questions or get help to pronounce something: a homework class. Last night I was swamped with monks needing my help to pronounce words, asking questions, I couldn't get through them all. I suspect tonight will be the same.

I enjoy my advanced class the most. Today, I played John Lennon's imagine for them. We did pronunciation, vocab, grammar and a cloze activity with it. I was so surprised they had never heard of the song, or even John Lennon. I really enjoyed today's class: I had one of those surreal moments again. The moments that fuel my life.