News & Views
I must admit I don't get much time anymore to update my journal entries, but this time I thought I'd take a few minutes to give it a whirl. My life is pretty dull by most standards so don't expect any explosive revelations.
Plans to take my granddaughter to Disneyland this summer fell through, since my daughter (her mother) started a new job in June and since she is the only breadwinner in the family (her boyfriend doesn't work - yeah, idunno), she couldn't take the time off so soon. Our current projection is to do it at spring break time, 2011, that would be at the end of March.
I had a fantastic summer volunteering at Edmonton's festivals: Street Performers, Heritage Day and the Edmonton Fringe Theatre Festival. I saw lots of worthy performances and great plays. At the time the Fringe ended I immediately accepted a Japanese student into my home. He's taking a short English course offered by the University of Alberta Faculty of Extensions. I had two students with me last year, and they were wonderful. Having Shogo here is a great example of how different people can be. He is very shy and reticent. He is supposed to be here to polish his English by emersion, hence the home-stay experience, but I don't think I've gotten more than 50 words out of him since he got here. As part of the course I am supposed to ask him questions in every-day conversation about his course and any "field day" activities; and about his home life. Mostly he just smiles and gives a yes or no answer. Often he just smiles with no answer. Today he helped me with the grocery shopping and I kept asking him what he liked. I showed him what choices the grocery store provides and he very reluctantly let me know what he wanted for his daily lunches. I still don't know if they were actually his choices or if he was just humouring me.
I am required to make three square meals a day, and share supper with him each night. So I'm pouring it on with a top-drawer variety of nutricous and delicious meals. For a skinny kid, he can sure pack away the vittles. As for me, I am gaining weight because I'm not used to eating this much food. I guess I am destined for slim-down city after this is over. He leaves on Friday and I predict a sizeable reduction in grocery bills for September.
That's it for now... caio!
Plans to take my granddaughter to Disneyland this summer fell through, since my daughter (her mother) started a new job in June and since she is the only breadwinner in the family (her boyfriend doesn't work - yeah, idunno), she couldn't take the time off so soon. Our current projection is to do it at spring break time, 2011, that would be at the end of March.
I had a fantastic summer volunteering at Edmonton's festivals: Street Performers, Heritage Day and the Edmonton Fringe Theatre Festival. I saw lots of worthy performances and great plays. At the time the Fringe ended I immediately accepted a Japanese student into my home. He's taking a short English course offered by the University of Alberta Faculty of Extensions. I had two students with me last year, and they were wonderful. Having Shogo here is a great example of how different people can be. He is very shy and reticent. He is supposed to be here to polish his English by emersion, hence the home-stay experience, but I don't think I've gotten more than 50 words out of him since he got here. As part of the course I am supposed to ask him questions in every-day conversation about his course and any "field day" activities; and about his home life. Mostly he just smiles and gives a yes or no answer. Often he just smiles with no answer. Today he helped me with the grocery shopping and I kept asking him what he liked. I showed him what choices the grocery store provides and he very reluctantly let me know what he wanted for his daily lunches. I still don't know if they were actually his choices or if he was just humouring me.
I am required to make three square meals a day, and share supper with him each night. So I'm pouring it on with a top-drawer variety of nutricous and delicious meals. For a skinny kid, he can sure pack away the vittles. As for me, I am gaining weight because I'm not used to eating this much food. I guess I am destined for slim-down city after this is over. He leaves on Friday and I predict a sizeable reduction in grocery bills for September.
That's it for now... caio!