Now what the heck have you been doing since you got back?

I get this question a lot. And other than trying to find a job not much. SO here it goes.
Babysitting
Since the job Hunt hasn't been going well, I've been filling my time and my need for cash with babysitting. Mostly these cuties. I did get to babysit 8 kids at once I felt I was back in Taiwan. But I really enjoy it. I think that it's one of the main reasons I don't miss Taiwan as much as some others. I think being a teacher this last year has help me learn that yes, kids lie and try to get away with stuff. And it has also helped me to call them on it and not to be afraid to punish kids that aren't my own. I lay the hammer down, sort of.


Visiting Friends
Other going on the long road trip to Utah and Ohio, I've been sticking closer to home.
Shannon came by on her 2 week road trip to DC. It was good to see her and catch up. Then about a week after I got back from Ohio I set out to vist Megan in Seattle.


We had a blast going sledding, getting a drink with zen zu in china town( with Taiwan signage),
and hot yoga. Well I almost passed out doing the hot yoga, but I felt really good after I felt like I didn't have to trow up any more. We also took a mini road trip up to Forks WA. Well its a small town and I didn't see any vampires, but I did see a freakn' awesome car. I don't know what it was but sure was speedy.
House Work
Since I kinda am just bumming around my parents house, I help were I can. I make dinner, pull weeds, walk the dog, clean the house, and my favorite kind of work, destruction. We have a willow that needed to be tamed. And I tamed it good. Don't worry I don't believe in arborcide, it will grow back. But I did have fun with that saw-all though.

Church Stuff
The thing that has been filling my days mostly is church. BE it atucual church, Firesides, FHE, Temple Trips , or institute I go to it all and am really enjoying going to institute for the first time ever. Yesterday we had a FHE where we played Rock Band. I Rocked it, and Bishopric even joined in. We had a blast.

Flash Backs #3 SLC and Ohio

Ever since I returned from Taiwan it happens that I can't sit still. Two weeks after I arrived home I was gone again for another two week to Utah and Ohio. I don't know if I just wasn't comfortable at home or I felt that since I wasn't teaching I should be doing something. As I have perviously blogged about my road trip with myself I can get right to the good stuff. But the unfortunate part of all of this is my camera charger got lost in the whole move back to the States and it wasn't working for a good part of this trip. But good old Steve took care of it, like he always dose.

SLC
I arrived at Sara's place with only a few turn arounds, and secretly cursing the grid system. After all the squeals of joy and excitement were over we sat down and talked for hours. Sara had to work in the morning, so she was out the door even before I woke up. I won't lie it was a bit strange hanging out by-myself in a city I didn't really know how to get around in. But I busted out Sara's lap top, got some taco bell and had a dance party. Well I wasn't feel to good after eating my gordias and jumping up and down for a while, but I did bust out some pretty sweet moves.

On New Years Eve Sara and I went to a Scottish pipe band and dance concert to finally met Steve's girlfriend, and then we went to First Night. We scalped some buttons off some high schoolers and went in. I remember a few things about that night. One, it was cold. Two, I was wearing very wrong shoes. Three, there was a lot of funky recycled art work around. Four, Fire dancers. Five, It was very cold. With all those things combined it was an ok event, where after the fire works I hobbled to the car with my not very approbate shoes on. I felt like I was walking on bloody stumps attached to my ankles.




The next few days I spent catching up with old friends from high school. I was amazed at how fast life moves on. Getting married and having kids goes so fast for some.

Sunday I spent with the Old Berhaners, eating, chatting and hearing how two girls got themselves engaged.
Monday I shopped and drove in the snow and tried to put on chains. I was trying to find Steve's house and I though it was up the hill a little bit more than it was. So when my car couldn't go any more I pulled over to put my chains on. I was in front a house and a old women yelled from the porch and asked if I needed any help. I being very independent and cold said no. But this cute lady said,' I'll send out my husband any way.' Well I was half way done when this nice old many can hobbling out. He watched me, I guess so he could say to his wife that he did his duty. Right as soon as hoped back in the car Steve called. He said, " are you putting on chains?" I said yes, how did you know? He said,"I can see you." I turns out that I didn't really need to put chains on since Steve's house was 100 yards away.
Tuesday I spent travling to Ohio.
The Ohio
Steve and I rented a car, and found Joseph's house thought the maze of one way streets. It was exciting to see that kid again. We ate dinner and and I went to sleep on the couch down stairs wondering what the boys were doing up stairs till two am, mysterious.
Wednesday, after Steve woke up a noon, we tried to figure out what to do. But all we did was, get lost driving around and picking up Joseph from school. But we did spend a pleasant evening shopping and hanging out in the boys room.
Thursday was the big day for Steve and I we went to a Chocolate factory
the Columbus Public Library

and the State Capital.
At the State Capital building there was someone being sworn in to the position on Attorney General of Ohio. After the tour we stopped by for some free food and some punch, I felt like a mooch but I got over it. Later that day we picked up Sara from the airport, and that night it was Sara and I that were talking till late.
Friday was the start of the road trip with my peeps. We stopped at Kirtland to soke up the Pioneer spirt.
When we got to Niagara we spent a very INTERESTING night at the local YMCA. Happily the next night we went somewhere else.
Saturday after I printed out a copy of my passport we were off to visit the friendly neighbors of the north. Once again I put on the wrong shoes for hiking in the snow, but this time they where just cold.

We did some very cool things there in Canada, like paid to much for crapy food and pay 10USD to go into tunnels and see mist OOOO. Ok it was cool.

But by the end of the night we where so ready to get back to the states. But snice the rental car couldn't go over the boarder we had to walk back in the snow.

We drove back to Kirtland Sunday to go to church, and met the missionary couple the took us on the tour two days before. From there we went all the way back home.
Monday we got a tour of the Ohio State Campus from Joseph.

And our flight got delayed 12 hours, so one more night in Ohio. Steve and I were thinking that staying the night in the airport would be a FANTASTIC way way to end our trip, but Sara wasn't so sure,she left us and checked into a hotel. Fortunately Joseph called a friend to pick us up and I slept one more night on the good old couch.

Flash Backs #2

Oh I'm not done yet. I was a procrastinator to long not to have lots of back blogging to do.

Good Bye Taiwan
For those of you who were there and for those of you who know about the last 2 weeks of school, I won't go into the accidents and mayhem that broke lose upon the Berhan School of Language. But I will issue my farewell with a reminiscent air and not the bitterness that I have been holding on to the last few months. I lived in and love Taiwan for all of 2008. I find myself thinking of how my kids are doing. It's funny that I still feel that they are in some ways mine. Do all teachers feel this? I know that my heart will always in a very small way want to go back and drink a bing shaw and have a real dong gaw with zen zu, and to play/ teach the kids again, but I know with the rest of my heart that it will not be the same. They are not my kids anymore, they belong to some other teacher, I hope that who ever they are, they will know how precious those kids are.
The other part of good bye goes to the teachers that I worked with, traveled with and the ones that help me see my short comings and then help me grow to over come them. I thank the Lord for all of you and I know that I am better for have had knew you. To Laura, Mary, Emily Joy, Sain, Katie, Destiny, Whitney, Lish, Sara, Tammy, Joe, Steve, Connie, Erin, Megan, Shannon, Emily, Rachelle, Lindsay, Dustin, and Jake, Thank you for one of the most memorable years of my life so far. ( and the best documented:)... you know who you are) P.S. Don't think that this goodbye is, like, forever. Its a Berhan goodbye, whatever that means.

Flash Backs

I don't know if any one cares to be reminded of the past, but since my life at the moment is not that exciting, I'm dragging out stuff I should have been excited to share over a month ago. Well it's more than a month ago now that I was in Taiwan, but let's start there.

Earthquake Truck Day
Even though it wasn't my day to teach AK I did it anyway. Who wouldn't want to go to earthquake day! We sat in an assembly with the Afternoon kids who were very attentive, and I was the one that was counting floor tiles and talking to my friends.


After the assembly we filed the kids across the street to go in the earthquake truck. It was grate fun, and I wasn't the only one the wanted to go more than once. One of the AK girls asked Miss Meagan," Teacher, one more time". We need something like that in the States,but perhaps they could change it as to prepare children for all types of natural disasters. They can make ones for flooding, tornadoes, and fires, oh I can just imagine the childhood emotional trauma, awesome!



A Taiwan Thanksgiving
It was very exciting to be able to join together as friends, american or not and enjoy the traditional fair of thanksgiving. We had everything, and I mean everything. Mashed potatoes, candy yams, sweet potatoes, turkey gravy, homemade cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, apple pie, and of course more turkey than you could eat. The only loss during that day involved a large box of pies and frog eye salad a scooter and the tunnel of death. Though this unfortunate event was cause of undue stress for a person in the party, the rest of the celebration went off perfectly.


I would have been perfectly happy to go home a sub-come to the food coma that I knew was on it's way, but that night there was a single adult dance and I couldn't miss it.
This was just one of the many dances that we were taught that night, as all dances must be choreographed as per the Taiwanese way.