batter up!

The flu continues, but as the kids are starting to trickle back in, it seems unlikely that we'll have a quarantine. The 6th form is almost all back, but the 7th form just got hit this week, leaving me with 8-10 students out of 24. It's nice. We played "baseball" today with questions about the Olympics (people who grew up playing "Bible Baseball" in Junior Church will understand how it's possible to play baseball without bat, ball, mitts, or bases), which is something I would never attempt if they were all there. Nelya and I sigh to each other about the ideal world in which we would have classes of 8 children, all equipped with British textbooks, parental support, and a CD player that would play all CDs. (Our current one will play regular CDs and the burned ones that Tif sent, but anything I burn off my own laptop won't work. Very annoying.)

Biggest giggle of the week: looking over Zhenia V's shoulder yesterday in 4th form to see that instead of "Classwork" at the top of the page in his copy-book, he had written "Dammwork". I didn't suspect him of being profane, so I asked him why he'd written that. "Isn't that how you spell it?" he asked me. No clue how that mix-up occured. The lesson flopped (as Nelya was the acting teacher and I was the assistant, I claim little responsibility), and I wondered if perhaps Zhenia was unwittingly giving his opinion of the class. :)

10A wrote a control (test) today. As their attendance had been sporadic even before the flu outbreak, the results looked pretty sad at first glance. Oh well, that makes them easier to correct!

and they continue to get sick!

The obligatory flu update: yesterday we had, if I remember correctly, 96 students absent and at least 10 that I know of that went home during the day. Nelya and I canceled our 10th form class in the afternoon, because only 3 students of 20 were there and it was last period. But we STILL haven't announced a quarantine. One of the teachers told me this is because not enough kids have doctors' excuses that they're actually sick, since many parents just treat their kids at home (understandable, because a) who wants any medical expenses, and b) who wants to drag their sick kid out on public transportation to the hospital?). So we'll see what happens...

Am currently in Kharkiv on a trip to buy tickets for (yet another) trip to Kyiv. This time it's for a meeting to start putting together a training manual for PCVs who will be working with younger forms. Apparently the latest group of TEFL PCVs felt that their training was inadequate...and they got more Young Learners info than I did! At any rate, it should be a neat project, and it means I'll be in Kyiv on my birthday! I'll have to celebrate somehow, I suppose...I bought a ticket for a later train home than I usually take (which will only get me to Kharkiv, and then I'll take the elektrichka) in hopes of finding PCVs to go out to dinner with.

Other than that, no real news.

they keep dropping like flies...okay, like sick children

Today is not one of the Internet's happy days, as it has already kicked me off multiple times, to the point where the behind-the-counter ladies called in the Programming Guy. He fixed things, and the comment was made that the computer listens to him. :) I guess you just have to show it who's boss.

The flu continues, with 84 kids absent from school today (out of 270-odd). Kharkiv is also in quarantine mode right now, and I wouldn't be surprised if we'll be there soon. I've been told when 1/3 are absent, but I think the decision has to come from the raiyon administration, rather than from school staff. Having only half my students makes the lessons so much easier!

Apparently the education inspector for the raiyon is supposed to come watch me teach this week. I was sorry she didn't come today, as all the lessons went well. I'll be surprised if she comes, because she's said several times she'll come and then never shows.

The Y family butchered their pig this weekend. I went over to do laundry on Saturday and Nadia and her mom had the kitchen table covered in pork that they were packaging. It felt like home. :) She sent me home with a package of fresh pork, which my freezer is actually keeping frozen. (Yay!) I made pork stroganoff last night, which is a fancy title for pork, onions, mushrooms, garlic, and sour cream, all over mashed potatoes. Yum!