Sunday, November 21, 2010

A couple of the student's parents invited some of us teachers to lunch followed by orange picking.

An orange orchard in the mountains of Feng Yuan, Taiwan

(you can't see it, but just behind the first row of trees, it drops down and all the trees are on the sides of the mountain)

Jacky and Me

(yes, I did some photo editing, sorry for the bad quality, David, but it's better than being blinded ;)

I was invited by two of my student's parents. Jacky and his friend Jake are in my Afternoon Kindergarten class. Interestingly, a couple days after I was told by a secretary that I was invited, Laura told us that her student's brother had asked her to lunch and, as it happened, to pick oranges. Her student's brother is Alex from one of my 3rd grade classes. To further confuse us, later when Alex asked Laura to confirm that she was going, she asked him, "And Miss Katy too?" He said, "No, not Miss Katy." Well the whole thing from my point of view was fairly up in the air, and I figured I'd just go with the flow, being only slightly reassured when a secretary wanted me to confirm that I was ok to go on the 21st. Remember, when they asked me, they said that it was Jacky and Jake's parents. So along comes 11am Sunday morning and Laura, Erin (I left her out of the already confusing story, don't worry, her part fully added to the confusion ;), and I head downstairs to meet the families. Erin and Laura's students and families are there, including Alex, who did seem confused to see me, and then Jake came around the corner and in a couple minutes Jacky and his family arived, and all confusion was . . . less needed ;)

The kids that go to Burhan (the school I work for) usually have well-to-do families (it is the most expensive English cram school in the area) so it shouldn't surprise me that they have nice cars. It was nice to ride in a very comfortable Benz for our drive into and through the mountains, especially considering that our common modes of transportation are either a bumpy-bus, tipsy-train, crazy-cab, or beautiful-bike (I will admit to having too much fun coming up with those alliterations; and yes, I do love my bike ;)

Well the day started out with lunch at this great restaurant in the mountains. We sat out side on the balcony overlooking Feng Yuan. And the stake was Amazing!!!

I don't have a camera yet, so all these pics came from Erin's.

Thanks Erin.

Alex

(yep, that's pretty much how he is in class too ;)

Jacky

(not how he usually is in class, although this was taken after he ran up a mountain, and of course, a minute after this was taken he was back at it!)

Jacky, Me, Jake

(the only picture I could find of Jake)

Jacky, Me, Erin's Student, Erin, Laura, Lara's Student

Laura, a mom, Me, a kid, another mom, Jacky

(I told you, he was literally running up and down that mountain!

This is how he is in class, with that great smile to boot)

How great is this mountain!

Me in the oranges

(that is the dirt of the mountain behind me, if that gives you a slight clue how steep of a . . . place these trees were . . . on . . .

in . . .)

I think Alex got on the motorized cart, and then the parents saw the picture opportunity.

By right eye: Larua, Erin, Katy, a kid, Jake, Jacky, a student, Jacky's baby sister Angel (he is so good with her!), another student, Alex, a Mom (plus for or five workers in the back ground sorting the oranges ;)

Speaking of . . . and this picture doesn't do the amount of oranges justice! Mine alone were in the black bags!

They were gone within the week with 10 of us eating at them (although I think I only had one . . . or none . . . too sticky!)

It really was a great day!!!!!

Thanks to the parents for inviting us!!! =D