This Holiday…

I think it’s the first time ever in my teaching career that I’m glad to see my students leave the school for the holidays. This sem has been tough. Funnily enough, it’s not the workload that raised my stress level, but dealing with difficult students who refuse to change. I have lost count on the number of times I’ve raised my voice (for many different disciplinary reasons) at my students. Also, I notice that with the increasing stress, there is a significant decrease in the hairline. Gosh!

Also another first is purposefully staying back in school, in its vast emptiness, to have 3 whole days of quiet solitude before going out to KK for the first week of the holidays. At the beginning of May, I actually contemplated taking a few days off from school and staying a few nights in a hotel away from the city just to get away from it all. Alas, time wasn’t on my side as there were many urgent things that needed to be done, and thus I ended up longing for the holidays to begin so as to experience the tranquil of cemented floors and brick buildings with no human in sight except for the occasional neighbour or two near my house. Let me tell you, it was very, very good. An almost silent retreat, though I did manage to catch up on my work and watch a lot of TV, still it’s the NOT talking that really helped.

Seems like the first half of the year 2009 so far has been a very long and very eventful half year. A teacher and I remarked that we felt like a whole year has already passed, yet it’s only half a year. Such is the life of a teacher, I guess.

Yet, in all this bleak and mid-winter moments, there are still silver linings and rainbows that keep us going on. Loyal students, encouraging words from the people you least expect, good colleagues and friends. My boys (and girls) still keep me going. Praise the Lord for that!

So, what’s up with me these hols?

First week, in KK as usual.

Yen Nie is coming over, and not just to KK, but all the way to Kg Liu (Eklin’s kg) for a week of what not.

Really dunno what to expect, but I’ve been having nightmares of public bathing and jungle toilets! Not to mention, aramaiti with the kg folk (which I do not particularly know how to avoid). All in all, it will be a first for me as much as it will be for Yen Nie to stay in Liu. However, it is really a dream come true!

Now, how about my Les Mis dream…

Blue skies and bright smiles all around. Happy hols everyone!