Peace Corps Guyana: Get a life Richard's Mom!

Happy One Month-iversary to China and me!!

I can't believe I have been here a month already, but it also feels like soooo long! lol

So, Richard's Mom drama. Last week she was all pissed about the food that they serve at school saying that none of the kids like it and we need to provide better options for them. (they all eat it, no complaint) She also gets to school around 7:30am and school starts around 8:30 am...Richard and her just wait and complain to anyone who will listen about anything and everything! EVERYDAY! Richard's Mom is also not happy with the friends he has made at school, Jojo and Zz. They are super cute, nice and smart, what's not to like? Apparently, Richard has learned to scream and run around from these two, which he never did before. Um sorry Delusional Deborah but Richard is the instigator! Richard's Mom would like him to be friends with Katie, who is "quieter and smarter" than Jojo and Zz. She wants Melody (my coteacher) and me to encourage this friendship and discourage the others. Riiiiiight. Because we can really control that sort of thing. She keeps talking to Katie's Mom about all the problems at the school or how we need more teachers in the classroom, or how she doesn't like the A Yi, IN FRONT OF US! Mind you it's in Chinese so they tell me what she says later but still! Rude.

This week, Richard's Mom talked to the school nurse about how she thinks Richard is losing weight because he doesn't like the food we provide. So the nurse came into class today to weigh him to see how much weight he lost since the beginning of school. HE GAINED WEIGHT. HAH! What are you gonna complain about now?? The nurse did stay during lunch to make sure he ate all of his lunch...oh lord.

Richard's Mom wants to make her own lunches for Richard since ours suck so much apparently. This is obviously because Anthony gets his own lunches, goodness lady get over it! Do whatever you want, it's no skin off our backs. ugh.

Richard's Mom stealing the mic at Mid-Autumn Fest

Anywho, last week was the Mid-Autumn Festival! This is when the moon is the biggest so families all over China get together, eat dinner and have moon cakes in celebration of Chong e. She is part of a famous unrequited romance story here about a man and woman who fell in love. Then the woman died and went to live on the moon. Chong e and the man missed each other very much so people made moon cakes to celebrate the woman and remember her.

We had a performance last week at school in honor of this day in front of the parents. The kids all danced, I had to say a speech about the festival in English (even though I just learned about it a day earlier) and we all ate ice cream moon cakes, delicious! Because of the Mid Autumn Festival, we had Thursday and Friday off, but the Chinese people make up the days they take off...so we had Thursday, Friday and Saturday off and then had to work Sunday, it's a 6 day week! We work next Sunday to make up the other day also! One month we work 9 days straight!!!!! Take a break people. Craziness.

My school gave me a box of fruit for the Mid-Autumn Festival! So nice!