there's actual snow on the ground!

i knew i didn't bring these giant snow boots halfway across the world for nothing. missouri had sort of a dud of a winter, so i am quite pleased by the precipitation.

today's my first actual day of teaching. jules and i will do it together. yesterday i just observed, and the kids all cooked omelettes and climbed on the furniture. they pretty much have free reign to do whatever they want, as long as they repeat when the teacher says the days, months, and numbers up to 10. and as long as they eat the omelette. in one of the classes there were 10 kids so it was a 10 egg omelette, and them cracking the eggs and screaming at the top of their lungs was pretty funny. when the teacher wasn't looking, a bunch of kids spit in the mixture and seemed pretty delighted by that. which is fine, they ended up eating their own spit later, as well as their own boogers. but i just thought it was interesting that 5-year-old instinct told them to spit into their uncooked food. when the eggs were done, they each got a little portion, and then they all descended on the leftovers in the middle of the table. there was a frenzy around this bowl as they all got up onto the table and tore it up with their little chopsticks. so that was my introduction to teaching at my school. today i'm not exactly sure what we're doing, but i guess i'll find out when i get there. trial and error, right?

ate the best food i've had since i've been here last night. super spicy sesame bbq chicken. just meat on a plate and beers. i could get used to this.