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1-15-03
I saw the new Bond film, Die Another Day, tonight.
It was really great. I was upset, though, by how they
treated the cars. In the opening scene, I was stunned when Bond shot a car with one of
those huge guns. "Not the Porsche! Oooh!" I'd say more, but I don't want to spoil it for
anyone who hasn't seen the film yet. Ask me, though, if you want to hear the other
comments I have about these things.
I must say, this evening has been really good for me. I
really needed to get out and see a movie. I will say only three more things: If America's
military strategists are as bad as those in the film, America is in trouble. Another thing
is that I wonder if I'm the only one who thinks the Icarus satellite seemed disturbingly
like the satellite in Goldeneye. Finally, I was rather disappointed by the "Bond
gadgets warehouse" that the BBC hyped when it did a story on the film.
It was also very refreshing to be in a theater where the
sound is not so overwhelming that one needs earplugs to enjoy the film. It was a little
surreal to see the sub-sub-titles when the Koreans would speak Korean and have English
subtitles and Polish subtitles beneath that.
I was directed by an usher into the balcony. I think the
main floor was empty, and there were five of us in the balcony. So, that was my evening
out. I got Chinese food earlier in the evening, and it was, as always, very good.
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1-18-03
The semester is almost over.
I spent this morning writing vocabulary tests, and this
afternoon reading, writing, and answering emails.
This evening, I went to the theater and saw No Man's
Land. I know I only went to a movie the other night, but I wanted to see this film,
and it was playing this week. It was a good film, though I had some trouble following it.
Only about a quarter of the film was in English, and since it wasn't an American film (I
think it was produced by a French company), there were no English subtitles. I again
found myself wishing I had learned French in High School. It was an interesting film to
watch, though, as each character spoke the natural language of that character (except some
of the UN soldiers, who also spoke English sometimes). It was not, on the whole, a
comedy, as the preview I saw back home had indicated. It was a stark drama. It had
plenty of funny lines, but the whole mood tended toward the dramatic. I think the
director was trying to capture the sense of the conflict, and I think the director
succeeded in this. I will definitely want to see this film again with English subtitles
instead of Polish.
I have decided not to go anywhere over the semester
break. I would rather relax than travel, and there are other good reasons not to be away
from
I awa
during the break. I think we will be having testing that week, both for the new students
and for the retesting of students who do not pass the course on points. We have decided
to have a retest to give those students a second chance to be promoted. I think it makes
sense. If they can pass a test that measures their grasp of the language for a particular
level, they don't need to repeat the semester.
I'll be glad for a few days when I can just relax. The
time is now 22:00, and the temperature outside my window is
2°C/35.6°F.
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1-21-03
This is it: finals week.
Each of my classes, except the highest one, will have
two tests this week; a vocabulary test and a unit test. I have to have all of this and
all the essays graded by this Friday, so I may not be updating again before the weekend.
I don't think I'll give another "short" vocabulary test.
My fourth semester took a ten-question test yesterday. I had put on some Classical music.
I was reading a book, as I usually do during the first test (when I have nothing to
grade). I'd look up from time to time, and each time, I'd see most of the students
scribbling away on the test. Eventually, the students started giggling, and finally, I
asked them if they were done. They all said they were. When I took up the papers, every
one of them was covered with artwork. I think my student finished the test quickly and
were only staying to enjoy the music. I'll grade those today during the first test of the
day.
Some time today, I also need to staple about 20 tests
together. This week is going to be pretty hectic with all the grading, but after Friday,
I get to relax for a few days.
The lake, though it has kept its ice (sometimes under a
layer of water), is beginning, I think, to melt. It is slightly surreal to see it. The
top of the lake is covered with the snow that fell two days ago (or was it yesterday?),
but there is a band around the edge of about three feet that is melting steadily. Many
patches are water. There is a long finger of water sticking out from under the bridge
into the ice, and the water birds congregate on the edges of this miniature lake. I
haven't seen anyone on the lake today, but in the past few days, I've seen three or four
fishermen sitting on the ice with their lines in the water. I saw one man on the ice, and
I wasn't sure how he'd gotten out there, because the ice between him and the shore looked
too fragile to bear his weight. There is some road work going on between here and town.
A section of the asphalt has been removed, and I can see the cobblestones beneath as I
walk past it. The time is 11:06, and the temperature outside my window is
8°C/46.4°F.
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1-25-03
The tests are over. The grades are in. The semester has
concluded. I am now free to relax for a few days. Um... What do I do now?
Well, it was a whirlwind week. I don't know where it
went. I went to the movie theater last night, but they were closed. I went back today at
the correct time (I went at the wrong time last night... I would have seen the new
Harrison Ford movie if they'd been open), and I saw Treasure Planet. It was cute.
Unfortunately, it was dubbed.
Yes, I knew that cartoons are frequently dubbed, but I
forgot. I was afraid, at first, that I wouldn't enjoy the movie, but I saw a version of
Treasure Island several months ago, so I was able to follow the plot remarkably
well. I think I'd like to see it again in English, but I don't know.
I won't be getting unlimited internet access, but I will
be switching to a plan that won't cost me as much. I'll have 45 hours each month for
about $28. If I use more than that, it's about 10 cents per minute. It's better than
nothing. Anyway, that's the news from Lake Jeziorak. Not much to tell.
The time is 18:54, and the temperature
outside my window is 2°C/35.6°F. Have a great weekend!
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2-9-03
My semester break is now over. Tomorrow (I think), I will start
classes again. I didn't get any sight-seeing done during the break. I spent most of it
here in my room, writing emails, reading, and making creative works, mostly poetry. I can
hardly believe I have less than five months remaining here.
The new semester will be interesting. I don't yet know
what the schedule of classes will be, but I am confident that this semester will be less
hectic than the last one. I should have an average of 4 lessons to complete each unit,
which will be wonderful!
Kris is still on a mission of attempting to fix me up
with every Polish female my age. I keep telling him that any woman I date must be fluent
in English, but he seems to think I should teach them. His example: *kissing noise*
"Kiss". To that I say, it would be immoral for me to kiss a woman who did not already
know that word, for if she doesn't know that word, we may assume that she doesn't know
enough English for me to have developed a level of commitment worthy of such an act. I'll
spare you the sermon I could launch into at this point.
I haven't seen any more movies. What's been playing at
the theater hasn't been material I wish to see. I'm almost finished with Dickens' Hard
Times, I've finished both the Agatha Christie book and Gathering Blue my mother
brought me, and I highly recommend both of the abovementioned titles. The Christie book
was a series of short mysteries (13 of them), and I solved all but 4, if I remember
correctly, before their answers were revealed. Miss Marple did it by esoteric knowledge;
I did it by intuition (and my being a writer is something of a cheat method, because I
notice what an author doesn't mention more than most people might). In all, it's been a
good period for reading.
We have had snow upon snow upon snow the past three
days, accumulating in spite of temperatures above freezing, which slowly melt it. Every
now and then, the snow would slide off the roof, hit my window grating, and startle the
daylights out of me. The snow in Kris' yard is fully a foot deep near the path and two or
three feet high where the plows have pushed it to the side of the road. I should have some
pictures to share soon. This morning, the church here prayed for my congregation and my
family and the schools and classes. Kris sends greetings to all the folks at my church.
 One day's snow.
I got a package last week from a Girl Scout troop in my
home town. It had a lot of very thoughtful things in it, including a huge Hershey™
bar, which I will probably eat some time this week. That's the news from Lake Jeziorak.
I didn't update daily because there has been very little to tell. The time is now 23:01,
and the temperature outside my window is -1°C/30.2°F.
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