No time to breathe

It’s been forever and a day since I updated my blog.  I have been over-worked, over-tired, and often sick (mostly horrendous allergies).  Mostly, I have a hard time saying “no” especially when the money is so good, but I am going to have to cut back.  I work every night after school except Thursdays when I try to get laundry done.  A Saturday job is starting next week too.   To make it worse, I have worked one seven-day week, and 2 six-day weeks at the school because of open houses and holidays.

As a bonus for working the open houses, I got to leave on two Fridays at 12.  The girls and I went to see Ready Player One.  It was nice to go out and see a movie after so long.  The boy I tutor on Fridays, couldn’t come, so I decided to take a nap when we got home that afternoon.  I woke up the next day, sicker than anything, and having to give demo classes at the open house.

I could be sick from working so hard, or working in a school, but more likely, I got it from Raine.  The poor baby has been sick since Wednesday.  I took her to the doctor on Thursday.  Good news!  You might remember my time with Rumi four years ago when they said they don’t take foreign children and I had to go to two hours to the other side of town.  Well, no longer.  I could take Raine to our local hospital, at the VIP section.  Children cost more than adults, but it’s so much easier. (and the other children’s hospital costs the same).

Here’s what happened.  There is a boy in Raine’s who is horrible.  He hits everyone, breaks their pencils, steals their snacks, that kind of stuff –every day, every child.  They were out at recess and Raine’s foot got stuck in the soccer net.  She couldn’t get it out, and this boy threw broken asphalt at her which got stuck in her throat when she was yelling at him to stop.  It scratched her throat and got infected.  According to the doctor, it is a bacterial infection that can turn viral, or is viral.  I’m not sure I understood.  But she’s been out of school for 3 days.

Apparently, in China, that boy’s parents have to pay for the medical bills.  He needs some consequences.  It’s almost sad though.  The poor boy is 5, I think.  He lives at school.  His parents don’t even live in Shanghai.  They never even answer the teacher’s e-mails.  Like so many in China, the parents had their baby because their parents wanted them to, and then they do nothing to raise them.  Grandparents take the first 5 years, and school gets the rest 24/7.  On holidays and summer, they go to camps in other countries.

Both girls are settling and doing well in school.  Raine’s new teacher is just the best ever, and she’s so happy to have her.  Rumi’s is also so good with her, especially with extra math help.   But more than that, It’s like a big family.  Our Middle School PE teacher checks on them almost every day.  He’s a very good looking brown man with this star-like quality.  So when he high-fives the girls, the other kids are a bit in awe.  What’s really funny is the other day, Rumi said, “Mommy, I think the other kids think Marvin is my dad.”  We both laughed.  That would be funny.

Kurt, assistant principal in the middle school is taking the girls to the arcade.  Lauren, the head of the English department, has taken them to school and home for me when I was sick.  Sometimes, they go to her house to walk her dog.  And every time we get on the bus to school, there are 3-5 teachers on there.  We run into to people everywhere we go.  It’s such a close community for such a big city.  It takes a village, and I finally have a village.

Oh, and Raine has a job too.  She gets paid to have play-dates with a little girl and teach her English through playing.  They have also given Raine her own smart phone, and they sent over their housekeeper, when I said I was having a hard time keeping up.  That was a Godsend!  Now, Raine and I both have smart phones starting this week.  Before that, we all had simple nokia phones that you charge once a week and only make phone calls.  Lauren has a spare smart phone for Rumi if she wants it, but so far she doesn’t.

I signed my contract for next year, because I was offered a raise bigger than I had ever been offered.  It practically covers school tuition and makes my salary the same as it was, but for 12 months, not 10. Maybe I can quit a job or two.  I will do 6^th grade again (my choice).  And I’ll have Rumi, so that might be weird.

I was looking, and I don’t have any new pictures worth talking about.  April is kind of weird for me.  I’m reminded in Facebook memories and my own mind that it’s a bit of tumultuous time for me.  Eight years ago, I was going through a divorce, 7 years ago I was starting to recover from cancer treatments, five years ago we came to China.  It’s our Chinaversary, as my friend Jodie calls it.  October feels the same.  October 2010, is when I found out I had cancer.  October 2011 is when I signed the divorce papers and also when we moved to Thailand.