Mental preparation

I'm really going to start swimming this week. THIS WEEK. Tonight I got as far as the park (two minutes from my house) and was then held up by beer-drinking coworkers. Tomorrow I'll make it a little further. Maybe even into the water. I'm a little jittery and unsure about swimming because nobody speaks any English at the pool and I don't know the 'process'. All I need is to do it once and then I'll be a regular swimmer again.

Today Kierstie-coworker was sick with a migraine so we all got to cover her class. I had a class of eighteen four year olds. It went pretty well. I was almost ready to get angry at the possibility of staying late for the fifth day in a row (after covering D'Arcy's class last week while she was in Japan) but I got lucky.

I just made myself a meal; perhaps my third or fourth cooking attempt since I've been here. It consisted of sesame oil and fresh garlic, chopped carrots, red pepper, and mushroom. Not just any mushroom, but a fancy asian mushroom. There are so many delicious varieties that are far better than the plain old whities I eat at home. Stirfry it all up together with some soya sauce and eat, with a side of faux crab. Not too bad. I'm pretty agile with my silver chopsticks these days. Can't wait to get home and be a chopstick wielding, Korean speaking show off.

Veggies are so expensive here, I find. I can't handle it. Then again, I am a rich English teacher... I accidentally bought a 'green pumpkin' which I mistook for a cucumber. What shall I do with it? Any easy recipes call for green pumpkin?