The Teaching Sickness

So I've got it. Besides Island Fever, I also have the Teaching Sickness. Well, I say that meaning that I've started teaching for the first time and also to indicate that I'm sick.

This has been a bit of a crazy summer at SB because we've lost two teachers during the summer. I don't think it is our fault. One was a younger high school girl who didn't realize how time-consuming things would be at SB and was overwhelmed by trying to balance SB and her outside commitments. She quit at the end of Week 2; luckily we found a replacement teacher, although the teacher is older, she did teach with the program in 2002 and just happened to be free and looking for something to do. YAY! Well, last week we lost our second teacher. We only found out that she wasn't going to return this past weekend. So in Week 4 we had to replace teacher number 2. She was really sick and weak and really needed to return home to the US for further tests and to be with family. Well, guess who got to step in and teach her class...yes, the Dean of Faculty.

So now I'm officially a teacher as well. I'm teaching a class on Art History, of all things, and it is cool to be teaching here in HK. I'm really glad I have this chance. But it also comes with helping to write student evals, which is a bit of a hassle. And I feel less focused now because I have been doing so many random jobs.

Plus I've been sick. This is my second time since I've been here! And I'm such a baby when I'm sick. Aren't all guys though? About half the staff have been sick and many students and it is gross. It finally rained today after a few weeks drought and so I'm hoping the rain will cool things down a little and wash away all the gross air and germs. We'll see.

For now, I'm trying to sleep and hang on. Only 1 1/2 weeks!