Going to Holland

So it was about a week ago that I posted a blog about the "Night of Too Many Stars" show download, a show meant to raise funds for autism education programs. I also have an array of books here that I got from a teacher who used to live in Korea but moved back home to Canada with her husband. I started looking through these books for something new to read. Amongst these books was one called The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a book which has a familiar cover as I'm sure I've seen it at a Barnes & Noble somewhere. I'm sure it would look familiar to you too. Well after reading the back cover's description I was intrigued to find out that it's a story about a teenage boy with autism told through his perspective. The purpose is to allow people into the mindset of someone with the disability.

Having both personally and professionally dealt with people who have autism, a related form of it, and other disorders that impede learning, little did I know that the last blog, the show download, and the book I am currently reading were going to serve as a prophecy of sorts for the events that were to transpire thereafter.

So it turned out that some time ago, lets say about a month since I really can't remember, that I was walking to the air base with my neighbor and we were talking about learning disabilities. The conversation went on to say that a friend of their family is suspect that their son may have autism. I mentioned my experiences with autism and it made the conversation go into a deep discussion.

Fast forward to this week. Well it turned out that my neighbor's friend's child has been diagnosed with autism just a couple of days ago. Just after that, I got a call from my neighbor inviting me to dinner next week over at their friend's house to discuss autism and whatever advice I could offer. Of course I said that I would be more than willing to offer any advice/suggestions that I could. However, the people I am dealing with here are parents, something I clearly have no experience with. So I then decided to go straight to the source and ask the moms in my family who have experience with this. After taking careful notes over our Skype phone conversations, I must say that now I feel like I have a wealth of information to provide this family, as well as what I hope is comfort.

With what I know and with what I have gathered I hope that they are able to take it, apply it, know that they are not alone, and someday be able to be a viable wealth of information themselves for families dealing with this for the first time.

With that said, I want to end this portion of a hopeful note. There is a short story I read once in one of my teaching credential classes, one geared to teach teachers about working with students with different types of disabilities and when the we studied autism this short story came about. It's called "Welcome to Holland." I think it gives people who both have to deal with autism and those that are not familiar with what autism is a sense of what it can be like.

Link to the story: http://www.child-autism-parent-cafe.com/welcome-to-holland.html

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This Thursday (November 11th) was Pepero (빼빼로) Day! What is Pepero Day? It is a day dedicated to that candy that is comprised of thin toasted breadsticks covered in chocolate. I hope I described

the candy well so you can sort of know what I'm talking about here. In wanting to inform myself about this holiday I found out it was created by the Lotte company as a way to push the product. It functions as a somewhat version of Valentine's Day in which

young couples give one another boxes of Pepero. It also functions as students giving chocolate sticks to their parents, neighbors, teachers, and friends. I scored four boxes. Go me! I'm still working on them, they're in the fridge awaiting my inevitable attacks.

Note: the reason Pepero day falls on November 11th is because the lines that make the ones on this day, 11/11, resemble sticks of Pepero. When I told my mom about this she said that she wonders what SK is going to do next year where Pepero day falls on 11/11/11. I hadn't though about that and when I passed along my mother's insight to the people in my school they had never thought about it either. Oh that mother of mine.

So excited that payday is almost here. That plane ticket home sure tapped into the osc funds. I eat like a damn king on payday, like a king I say!

Also, I've been having trouble once again with my stupid fridge and my even more astronomically stupid washing machine. Fridge got fixed and my washing machine got replaced. This is my third washing machine since my moving here. And let's just say three is not the damn charm. It's even less functional than the last one. It shoots water out like a eye dropper, one little drop of water at a time. Just called my coteacher to call my landlord to get that fixed, and pronto I hope.

Aside from that, all is good, I'm good, hope you're good too!