What have I been up to? My last update involved a sound bite from hanging out with the North Koreans. I greatly appreciate this opportunity I had to get to know five spirited lively North Koreans. They were my class and each student filled different roles, of course we had the class clown that used humor to avoid speaking English, the top female and male students, the shy guy, and the quieter female who surprised me with her improvement. I was the teacher but also their advocate in the office when there was a problem, their tour guide in Kunming, and finally their friend. I have left this job feeling that I established real bonds of respect and I believe the feeling was mutual. When I thought it was my last day after the first three weeks were up, (I was then hired to stay on for another two weeks) I received emails from each of the students. Here is one email I received entitled "my heart":

I will miss you badly.
Thank from the bottom of my heart for your help and kindness since you have teached us
We will have a party.
I will think you in my heart
I hope we meet again.

After the five weeks ended, Juliet, Logan, Stew and I took the group of five North Koreans and the old group of five that just completed their year of agro-forestry research in China out to dinner. Now picture four Americans and ten North Koreans singing songs and sharing laughs over the course of a three hour dinner. Pretty special eh?

(Some highlights- discovering that the males think Hillary Clinton is very attractive and learning that every Saturday night in Pyongyang they play Chinese films and every Sunday night is Russian movie night.)