"NEVER PET THE PUPPY!"

So this week I broke down and had a full on "feel sorry for myself day." I just think that I need a vacation. But i had my reasons for my little outburst. So last Wednesday, I was bit by a dog. It was freaking scary and occurred right outside of my block. Don't freak out, it is not a major flesh wound...she just barely broke the skin and it's bruised but I am okay. It wasn't rabies induced. Here's how it happened...on various other occasions I have written about the black and blonde dogs that literally live on my stoop. Well, slowly but surely I have been making nice. I leave out a piece of bread, left overs etc, etc... and now pretty much all three of us have an understanding. They don't bother me, I don't hound them. And this situation had been going pretty nicely until last wednesday when someone new moved into the neighborhood. I was walking, really rushing out of my block to get to class when I saw this fat little gray ball of fluff. I am not joking, this was the cutest puppy I have seen in a long time and the best part is that he was all wiggly, he bounced over my way and shook his little rump and stupid me let my gaurd down. I was sucked into a black hole of puppy licks and belly scratching. But it was fine, nothing happened. I pet him and was once again was on my way to school. But then out from the block comes running my blonde friend. Now we are better friends than Blackie and I, so I wait for him to come and I reach down to scratch him (After all it wouldn't be fair). The puppy seeing this comes a runnin.' And just when I think that there is no way I am getting to school on time for class, I hear a growl from behind me and two split seconds later I feel two destinctive bites on the back of my legs. I was in shock. In my mind I knew I was getting attacked by a dog, but i could do nothing but stand there and think, "oh my gosh, I am getting attacked by a dog." (Talk about failing both flight and fight tests). It was surreal, and finally I turned around to see the gray mama cowering away with her puppy in toe. So my advice to all you who plan to visit me or anyone working around animals or anyone in general....DON"T TOUCH THE PUPPY!
But my sucky week didn't end there. Sorry to be so down and out but this is seriously stress relieving. I cried in class this week. Let me rephrase that, I left mid class and went to the bathroom to cry. IT was with my 11th graders ( one of my favorite, but most spirited classes). This week Vanda had been sick so I had all 28 of them. Never again! I had planned a huge lesson on Hannukah ( songs. the driedel game..the whole shpeel). And they were talking and talking and I was trying to teach them a Hannukah song ( you know the one that starts...Oh Hannukah, Oh Hannukah..Come light to menorah...) and no one was listening, then one kid made some comment about how stupid the song was...and I just lost it. I walked out. i don't what it was that set me off...maybe being so far away from home on the holidays, maybe the fact that they really didn't care about something so special to me, all I know is that at that moment, I really wished to be home. It was as if they stepped on my heart. For the first time, I felt...Why the F#@$% am I doing this?! These kids don't care, they've had other volunteers, what really am I doing here?!! So I had my little pity moment, cried in the bathroom and made them feel really bad. Thank god that was last class that day and I could get out of there and think. I thought so hard.I cussed a bunch ( oddly that makes me feel better) and I didn't just cry, I balled. I've been thinking hard all week. I talked to my friend Leslie, who has also been feeling the same way. WE decided that we are going to make our secondary projects more important and supplement this insatisfaction a bit. We are planning an outdoor bound/ tolerance/trust camp this summer. We are going to bring students from her Hungarian high school with kids from my Romanian school and we are going to discuss tolerance throught action, ropes course and survival training in the Carpathian mountains. It is going to be great. Leslie brought me back to earth and Romania. She also reminded me that they were 17 and what the hell do you know at 17. What the hell do you know at 23 for that matter. Anyway that was it. Thank god it's saturday. Today it has been snowing all morning. It's beautiful. Okay peeps, enought depressing stuff... I am so pysched because I am going to see LISA in less than three weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited to go to Budapest. We are meeting in Budapesta for the new year. YEAH VACATION IS GOOD!

"I GOT IT"
Sara thanks for the letter. you made my week, my month, my christmas season. i am now in the process of writing you back. i am sorry that it has been so long since i blogged. i promise a long message tomorrow when i have the whole day to myself!!!