Inconveniencies and Delicacies

Ramadan begins this weekend. It will begin a month of "inconveniencies" -- a word that I thought my brother-in-law made up in one of his band's songs, but upon researching it, Meriam-Webster online dictionary proves what he's known all along: I'm right, but he's righter. The good thing about this month is all the traditional goodies that my student's mom's make and send to me. They may be fasting during the day, but they chow down after sundown!

On a funnier note, in my sixth grade life science class yesterday we were brainstorming all the diseases they could think of. It is amazing how much my students know since English is the third language for most of them. After we had listed all they could think of on the board (and I'd listened to stories about their mom's aunt's cousin's dog's bout with rabies), I thought we were finally finished. Thought. But sweet Haitam raised his hand. I had been watching him flip through his book looking for one more (he wanted to find one no one else had). He said -- with an unsure and high-pitched squeaky sixth grade boy voice -- "I'm not sure, Miss, but I think maybe sexual reproduction?" Some of the more advanced English speakers chuckled, and I couldn't help but chuckle along with them. Add that to the list of stories for my book.