The rotten day

The evening before the rotten day happened, I attended the local Rotary Club meeting. A presenter showed the proposed new bike routes for Kazan. It’s an ambitious plan, but doesn’t encorproate cooperation with public transportation or education for drivers on how to share the roads with bikes. Still a lot to do. But it’s a good start. And the guy who rode around the world was there again. He wants me to go with him to Nizhnekramsk, another city in Tatarstan about 3 hours away on Nov. 17. He has to give a presentation to the municipality and there will be school officials there. He wants me to present the PowerPoint about what we did with bikes at our school. The guy also wants me to give him English lessons, but he doesn’t want to pay he going rate. So go find someone else with my skill set, you cheapskate. It ain’t gonna be me.
Friday was the ultimate rotten day in school. First of all, at the beginning of the week, one of the kids threw up all over my TA after I had gone home. The parents kept her home the next day, but sent her back in Wednesday. When it was time to wake everyone up from the naps, she would not wake up. The kid was obviously still sick so I told the assistant to let her sleep. The nurse checked her and said, yes, the kid was sick. So the parents kept her home Thursday but brought her in Friday. They told my assistant in Russian that if we sent their kid home sick again, they would go straight to the administration. My TA told them to go right ahead. Geez, we should infect a dozen other kids so that you parents don’t have to miss a day of work?! Lovely.
Then, we had a pumpkin party with parents planned for the 31st. I was instructed that I had to have it in that week. So I even changed my vacation schedule and we invited parents. Then the director, whose son is in my class, wants me to change the party to the 30 th because they are leaving for vacation on the 31 st. I said sure, but you can be the one to inform all the other parents. It ain’t gonna be me. The date is staying the same.
THEN, there’s a thing here that some parents don’t let their kids get vaccinated. But if another kid in the class does get a vaccination, the unvaccinated kid has to stay away from the class for two months (or the parents must sign a waiver absolving the school of all responsibility) so that the unvaccinated kid doesn’t catch the disease from the kid with the live vaccination. I don’t think so! But that’s the way they do it here. In any case, my favorite little guy had to be put in another classroom. He has been a holy terror there and mom wants him back with us. So I have been instructed that, when I mom and the kid show up on Monday morning, I’m supposed to be the one to tell the mom that I can’t let him in until she goes to the nurse  and signs the waiver. I just love it when they pass the buck.
Only one more week, and then I’m in Scotland. Oh, yeeeeess! I need a break.
Tonight the gang is all headed down to the Hilton for a big Spanish party. That should be something different.
This morning I went out and bought three pumpkins for our pumpkin party and brought them home on the bike. I had to push the whole way. Then I went out shopping. I just cooked a squash and it tasted wonderful. Tomorrow I’m going to make Mac and cheese. I need some comfort food after yesterday.