kids

Kids are a freakin mystery sometimes. I have these stickers and Canadian pennies as prizes for good behaviour, and all the kids have wanted lately is my alcohol-based hand sanitizer, because it feels cool and a bit tingly when you rub it on your hands.

And I happily indulge them, because it means a dirt-cheap reward that keeps their disgusting hands somewhat cleaner.

The great thing is, if you make somehing hard to get, no matter how small or cheap the thing is, the kids go nuts in competition for it. I could make an old piece of string the grand prize, and they'd covet the thing like it was solid gold so long as I say there's only one and only the best kid can have it.

------

So in August I've decided tentatively to take a trip to some country nearby (SE Asia is a LOT cheaper to fly to from Seoul than it is from Canada). I'm choosing between Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Taiwan, or even China somewhere. It would be for a few weeks as I have the whole month off with pay. Has anyone been to any of these places? Does anyone have a where-to-go or where-not-to-go suggestion?

Comments

Anonymous said…
A month off with pay? How'd you score that? Jealous.
8:51 PM
Max said…
Teach elementary school. They have all of august off, and there's nothing for us to do. Contractually, they have to pay us anyway. My employer hates it almost as much as I like it.
10:55 PM
Anonymous said…
Are you teaching public school now?
4:40 PM
Max said…
Private elementary school.
8:59 PM
Anonymous said…
Hmmmm...it sounds great, but I know a country where teachers get a lot more paid time off than that! :):):)
12:35 PM
emily c said…
thailand is amazing. thailand and laos.
japan is cool but not too different from korea, so i'd rather go to the above said countries. maybe vietnam too?
1:22 PM
Max said…
I've heard Japan and Korea have many things in common culturally, except that Japan has been industrialized for quite a bit longer and the whole general class of the country is higher. But i think you're right that Japan isn't worth it, expecially given how much more expensive it is copmpared to the other options!
11:26 PM
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