June 25 was our theme day; Market Day. Before theme day, we even took the kids to a grocery store and bought some things to practice our shopping skills.
For Market Day, the children were divided into AM and PM groups (it was a half day for students, and a busy full day for teachers). They came to school with one parent/guardian who helped them shop.
Each classroom was a store - Bakery, Stationary, Clothing, Toy… Children earned KDLP dollars for good behavior the entire month of June. They used their dollars to buy things. Each child made a shopping list of what they hoped to purchase and for who - me, mom, sister, dad… They also had to buy their lunch with the dollars, which consisted of fried chicken, ddokbokki (traditional Korean rice cake dish), fruit, and juice. Children could also use money at the outdoor stations - water balloon toss, popcorn and lemonade stands.
Not only were the classes divided into AM and PM groups, they were also divide into groups A and B. Half the time, group A were “sellers” and B were “buyers,” then the children switched roles. The children (and parents) were expected to use English while shopping and selling. “How much is it,” “It is 1 dollar,” “Thank you,” were spoken over and over again.
The children were quite shy, and definitely preferred shopping to selling.
I was in charge of the water balloon activity and also helped in the grocery store and bakery. Cory helped in the food court and the stationary/book store as well.
Last night, after our 7 hour car ride home (due to snow), we drove slowly by an apartment building and I witnessed a young college couple “doing it” in front of their window. At first I looked up, and saw just a guy standing close to the window without his shirt. I thought, “weird, why is he standing in the window without his shirt on?” Then, I noticed a female’s face looking as if she was in pain below him. Then, I noticed the guy without the shirt was thrusting and also looked as if he was in pain. Then I put two and two together and shouted, “Karen, I think I just saw people were having sex! Doggystyle!”
Last night I dreamt my stepfather was a photographer in the southwest. He took photographs of people wearing bolo ties, cowboy hats and crisp country and western shirts. They were pasted on tall billboards that hung over vast blank desert. On his kitchen table I found a postcard with his work on it, as well as a self portrait. He looked happy, and younger.
My brother and I found it in the field next to our house. He poked at it with a stick, until Dad yelled at us to leave it alone. “It’s fine the way it is,” he said.
I can’t stop eating them, yet with each bite I think about developing a brain tumor
They are sprawled out on a bench between the F’s and J’s. One of them holds an iPod blaring poppy hip hop music. The other one has a cell phone pressed to his face. Kids, you think. 8th Graders.
“I love you so much, baby.” the one on the cell phone jokes. They both crack up.
You go to the next aisle, and look at the books of authors who begin with M.
“So Baby,” he says sarcastically, “what are YOU wearing? No, I’m kidding. Really though, WHAT are YOU wearing?” They laugh again. “A Sweatshirt? That’s old school. Who wears sweatshirts anymore?”
You laugh, and pass by them to look at the D’s. There is a woman sitting there. You look at her and smile. You hope she has been listening to this conversation, and enjoying it as much as you. She just stares at a book.
“What if I asked her who she would give a best boyfriend award to?”
“No, that’s stupid.”
“I’m going to ask - If you had to give someone a best boyfriend award, who would you give it to?” They laugh.
You go back to the M’s.
“You want me to date Zoe?” They laugh again. You turn to smile at someone approaching. You smile at her. She’s in a wheelchair. You worry she thinks you’re smiling because she’s in a wheelchair, and not because the two kids in the F-thru-J’s are cracking you up. You go to the C’s.
At the center, which was near the border of Kansas and Nebraska, the distance between it and the ground was 1000 feet. Obviously not high enough to fly a large jet, but no one was allowed to leave anyhow. ‘The Security Dome’ as they called it, was finished in 2010. It only took one year to build. So many people were willing to help.
It’s now just known as, ‘the Dome’. It was the best solution for the immigration problem. A dome, after all, is much better than just a wall. Everyone just had to realize we were better off with no one getting in, and no one leaving. The companies stayed. The jobs stayed.
On clear days, if you look up, you can see people. Most often, they’re just making their way to Canada. Sometimes though, you can see their faces pressed to it, with their hands cupped, and the saddest faces you’ll ever see. The government claims they long to work in our fields; to touch American soil. We all know the truth though; they’re searching for lost family.
