When a Veggie Loves a Carnivore

I’ve had quite a bit of downtime since returning to SHA, hence the lack of postings.  As we are now in the full swing of September, things are starting to pick up and I’m enjoying a good mix of busy and downtime.

I’ve started working (finally!) at the job I’ve had since April but haven’t worked at before.  Confused?  Haha.  So I got hired at an American SAT/English school as a part time teacher, but at the time they hired me, all the jobs they had for me were scheduled for July, the exact time I would be in the US.  So, they were kind enough to keep me on their list of contract teachers, and I’ve just waited for teaching gigs to become available.

So finally, I started teaching two weeks ago.  I have private tutoring sessions with a 5th grader who has ADHD (any tips for teaching children with ADHD??), and I teach a vocabulary class to 4th, 5th, and 6th graders who are aiming to take their PSATs in the 7th grade.  I wish I had a class like that when I was in school.  I would’ve done so much better on my SATs!!!

Another aspect of so much down time is that I’ve been trying to cook more Korean foods.  And yes, that actually has meant that I’ve cooked meat!  GASP!!  Dude, M better know how much I love him because touching meat is really gooey and icky.  The texture is really weird!  So I’ve made Korean stewed beef, or galbi jjim, and my variation of the Kogi Taco fame, bulgogi tacos.  M really loves bulgogi tacos for breakfast, so it’s part of the weekly breakfast rotation now.

I’ve started to meet up regularly with several friends (I have friends!!!) and go to prenatal yoga once a week in the French Concession.  M and I together have met up with other marrieds for weekend brunches and dinners, so we’re starting to get a nice routine going.

This past weekend was the Mid-Autumn Festival, so M got Monday off from work.  I think every Monday should be a holiday as it gives me an extra day with M to recover from our oddly non-stop weekends.  While we didn’t really do anything for the festival, M and I went to the Hongqiao Bird and Flower Market and finally got some plants for our apartment, had a yummy albeit pricey Malaysian dinner at Cafe Sambal with new and old friends, and ended the holiday weekend at a BBQ in a $2 million apartment (not ours, clearly!).  Not to mention, we also tried a really delicious veggie burger from Kush, a new vegetarian restaurant.  The veggie burger was really really good!  Even the meat eaters loved it!

We’ll be starting our fall season of traveling soon.  First up, I have my 6th month prenatal checkup where I think I need to get a letter from my doctor authorizing me to fly as my belly is steadily growing from honeydew size to watermelon size.  After that, M and I will be heading to Taiwan to visit his grandmother.  For the October 1 holidays (national commie week here in China), M and I are finally going on our honeymoon, with a pitstop in Seoul and then off to Bali for 4 glorious days of napping, swimming and eating cookies.  At the end of October, I’ll be trekking back to the States for a doctor’s visit in LA and then some quality time with my parents in Seattle.  Lots of traveling but well worth it since our little Shu rascal will be making his appearance in the not-too-distant future!

And finally, due to many demands from friends, here are a few of my 23 week belly shots!