All posts filed under: Blog

Ants Working Place

Published by Sula H.

I made an exciting discovery the other day. There’s actually something like an ant farm you can buy to watch ants. Sounds boring to you? Trust me, I thought the same before I knew of this, but after I laid eyes on the “Ants Working Place” (yes, they use the literal translation for this, although they should’ve actually translated it into “ant factory”), I was captivated in no time. You see, their job is to dig tunnels into the pink jelly, and you’re supposed to be able to watch them do this. And, I mean, what is there more exciting than watching a couple of non-digging ants running all over the place, kissing each other (or was that biting?), eating up the sugar we fed them, and, well …, not digging holes? I was fascinated. But I also have a theory. After discovering that these ants were not in the least inclined to dig at all, and taking into consideration that these ants were plucked from a tree, I developed the theory that tree-inhabiting ants …

O Holiday, O Holiday

Published by Sula H.

Oh, I love me some holidays. Because that’s one of the precious few times of the year when our campus isn’t overrun by people; I mean students. Of course, the Dragon Boat Festival is also the holiday when you have to eat rice balls wrapped in leaves in order to prevent – well, I forgot which terrible fate to happen in your life (like you have to eat long noodles to have a long life, and you have to eat dumpling at winter solstice to prevent winter from stealing your ears, … things like that). But I’ve managed to survive the Dragon Boat Festival without eating these rice thingies, and now I’m enjoying my holiday splendidly with a nearly empty campus. Oh holiday, oh holiday!

David & Goliath

Published by Sula H.

Did you see that? Yes, I mean the slightly amusing attempt of our foreign faculty housing staff to keep the water leaks in the roof of the lobby under control. (I’ve been giving you updates on the number of buckets and other measurements needed to hunt down all the leaks – see my posts “Rain Proof” & “Spot the Buckets” if you’re new to mistyhilltops.com and are looking for something to amuse you.) But it seems to me that there’s always something new to report when it rains. Like the – what I’d like to call – battle between David and Goliath. Except that this time, contrary to the historical facts, I’m afraid I’d have to say Goliath won this clash! And I haven’t even told you about the waterfall coming down that very spot just the other day as well. (And I mean waterfall when I say waterfall, because there was no way to get through the curtain of water without getting drenched.) Let’s hope for better days for our poor poor lobby!

My Theories on the Relationship Between Rain and Open Windows

Published by Sula H.

It’s raining again. And that is always good news. Why? Because when it rains, I can actually open my window and keep it open for a while. Not that I couldn’t do that on sunny days as well. But you see, with all the dust and pollution in the air, opening your windows usually comes with a risk. Yes, you may actually be able to get some of the bad smells coming from the bathroom under control, but at the same time you’re opening the flood gates for a dust invasion. And with the poor air quality we’ve been having around here, others might consider opening a window flat out dangerous. And in any case it’s a rather sketchy exchange, switching one for the other, I mean. And that’s why rainy days come in handy. Because on rainy days the rain gives the air a bath so to speak, washing it clean (that’s my theory) and what actually will come in through your window is, in fact, fresh air. Sounds like a deal, right? Off …

End-of-the-Year Banquet

Published by Sula H.

One of the highlights of the year for the foreign faculty is supposed to be the end-of-the-year-banquet to thank all teachers for their hard work. I guess this year’s highlight was that the food only lasted for the first half of those who lined up. (Talking about “banquet” here.) Unfortunately, I was one of the latter half of those lined up, in other words, I was one who didn’t get much food except a bit of leftovers (no more than I would get for a normal dinner). But then, I got to be one of those who were allowed to line up early for the dessert. It’s a small comfort, isn’t it?      

Hope on the Horizon

Published by Sula H.

Something exciting happened today. Well, something like this isn’t usually exciting. Actually usually it’s rather boring. But if you’ve seen my recent post “Some Dreadful News” you know that having to go get our visas processed is some really exciting news, because there’s hope that I might actually be able to travel home this summer as planned. That is, if I can get my passport (including residence permit) back on time. But today we got to take the first step at least, and with that, at least one part of this huge hurdle has been taken. And now, another wait begins …   By the way, you must forgive the bad quality of this photo. I wasn’t going to draw the attention of any of the guards when trying to take this pic (you don’t want to get into trouble with that department when you depend on them getting you your passport back on time). So, I tried to be as sneaky about it as I could, hence a really quick snapshot!

And Now My Bathroom Floor Has a Leak and a Hole

Published by Sula H.

So, the next day has come, and guess who was right! Short recap: yesterday two workers came. They came with the intention to “fix” my bathroom floor leak (though I have a feeling that they just wanted to do something so they could say they did something). Well, and to be truthful, they did something. They made a hole in my bathroom floor, promising me that whatever they poured into the hole would dry the puddle and the leak. By today. But today has come. And as I promised them in return: the water’s still there. Plus a leak. Plus a hole in my bathroom floor. And knowing how long it took for them to do at least something, I guess I’d better get used to my bathroom floor being “holesome.”

A (W)holesome “Repair”

Published by Sula H.

Guess who I had coming to my place today. You actually may not believe me, but yes, some workers came. Two, to be precise. And not only did they look at my bathroom floor/water leak problem, they actually brought tools and the willingness to do something about it with them, too. Well, maybe calling it “willingness” is not quite the right way to describe it. Because, yes, they did see that there’s a problem with the floor (as they always do). And yes, they actually began hammering and taking out two or so tiles. Except that the problem is that taking out two or so tiles just doesn’t fix the problem, and I spent about 2 hours this afternoon, trying to convince them that what they’re doing isn’t actually going to fix anything. “No, no,” they said, ignoring my pleas, and wanted to pour something in the hole they’d just dug in my bathroom floor that would “make things dry.” Yeah, right! I sent them away. Because as much as they tried to convince me …

Spot the Buckets

Published by Sula H.

    Today I’d like to play a game with you. It’s called “Spot the Buckets.” Take a look at the pictures of our lobby below. It’s been raining. So you can see there’s a rather fine and colorful collection of buckets and bowls spread more or less evenly all over our lobby. (They are meant to collect the water from the leaks in the lobby ceiling. Can you tell we’re having another problem? Smart observation! Like I said a couple weeks back: the lobby is a perfectly “rain proof” place – always precise about telling you when it’s raining outside or not – no chances of missing a thing; completely reliable). And today, I’d like for you to share in our fun and find out how many buckets you can count on the pictures below. (There are no doubles, though I have to admit, the pictures are missing another entire side of the lobby. Maybe we could add to the challenge, and have you guess how many buckets are still missing!)    

Saying Good-Bye

Published by Sula H.

Every year, we get to celebrate commencement, which usually is a bittersweet experience. Bitter, because it’s sad to see yet another group of students graduate; sweet, because of course we’re excited for them to move on to bigger and better adventures. This year’s graduation ceremony is no difference and so we get to cry and celebrate all in one occasion. Congrats, grads!