Spring skiing

The sun is warming me through the window as I write.  There’s no snow on the ground, and a professional is pruning the trees in Joyce’s yard across the street, so spring can’t be far off, although up at Silver Star, there’s fresh snow and the base is again over 200cm.  On Saturday I had my 2 regular classes with SSASS.  They went well; the girls were in pretty good humor and met their goals of 6 and 8 runs respectively.  I learned a lot at the presentation on autism that I attended a few weeks ago.  I now talk less, avoid figurative language, present techniques in as graphic a way as possible and set goals for the lesson with the student before we leave the SSASS room.  The latter is one of the best pieces of advice I was given; autistic children really seem to want to know exactly what they are expected to do.  When it is clearly established, they do it, and nothing more.  That’s it; stick to the plan.  A person like me who delights in figurative language and likes nothing better than to wander and be surprised by something unforeseen is not a natural at this job, but I’m getting to like it.  I helped a friend on Sunday with her autistic student.  He’s a much better skier than my girls.  We used the same techniques, and even at that, he had a bit of a meltdown at one point, but we got over it and had a good ski.  I really enjoyed being on the big runs and will make sure that if I work with SSASS again next year I do not get 2 students who have to use the ‘Magic Carpet.’ 

I am making more time for Korean these days.  I really enjoy learning about it; although, I can’t speak it much yet.  Last week I learned that the noun that sounds in English like ‘il’, means: sun, day and work.  Fascinating, isn’t it.  Sunday is ‘il yo il’.  What got me thinking even more is the fact that the verb ‘ha’ means both ‘to say’ and ‘to do’.  I was raised to believe that the two verbs were almost diametrically opposed.  One of my mother’s favorite sayings was, “Do as I say, not as I do.”  English is full of such expressions:  ‘more easily said than done’, ‘talk’s cheap’, ‘put your money where your mouth is’, etc.  I’ve been rereading Shakespeare’s plays lately and copying down quotations that I like.  In looking them over a few weeks ago I realized that many of them involve the idea that thought, talk and action are quite separate functions, so this revelation about Korean makes me wonder if Koreans are any better than English speaking peoples at keeping their word.  Do words have more weight with them than with us?  Unfortunately, at the rate I am progressing, it will be years before I find out. 

Cross-country skiing has been very good lately.  I’m getting to like it better than downhill.  Since my shoulder dislocation last year, I’m nervous about someone hitting me from behind and that means I can’t just let myself go when down hilling.  John, Mo and I have graduated to the cross-country black runs at Silver Star.  They’re not too difficult, and I prefer going up and downhill rather than on the flats.  

starting out on a black run with Mo

fooling around before drinking a flat white after our ski