No Meat For You!

Happy Wednesday friends!  For those of you who are working like normal people, the end of the week is near!  For those of you who are teachers, it is important to know what day of the week it is as you soak up the sun today.

By the way I really hope you instantly thought of Seinfeld when you read today's post title!  How great was that show?  If you have no idea what I am talking about I am probably getting old or you are one of my Asian students who only watches Korean dramas and I love you anyway. 

Last week I wrote this post about coming back to work and feeling unfamiliar in a familiar place. 

Chillin' in my office.  It is getting there.

 Things have gotten much better this week. I am actually doing things that help make time move a little faster.  I am making decision that influence me and my work instead of others planning my schedule and telling me what to do.  And I moved my furniture around.  Granted, not everything is the way I want it yet, but it is much better.  I asked for a week to get some burly men to come into my office and move things and they never came.  I was fed up by Friday and just did it myself.  It is coming together.

People can actually fit in the office now!

Next step, get the furniture out that belongs to other people and get some art on those white white walls.

As I mentioned last week the land the school I work for was bought by a Buddhist Educational Service.  They have been gracious this year and are allowing us to stay on the campus and share the facilities as they prepare to have students in a year.  This leaves my school grateful and also a little discombobulated (can't believe I spelled that one right on the first try!)  Our school offices are directly under the gym.  It has been fun learning to tune out a heard of students running laps.

One of my favorite adjustments is the school's No Meat Allowed on Campus rule.  The Buddhists that own the land now have strict diets and being vegetarian is part of that.  Because this is their land and we are renting for the year they have asked that the campus be totally vegetarian.  Really, it is not that big of a deal.  To me it is funny.  We can keep worshiping Jesus, teach Bible classes, and have chapel every week but we cannot have meat!  I love it!

The news of this was received with confused ears by disgruntled carnivores. Personally, I didn't care.  I was a vegetarian for two years and not eating meat for one meal during the day is easy for me.  The story of how I quit being a vegetarian is actually pretty great one.  Let's just say a boy asked me to come to his family's home for dinner, they made chicken, they practically forced me to eat it, I caused a huge family fight, people didn't speak to each other ever again, the world ended.  The boy and I didn't last much longer after that experience.

Lunchtime and not a sole is left on campus other than me.

Some of my favorite moments at work have come from this ban on meat.  Most people are eating off campus everyday.  I think a lot of weight will be gained and a lot of dollars spent.  I usually eat my lunch alone in the teacher's lounge, as it appears I am one of the only people who can a meal with out the meat. Lunches are planned around meat.  I really think most people are over compensating because they have been told to abstain.

Today I walked to Subway to buy a Veggie Delight sandwich and ate it at work.  I sat in the teacher's lounge eating my sandwich and was stared down for the better part of my lunch.  I knew that everyone who walked by was thinking This girl is eating meat!  What a hussy!  But no one said anything.  Finally, one lady had that "What a hussy!" look on her face and flat out asked me what type of sandwich I was eating.  I told her it was veggie and she smiled and walked away.

 

I am planning on starting a support group for my colleagues to help them get through this tough time.  I might even offer to teach them how to make tofu yummy.  I am pretty sure they would rather die than eat tofu. I have collected an assortment of quotes from these lovely folks that I will be sharing at some point when the school year is underway.  I need a little more time to eavesdrop and get more quotes for your enjoyment. 

 In other news, you should head over to one of my favorite blogs  The Life of Bon and check her out.  Read a few of her posts add her on instagram, and become a better person.  There may be a little photo there and the best endorsement I have ever received, "basically this girl lies a lot."  If that is not a reason to read my blog I don't know what is!

Happy Wednesday to you and go eat some meat in my honor for lunch!

love! Erica