The reluctant babysitter

Well, at least she's agreed to come back one more time.

(Sigh.)

Su Ruong came over this morning, and all went well until Nora figured out that I was actually leaving. She was not amused. I left her crying at the door, but I was hopeful that she would settle down after a few minutes; that has been the case when she's stayed with friends here in our building. I don't know how long she cried, but it was enough to make Su Ruong hesitate when I asked if she would come again. She finally agreed to come over next week when I can stay home the whole time; perhaps Nora will be more shu fu, comfortable, with her after that.

Speaking of shu fu, or the lack thereof (that would be bu shu fu for you linguists out there), it's 96º degrees today when you factor in the heat index (and 88º if you don't). I have tried to acclimate by dressing for the season, as opposed to dressing for the actual weather, but jeans and a jacket just aren't doing the trick. We're heading to the mountains this weekend, where I have been promised that I will need a coat. I am very excited about this. We have all of next week off -- Monday is 10/10, Taiwan's independence holiday, and then our school stays closed for fall break. We'll be going to the island's largest bamboo forest, and then high up to what is billed as the Switzerland of Taiwan. If only that meant there'd be really good chocolate once we'd reached the summit, but I'm not banking on it. Cool weather will be worth the trip, though, and the views are supposed to be breathtaking. I'll post some pix when we get back next week.