Teaching Shakespeare is never easy. But teaching Shakespeare to a classroom of mostly English Language Learners? It's not only difficult, but hilarious.

This morning I began reading Romeo & Juliet to my ninth graders. We had already gone over the history of Shakespeare's life, the history of Elizabethan England, and what was considered popular entertainment at the time (think bear baiting, public executions and cockfights--and yes, "cockfights" evoked some serious laughter from the 14-year-old boys in the room.) Now it was time to discuss puns.

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It's been five days since I landed in Shanghai; and let me tell you, it's been a whirlwind.

Living abroad isn't easy. You're forced to pack your entire life's possessions into a few suitcases, learn a new language, a new culture, and make new friends to combat the inevitable homesickness. And while you're busy doing all these things, Facebook reminds you of everything you're missing back home. At times it can get lonely, but most of the time, it's incredibly exciting.

Monserrate

I gasped for air and kept peddling, my head down so the spinning instructor wouldn’t see me laughing.

“Is it just me, or is he doing a sexy dance on top of the bike?” my friend Kari said on the bicycle next to me.

Day two in Korea, still jet-lagged, I had a 9:30am health check appointment at the hospital. A vision test, hearing test, lung X-ray and four vials of blood later, it was time to pee in a cup.

After being pricked and poked in front of what seemed like half of Seoul, a little urine sample sounded relatively painless.

I was wrong. My first public peeing experience—in a hospital mind you—ended up being in a ceramic hole in the ground.