Being that it is the end of October the time has come for the dreaded MIDTERM exams. I say dreaded from the students' point of view because from where I stand the timing couldn't be better. I will have no classes on Thursday and Friday because my students will be taking tests. That's cool. Maybe this time I'll actually be able to make it to Shaoshan.
In addition to a short week the fact that Halloween is coming makes me very happy. First of all, it means that I can do essentially the same lesson for all of my students. I am showing a couple of internet clips and doing a PowerPoint about Halloween to explain to the kids what the holiday really means (my lesson leaves out any mention of All Saints Day). This means that the classes I do have are going to be relatively easy.
On Saturday I will be going to the apartment of one of my friends for a Halloween party in Changsha, which will undoubtedly be a blast. I am actually writing this blog in class... My students are currently participating in another midterm tradition, report cards! The kids with bad grades, or what I am assuming would be the kids with bad grades are being taken out of class in groups. The other kids are ranting over their grades. One kid is crying. It seems to just be assumed that class is over so I turned off the projector and told them to talk in English about their report cards. Of course none of them are, but do you want an update on my life or not?! That's all; for now, if i do make it to Shaoshan I'll let you guys know.
C. Johnson
Monday, October 26, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Liuyang from Shi Fu Shan
The Pleasantries of Living Here
The last few days have been fantastic and I thought that I would share them with you all. This week I had my students write pen pal letters. This was obviously an activity they had done before because they were all pretty lethargic about it at first. However, when I went on to explain that my friend in America was a teacher and that her kids would write us back they were really amped up. I figure that the previous teachers they had did not offer any responses to the letters they wrote. This is actually turning into a really cool project, especially if Jen would get on skype! I am also sending some of the letters to Maine. I figure this could be a good once a month activity along with my once monthly games day. At first I complained about having to see the kids more than once a week because it meant that I had to make many more lesson plans than my coworkers at Buckland. Now I love the fact that I actually get to connect with my kids. One of the little kids I have, who I was convinced was a mute, finally spoke in class this week. He said, "Today is Friday." If I only saw this kid once a week he never would have said that to me. Never mind that it was Thursday... He spoke!
Thursday night was fantastic. I played some basketball with my teammates which is always fun. The talent level is varied on the team but we have a great starting line. A couple of weeks ago we had our first actual game against another school. It was about an hour into the countryside from Liuyang, so it was pretty far out there. I would guess that I was the first white guy to ever play basketball there. It was an incredibly close game. Unfortunately, because of the language barrier, I know none of the plays. Towards the end of the game I was subbed out so that one of the Chinese teachers could help run the plays. At first I was very disappointed, but as I began to look around that feeling faded quickly. It seemed that the entire town had come out to watch the 'lao wei' play. Even though I was on the other team they cheered for me when I left the court. It was also a beautiful setting. Rows of steep tile roofs created the horizon, the blond setting sun gave an odd sense of eeriness to the thankfully fresh air, and old Maoist slogans were plastered all over the school's walls. I was suddenly hit with a serving of humble pie at my situation here in China. I am really lucky to be here.
It is finally fall here and it reminds me so much of winter in Florida. The air is fresh-ish but certainly crisp and just a little bit chilly. After bball practice I did some cardio on the school's track. Dinner had just finished and all of the students were out playing on the soccer field. After soccer practice the soccer coach busted out this awesome R/C airplane. He would swoop the plane down on groups of students and then have the plane climb back into the sky. I suppose that would be considered abuse in the US. After my workout I just sat there for about an hour. It was fantastic. As the sun set the students headed back to class and I headed home.
Fridays are half days here at Xin Wen (which means the students get out at 2:30) and many of the kids go home. Some live too far and so they stay at school, while the parents of others pay teachers to take care of their kids on the weekends. On any given weekend my friend Salina (who often invites us to weekend dinners) is sure to have a student at her home. I was playing a particularly dangerous game my last period on Friday when the parents showed up. I wanted to stop but the score was 10-10 so we had to finish. When team 1 won they went insane and I was worried that the parents, who were very interested in what the foreigner (who they pay a lot of money to teach their children), would disapprove. Instead they were all very impressed by their children's English ability.
After classes Aimee and I went to Shi Fu mountain. You can see all of Liuyang from up there. I will send my mom a picture to post. This is getting lengthy so lemme just say that it was great. The trail down the mountain leads into a little neighborhood that I had never seen before. It was great to explore our town during the day since normally we work or at least have stuff to do until dark. This weekend I am going to work on getting a motorcycle license. Don't worry mom, I'll be safe.
C. Johnson
Thursday night was fantastic. I played some basketball with my teammates which is always fun. The talent level is varied on the team but we have a great starting line. A couple of weeks ago we had our first actual game against another school. It was about an hour into the countryside from Liuyang, so it was pretty far out there. I would guess that I was the first white guy to ever play basketball there. It was an incredibly close game. Unfortunately, because of the language barrier, I know none of the plays. Towards the end of the game I was subbed out so that one of the Chinese teachers could help run the plays. At first I was very disappointed, but as I began to look around that feeling faded quickly. It seemed that the entire town had come out to watch the 'lao wei' play. Even though I was on the other team they cheered for me when I left the court. It was also a beautiful setting. Rows of steep tile roofs created the horizon, the blond setting sun gave an odd sense of eeriness to the thankfully fresh air, and old Maoist slogans were plastered all over the school's walls. I was suddenly hit with a serving of humble pie at my situation here in China. I am really lucky to be here.
It is finally fall here and it reminds me so much of winter in Florida. The air is fresh-ish but certainly crisp and just a little bit chilly. After bball practice I did some cardio on the school's track. Dinner had just finished and all of the students were out playing on the soccer field. After soccer practice the soccer coach busted out this awesome R/C airplane. He would swoop the plane down on groups of students and then have the plane climb back into the sky. I suppose that would be considered abuse in the US. After my workout I just sat there for about an hour. It was fantastic. As the sun set the students headed back to class and I headed home.
Fridays are half days here at Xin Wen (which means the students get out at 2:30) and many of the kids go home. Some live too far and so they stay at school, while the parents of others pay teachers to take care of their kids on the weekends. On any given weekend my friend Salina (who often invites us to weekend dinners) is sure to have a student at her home. I was playing a particularly dangerous game my last period on Friday when the parents showed up. I wanted to stop but the score was 10-10 so we had to finish. When team 1 won they went insane and I was worried that the parents, who were very interested in what the foreigner (who they pay a lot of money to teach their children), would disapprove. Instead they were all very impressed by their children's English ability.
After classes Aimee and I went to Shi Fu mountain. You can see all of Liuyang from up there. I will send my mom a picture to post. This is getting lengthy so lemme just say that it was great. The trail down the mountain leads into a little neighborhood that I had never seen before. It was great to explore our town during the day since normally we work or at least have stuff to do until dark. This weekend I am going to work on getting a motorcycle license. Don't worry mom, I'll be safe.
C. Johnson
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Cattle call
On my way to the famous Changsha nightlife I was held up by these cattle being sheparded down a five lane 'ring road' of the city. Who says a city the size of London can't have that 'small town charm'?
C. Johnson
A note about coming home
When I returned to the real China from my whirlwind adventure in HK and Macau I felt a sense of comfort returning to me. Here I knew which direction the insane drivers were coming from. Here I could not understand what someone was saying in a language I was familiar with. But most importantly here is where my home is.
I had pondered how I would feel to go on vacation and RETURN to China. I am relieved to say that my comfort with my new home has given me a sense of ownership over it. It was weird being in a place where foreigners sit in a cafe around every corner. I spent the morning after my exhausting train trip from Shenzhen walking the just-waking streets of Changsha. I smiled dumbly and repeated my arsenal of Mandarin phrases to each person I met.
I was home, and I was loving it. I just needed to get to the east bus station and then it was only a short hop to Liuyang. Unfortunately the city bus I boarded was travelling the wrong direction and I didn't realize it until I arrived at the west bus station. 113 stops and 1 hour and 10 minutes later I was on my way to Liuyang. Maybe this place isn't completely comfortable but it is home... for now.
C. Johnson
I had pondered how I would feel to go on vacation and RETURN to China. I am relieved to say that my comfort with my new home has given me a sense of ownership over it. It was weird being in a place where foreigners sit in a cafe around every corner. I spent the morning after my exhausting train trip from Shenzhen walking the just-waking streets of Changsha. I smiled dumbly and repeated my arsenal of Mandarin phrases to each person I met.
I was home, and I was loving it. I just needed to get to the east bus station and then it was only a short hop to Liuyang. Unfortunately the city bus I boarded was travelling the wrong direction and I didn't realize it until I arrived at the west bus station. 113 stops and 1 hour and 10 minutes later I was on my way to Liuyang. Maybe this place isn't completely comfortable but it is home... for now.
C. Johnson
My favorite kind of cake
For as long as I can remember, I only liked the frosting on cake. This cake is perfect for me, and common in China.
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