March 7-12, 2010

March 7-12

Wow, where to start?

Lessons are still good. I have a few classes that are now consistent but my schedule is still changing on a weekly basis. At this point in time I have a few of Collin's classes but I don't actually know which ones are his and which are mine. Maybe the school just decided they would all be mine and Collin won't have to teach those ones anymore. Story Forest is supposed to be on Thursday, Friday and Saturday according to my schedule but Thursday's class never seems to happen and apparently Saturday's are their days off . I went at 1pm one Friday and was dismissed by 3pm. Monday's are supposed to be my day off but I now have to go into Story Forest this coming Monday to rehearse for a play. I am so confused at how the schedules are made, I don't think Effie (the girl who makes them) actually checks what she does because this is a regular occurrence for all of the foreign teachers. It's not uncommon to come into a class for a lesson and be told you weren't expected. Either way, I'm hoping that in the next couple weeks my schedule becomes a little more firm because never knowing what is coming is really a pain in the butt.

I've talked with a few other school owners in Wenzhou and from what I've gathered it seems that Jordan's is a good first year school; a good first step into the ESL world. They are decent for most things but other schools can offer a more organized system. For example: the pay and benefits seem to be pretty standard, Jordan's is good about paying you on time with no hassles, it's a laid back teaching environment, they're decent about helping the foreigners when they ask, and like I said; the schedules are all over the place. But that is just my opinion.

As for my own integration into China I am about two months in and still have not had my culture shock experience. There have been a couple days that I was just too tired (both mentally and physically) to go out and try to order food so had instant noodles instead, but for the most part I have been doing very well. I'm still finding the food delicious which is a blessing considering I've been eating noodles and rice for two months straight. Oh wait, I lied, I had pizza the other day. ^_^ it was wonderful! Ha ha ha. I know for sure there will come a point where I just want "normal" food and am just waiting for it to happen. I have done a bit of cooking on my own though so maybe that is helping me add a bit of variety. I have made soups, pancakes and even tried to make bannock bread. I wasn't very successful but am going to keep trying. Like I said in my previous blog, I am almost done my first Rosetta Stone CD and should be starting my second one within the week. I have made a whole bunch of new friends in the last week and even have another person who wants to do a language swap with me. His name is Bruce and he speaks VERY LITTLE English, maybe even less than I speak of Chinese, but not by much. Either way, we have set up to meet on Sunday for our first lesson and I am very anxious to see how much I can learn.

I have my first private lesson this coming Monday and am nervous about that. I want it to go well so that I may charge more for any students that come after. The lesson will be an hour long and will be held at the girls house since I am still living with Frances and the school did not approve me doing extra work. I have been trying to create an assessment test to see where this girl's English level is at but have not been very successful. :-S thank goodness for the internet and it's many helpful resources.

The weather seems to be unsure of itself. We've had a bunch of rainy days that blew over into cloudy and cold days; I was even wearing a toque and mittens, and now the sky is clear and the sun is out but it's still a little chilly.

A few more interesting things I've learned about Wenzhou:

• KTV's are EVERYWHERE! These are karaoke places, but instead of one stage for a whole bar it's a bunch of rooms that a group of friends would rent out. I have learned that many business deals will take place at KTV's. Part of this transaction includes some company for the evening. The guy will choose from a lineup of girls who he wants to keep him company for the night. This girl is supposed to make him feel "manly" or special or something like that while they sing their songs and talk about their business. I didn't ask too much more on the subject though and so am unsure of how far the girl's commitment goes.
• Taxi's will be driving along with one passenger and stop to pick up another fare if they are heading in the same direction. I think it's called taxi sharing and actually have no idea how splitting the cost works; it hasn't happened to me yet.
• I saw a semi truck driving along using spare tires as it's front wheels; that was a little sketchy.
• Wenzhou became famous for it's shoe industry, glasses industry, fake leather industry and I've heard whispers of it's sex toy industry but I have not confirmed that one.
• Massage places are also Very popular here. Apparently they are a sort of recreational thing. Some of the more prestigious ones will give you tea and fruit and have a menu for you to chose a few other choice foods (I got sweet dumplings). Some of the really high up ones have a recreation room with ping pong tables, foosball tables, and the likes where you can hang out before or after your massage. I have not been to one like this yet but am interested in seeing it with my own eyes.

Until next time…