After the registration we hailed another cab to a cluster of shops a block or two away from the apartment that specialized in construction materials. Aria purchased the replacement line for the leaky toilet and I picked up a strip outlet for my room. We made our way back to the apartment and waited for the maintenance man to arrive and fix the toilet. Once that issue was dealt with, (Aria ended up having to run back to the shop for an additional piece), a second technician arrived to address our internet. Thankfully I wasn't required to beat the school until early afternoon.
Once the issues with the toilet and internet connectivity were both taken care of, I left the apartment to head over to the bus stop and make the commute to school. I was originally supposed to observe one of Tom's classes, but as it turned out he was across town at another branch. So I once again sat in on Philip's classes. We are at the beginning of the summer courses now which is the busiest time of the school year. Classes run from 9:30 in the morning to around 8:30 at night. Once the regular school year returns, classes will only be held in the afternoon. I'm lucky to be observing classes during this period as it will prepare me for the most hectic work schedule.
Phonics is one of the most difficult aspects to teach and the class goes rather slowly. The kids know the ABC song, but understanding the separation between the pronunciation of the letters and their phonics takes a bit longer. Having learned English while growing up, many of the rules and intricacies get take for granted. I'm sure that I will feel just as lost once the Mandarin classes begin.
The second class had to do with identifying various species of African animals. The kids had already learned many of the vocabulary words, i.e. elephant, rhino, crocodile, etc. So during the class we watched a video segment of a safari trip in Africa. The kids had to watch and listen to the video, and then match the animals listed on their sheets to the corresponding facts stated in the video. Once Philip's classes had ended, I was free to catch the bus back to the apartment.
I had a quick bite to eat at one of the nearby noodle-houses and made my way over to the Carrefour for some amenities for the apartment. We have a single Ethernet outlet, so Lee and I will eventually have to spring for a router, preferably one with wireless.But in the meantime we will make do with what we have. I for one desired a more comfortable pillow than the once that had been provided in the bedding package I found when I arrived.
When you go shopping in a supermarket in China, there are clerks in every section who follow you around and try to encourage sales. They can be helpful, but of course the mentality is to try and encourage the buyer to purchase the most expensive items. Given the rampant consumer culture of the US, I'm surprised that such as system hasn't been adopted there. I prefer to shop at my own speed, and will consider adopting the “I'm wearing headphones, don't talk to me.” approach in the future.
Once I'd found a more comfortable pillow, some shampoo, and replacement batteries for my camera, I made my way down to the checkout. Which brings me to another thing about shopping in China, if you want a bag to carry your purchases in expect to pay extra for it. Since I didn't have much in the way of groceries, I decided to forgo the additional cost of the bag.
I returned to the apartments just as Lee was leaving to find dinner. He had apparently just returned from work while I was running my errands. As I had just eaten I told him I would meet him back at the room afterward.
Once he got back, we turned on the television and began channel surfing. We've found a single station on our TV that has a broadcast in English; a news program based in Hong Kong. While it mostly focuses on news stories in the region there are a few reports from Britain and America. Lee and I watched about an hour of news before we each turn in for the night.