It has rained almost constantly over the last three days. Thankfully, I preemptively purchased an umbrella on my last visit to Carrefour and was prepared for the tempest. Because of Chengdu's high annual rainfall, people here carry umbrellas almost every day, rain or shine. I thought it was rather humorous when, after the last rainy day ended and the sun and blue sky finally penetrated the omnipresent cloud cover, the locals were just as quick to take out their umbrellas to shield them from the sun. I came to find out that it is another cultural difference here in China; people use umbrellas to avoid being drenched in the rainfall, and they also use the umbrellas to protect their pale complexions. Tan skin is a sign that one is a laborer belonging to a lower caste in society. On a separate note I also noticed that men here do not grow out their facial hair as anyone who does so is considered to be dirty or degenerate. As Westerners, we are given leeway to groom ourselves according to our own cultural norms.
Monday morning, following Emmet's birthday celebrations, I slept in a bit, threw my laundry in the washer and made my way over to the Bookworm to send my weekly Skype message home. This will likely become my Monday morning ritual; coffee, breakfast, and Skype from the comfort of the Bookworm. When I arrived, I found that the power was out for repairs and as such the wireless signal was also down. It didn't take long to get back up and running and I was soon able to spend the next few hours calling home as well as touching base with Zak in New Zealand. It was on my way back to the apartment that the rain began to fall.
After about an hour or two, Lee finally woke up. The party had apparently ended the KTV Bar about twenty minutes after I left and moved to one of Chengdu's nightclubs. Lee became separated from the rest of the group, but nonetheless stayed out until around six in the morning. I hung my clothes out to dry while Lee ran his own laundry. We had received a call that some of the teachers from the night before were gathering at a local restaurant, Peter's Tex-Mex for lunch and more drinks. Lee wanted to run his laundry and hang it out to dry so it would be available for work the following day, so he and I went out and had a small lunch before returning and hanging his laundry.
We joined Emmet, Philip, Cameron, Kiera, Jenny, and PJ and spent a few hours socializing, before leaving for the Haka Bar. I'd had my fill of alcohol for the last few days and went back home to work on computer projects instead of taking another bar-hopping trip.
Tuesday and Wednesday have been much the same as my other days at work so far. Catching the bus and a quick bite for breakfast before observing HF and TB classes and preparing for Thursday when I would pick up a Small Stars class of my own and truly start teaching. I've sat in a few of the Small Stars classes the last two days, on taught by Tom and the other by John. Small Stars is the youngest of the groups of students that EF teaches, ranging from four to six years old. The lessons are devoid of writing book-work apart from tracing letters and matching activities. Most of the activities are active and involve playing various games with flashcards and puppets. Most of the teachers I've spoken to fell that Small Stars is both the easiest and most difficult group to teach. The classwork is simple enough, but keeping the attention of hyperactive youngsters for an hour of activities is a challenge. Tom had me sit down and prepare a lesson plan well in advance, so I'm confident I will be able to organize the hour long group of activities, I just don't know how well the students will behave.
Monday morning, following Emmet's birthday celebrations, I slept in a bit, threw my laundry in the washer and made my way over to the Bookworm to send my weekly Skype message home. This will likely become my Monday morning ritual; coffee, breakfast, and Skype from the comfort of the Bookworm. When I arrived, I found that the power was out for repairs and as such the wireless signal was also down. It didn't take long to get back up and running and I was soon able to spend the next few hours calling home as well as touching base with Zak in New Zealand. It was on my way back to the apartment that the rain began to fall.
After about an hour or two, Lee finally woke up. The party had apparently ended the KTV Bar about twenty minutes after I left and moved to one of Chengdu's nightclubs. Lee became separated from the rest of the group, but nonetheless stayed out until around six in the morning. I hung my clothes out to dry while Lee ran his own laundry. We had received a call that some of the teachers from the night before were gathering at a local restaurant, Peter's Tex-Mex for lunch and more drinks. Lee wanted to run his laundry and hang it out to dry so it would be available for work the following day, so he and I went out and had a small lunch before returning and hanging his laundry.
We joined Emmet, Philip, Cameron, Kiera, Jenny, and PJ and spent a few hours socializing, before leaving for the Haka Bar. I'd had my fill of alcohol for the last few days and went back home to work on computer projects instead of taking another bar-hopping trip.
Tuesday and Wednesday have been much the same as my other days at work so far. Catching the bus and a quick bite for breakfast before observing HF and TB classes and preparing for Thursday when I would pick up a Small Stars class of my own and truly start teaching. I've sat in a few of the Small Stars classes the last two days, on taught by Tom and the other by John. Small Stars is the youngest of the groups of students that EF teaches, ranging from four to six years old. The lessons are devoid of writing book-work apart from tracing letters and matching activities. Most of the activities are active and involve playing various games with flashcards and puppets. Most of the teachers I've spoken to fell that Small Stars is both the easiest and most difficult group to teach. The classwork is simple enough, but keeping the attention of hyperactive youngsters for an hour of activities is a challenge. Tom had me sit down and prepare a lesson plan well in advance, so I'm confident I will be able to organize the hour long group of activities, I just don't know how well the students will behave.