This weekend I was scheduled to observe classes at one of the other branches of EF Chengdu in a district known as Shawan. Tom gave me the phone number of Jackie, a petite, blond girl from Scotland who lives in my complex and teaches at the Shawan branch. We arranged to meet early in the morning at the main entrance to catch the proper bus to that area of town. Jackie's flat-mate is another British girl, Ellie and after we introduced ourselves we boarded the bus and went on our way.
It's a much longer commute to the Shawan school from Singapore Gardens apartments than it is to the Yopindo branch. The bus is also much more crowded. However, there are several interesting sights on the way to the Shawan school, including a cruise ship on the shore of the river that has been dry-docked and converted into shops and restaurants. Also, and perhaps even more bizarre is a condemned brothel fashioned after a Roman bathhouse.
It's a much longer commute to the Shawan school from Singapore Gardens apartments than it is to the Yopindo branch. The bus is also much more crowded. However, there are several interesting sights on the way to the Shawan school, including a cruise ship on the shore of the river that has been dry-docked and converted into shops and restaurants. Also, and perhaps even more bizarre is a condemned brothel fashioned after a Roman bathhouse.
The Shawan school is older than the Yopindo branch and has more teachers, ergo it is much busier that the other schools especially now that the summer season is in full swing. The teachers at Shawan include Adam (a fellow American), Matt (British), Emmet (the Irish chap I had met on our last bar trip), and Niel (hailing from Wales). During the last two days I sat in with Adam, Emmet, and neil for their various courses ranging between the Small stars (lowest level) and "Real English" classes (the highest level)
The Real English class was much less like traditional school work and more like conversational exercise. The one student in the class is an 18 year old girl who has a very decent grasp of the language and grammar. During the class I learned that she wishes to travel to America and study in a university there. She was most interested in taking courses in Chicago and learning more about America. She was surprised to hear my perspective on the US, i.e. that we as a country like to think ourselves superior to everyone else in the world and that I tend to disagree with that rather narcissistic mentality. And despite the fact that politics is considered a slightly taboo subject, we discussed a bit about Obama and the case of Edward Snowden, both of which she seemed very interested in.
Once I have gained a few years of experience teaching the children at EF I would be interested in seeking a job in one of China's larger schools and potentially working with older students who have more experience with the language and are dedicated to improving their abilities. Tom described EF as being the "Prada" of English schools in China, and that parents will often enroll their (sometimes unwilling) children into EF for the credentials they feel it offers.
On Sunday night the school held the welcome dinner for Lee and I at a restaurant close by the apartment complex. (Across the street from the Carrefour.) Karl, my initial contact with EF Chengdu, who interviewed me for the position, recently returned from a trip back to Ireland and was in attendance for the dinner as well as Tom, Aria, and a few of the other assistants from the school. The birthday dinner for Emmet was also scheduled for Sunday night, so once we had finished with our dinner, Tom brought Karl back to his home while Lee and I made our way back to the apartment to drop of our school things.
I caught a cab ride with a pair of South African English teachers who work for one of the other (non EF) schools here in Chengdu, Nix and Maria.
We arrived at the tail end of Emmet's birthday dinner, and while Lee and I were already full we started sharing drinks with the party. Along with China's local beers there is a rice gin known as Bijo (Emmet's favorite spirit) that went around the tables. We spent around two hours socializing at the restaurant before we departed for the night's next event; karaoke at one of Chengdu's many "KTV bars".
The Real English class was much less like traditional school work and more like conversational exercise. The one student in the class is an 18 year old girl who has a very decent grasp of the language and grammar. During the class I learned that she wishes to travel to America and study in a university there. She was most interested in taking courses in Chicago and learning more about America. She was surprised to hear my perspective on the US, i.e. that we as a country like to think ourselves superior to everyone else in the world and that I tend to disagree with that rather narcissistic mentality. And despite the fact that politics is considered a slightly taboo subject, we discussed a bit about Obama and the case of Edward Snowden, both of which she seemed very interested in.
Once I have gained a few years of experience teaching the children at EF I would be interested in seeking a job in one of China's larger schools and potentially working with older students who have more experience with the language and are dedicated to improving their abilities. Tom described EF as being the "Prada" of English schools in China, and that parents will often enroll their (sometimes unwilling) children into EF for the credentials they feel it offers.
On Sunday night the school held the welcome dinner for Lee and I at a restaurant close by the apartment complex. (Across the street from the Carrefour.) Karl, my initial contact with EF Chengdu, who interviewed me for the position, recently returned from a trip back to Ireland and was in attendance for the dinner as well as Tom, Aria, and a few of the other assistants from the school. The birthday dinner for Emmet was also scheduled for Sunday night, so once we had finished with our dinner, Tom brought Karl back to his home while Lee and I made our way back to the apartment to drop of our school things.
I caught a cab ride with a pair of South African English teachers who work for one of the other (non EF) schools here in Chengdu, Nix and Maria.
We arrived at the tail end of Emmet's birthday dinner, and while Lee and I were already full we started sharing drinks with the party. Along with China's local beers there is a rice gin known as Bijo (Emmet's favorite spirit) that went around the tables. We spent around two hours socializing at the restaurant before we departed for the night's next event; karaoke at one of Chengdu's many "KTV bars".
The KTV bar was several blocks away from the restaurant and once we paid for the dinner and drinks we all stumbled over to the plaza where the bar was located. The KTV bar was a truly wild place, with neon lights, laser disco balls, giant plastic unicorns, and psychedelic murals portraying fairies, elves, witches, and dominatrices. The gaudy nature of the decor is hard to describe so I'll let the pictures do the talking...
Rather than a large bar with a stage for karaoke, the KTV bar is segregated into smaller sound-proofed rooms with large lounge benches. Beer and snacks are provided for the 50 RMB (less than $10 cover charge). It was certainly entertaining, Martha is actually a very accomplished singer who apparently does gigs around the city in addition to her teaching position. Unfortunately, the tinnitus in my ear made the extremely noisy environment rather uncomfortable and the resulting headache forced me to turn in earlier than the rest of the party.
Despite the communication barrier, I was able to guide the cab driver back to the apartments, using his map and a few pictures of street signs and my apartment. After some taking some ibuprofen for my headache I was able to get to sleep.
Rather than a large bar with a stage for karaoke, the KTV bar is segregated into smaller sound-proofed rooms with large lounge benches. Beer and snacks are provided for the 50 RMB (less than $10 cover charge). It was certainly entertaining, Martha is actually a very accomplished singer who apparently does gigs around the city in addition to her teaching position. Unfortunately, the tinnitus in my ear made the extremely noisy environment rather uncomfortable and the resulting headache forced me to turn in earlier than the rest of the party.
Despite the communication barrier, I was able to guide the cab driver back to the apartments, using his map and a few pictures of street signs and my apartment. After some taking some ibuprofen for my headache I was able to get to sleep.