Lack of blog entries is due to lack of events!! Everythings dying down here, so haven't had much to report! Today has been the first day I've done something other than teaching haha :)

I was rudely awoken at 6am by a MASSIVE thunderstorm taking place, but it was nice to lay all cosy whilst listening to the rain beating on my windows! Got up for my 9am class which was Oral English. Grand total of TWO students. Not my best turnout ever... Wasn't impressed. When it rains here, people don't like to travel much! Although to be fair, the weather was bloody awful this morning. The roads aren't the best, and constantly flood so the traffic is pretty bad.

Oral English was a bit of a disaster. I had two very weak students, so I set them the task of preparing a presentation for me, and said that they could use the internet for research. One of them, Alen - shot off and started to research Kobe Bryant, and I left him to it. The girl that was there however, didn't seem to understand anything that I said - and poor Alen had to translate everything that I was saying... which was quite difficult for him! The lesson ended with me being very impressed with Alen, who'd come leaps and bounds - but the girl hadn't spoken a word of English, and didn't seem to want to either. She wouldn't even copy me reading the English. It was very frustrating. Apparently she was just there to catch up on classes... but I'm shocked someone here at the school thought she was capable enough for Oral English.

After that I was freee for the day, and the rain had stopped - even the sun was out! So Paul and I FINALLY went to Jinan Zoo! We were really excited, even though we knew there was no panda :( Boo. It was a bittersweet trip though, it was great to be at a zoo, and we were really excited when we arrived. But some of the animals were in less-than-desirable conditions. Especially the poor hippos and giraffes. Filthy horrible standing water for the hippo, and a boxed room that was FAR too small for the giraffes. The elephant enclosure was the same. It was frustrating to see, because the zoo owns so much land, there was so much green open space that could've been used for the animals... but it was wasted. But I suppose thinking about it, we shouldn't have been surprised. China is a very different country after all.

We were only there for a couple of hours, so we came back to the office (as I'm actually on placement test duty 4-6) and we've just been st here. The thunderstorms are back with a vengence now though! I have NEVER seen such storms. It was pitch black a while ago, and it was 4pm. Crazy. Car alarms keep going off too, and I've never seen such heavy rain! The roads are all flooded too, that's the problem with Jinan being in a basin..! Extreme weather.

Now I'm just waiting untill 6pm, then I'm going to go/swim home! I don't have any classes untill 6pm tomorrow, and I only have Placement Test again at 4pm, so a nice easy day :) Then it's my last teaching weekend here...! That, is crazy-mad. And really sad :(

OH that reminds me!! When Paul and I came back into the school from the zoo, we were called over to reception by Mandy. She handed us both envelopes and we exchanged puzzled looks. She explained that our mutual Oral English student, Betty (who had left our classes 2 weeks previous, and we'd lent her some books in English each) had left them for us. I was so surprised! She's SUCH a smart girl, her English is brilliant. Mandy explained that she'd come in earlier and wanted to give us things before we left :) I opened the envelope and she'd written me a letter (in fab English..!) and had given me a notebook :) She explained that the message on the front of notebook said that I was a master of karate kung-fu! Haha. Aww it was so sweet of her, I can't wait to show you guys.... she's brilliant.

*sigh* Ahh man, it's going to be VERY hard to leave this place. Poops. Best make the most outta these last days then :D