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Friends, countrymen, students that have somehow found me on Google...
So completeth my first week of teaching. 32x45-minute classes, 640 students, 640 student names, 8 school meals, 3 hours at a police station, 2 boxes of chalk, 1 new SIM card and a metal scourer.
My first day was a nightmare but the rest of the week was tremendous. I'd read what I could of the course text book and had devised a 4-week teaching plan. The students were excellent. On Tuesdays I have 8 lessons of 'Debate' and I can see the lessons getting very interesting as the weeks progress and the students become better at forming spoken arguments.
There are headsets in the speaking classes that I'm going to learn to use on Monday and hopefully will then be able to have lessons on telephoning. I had a genius idea the other day for my 'News' class and their coursework. I'm going to get the language lab set up to record digitally (though nobody knows what I'm going on about at the college) and get the students in pairs to make a British news podcast! I know! I am good.
The students all have English names which are excellent! They can decide it themselves so they are the most beautiful, unheard-of English names you'll ever come across. Yesterday I very unprofessionally smiled all the way through the register. I said to one class that their homework was to have a good weekend and they told me that they finish at 8pm on Friday and have 2x2-hour lectures on Saturday and Sunday! If they thought that would make me ease up on the work-load they can think again!
I went to the local government offices in Huludao to get my Foreign Expert Certificate. I can now bring 5 family members into the country! Then I spent hours at the local Public Police Station having my photo and passport taken so that I can get a residency permit. Permit ends on 4 July so I'll have to go back for an L Tourist visa at some stage to let me stay beyond that.
Yesterday I was annihilated at ping-pong, roused enough support for a teacher's football game next week and met the faculty Dean. She told me that several students had told her that I was a great teacher and a gentleman! Even though I made up a whole day of lessons at the start of the week :o) Everybody is really keen to practise their English with me so I don't get much chance to speak Chinese during the day! That said, I have so far learned to say: 'The next one is my stop, please.'; 'I like to eat pork and rice.'; and, 'Please stop coming round with things for me just as I'm taking my trousers off and settling down for the night.' Wily landlady.
In other news: I am today going to the swimming baths; I really fancy a Chinese so will try and find a restaurant; I'm going to buy a football; and also find a cake shop. Last night I drank a bottle of wine from central China and it was rubbish.
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