A Satisfying Swim!

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I taught a grand class on Friday! The school policy now requires us to follow a truly stupid teaching manual that I (and all the students) loath and despise. My whole philosophy had been to find topics of general interest or cultural interest and then during the discussions teach vocabulary and correct grammar and phrasing. Being that the majority of our students are adults, to have to discuss the completely inane topics that the manual presents has been a source of irritation, as we do not sell "courses", merely hours. Thus, my boss' reasoning that following the manual promotes recognized and patterned growth totally misses the mark, as the students only attend when their schedules permit, and we have people coming and going as their hours are bought and then finish. I tend to disregard this ruling as much as possible in the interest of the students boredom, and instead stick to my original teaching methods, with about 15 minutes focused on the book's lesson, so we can at least SAY that we did "follow" the text. Luckily, Fridays are relaxed days that we are to spend as we please with the students, and I ended up having a talk on culture. My evening class is a group of very intelligent and inquisitive minds, so it was good fun to discuss their culture, cultural differences, and explain "stereotypes". We debated why stereotypes exist, how globalization was affecting the world, and if eventually the entire planet would transform into a giant melting pot. They always enjoy asking me questions and hearing my explanations as to why I think and feel the way I do. We were all quite engaged with our topic and had many rousing debates over the subject. I love witnessing and expressing passion, and am always so excited when my class provides "passion-fruit" (har de har har). My biggest compliment was, at the end of class, one lady approached me to say that she was so glad to be taking my class as she felt that it really challenged her on a personal and educational level. I was humbled and grateful for her compliments, as I feel that I always learn far more from my students than I teach them.

This morning the weather finally shifted! Gone is the hazy cloud that has blinded the city and today we were finally blessed with a blue sky! Bliss! Joy! Rapture! Emily and I in a fit of glee, packed our bags and rushed out of the apartment on a quest to find the city's one outdoor swimming pool! While we were racing through our apartment grounds we noticed that the fountain was turned on and decided to sprint through it... wet tiles and slippery flip flops of course caused me to immediately (and ungracefully) bail in full sight of all our shocked neighbors, but I quickly leaped up, did a little fountain jig, and rushed out again - accompanied by Emily's mocking laughter (she is a cruel girl). My wounds were minor scratches and a random cut on the top of my foot which made no sense as I did not fall on it, but managed to bleed there. However, I was not about to be upset by some embarrassing spill, as the greater goal of finally SWIMMING was so near. We spent a blissful three hours splashing around and soaking in the sun. It felt like a proper summer afternoon! We were in the grown-up side of the pool, which even there wasn't deeper than five feet, as most Beijingers do not swim with ease or skill; though they have all the gear! Bathing caps, goggles, spandex, and plugs of various uses abounded everywhere... but few strokes to be seen. The pool was divided into lanes, but that, like any typical Beijing traffic, did little to effect the flow of people. I think they must close their eyes when they are underwater (goggles or not) as we were bumped repeatedly... even in the uncrowded areas! Nothing would dampen our spirits - I even got over my distaste for chlorine, and I honestly cannot describe the joy I experienced to be able to spend time outdoors and feel REFRESHED!!!! Amazing! I was able to spend enough time in direct sunlight to even get a tan! What a worthy day.

P.S. I nearly forgot!!!! I met another Vancouverite on Friday night, when I was sitting outside... he is working for the Canadian government here and somehow we were discussing life "back home" and I think I was talking about the work I used to do and Keats came up... he had also been involved in many similar summer programs and we both spent a happy hour or so just discussing the camp, island, rival camps, and other such tales. It was surreal to be having this discussion and we were both so amazed at how small the world truly is. Haha. Its was great though. I was thrilled.

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Comments

[Christi]

Im glad you got to go swimming that sounds like so much fun. Good for you for making the work your own, it sounds like your making a sweet difference in the peoples lives. Thats funny about the guy working for the Canadian government! Im going up to camp I'll say hi to your deckhands for you! Cant wait to see you, I hope you get more clearer weather!