Candy and "Bread"

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Mmmmm, sugar. That is one of the many things that makes life sweet.

Today was overall an OK day, but it got off to a rocky start. But before I get to that, allow me to share 3 of the high points with you:
1. One of my year 9 students yelled at me across the room break time this morning, "Teacher! You are more beautiful than tomorrow, uh, yesterday!!" Really, how do you go wrong with that?

2. When I went to Jusco to buy my swirled buns, the cashier made the comment, in Chinese of course, to me that the buns, aren't they tasty? To which I was able to reply that I agreed. I'm not sure which of us was more excited about that.

3. I discovered, after wanting to hurl my molases slow computer across the room, that my rooftop garden offers a spectacular view of the stars. Well, spectacular by city standards. It's also amazing how quiet it is up there at night. In Minneapolis, midnight still had noise; here, you can here people opening doors or babies crying a few hundred meters away.

So both Monday night and Tuesday night I slept horribly. I couldn't fall asleep either night, and both following mornings I woke up before my alarm went off. I think both nights I managed to get about 3 and a half hours of sleep. I do not recommend this unless you are out having fun.
Last night, I was exhuasted (I couldn't nap, either), and went to bed at the mother-approved time of 10:30pm. I slept until 8am with no problems. It was wonderful.

On thursdays, class starts at 9:10am, and around 9am I am usually finishing up my last few drops of coffee and checking my bag to make sure I have everything before I run down the hall to class. At 9:01, my phone rang. It was one of my English teachers, informing me there has been a change in the timetable.... I finally managed to get out of her that class started at 9am. Starting today. Just as there was a knock on my door.
Another English teacher stood there with the new schedule in hand, my classes circled (I can't read it!). Now I had 2 teachers apologizing to me for not telling me sooner. All I want to do is get to class.
I find out later that the entire staff only got the schedule yesterday afternoon, when I was away at class. Welcome to now-ism.

I make it by 9:05, and am relieved to realize that not only am I in China, but I am at my school and not a different one--my students behave. All of them were in their desks, working quietly, while one student stood in the front of the room taking charge. No one is yelling, no one is screaming or running around the room. No one is throwing chalk or the eraser or whatever else they can find in their desks. I love these kids.

My second class had a snafu and were 10 mn late. So not only are my classes now shortened by 5 mn each (they added an extra period so students have 8 classes a day instead of 7), but now I'm down to 30 mn to get through a 45 minute lesson. A fun lesson. And then the teacher who kept them late (in a different room) came in and apologized to me, and then talked to them for 2 more minutes, and then apologized to me again. All with the help of a student, mind you. I could tell she was a little embarassed.

This week, as you are all aware, is Halloween. Halloween is my FAVORITE holiday. So I prepared a fantatstically fun lesson.

*First we talk about Halloween and go over vocab, complete with me acting out the parts of ghost, witch, and zombie. I even cackle like a witch and yell, "BOO!" at a kid, scaring the poo out of them each time--even when they can see me standing right there. I think they were afraid what I might do as a zombie because they always backed up when I came near them.

*Then I go over trick or treating, and we try it a few times.

*Then, I show part of the Charlie Brown Halloween special. They can see pumpkin carving and trick or treating in action. And even if their English isnt' good, they can still laugh at the visual comedy. Poor Charlie Brown, he always gets a rock while others get candy.

*After that, they "carve" jack-o-lanterns on paper with pencil. One class (where the TV wasn't working right) designed masks instead. (I figured that would take more time and it did.)

*Then we play Halloweeen hangman.

*And last, but not least, we go over trick or treating one more time. At the end of which I ask them, "Well, now what do I do?" to which they reply, cluelessly, "Give us treats!?" Oh, the excitement as their now favorite teacher pulls out a big bag filled with candy for all them!! Most of the kids just say thank you, a few ask for 2 pieces or want to trade flavors. Let's be honest, I had no idea what I was buying at the store, I just tried to get some big bags that were cheap and mixed in what I thought looked good. Yes, for a little over $15 I am ridiculously popular.
It turns out I bought too much candy and have decided to give a big pile to the guards with a note I tried to write in Chinese. I hope it is accurate enough that they will know I am giving it to all of them to share for Halloween. These guys let me in and out and in and out everyday. And each time they always have a smile and a wave for me. They're as sweet as the candy I'm giving them.

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Photos

Bags o' Candy
This is how much candy I think I need for 12 classes at 40-50 students each.

Monsterous "Bread"
It tastes more like cake, really.
Note the different textures.

Steamed Buns
All are filled with something good. The purple and brown both have some kind of sweet bean filling (as does a yellow variety they were out of), and the black one has a black seasame seed filling. All are addicting.

Comments

[photoman]

Myfeeling
read your blog just like watch the soap movie "Friends", funny and warm