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Published: September 29th 2009
Downtown Jiujiang
What would Mao say?Good news! I've been assigned my teaching schedule, to begin on October 9th, after the holidays. Furthermore, in a fortuidous instance of Socialism with Chinese Charactaristics, I will be paid tomorrow for all the sleeping I've been doing.
A few days ago Ben and I did some pro bono work in the English class of his co-teacher. We had about fifty minutes to prepare. We talked about the differences between the English and American education systems. Then we were told to assign the students English names. I had a good time naming the (mostly female) leaners after my friends and family, with a few creative additions. One particuarly small girl will now be known as "Minnie", and some poor lass in the back of the class is "Apple". At the end of our lesson, Ben asked the class which accent was easier to understand, English or American. The eight or so students who replied simultaneously all said "American". Victory!
Helping teach the lesson was the most fun I've had in China so far, which is saying a lot. I'm very much looking forward to the ninth, although by no means will I complain about getting paid for merely gracing
Fire!
Ongoing landscapping at the University. this campus with my presence!
Speaking of the campus, I can give a quick virtual tour. There are two gates, the "Main Gate", which is only about a year old, and which virtually no one uses. Then there is the ever-busy "second gate". There are 32 dorm buildings spread about the verdant campus. Lots of teaching buildings, some apartments for teachers and staff, and a new park that is (like the main gate) only one year old. Looks like I got here at a good time! Along a main walkway are the statues of many famous educational figures, along with famous quotes in Chinese and English. Most of the statues depict
Zhonggouren , but there are a few
waigouren such as Neihls Bohr and Rene Descartes.
Lots of the male students play basketball for several hours a day. I might challenge them to a game sometime, looks like they are mostly at about my level of skill.
There was a show last night for National Day in the school auditorium. Lost of singing and dancing, including a song about Mao. I got to sit in the third row, a few seats down from the
bigwigs, including the college president, to whom I have already complimented his photography skills. At one point he excused himself to get up on stage to play the
er hu . Now I have something else to compliment him on next time I see him.
My buddy Mike came down from Beijing to visit. Good thing too, seeing as I am rather free for the next week and a half. I showed him around the campus yesterday and the city today. Dowtown is crowded right now with holiday shoppers and revelers. Lots of old men playing Go and Chinese chess, or women playing Ma-jong in Jiujiang's beautiful parks. Also, there are couples dancing, and groups of dueling karaoke singers, no to mention a man with monkeys, all competing for space in the same public areas.
Jiujiang is blessed with many rivers and lakes. Today we saw an aquatic foods market, including frogs in bags and crayfish in buckets.
Tomorrow we plan to travel into the countryside to see the sites. I will keep my loyal readers posted on continuing developments.
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alfred e. O'Brien
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Beauty
Bren--sounds as though have found a true to life garden of contentment. love,grandpal Al.