Life post-employment has been interesting… as far as an ego boost goes it’s been really encouraging to receive phone calls and messages from students who sadly express their disappointment over my departure. One girl who had just returned from her vacation, was informed of my departure and called me immediately to find out how I was doing and to tell me how much she missed me. My students are very sweet and will be greatly grieved by me. They truly were a spectacular bunch of individuals. During Christi's stay a couple students were determined to introduce us to various cuisine and treated us to some evenings out. The first student and his wife took both Christi and I out for dinner to experience the tastiness of Sichuan delicacies. It was an extraordinary feast with amazing spices ... read more

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 ... read more

Truly China is the land of opportunity... and random chances. During yesterday's last class my teaching manager entered the room to request that I meet with him during the break we have between the first and last half of the 2 hour teaching session. A completely harmless request, but with the frightening working conditions of this company I couldn't help feeling slightly uneasy over the impending meeting, and I spent some minutes wracking my brain to try and remember any indiscretion I had commited recently. (They change their minds constantly over proper decorum). I couldn't recall anything incriminating, and attempted to let the matter go in my mind and concentrate on the task at hand - discussing various degrees of drunkeness with my students (the things they wish to learn!) Eventually the break arrived and I ... read more

That the is cry and literal postering of Beijing. Everywhere you look you see "out with the old and in with the new"... everything is about immediate change with no thought and absolute disregard for the future and its consequences. This attitude effects everything... buildings, lifestyles, business, etc. My head is spinning. As many of you now know my company has restructured. Oh! But I have one and a half months left in my contract, so how can it change you might ask. Well, I asked this as well, and the reply I received was a blank stare and "This is China" response. (Of course). Haha, why did I even bother? So everyone now has been demoted to a part time position, which means I now work 10 hours a week and earn 4800/month. Ahhhhhhh!!! Overall, ... read more

I was dripping with sweat in the subway today. It's a terrible feeling to be squished in that cramped space, armed with bulky backpack and computer, hair plastered to your forehead, and trickles of sweat tickling you as they crawl down your spine. Blaaaahhhhhh. Showering is rendered useless as you feel disgusting within three minutes of stepping outside. There are certain streets in particular that seem to just suck in the heat to blast you with as you trudge through. I miss swimming. The building complex I'm in has a giant "sprinkler-style" fountain in the courtyard... I am seriously considering running through it on my way back, but perhaps that would be a poor example to the many children in the area. The fact that I've never seen a pack of kids race through makes me ... read more