Hurray for B&B! Butter & Bacon that is. So glad you finally got some of both - very important staples to get you through your daily performances. And of course, the coffee goes without saying. What do you do for creamer?
I knew.. I knew we were kindred spirits! I use a Melitta cone filter too. Everyone always asks me, What is that? Do you have something again coffee makers?" Yes, yes I do.
Teach On I am not surprised that your humor plays well in China (and that nobody gets it all)
Teaching aka Stand up non comedy every day can be gruelling -- how is it for you?
Think you can eventually parley your growing success into teaching Chinese in the big cities where there are more honkeys to hang out with?
Cool that you are comfortable with all Chinese food (except for your Skippy hoard). Do they have any foreign restaurants?
Enjoy the adventure, Greg
funny thing about introspection -- it requires some solitude, but when solitude turns to loneliness, it somehow doesn't work. My friend Barbara from Oakland wrote a poem about getting away from it all to write, and how a cat was her only companion for some long time, and the last line, which I love, is "Except for that cat, I was too lonely to write."
Prolly not ex-pats in that remote city, eh? Hang in there.
Probably not. Anyway, I am supposed to be visiting Jining this weekend, and it supposedly has a big store. My original plan was to "go with the flow", and that is working out fine. It makes for better stories!
Butter & Bacon Years ago when traveling the Yucatan, there was both canned Butter and Bacon from Denmark available all the
time thanks to nearby Free Trade Zone. Oh, also chocolate milk. If it still is made, would care packages
mailed to you, actually REACH you? What are the chances?
nescafe I drank those instant nescafe packets while in China too. You get used to them, but, maybe since you will be there for long time you might want to consider switching to tea? I know, I know...
Best Wishes Hi Joe, for what it is worth I have heard that dogs have no concept of time. When Maggie greets you when you come home it will be the same as if you had been gone for a day. Not sure where I heard that but......
Bill
yo joe hey joe its emily i want to go back to CA but i am in school so i cant:(well have fun and please respond
baccond is still that good and i still love butter Mr.Camp fusilitater!
iFarm Hey, Joe -
I downloaded an app on my iPad for the grandchildren with photos and sounds of animals. Go to iFarm.com, or to iTunes, and see if you can get it and, then, take your laptop to class. Thee are also other apps that you may find that would work in your classrooms.
Barry
The Flow Ha!! I love the pun in the title!
That said, in China you certainly need to go with the flow, although you have to be able to draw the line somewhere. For six months teaching I was very patient and easygoing--frankly, I don't think I have the right to show up to someone else's country and try to make them do things MY way. I also don"t like to be rude and angry towards others. But with that recent so-called "clusterfuck", I've found that being angry and aggressive also seems to have its merits. Maybe it's best to unleash this only for major events, only after you've repeatedly shown people you are willing to work with them.
Till that day, I'd have to say, Keep up the flexibility! Flexible people don't break. It's all an adventure, and you will never be bored by your schedule, that much is certain.
These are Junior High School kids, and yes, they are tall. I am in the north where people are almost as tall as I am. The Chinese that we grew up with are all from the south, where people are downright short.
This classroom is in our private school; it is not a public school. The public schools look just like Garfield.
Tall kids? Gee Joe, those kids look tall or is it an illusion? Interesting the way the students are backed up against a wall for their lessons. Is it because the room is long and not very wide? I have so many questions...
Hi Joe!
Wow! You jumped in to the teaching quickly! Did you take the TOEFL class?
I love the photos with you and the kids. Your photos brought me back to my teaching days in Italy.
I have a lot of good lesson plans if you need them.
XO
Laura
Confused middle-aged schlub, former hipster, goes to China in order to escape the US recession, teach good enunciation and eat mounds of pork dumplings.
Follow along as I embarrass myself in another language.
Parental caution advised.... full info
Global Drifter
Yanzi
Glad you found the RT Mart. It's pretty good, actually.