An earned unproductive afternoon...

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See the picture? Need I say more?
Oh. Okay. Just for you.

So now I have my new visa. Usually as a tourist you get a single entry visa. You can enter the country only once.
If you live here and work here, you may want to leave to go on vacation or something. So in order to get back on the mainland, you need a visa. Even to go to Hong Kong and return I need one. Hence the multiple entries.

Today at lunch I was informed that I dont' have class in the afternoon. They're testing. And same goes for tomorrow.
How badly did I want to run to HK?
But I didn't. Only because I had no idea how to get there (well, the fastest way), I had no one to go with, and no idea what I would do when I got there.
Minor details.

But I did open a bank account. It was much faster than opening an acct at an American bank. I think I wrote out 3 things (name, address, sign here) and entered in my PIN 4 times. That's it.
My debit card is blue and has a map of the world. It doesn't say my name on it or have a number to call if I have problems. But it's a huge relief to get rid of the cash I got yesterday as my paycheck. One month's pay. Granted, it's not actually a lot in terms of dollars, but I would be screwed if something happened. And since I'm going to the land of Crouching Tiger Flying Monkey in 3 days....

And I was planning to study Chinese all afternoon with my new found freetime. But I was tired, and it was hot....

I had one of my worst classes ever. The honeymoon is over, as Roy put it.
See, the stuff that teachers can get away with over here is amazing. I've heard stories of desks dumped, thrown, things tossed out of windows, students dragged by their ears... and yes, this is totally OK.
I'll give you a moment to recover.
So I have one student in this class who doesn't always pay attention. His book is open (even to the right page) which is more than you can say for some of the goody students. But then, how often did I do other class work in high school? Can you say cell drawings in English class?
So I usually don't care too much so long as it's not disruptive. Well, today, he was. And he wasn't paying attention. So I made him keep standing (students stand to answer questions or give answers) until he had the answer. (This was fill in the blank. His options were "should" or "shouldn't") So after the rest of the class had completed the activity and he was still pretending to be Kobe with his water bottle and not looking at his book I was less than pleased. But calm.
Then he spit at a student.
"Alright, stand against the wall, away from the desk, no talking!"
He kept turning around, and at one point kicked the chair of the kid who sits next to him this week.
After a while, he got bored with trying to make a scene in the back of the room and stood there bored and unmoving. I let him sit down.
So then I was asking another student for an answer and he very loudly yelled out, "F YOU!" (except he used the full word) and another student echoed him, no clue who. I told him that was not acceptable language in class and if it happened again he would talk to the head teacher. (which is tantamount to being sent to the principal's office).
He just talked to the kid next to him the rest of the time.

So I talked to Roy about how to handle this best. I have no idea who their class teacher is (teachers move, students don't. The class teacher is the main teacher for the class). So, according to Roy, there's one student in charge and if something like this happens they are supposed to report it to the class teacher or apologize to me. And then the class teacher will find me and say something. This is not the same as the class moniter, who records letter grades and notes for the class period and we sign it. He couldn't figure out why I wouldn't sign all A's. Duh.
So Roy and I sit through lunch, see the teacher show up, she never comes over, so we go search for an interpreter and the head teacher (who I had dinner with on Sunday, so she likes me). I explained what happened and they said they'd take care of it.
Now, what's supposed to happen is they call the student out of class, haul him into the head teacher's office, and then wait for the parents to show up. (insert Dragnet music) Then the parents are in charge of dishing out the punishment, which I've been told is worse than anything we could do.
Think of it, your only kid screws up at school and you have to come in for a meeting? It's brought shame and embarassment. Keep this up and you'll be working in the guard house!

I have no idea what actually happened. But it's on record should there be any more problems.
I dont' see the kid for 2 weeks.
Ahh, vacation!

In good news, after my dinner plans fizzled (by a friend who was tired and not in the mood to figure out the bus system), Carrie invited me to her home for dinner. Since her husband would not be there, and her mom was already cooking, my coming would be great!
So we hopped on her motorized bike and zipped around the streets at 20 mph or so. I felt so Chinese!

Her son greeted me in English (he's 8). Her mom looked thrilled to see me and swapped the sandals she was wearing with a different pair so I could have the nicer ones. Too bad the ones she gave me don't fit!
The food was fantastic. Simple and soooo good. We had lotus root (becoming a new favorite) with hot spices, scrambeld eggs with green onions, a pork dish that I obviously didn't eat, and firm tofu sauteed in oyster sauce with ginger and green onions. Oh, it was sooo good. Her mom told me that if I ever want food, just to come over and she will cook for me. Carrie says she will be my Chinese mom. I think that's funny and sweet. Yes, I hug this woman every time I leave.

After dinner, Carrie and I took the bus down to Shekou and had beers and just chattted. I told her about Oktoberfest. She wanted to know more about life in the US. Like how much a teacher makes... and then why it was so much compared to China.
Then I explained how much everything else costs. Like the shirt I was wearing. I got it on sale, but orignally it had been 25 Yuan, or $4ish. In the US, minimum $8, more like $12-15. Housing, here a 2 bedroom the same size as my Uptown apt is 2000Y. I paid $700, and I'm sure it's more now. She wondered why I didn't just buy a house with rent so high. Yeah, I explained that too, with prices from small town Wisconsin to LA, and how expensive a mortgage really is. She nearly fell out of her chair.

Then we took the bus home. I stopped at Carrefour to pick up yogurt and juice.
What happened next made my stomach drop.
As I was walking up to pay, the music in the store changed. Then I heard it outside over the loudspeakers.
That's right.
Kenny G.

It was time to go home and avoid my homework some more. Which I have done most successfully!

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Photos

Me to Hong Kong
I'm the yellow dot. Hong Kong is the mass in the lower right.
So close, yet so far away!