Colouring

---

Today has sure been busy! I wrote out every student's name to a) begin connecting names with faces, and b) to make sure I have the name of every student in the class. To say the very least, it was a hit! Colouring and taking pictures of the kids was definitely a plus. We reviewed the alphabet and I began teaching the alphabet song to the 3 year olds. I have to admit it is kind of frustrating, reinventing the wheel. Paul is really the main person who gives me advice and that is definitely a plus. So it's like I'm a marketing company and the class is a constant test group. Or I'm running in an election, and each class is a swing state. Some of the kids are quite fantastic though and some certainly know more than others. All of the kids have to stay with their age group, no matter their level. So the kids who are 4 who could possibly do quite well in 1st grade are limited to their age. One student has to be in the same class two years in a row because he was too young to move on.

Man are things complicated here. I am actually a year older in China, because the children here are considered 1 year old when they are born. So my 2/3/4 year old kindergarteners are actually 1/2/3 year olds!! CRAZY... Plus I have two birthdays here: my lunar birthday is 4/16/2010. Since in 2010, the lunar calendar begins in February, the second lunar month is in April.

We're trying to get a Chinese class set up here in the next week or so. I sure hope that works out! I'm trying so hard to immerse myself in the culture, but it can be discouraging when your students are confused because you, as a teacher, cannot understand their needs/communicate properly with them.

Anyways, after class I went to find the plant market with success. I purchased two new plants today, and I awkwardly transported them home via electric bike. Wow, that was difficult. Especially when one fell off and I had to catch it with my foot while I try and stop the scooter with my hand brakes. One is pretty big, between 3.5 - 4 feet tall. The other is just a simple, small, flowering bush (The small one fell off) and now my apartment feels even more homely. I tried a moon cake today. It tastes like a stale fig newton.

---