ahhh, just wait! So I had one class today and it went well. I figured out that if you talk softly, they quiet themselves and it saves my voice. One point for me. So first I slept in, then I had one class, free lunch, and then I took a nap. Oh, but I shopped too. Shopping seemed easier last night with Bart. But I fared pretty well. I got a bunch of kids books, some too advanced for now, but who knows if I'll be able to find them when it's not the start of the school year or if they'll be on sale then. So the cashier lady was really nice and apparently if you spend so much money or buy so many books (still nto sure which) they give you a 10 Yuan ... read more

I still can't believe how beautiful it is here! ... read more

So, in short, my internet is down and I'm using my contact teacher's. So no pics. Onward. The contract signing ceremony went well yesterday. It was pretty hysterical to see 114 teachers (us) flanked by 2 people each, and everyone had a bouquet of flowers that would make your head spin. Seriously, if you hold the bottom down by your waist, they still cover your face. I thought I had a vase in mine. Nope. The flowers are just that heavy. The celebration banquet served us 12 courses. I ate most of them, with Anthony refilling my bowl constantly. They dont' seem put off by the fact that I don't eat beef or pork. Whew! My new principal is Iris, and my contact teacher Anthony. Both are really nice people who speak excellent English. I also ... read more

howdy! This am, at 7 o'clock bright and early, we met, stood around for 30 mn, and then all went to the hospital for exams. Yes, all 120 of us. We had our eyes and ears checked, EKGs, ultrasounds, x-rays, blood work (after which we could finally eat), pee in a cup and carry it to a tray, blood pressure all checked. The Chinese are excellent at moving crowds along--we were done and gone by 1045. (Well, my group. Some took a bit longer. But that's because groups of Chinese started showing up later on, making the lines longer.) Had our police interviews this afternoon. They seemed to harass anyone of Asian descent. At least that's the way the stories are coming back. I was asked one question for my entire interview: How long do you ... read more

It’s been a busy past few days to saw the least. I’ve barely had time to email much less blog. And when I did, the pictures just wouldn’t upload. So here I am finally. We’re finishing up in Zhuhai now. I’ve already had my Chinese test, and Monday I had my teaching presentation. It went alright. We’re supposed to act up like real kids do (we’ve had a bit of fun doing that since as kids, none of us ever did that—we were always the goody two shoes studious ones). We accidentally broke the chandelier twice, just to give you an idea. And we had people hiding under desks, stealing the teacher’s stuff, talking on phones, writing inappropriate pictures on the board, lots of note passing, even a fight. Hilarious. Even the critiquers were in on ... read more