First Week of School

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Pete and I started to teach Senior 1(Sophomores) on Monday, August 31st. It was one day before our contract started 9/1/09 but we were asked by the school to start since that is when classes began. We spoke with our coordinator, Gwyn from CTLC, she advised it would be smart to start in order to have a good relationship and then used that for bargaining power later in the year.

We caught the free school bus at 7:25 after receiving a text message from our contact teacher, Wilson, at 6:45am that on Monday's the bus comes 5 minutes earlier. We got to school around 7:45 to find out Pete's first class was at 11am and my only class of the day was at 2pm. GOTTA LOVE "Nowism". We then went back home to relax before going back to school to teach our classes.

Now that we are done with day 3 of classes we have enjoyed the students and haven't really had any student horror stories. Our school has the best performing students in the area and I think this helps us with their behavior.

During our classes we did introductions to get to know our students and for them to get to know us as American's. Today one of my female students asked me "Why are you so beautiful?" I thought it was very kind but was blown away and told her that my parents made a beautiful child, I guess.

They are so eager to learn and majority of them have not had a foreign teacher before. Their ages range from 14-17 all in the same class of Senior 1. Some have siblings and some don't, majority of them have never been outside of China and majority of them don't have English names. Their homework for next week's class is to have an English name so we can make Name Cards. Classes only meet once a week for our class so we teach the same lesson 10 times during the week then have a new lesson each week.

Our school has not been the greatest with our accomodations but things are starting to look up after battling them for 11 days to fix things in our place. I mean really why would you want a natural gas exhaust fan blowing from your bathroom hot water heater into the kitchen where the hot plate is with open flame to cook? I told the administration head contact for us at our school that I believe they would rather have us teach at the school all year instead of having a natural gas explosion in our apartment. He thought I was a pushover, but found out he can't pull crap on me either.

We will have many more interesting stories I am sure over the next 10 months. It has been an adventure so far and can be very tiring at times but we will look back at this period in our lives and be greatful.

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Photos

Contract Signing Ceremony
The schools gave us all beautiful flowers

Long Cheng City Centre Square
Pete and our contact teacher Wilson. He is 24 years old and a 2nd year teacher. He teaches English Grammar to juniors(Senior 2)

Long Cheng Senior High School
this is where we teach all 3000 students live on campus and there are over 200 teachers

Window to the World amusement park
Indoor Ski slope

Kareoke in China
This is called KTV and it was a blast to blow off some China Nowism frustration

Comments

[Mom]

nice job
Dad and I certainly enjoyed your blog this morning!!! Nice JOB!!! They must have fixed your phone line in the apartment for you to have internet at home!!! YAH!!!! Well I had to work 7 hours yeaterday at Father's to get the budget done for the year!!! Stu Richter has been on the Finance Council at Church for 7 years and the Bishop has a rule no more that 6....so Fr. had to tell Stu he was no longer on the Finance Co.....so Fr and I did the budget!!!! Stu has done it all along!!! A couple calls to the diocesan office and we did fine!!! Who knows if I will remember all next year at this time!!!!Off ot Curves and the Credit Union this morning!!!!! LOVE,MOM

[Carissa]

Fun!
I loved the blog! Keep them up. I'm glad everything is going well. I love hearing your stories. : )

[amikowell]

i am
for traverlling infor