First Week of Teaching!

The first week is over and I am happy. Happy to be back in the classroom, happy to learn new names and faces, happy to learn how to teach in a completely different environment. I teach 4 classes (2 hours each) of Oral English to sophomores. Each class has about 24-26 friendly and eager faces. The main objective for this class is to improve their speaking, so it's mostly a confidence course; giving them opportunities to speak, learn new vocabulary and new things about Western and American culture and conversational dynamics. So far this class is a lot of fun - they are willing to try new things, stand up in front of each other and open their mouths. Here is where my energy is an asset.

Right now I also have 2 classes (2 hours each) of Junior English Writing - each class has about 50 students, but we are working on splitting them up to four classes of 25 students each, in order for everyone to get more attention. Their writing is incredibly sophisticated and their interest in poetry and literature is contagious. They want to be able to use their English with a Western perspective. We will be discussing active versus indirect writing.

As for the campus, we have freshmen, sophomores and juniors - seniors live and go to the main campus in Lanzhou. There are soccer, basketball, badminton, ping pong fields and courts and a new indoor swimming pool that hasn't opened yet. Weekly they show movies - last week was Harry Potter and Mr. Bean and Blood Brothers. Outside the campus there are three streets full of restaurants, internet cafes, KTV (karaoke), photo shops, stationary kiosks, eyewear stores and sports clothing stores. In the evening the fruit sellers come out with their grapes, pears and apples.

Weather here is gorgeous - mid 40s in the morning and the evening and bright sunshine 70s in the day. It takes less than 10 minutes to get to class and the streets are filled with students and not cars or bikes - not many horns blowing, brakes squeaking - very quiet.

We also have office hours in the Volunteer's Office - which is also an English library that students can check out books, magazines, DVDs. I just had my first office hours last night. Basically its students coming in and practicing their asking questions - how old are you? What do you think of Chinese food? Have you watched Prison Break (that show is HUGE here)? Many students are getting comfortable with me so they're asking more questions. We were given many food lists in hanzi, pinyin and english. I have them go through them and check off the ones that they recommend. They also give me walking tours of the town and campus - best restaurants, copy places, etc.

Life here is good. It's still new and I'm still trying to find my groove. I lesson plan most of the time, sometimes to the determent of my sleep or leisure time, but that's understandable.

I was flirting with loneliness but it hightailed out of my sight when I received care packages from some righteous people back in the States. Thank you, ad nauseum. It sustains my energy, my resolve, my contentment quota.

More later. Time to plan.