OK, so I have a great idea and am finally putting in to action. First, I should have a part-time tutoring job teaching one, young child English one or two days a week for just one hour per session for 200 RMB, almost $30 per hour. That's great.
Now to the great idea. While at EF in Dongguan, we always talked about advertising an hour where Chinese people could come, relax and have conversation with all the teachers for the low, low price of 100 RMB. This is very cheap in comparison with what the schools charge. I've printed up fliers and I'm going to put them up at our school and try to get them up in our apartment complex and the other teachers' apartments. I'm going to call it Shenzhen English Hour.
The second great idea is that Vivi and I are going to call some nearby companies and see if they'd like to have what we called Life Club. It's where one foreign teacher comes in for an hour, once a week to just have a discussion about a predetermined topic. Companies pay a lot for this service. First I'm going to call the EF that's down the street and find out how much they charge, then I'll just charge a little less. I'm not sure if this will go well or not but it's worth a shot.
I believe one of these ideas should work and all the teachers at the school want in on it because they think it's a good idea, too. This could be great extra income if it all works out. I'll be sure to keep you informed of how it's going.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Saturday Lunch
Yesterday, Saturday lunch time, Vivi and I went to find a traditional breakfast tea house. I love these places because they serve dim sum, like dumplings and things that are similar to that, I love those restuarants. I'll post pictures of the food there when we find a place that serves it.
Anyways, we went to where my school is because that area has a lot of traditional restaurants. We walked around for a while and eventually just decided to make our way to Woman's Street, just the big shopping district in town. They have a ton of great street food there. All I really wanted was some jiao zi (dumplings). There are these little restaurants all over China that serve jiao zi very, very cheap. I love these places, too. Luckily, we found one on our way to Woman's Street and stopped to eat lunch there. These restaurants are Fujian style, a province in China. One thing that makes the jiao zi so great is that they have a peanut sauce that's amazing but the hot sauce they make is by far the best in China. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it now.
After we ate, I asked Vivi to find out if they made the hot sauce or they buy it. Well, of course, they made it there. Vivi asked if she could have a bottle and they said no way. Then Vivi told them that I was an American and loved their hot sauce and that I really wanted a bottle to take back to America with me. This made them proud and they said ok. They deffinitely overcharged us for it but I was willing to pay their asking price. Now, we have a lovely bottle or amazing hot sauce at the apartment.
Vivi hates that the people who own restaurants in China won't tell Chinese people their secrets or ingredients and will never sell them special sauces; BUT, if she points to me and says the American loves it and wants to know or wants some to take home, they all become very proud and say of course. Sometimes it's a great thing to be an American in China.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Things...
Everything has been great with me and Vivi so far. She currently doesn't have a job but has sent out dozens of emails to employers and is waiting for replies.
We go to the local fresh food market three times a week to buy food, it's great and it's really, really cheap. We buy enough food for 3 dinners and it's about 35 RMB, roughly $5. She's a great cook and I eat at least 4 servings of vegetables every night and just a little meat and of course fruit later in the evening, great. They have a better variety of green vegetables and a vegetable that is lotus root, amazing. I've got Vivi hooked on peanut butter and jelly, especially peanut butter. Vivi's been eating so well that she now has to unbutton her pants after some meals, it's really cute.
I clean the dishes some nights and help with chores around the house but she still does more than I do and won't let me help as much as I offer, honestly. I know what my Mom and my sisters are thinking, but it's true.
We've been living on a tight budget because we have just enough cash to get through the next 5 weeks, until I get paid at the end of March. Why the end of March? Because my February paycheck will go to the rent, utilities and management fees. They require 2 month's deposit and I only had enough for 1 month's rent and 1 month's deposit so this month we have to pay that again. I thought it might be a little difficult but it looks like we'll easily get by and have extra money to spend on some nicer things for the apartment, make it more like home.
We go to the local fresh food market three times a week to buy food, it's great and it's really, really cheap. We buy enough food for 3 dinners and it's about 35 RMB, roughly $5. She's a great cook and I eat at least 4 servings of vegetables every night and just a little meat and of course fruit later in the evening, great. They have a better variety of green vegetables and a vegetable that is lotus root, amazing. I've got Vivi hooked on peanut butter and jelly, especially peanut butter. Vivi's been eating so well that she now has to unbutton her pants after some meals, it's really cute.
I clean the dishes some nights and help with chores around the house but she still does more than I do and won't let me help as much as I offer, honestly. I know what my Mom and my sisters are thinking, but it's true.
We've been living on a tight budget because we have just enough cash to get through the next 5 weeks, until I get paid at the end of March. Why the end of March? Because my February paycheck will go to the rent, utilities and management fees. They require 2 month's deposit and I only had enough for 1 month's rent and 1 month's deposit so this month we have to pay that again. I thought it might be a little difficult but it looks like we'll easily get by and have extra money to spend on some nicer things for the apartment, make it more like home.
Today's Big Scare
Today at school, the head Chinese teacher, Simon, came in to my classroom at 9:05 and said, "Nick, come find me on the third floor at 9:15." I went upstairs and found him sitting with 3 other foreign teachers on the roof hanging out. I was a little confused so asked what was going and they began to explain it to me.
The school was notified that the government department over education was coming to visit our kindergarten today. The problem wasn't the teachers but the fact that the school only paid the government based on having 3 international classes, not the 8 that they have. The problem with this is that they have to pay a lot of money for each international class they have. So they decided to hide a couple of us on the roof while the maintenance people went around and took the name plates off the classrooms and everything else that said international on it.
We hung out on the roof until lunch time because they never came...surprise, surprise. They were supposed to be there at 10:00 but we were told they were held up at another school before ours so instead of working late, they called it a day. That's the way it seems to work.
Needless to say, this Friday was an extremely easy day. Great Friday. I got to know all of the teachers who have been there longer than me so it was nice. There is one from Canada, India, Australia and South Africa. I'm one of the three new teachers; one's from Denmark (but went to high school in England) and the other's from New Mexico. There was another teacher from America who actually went to Emory University and graduated a year after me but he didn't work out. He's never taught or worked with kids before so he just wasn't cut out for a kindergarten. Oh well...great day.
The school was notified that the government department over education was coming to visit our kindergarten today. The problem wasn't the teachers but the fact that the school only paid the government based on having 3 international classes, not the 8 that they have. The problem with this is that they have to pay a lot of money for each international class they have. So they decided to hide a couple of us on the roof while the maintenance people went around and took the name plates off the classrooms and everything else that said international on it.
We hung out on the roof until lunch time because they never came...surprise, surprise. They were supposed to be there at 10:00 but we were told they were held up at another school before ours so instead of working late, they called it a day. That's the way it seems to work.
Needless to say, this Friday was an extremely easy day. Great Friday. I got to know all of the teachers who have been there longer than me so it was nice. There is one from Canada, India, Australia and South Africa. I'm one of the three new teachers; one's from Denmark (but went to high school in England) and the other's from New Mexico. There was another teacher from America who actually went to Emory University and graduated a year after me but he didn't work out. He's never taught or worked with kids before so he just wasn't cut out for a kindergarten. Oh well...great day.
Work Day
I just finished my first full week and I thought it'd be a good idea to let everyone know what exactly I'm doing here.
I'll start off by describing my class. I have 24 students right now ranging from 2 to 4 years old. They're great. I no longer have any who cry all day or stand outside. They have finally been broken...yes, broken.
Every morning I have to be at school at 7:50. This means I wake up at 6:30 and leave the apartment at 7:00. Usually, there's a bus (#25) at 7:05 and that takes less than 15 minutes to get to a nearby bus stop. From there, it's less than a 10 minute walk to the school. That means I usually get there early so I stop and pick up the English newspaper on the way in to read while I wait for the kids to start showing up.
At 7:50 all the English teachers get together by the entrance to greet the kids and parents. We say, "Good morning!" to everyone who walks through the door and give the kids a low five and maybe tickle a couple of them.
At 8:10 some music starts over the intercom which signals the kids to come to the common area to get ready for morning exercises. On Mondays the kids perform a flag raising ceremony instead of exercises. Tuesday through Friday begins with the foreign teachers in the front singing some songs, asking some questions then leading the school in a dance; right now, it's the chicken dance. We've already come up with a new dance for next week.
After our dancing, the Chinese teachers come to the front and lead the kids in a dance they've come up with (ours will be waaaaaay better).
At 8:30 my class heads back to the classroom to eat breakfast. All the classes break up in to three groups to do more exercises in smaller numbers during the rest of the morning. We eat breakfast until 9:00 which is when I begin my first English lesson, it's just 25 minutes. The kids take a 5 minute break to go to the bathroom and get some water.
At 9:30 the Chinese teachers do some songs and dances with the kids. Usually, I join in and play with the kids.
From 10:10 to 10:40 I teach my second English lesson. At 10:40 I have to go to a different class to teach one English lesson until 11:05. This class doesn't have an English teacher so we all rotate and teach one lesson per day. After this class I return to my classroom where the kids are getting ready for lunch. I hang around and help out until 11:25, which is when I leave the school and head back to the apartment for lunch and a wu shui (afternoon nap).
I get back to the school between 2:30 and 3:00 which is when the kids are waking up and eating their afternoon snack which also includes some fruit, which is nice. From 3:00 to 3:25 I teach my third English lesson of the day. The kids get another 5 minute bathroom break then it's back to me for a 25 minute review of what we learned during the day. This review usually gets cut though in order to reward the kids who behaved during the day and punish the ones who didn't.
We load some of the kids on the buses and we just play with the kids as their parents pick them up. I have to stay at the school until 5:00 but I usually just stay until all of my kids have been picked up or their parents have shown up.
I play A LOT with the kids. They love being picked up and flipped upside down. I also really enjoy tickling them and I've taught them to say stop when they've had enough. This is very important because we all know that tickling can turn in to a bad experience if it goes too far.
Ok, this was a long enough post for now. I'll describe the lessons later when I actually have all of them to report on. We're not in full swing yet but should be next week.
I'll start off by describing my class. I have 24 students right now ranging from 2 to 4 years old. They're great. I no longer have any who cry all day or stand outside. They have finally been broken...yes, broken.
Every morning I have to be at school at 7:50. This means I wake up at 6:30 and leave the apartment at 7:00. Usually, there's a bus (#25) at 7:05 and that takes less than 15 minutes to get to a nearby bus stop. From there, it's less than a 10 minute walk to the school. That means I usually get there early so I stop and pick up the English newspaper on the way in to read while I wait for the kids to start showing up.
At 7:50 all the English teachers get together by the entrance to greet the kids and parents. We say, "Good morning!" to everyone who walks through the door and give the kids a low five and maybe tickle a couple of them.
At 8:10 some music starts over the intercom which signals the kids to come to the common area to get ready for morning exercises. On Mondays the kids perform a flag raising ceremony instead of exercises. Tuesday through Friday begins with the foreign teachers in the front singing some songs, asking some questions then leading the school in a dance; right now, it's the chicken dance. We've already come up with a new dance for next week.
After our dancing, the Chinese teachers come to the front and lead the kids in a dance they've come up with (ours will be waaaaaay better).
At 8:30 my class heads back to the classroom to eat breakfast. All the classes break up in to three groups to do more exercises in smaller numbers during the rest of the morning. We eat breakfast until 9:00 which is when I begin my first English lesson, it's just 25 minutes. The kids take a 5 minute break to go to the bathroom and get some water.
At 9:30 the Chinese teachers do some songs and dances with the kids. Usually, I join in and play with the kids.
From 10:10 to 10:40 I teach my second English lesson. At 10:40 I have to go to a different class to teach one English lesson until 11:05. This class doesn't have an English teacher so we all rotate and teach one lesson per day. After this class I return to my classroom where the kids are getting ready for lunch. I hang around and help out until 11:25, which is when I leave the school and head back to the apartment for lunch and a wu shui (afternoon nap).
I get back to the school between 2:30 and 3:00 which is when the kids are waking up and eating their afternoon snack which also includes some fruit, which is nice. From 3:00 to 3:25 I teach my third English lesson of the day. The kids get another 5 minute bathroom break then it's back to me for a 25 minute review of what we learned during the day. This review usually gets cut though in order to reward the kids who behaved during the day and punish the ones who didn't.
We load some of the kids on the buses and we just play with the kids as their parents pick them up. I have to stay at the school until 5:00 but I usually just stay until all of my kids have been picked up or their parents have shown up.
I play A LOT with the kids. They love being picked up and flipped upside down. I also really enjoy tickling them and I've taught them to say stop when they've had enough. This is very important because we all know that tickling can turn in to a bad experience if it goes too far.
Ok, this was a long enough post for now. I'll describe the lessons later when I actually have all of them to report on. We're not in full swing yet but should be next week.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
First Pictures!!!
If you go to my Picasa website (you can find the link in the "about me" section on the right side of this page), you can see the photos of our apartment. All the photos from my first trip are also on the site so if you're new to this, feel free to browse. Normally, I'll post pictures when I post blogs and let you know in the blog. Enjoy.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Valentine's Day
So, yesterday was Valentine's Day. I woke up early, went out and bought a bouquet of purple flowers for Vivi. I quietly got back in the apartment and placed them by the bed so she was able to wake up to the beautiful flowers. It was a great start to the day.
We spent most of the day at a supermarket called Jusco (Japanese) and another supermarket, Metro (German). I had never been Jusco but the other foreigners were saying how great it was...it wasn't. Instead, we made our way to Metro which is much, much better. I bought everything I needed to make a large Italian dinner for Vivi so she could try some new stuff.
We came back and cleaner the apartment a little and then I started to cook. This was a little difficult considering there's only two burners on the stove. I made spaghetti with bolognese sauce for one dish, the classic. Then I made penne pesto with shrimp for the second dish. Next, I made some salmon and served it with pesto. Finally, I bought some minestrone for soup, since Chinese people always soup with every meal.
I sent her to buy forks, since we only have chopsticks and spoons. When she came back, I had placed her bouquet on the table, lit some candles and dressed in some nice clothes so when she came back, the table was set...very nice.
We ate a nice dinner then sat back and watched some movies on tv (yes, in English). Overall, pretty good Valentine's Day.
We spent most of the day at a supermarket called Jusco (Japanese) and another supermarket, Metro (German). I had never been Jusco but the other foreigners were saying how great it was...it wasn't. Instead, we made our way to Metro which is much, much better. I bought everything I needed to make a large Italian dinner for Vivi so she could try some new stuff.
We came back and cleaner the apartment a little and then I started to cook. This was a little difficult considering there's only two burners on the stove. I made spaghetti with bolognese sauce for one dish, the classic. Then I made penne pesto with shrimp for the second dish. Next, I made some salmon and served it with pesto. Finally, I bought some minestrone for soup, since Chinese people always soup with every meal.
I sent her to buy forks, since we only have chopsticks and spoons. When she came back, I had placed her bouquet on the table, lit some candles and dressed in some nice clothes so when she came back, the table was set...very nice.
We ate a nice dinner then sat back and watched some movies on tv (yes, in English). Overall, pretty good Valentine's Day.
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