If you ever thought you were funny looking, I have come to
tell you that having red hair, blue eyes, being over 5', and speaking a
different language is probably the funniest thing some of the children I met
yesterday and today have ever seen. You would have thought I was an alien from
some of the looks I got from the kids, not to mention the crying that some of
them did. That's ok though, the other foreign teachers assured me their
reactions were normal and in a few days they would be over the change and wouldn’t
be able to get enough of me.
So where do I start? The past two days have met every
expectation you could have for an adventure or every turn an adventure could
throw you. On Tuesday afternoon I met with the English teachers to plan what
the curriculum in the Kindergarten is going to be for the next month while I am
there. We planned a summer theme, which includes telling them about sunscreen,
singing silly summer songs, and finding lots of summer games to play, such as
drip, drip, drop, which is like duck duck goose, but you pour a glass of water
on the person you want to chase you. I can’t wait for that, since the kids
think it is sooo funny to have the teacher chase them. Now I will be wet for
the rest of the day. However if the weather keeps reaching highs of 102
degrees, I won’t be complaining. It has been sooooo hot. The rumor is that I
brought the hot/sticky weather, because everyone claims China was
having one of the nicest times weather wise.
So now that I know what I am doing here, I can actually tell
people! I am replacing one of the current teachers because she is going back to
Canada
and I am taking over her two classes.
The two classes each have 25 kids in them between the ages of 3-5. The
kindergarten has 5 classes total with the ages of kids ranging from 1.5 to 7. They
are soooo cute, and it is actually amazing to see how much English they really
do know. Sometimes they can’t remember
my name and I will hear them mumble “Yingwen Laoshi,” which means English
Teacher. I then have to say, “No, that isn’t my name….What is my name?” and
then they give you a funny face which shows they are trying to think really
hard about what it might be. One of the funniest situations arises when the
kids have to go to the bathroom. They have to ask in English. This often involves the kids holding
themselves, jumping up and down and very quickly saying…”I haf to go to
bathroom!” I just might have to video tape it because it is sooo funny.
Situations also arise and become very funny when I have to
explain a craft. However situations like
these are very good for me because I end up using my Chinese and just repeating
the same thing in English several times to they understand the translation. You
would be surprised and how much they really know.
I will take some pictures so you all can see what the
kindergarten looks like. It is very nice, but also should be with the
equivalent to $1,000 these parents pay/month to send their children here. They
are extremely wealthy Chinese families.
At home, my guest family is the typical Chinese where they
are constantly catering to my every need. It will be nice to move into my
apartment so I will have some space. But there are several advantages to living
with them! One things is they are amazing cooks, so I have actually been
somewhat enjoying the Chinese food I have eaten, or at least trying is and
still deciding it isn’t for me. The son,
Kevin has also been a great tour guide in showing me the area and getting me
back on my feet with Chinese. I have to
say the Beijing accent is taking a toll on my
understanding……It is sooo hard to understand them compared to the people from Shanghai. The family I am
staying with is from Shanghai
and I can understand them just fine!
The family gave me a bike that I have been riding. I have
still been unable to find a wrench to raise the seat, so that has been a bit
uncomfortable. However, nothing was more uncomfortable then the thundershowers
we had on Wednesday that I had to ride my bike through. No rain guard, poncho,
or umbrella, so you can imagine what I looked like returning home. I don’t think I have ever been so wet before!
I am sure it is only the first of many many, wet rides home. Luckily the
apartment I will be moving too on Saturday is only a 5 min walk away from the
daycare.
In the evenings I have been swimming and playing lots of
Ping Pong. My guest brother Kevin thinks it is very important for me to know
how to play “Table Tennis” the competitive way. So watch out, I am getting
good!
I hope everyone is enjoying the summer at home. I miss it,
but I am learning something interesting everyday here, and gradually my Chinese
is coming back. My guest family says I have excellent pronunciation. When I say
everything correctly….they said they can’t tell I am not a local! I am sure it is an exaggeration….but I will
take it!
