Drunk ideas are never good ideas

So I do my extra classes on Saturday and actually this upcoming Saturday is my last class. So I’ll be looking forward to having my Saturdays back. Anyway I was talking to Gary about the fact that I wouldn’t mind picking up a few classes here and there for some extra cash. He doesn’t get a lot of hours at his school, so he does a lot of extra work. Anyway, there was a class on Tuesday that he couldn’t make and he recommended me to the school to cover the class. By the time I got back to the girl (Karen) she said that she managed to get the class covered but if I was interested, she could give me other work. I just have to tell her when I was available. So I told her Tuesday and Wednesday evenings were my times. So Wednesday comes by and she calls me, asking if I could cover a class that evening. I agreed. Gary was working the same day and in the class next door and he said that after we would go out for a beer. Anyway I get to the school and first had a hard time trying to find out where I had to go or who I had to meet. I finally got through to one person and she was a little bewildered as to what I was supposed to do. Anyway she managed to figure it out. She almost didn’t give me the textbook before the class started but found one at the last minute. Anyway, she kept telling me over and over that the students were lovely. I should have taken this as a sign. Anyway, I get to the class and first things first, the students practically freak out with my visible tattoos on my ankle and the new one on the top of my foot. So that annoyed me a bit. Then the bell rings and the teacher says “ok, see you” and I’m thinking “WHAT?? You’re leaving me alone with these rugrats?” So I got no co-teacher, very little prep or prep time, no knowledge on the students’ level of English, nothing. Anyway I manage to fumble through the class and the bell rings. Now it was my understanding that the class was from 7 to 8:15 and this bell was ringing at 5 minutes before 8. Then it occurred to me that maybe what the girl said was 8:50 because it made no sense for the bell to ring now. During what I found out later to be the break, Gary confirmed that this went on till 8:50. I was stunned and now was left with no more lesson to teach. Gary gave me some ideas for games and I just kinda ran with them but I was so happy when that class was over and I don’t know if I want to do that again. I think this explains why I couldn’t stop at one beer. We left the school and went to Wuchang Blue Sky not far away. We started out with one beer and that turned into 7. It got to the point when they kicked us out because they were closing. That was at 2am. Then we went to another bar and had another beer and that place closed after 5 minutes. Then we went to yet another bar that was filled with Chinese people watching a soccer game and backing Brazil for some reason and had yet another beer. We left just before 3am and I got home around 3:15. Needless to say, I woke up this morning but just barely. Anyway, I got my morning coffee and lurched my way over to the office. On my way over I was stopped by Mr. Ye. This is the first time in weeks he’s spoken to me and he pulls me over and says that the school would like to sign me for another year. Well this is all news to me. I figured they weren’t going to ask. Yesterday I was sure I wanted to go now I’m unsure all over again. At one point I said that even if the school asked me (which I didn’t think they would) I would still tell them no. Now I’m actually giving it some thought. There are a few reasons why I would consider staying.
the love I have for my kids
Matty stix is still here
I would have a better idea on how things work and could plan better etc
I would make even more friends and live the little life I got going on here. However, on the other hand I still do have a life in Canada and all of that to go back to. I’ve been asking everyone’s opinion about this whole situation all day long today. I’ve gotten several different views. I really don’t know what I want to do but if I do decide to stay it will not be for a full year. Matt thinks that if I’m going to stay I should just stay the full year but I beg to differ. While I could apply to universities online I’d rather do it while in the country and that would start in early spring. So if I took a 6-month contract then I would be back in January with lots of time to spare to get ready for that. The only thing is I don’t know if the school will give me a 6-month contract. They may tell me that it’s a full year or nothing at all. The way I see it, if I say no, then it’s almost like I really stick it to them for treating me the way they have. If I stay 6 months then I sorta get the best of both worlds. I’m not away from home for very long, I get to watch my kids grow just that much more and I kinda still stick it to them for the second 6 months. I know that if I take a full year contract then they will assume that what they did was ok, it didn’t matter and they could do whatever they want with me in the future. I still want to talk this over with my mom but I’d like your opinion. My choices are to come back home and work anyway for the same time and what would work out to about the same pay but I would be at home or tell the school that what they did was wrong and because it took them so long to get to me I have plans in the spring but I can do a contract for 6 months ending in January. One good thing about staying is that I get a bit of seniority, it’s another semester of experience to put on my resume and I get an extra 500 RMB a month. So let me know what you think. I’ll have a decision for Mr. Ye tomorrow… maybe.