Pluses and minuses

On Monday, one of the teachers (actually the only teacher that can really speak English) told me that Halloween was coming up. I was like "really I had no clue. What is this Halloween you speak of?" Anyway, she said that on Friday for the Halloween, they will have some kind of talent show or something in the main hall. I come in today, and to my surprise, this talent show was actually happening today. It was the best day ever since I didn't have to work but I was kinda pissed off. If they knew they were going to do this and there wouldn't be any classes, then why the fuck didn't they tell me? I would have been much better off to just stay home in the morning and then just go to the middle school in the afternoon. They keep doing these things and it pisses me off. So far they've changed the schedule and didn't tell me. Then they had a talent show and didn't tell me nor ask me to participate. Now they have this Halloween show (which wasn't Halloween related in any way, shape or form) and they changed the date and was also another event that didn't include me. I'm really living the life of isolation this time around. The only foreign teacher at both schools and in my building.
At the middle school, things weren't too bad. I let both classes out early. The second class is always especially grateful because it's the end of the day. I've been getting into the habit of always letting them out early. They love it and so do I. I had a chat with one of the teachers at the middle school today. We talked about all kinds of fun stuff and she's even encouraged me to take a trip to Hangzhou. It's something that I'd been thinking about for a few days. Hangzhou is a quiet beautiful city about a 2 hour train ride outside of Shanghai. It's got a beautiful lake and is apparently a great place to relax. Due to the close proximity to Shanghai, the entire trip can be done over a weekend and for pretty cheap too. I might go this weekend. The teacher was also telling me that she had heard that I was very upset about the way things were going on at the school. She knew I was unhappy with the classes but she kept telling me that I was a very good teacher and that it was the loss of the students if they didn't want to pay attention to the lessons. I partly agree with her. It is unfortunate that they won't realize the loss until they are older but in the here and now, it's really frustrating to attempt to teach them. Hopefully if I complain enough, something will be done.

TTFN

A little nugget of info

Well, all last week I was pretty badly sick. It's the kind of thing you don't want to happen to you under normal circumstances, much less when you're in a strange country and you don't speak the language. In any event I've more or less recovered. I still have a lingering cough and the sniffles but I believe I'm ok. Anyway, there's so much going on now. I've got a two trial lessons scheduled this week. That should be good and I could certainly use the extra cash. I'm just really hoping it results in a steady thing. As usual, we'll see how it goes.
Now for the big news.
So upon arriving here the school is supposed to convert my visitors' entry visa into an F-visa which is a temporary residency permit. We've had to go to the visa office twice now and get extension after extension for my visitors' visa. Now Charles is telling me that I have to go to Hong Kong to get some other type of visa and after I get that, then they would be able to extend this to the F-visa (residency permit) that I need. I was absolutely flabbergasted to hear this information until he hit me with the kicker. While they'll pay for the visa and the extra cost of rushing it for one day, I'm supposed to be responsible for the cost of getting myself to and from Hong Kong. I'm supposed to go there over the weekend and be back in Shanghai by Monday evening. I was absolutely floored. He tells me that neither of us are at fault but it is because they have changed the policy, this is why the trip to Hong Kong is necessary. He also says that if I don't have the money right now, they can pay it for me and then I can pay them back. Well I understand that neither of us are at fault but my contract says that they would supply me with the F-visa and I don't see why any of the costs associated with that should be my responsibility. A trip to Hong Kong is not all that simple. There's the airfare, the hotel plus the travel expenses to and from everywhere. I don't have money for that. So basically I sent him a reply email saying that I don't believe that any of the costs associated with this whole adventure are my responsibility. Also, I didn't have a budget that would allow me to pay for a trip to Hong Kong. I really don't know what he'll say and I really don't know what position that puts me in but either way, the situation really bothers me.
So that's the news, and now for the weather. Almost overnight, it got cold. One night I was sweating as I lay in bed and then the next night my covers weren't warm enough. So the seasons are changing. There's definitely a chill in the air and the days are getting shorter. They don't do daylight savings over here so now it's 5:30pm and it's pretty dark out. Winters always trip me out. The early setting sun throws off my body clock. In any event, I'm gonna try to send some, if not all, of my summer things home. It'd make my life a lot easier when packing for when home time comes. Now with this whole visa fiasco, I'm really counting down the days. Only 10 and a half more weeks to go.

TTFN

Another trial lesson

So yesterday I had another trial lesson. This time with a nice Japanese couple. His name is Mitsuru and her name is Nao. Their English is a bit on the basic side but it's good enough to communicate. The lesson itself was pretty good. We had a few laughs and went through it pretty smoothly. Personally I had a bit of a hard time getting through it since I have a cold. I hate getting sick over here. It's even more exhausting than when I'm at home. I managed to make it through but still don't know if I'll have a regular part time job with this company. I've gotten another offer but I've been keeping them at bay because I want to know the outcome of this whole scenario. I don't want to say yes to the second offer if this company is going to take me on. In any event, I have another trial lesson on Tuesday and I'm hoping that I'll know something by the end of the week.
I was starting to warm up to Shanghai but now, not so much.

TTFN

Work, work, work

So yesterday I had a meeting with Suraj's assistant. We had to go over to a student's house for a trial lesson. I'd go and they'd watch me tutor the student and then they decide whether or not they want to keep me. I meet with Naomi and we head over to the student's house. The student, this 15 year old Japanese girl, and her mother live in this awesome apartment. The building is gorgeous and then when you get into their actual apartment, that's just beyond amazing. It was almost wall to wall dark cherry wood and had this amazing view of the surrounding area. It's the kinda place I'd love to live in in any language. So after my initial awe of the apartment, we got down to business. Naomi and the mom spoke to each other and it was such a different experience for me. They were speaking Japanese and I had no clue what they were saying. Then Naomi wanted to get an idea of what kind of help the student (whose name I can't remember) wanted. This is when I got a big time shock. This girl wanted help with her math homework. Well I'm no mathematician but I'm not completely out of it either. However, I don't feel incredibly comfortable tutoring a student in math. I'm an ESL teacher, what are they thinking? So I told them how I felt and that I could do the best I can to help her understand the questions, but I wasn't very skilled in math and the two of us would be flying blind on the whole scene. Anyway, after that me and the student had some time to chat and get to know each other. I asked her what Tokyo was like and how she was enjoying China. Then the mother and Naomi talked for a while and basically confirmed that her math homework was where she needed the most help due to the fact that she didn't understand when the teacher spoke. After a while of sitting and listening to them speak Japanese, I guess they figured it was enough torture for me and that Naomi or Suraj will call me later and the mom and Naomi will talk for a bit longer. Today I got an email from Suraj saying that he was sorry that I was "surprised" with the math lesson but he was hoping that maybe I could still do the lesson, if not, there were some other lessons that he may be able to arrange for me. We'll see how it goes. Next trial lesson is on Saturday.
In other news, I'm coming down with a slight cold and it's becoming to be a pain in the ass. The timing couldn't be worse (but then again, when is a good time to get a cold?). I'm trying to get this extra work and I can't let this slow me down. I'm gonna take a few shots of Nyquil and hope for the best.

TTFN

What do you have to be thankful for?

Be thankful that you ain't here.
On Sunday, Klaver and I went to Papa John's and had "Thanksgiving" dinner. It wasn't turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and all the other fixin's that make Thanksgiving dinner the amazing thing that it is, but it was good nonetheless. The pizza was good and it was just nice to sit with a Canadian friend and acknowledge the day.
Things at the kindergarten are dreadful. I barely make it through the morning and am literally counting the seconds until the class is over. At the middle school today, it was pretty bad. I just don't know how much more of this I'm gonna be able to take. The students don't pay attention. They don't listen. They skip class and they don't do the assignments I give them. I'll see how the rest of the week goes. In my other classes I have student teachers assigned. They should be helping me. If things don't improve during this week, I will complain again and almost insist that I be removed from teaching those classes.
Today, I taught the class from Henan province and they are so great. I told them how depressed it made me to teach the other classes and they were so empathetic. During the break some students came to me and told me that they liked me very much and they were sorry that I was having such a rough day. Then at the end of the class, a couple students gave me notes saying about the same. They were sorry that I was having such a hard time. It's not something I should worry about because they liked me as a teacher very much and really enjoyed my lessons. If I could teach just them at the middle school, I really wouldn't mind. Anyway, that's the update so far

TTFN

The stuff you come across

Well what can I say? It was a pretty uneventful week. I guess it makes a difference when there aren't any other foreigners in the mix. Last time I was here, there was almost always some kind of drama. But then, I lived with 13 other teachers in the same apartment building and some of those teachers also taught at my school. In this case, I'm the only foreign teacher at the two schools I teach at and I'm the only foreigner in my apartment building. I do see Klaver occasionally but we don't live so close that we can see each other daily. In any event, I'm getting to be ok with being in Shanghai and slowly feeling better. The weather has cooled down a bit so it's no longer a sauna out there. That is one plus to my daily commute.
The kindergarten isn't that bad. Since I've been planning my lessons, it makes life a little easier. I just dread every moment I'm in that place. But no biggie. I'll survive. Only less than 3 months left. This week at the middle school wasn't as painful as it usually is either. I played a game with all of my classes so the time went by pretty fast and in one of the classes, the students actually enjoyed themselves. Nancy (the head of the English department) came to see my classes and was impressed with what I was doing. I had complained to Charles that I was incredibly unhappy with the way things had been going in the class and I guess he spoke to the headmaster and they thought of a "solution". So in addition to Nancy just coming to observe the class, she also helped me assign a student teacher. So I pick one or two students from each class that help me with the lesson. These students have decent enough English that I can explain the lesson to them and they can translate it to the rest of the class. I'm gonna see how this pans out next week and if there is no improvement, well I'm unsure what I'll be able to do other than complain again. Frankly speaking I'd prefer not even to be involved with the middle school.
A few students in my C1 class always seem to have a few snacks and are gracious enough to sometimes share. This past Thursday they introduced me to one of the strangest things I've ever put in my mouth (insert perverted joke here). Imagine a cookie. It's sort of thick and chewy. Almost like a biscuit. Kinda like those date and nut cookies. Now imagine this same biscuit with minced chicken in the middle. It's sweet on the outside with all it's cookie-like goodness and then savoury on the inside with it's "delicious chicken center". This snack is called a chicken biscuit surprisingly and these kids love them. It just kills me the odd combinations of foods you find in this country. Who would think to put a cookie and minced chicken together? Only in bizarro world.

TTFN

Ahhhhhhh

Nothing beats rest and relaxation. I spent this entire week practically in bed. It was the best. I went to bed late and slept in. It was fabulous! So needless to say, I have nothing to report except for the fact that I'm really not looking forward to school tomorrow. The kindergarten has turned out to be not as bad as I was originally making it out to be. The battle is with the middle school. The students don't care and still have no interest in learning. The Henan province students aren't too too bad but my regular classes is where I'm pulling teeth. I've now spoken to Charles about it. He's supposed to speak to the headmaster. I'm hoping that there is something that could be done. If things don't improve, I'm gonna see if they'll just drop the English classes and I won't have to do that shit anymore.
In other news, I gotta wait for Suraj to get back from Nepal before I know whether or not I have an additional class. He'll be back on the 14th, so I'll be holding my breath till then.
That's about it. I'll let you know how this week goes.

TTFN

Happy Birthday Dad!

Well so far so good. I'm just about half way through my vacation and I'm enjoying every moment. I haven't really done much so far and am just having a good time marinating in my solitude. Yesterday I did some wandering and found another way out of my neighbourhood and a whole new set of local eateries to hit up. I'll be enjoying the local delicacies quite often due to cheap prices and excellent proximity to my apartment.
Anyways not much else is going on. I feel like I should however make decent use of my time off and atleast take in some of the local culture, but I might save that for later in the week. Right now I'm really enjoying not having to work or commute.
In other news, today is my daddy's birthday and while I didn't get him a gift or a card and he doesn't read the blog, I still felt it was important that I atleast acknowledge the day. I love him and miss him and send him only the best in birthday wishes.
"Love ya dad!!!! Happy birthday!!"

TTFN