After a month in Wenzhou...
It’s been too long since I posted anything here. WE have been here just over a month now, and with less than 10 months to go, I believe this will be a short year.
For the most part the school is turning out fine, and the students are pretty nice, but sometimes it’s a bit daunting choosing a topic to teach each week because they say we can do anything we like. So… what to choose? There are so many possibilities.
This week we are in the middle of listening to their first assessment. We organised a debate, and asked the students to prepare for the following week. I forgot how imperative it is for students to see what they got as soon as they got it. They are looking over my shoulder so I can’t concentrate on listening to the other groups. I had to hide the marks from them!!!
In the next few weeks I’m going to give them another task which involves changing an old Chinese story into English and performing it.
Another idea is to get them to put together a community action project and get them to do something in their local community. Perhaps just present a proposal.
The city is worth exploring and it’s going to take up the whole 10 months to find everything there is to find. We still haven’t gotten down to the river or the ocean, but it’s good to leave these things for times of boredom.
One thing that isn’t pleasant is the air in the afternoon. The school campus seems quite clean, but the highway next to the school is surrounded by dust and muck. It’s totally disgusting to ride through and one feels as though they better not breathe too heavily lest the muck accumulate in ones lungs. If only I had a gas mask.
That’s about the only thing that Gaozhou is better for – the air. The weather is probably going to be milder, but who knows.
In other news we went riding because we got two new bikes!!! Hooray. They were about 700 each, and they are so shiny! People have warned us the bike theft is at epidemic levels, but we managed to leave them outside Gain Full Mart (the local supermarket) without loosing them, so it couldn’t be that bad.
So, all in all we are happy again. Happy to be in a new city, happy to be at a school that doesn’t treat everyone like shit, happy to be teaching small classes and happy to be together. Our new friend Miss L (to remain nameless) is pretty interesting too, but I can talk more about her later, I have to do some paperwork!!!
Ciao everyone, if you want our new number send us an email!
Cheers.
Helen.
P.S. This is the picture taken on the famous mall in Wenzhou "Wu Ma Tiar" or 5 horse street.
These 2 were taken in a famous water village about an hours drive outsdie Wenzhou.
For the most part the school is turning out fine, and the students are pretty nice, but sometimes it’s a bit daunting choosing a topic to teach each week because they say we can do anything we like. So… what to choose? There are so many possibilities.This week we are in the middle of listening to their first assessment. We organised a debate, and asked the students to prepare for the following week. I forgot how imperative it is for students to see what they got as soon as they got it. They are looking over my shoulder so I can’t concentrate on listening to the other groups. I had to hide the marks from them!!!
In the next few weeks I’m going to give them another task which involves changing an old Chinese story into English and performing it.
Another idea is to get them to put together a community action project and get them to do something in their local community. Perhaps just present a proposal.
The city is worth exploring and it’s going to take up the whole 10 months to find everything there is to find. We still haven’t gotten down to the river or the ocean, but it’s good to leave these things for times of boredom.
One thing that isn’t pleasant is the air in the afternoon. The school campus seems quite clean, but the highway next to the school is surrounded by dust and muck. It’s totally disgusting to ride through and one feels as though they better not breathe too heavily lest the muck accumulate in ones lungs. If only I had a gas mask.
That’s about the only thing that Gaozhou is better for – the air. The weather is probably going to be milder, but who knows.
In other news we went riding because we got two new bikes!!! Hooray. They were about 700 each, and they are so shiny! People have warned us the bike theft is at epidemic levels, but we managed to leave them outside Gain Full Mart (the local supermarket) without loosing them, so it couldn’t be that bad.
So, all in all we are happy again. Happy to be in a new city, happy to be at a school that doesn’t treat everyone like shit, happy to be teaching small classes and happy to be together. Our new friend Miss L (to remain nameless) is pretty interesting too, but I can talk more about her later, I have to do some paperwork!!!
Ciao everyone, if you want our new number send us an email!
Cheers.
Helen.
P.S. This is the picture taken on the famous mall in Wenzhou "Wu Ma Tiar" or 5 horse street.
These 2 were taken in a famous water village about an hours drive outsdie Wenzhou.
posted by Helen Myst at Tuesday, April 04, 2006
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