China Life
I sat down today thinking I would catch up on some of the things I would like to/need to write about... the last of my Vietnam trip (I mean c'mon my trip was 2 months ago!)...but really my daily life here in Guangzhou is what is coming to mind.
Simply put - life here is busy. I'm living smack dab in the middle of a city of 14 million people. It's hot and so humid and I'm actually really looking forward to fall. I'm not sure what quiet is anymore or if I ever experience complete silence. Even at night in my room, after I've left the screaming and laughter of children behind at work, and the constant commotion of the metro on my way home, I still have the constant hustle and bustle going on outside my 14th floor apartment window. I can still hear the traffic (and they like to honk their horns here) and the city lights and those of the KTV (Karaoke establishment - they love it here) across the street are always shining through my curtains.
My schedule is crazy...it comes with working at English language training center. It's a private not public school. Therefore, the classes are held in the evenings and on the weekends. So, normally, my schedule is something like this:
Monday 3:00pm - 8:00pm
Tuesday OFF
Wednesday OFF
Thursday 2:00pm - 8:00pm
Friday 3:00pm - 9:00pm
Saturday 8:50am - 6:10pm
Sunday 8:50am - 6:10pm
BUT. For the past 6 weeks I have been working overtime for summer course. Public schools have been out for the summer which means more time for private English classes for the kids. Which meant 1 day off a week for me and about double the hours I spent in a classroom. I can very thankfully say that summer course ended last Friday.
Back to my normal classes this week, I asked my students what they did over their summer break. I got one of two answers from the majority of the kids I asked. The lucky ones said they traveled (to America, the UK, Australia, Singapore, Taiwan, India, France...) and then shared with me some of what they did on their trips. The unlucky ones told me of all the homework and extra classes they took (of which Physics and English seems to have been the most popular summer courses from the kids that I asked). I say lucky and unlucky because these kids don't get a break! No wonder China excels at math and science - they have their kids enrolled in Physics classes during summer vacation when they are 13 years old! Physics wasn't even an option for me until college. Even the "lucky" ones were mostly on study trips for their travels and not a just-for-fun summer vacation.
If you can't gather from the travels and the private classes, the kids that I teach come from quite wealthy Chinese families. You could also say they are incredibly spoiled. For the teenage students, this doesn't mean so much as they are typically pretty good students in class (with the exception of one 14 year old student that I have who acts like a 4 year old). For the younger students, this can mean some of the world's worst behavior when they realize that their teacher is not going to give in to everything they want. And I don't. And if they want to throw a fit they can do so in the hall and class goes on without them. (In these circumstances, there are Chinese speaking staff that help because the youngest children do not understand enough English to know what I'm saying although I'm pretty confident they know when I am not a happy teacher...)
Also, a note on the way Chinese communicate - LOUDLY! I feel like before I came I had this assumption that Asians are quiet and soft spoken and I think from what I saw from the very few Asians that I was ever around before moving to China that that assumption was a reasonable one. But I was oh so wrong. Their way of communicating is just different and by different I mean loud, harsh, and to the point. Yelling is a way of talking for many of them and I'm constantly telling my students to lower their voices. When asking for something, it more often that not comes off as a demand and can sounds quite rude, especially when accompanied by grabby hands. I haven't quite figured out if their behavior is due to their lack of discipline at home or because that is how they would ask for it in Chinese and it would be perfectly acceptable (please is not a word in Chinese that seems to get that much use) or if its because they don't know enough English to say it more nicely. I always respond with "I would like ____ please" or "May I have ____ please?" in an effort to show that this is the acceptable way to request something in English but it doesn't always stick. That, and "I want" this or that, no "please" required, is the normal way of talking here.
I have classes that really are enjoyable and then I have some that test my patience to the max and make me question what it is exactly that I am doing with my life. Some classes are more predictable and then I have those that are less so but thank goodness for moments of clarity when a student shows you that they care about what you are doing your best to teach.
Outside of work, I take salsa classes (just passed my beginner level test and start intermediate classes this week!), enjoy free TV shows that are available on China's internet (currently addicted to The Vampire Diaries!), and find things to do around the city with friends that I've made here (brunch, pool, touristy outings, and crazy nights at our favorite bar - Perry's!). AND plan my travels, of course!
As an end note...in no way do I ever mean to be disrespectful in any of the things that I write on my blog, I only want to be honest. Cultural differences and my inability to fully comprehend them are to be expected given that I am in a country that is not my own. I'm very, very grateful for this life I'm living. I love experiencing the world, including working in the challenging but wonderful country that is China. I have great days and horrible days, as we all do, but I'm thankful for all of them!
Simply put - life here is busy. I'm living smack dab in the middle of a city of 14 million people. It's hot and so humid and I'm actually really looking forward to fall. I'm not sure what quiet is anymore or if I ever experience complete silence. Even at night in my room, after I've left the screaming and laughter of children behind at work, and the constant commotion of the metro on my way home, I still have the constant hustle and bustle going on outside my 14th floor apartment window. I can still hear the traffic (and they like to honk their horns here) and the city lights and those of the KTV (Karaoke establishment - they love it here) across the street are always shining through my curtains.
My schedule is crazy...it comes with working at English language training center. It's a private not public school. Therefore, the classes are held in the evenings and on the weekends. So, normally, my schedule is something like this:
Monday 3:00pm - 8:00pm
Tuesday OFF
Wednesday OFF
Thursday 2:00pm - 8:00pm
Friday 3:00pm - 9:00pm
Saturday 8:50am - 6:10pm
Sunday 8:50am - 6:10pm
BUT. For the past 6 weeks I have been working overtime for summer course. Public schools have been out for the summer which means more time for private English classes for the kids. Which meant 1 day off a week for me and about double the hours I spent in a classroom. I can very thankfully say that summer course ended last Friday.
Back to my normal classes this week, I asked my students what they did over their summer break. I got one of two answers from the majority of the kids I asked. The lucky ones said they traveled (to America, the UK, Australia, Singapore, Taiwan, India, France...) and then shared with me some of what they did on their trips. The unlucky ones told me of all the homework and extra classes they took (of which Physics and English seems to have been the most popular summer courses from the kids that I asked). I say lucky and unlucky because these kids don't get a break! No wonder China excels at math and science - they have their kids enrolled in Physics classes during summer vacation when they are 13 years old! Physics wasn't even an option for me until college. Even the "lucky" ones were mostly on study trips for their travels and not a just-for-fun summer vacation.
If you can't gather from the travels and the private classes, the kids that I teach come from quite wealthy Chinese families. You could also say they are incredibly spoiled. For the teenage students, this doesn't mean so much as they are typically pretty good students in class (with the exception of one 14 year old student that I have who acts like a 4 year old). For the younger students, this can mean some of the world's worst behavior when they realize that their teacher is not going to give in to everything they want. And I don't. And if they want to throw a fit they can do so in the hall and class goes on without them. (In these circumstances, there are Chinese speaking staff that help because the youngest children do not understand enough English to know what I'm saying although I'm pretty confident they know when I am not a happy teacher...)
Also, a note on the way Chinese communicate - LOUDLY! I feel like before I came I had this assumption that Asians are quiet and soft spoken and I think from what I saw from the very few Asians that I was ever around before moving to China that that assumption was a reasonable one. But I was oh so wrong. Their way of communicating is just different and by different I mean loud, harsh, and to the point. Yelling is a way of talking for many of them and I'm constantly telling my students to lower their voices. When asking for something, it more often that not comes off as a demand and can sounds quite rude, especially when accompanied by grabby hands. I haven't quite figured out if their behavior is due to their lack of discipline at home or because that is how they would ask for it in Chinese and it would be perfectly acceptable (please is not a word in Chinese that seems to get that much use) or if its because they don't know enough English to say it more nicely. I always respond with "I would like ____ please" or "May I have ____ please?" in an effort to show that this is the acceptable way to request something in English but it doesn't always stick. That, and "I want" this or that, no "please" required, is the normal way of talking here.
I have classes that really are enjoyable and then I have some that test my patience to the max and make me question what it is exactly that I am doing with my life. Some classes are more predictable and then I have those that are less so but thank goodness for moments of clarity when a student shows you that they care about what you are doing your best to teach.
This is Gary. He is a very animated Small Star!
EF's classes are Small Stars (ages 3-6), High Flyers (ages 7-12), and Front Runner (ages 12-17). I teach a few classes of all levels...lots of variety!
Look at that face!
Selfie with Sherry, a Front Runner 5 student
Jimmy and Harry Potter playing a game during the 10 minute class break. And yes, his English name is Harry Potter. I also have a TinkerBell.
Small Star Yan :)
Sometimes kids just aren't too interested in what you thought would be fun for them. As you can see, Zack could care less about the hula hoop...
But then again some think your ideas aren't so bad!
(And actually the hula hoop idea was courtesy of Teacher Josh! Thanks, Josh!)
When you adapt drinking games for the classroom... unfortunately red solo cups don't exist in China!
Us teachers take silly pictures on a regular basis!
Pizza Party to celebrate the end of summer course! (PS..Chinese pizza..is just..okay..ain't got nothing on pizza back at home!)
We even get pictures with the food delivery guy!
And with Aibo when she comes to visit in the office!
Me and Theresa! So thankful for Teaching Assistants!
Outside of work, I take salsa classes (just passed my beginner level test and start intermediate classes this week!), enjoy free TV shows that are available on China's internet (currently addicted to The Vampire Diaries!), and find things to do around the city with friends that I've made here (brunch, pool, touristy outings, and crazy nights at our favorite bar - Perry's!). AND plan my travels, of course!
As an end note...in no way do I ever mean to be disrespectful in any of the things that I write on my blog, I only want to be honest. Cultural differences and my inability to fully comprehend them are to be expected given that I am in a country that is not my own. I'm very, very grateful for this life I'm living. I love experiencing the world, including working in the challenging but wonderful country that is China. I have great days and horrible days, as we all do, but I'm thankful for all of them!
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