Happy Mid-Autumn Day

My watch stopped the other day. It was such a simple thing, but I was very sad about it. Luckily it was simple and cheap to get a new battery put in it.

Saturday was quite the day. We received more moon cakes from the school, as is the special traditional treat to give for Mid-Autumn Day which was Sunday. So I had all these fancy moon cakes, there's no way I was going to eat them all myself. So I decided to send a big box home, how hard could it be, right? Wrong. No one at the post office speaks English so we went through a whole big deal finally figuring out they wouldn't let me send them because it's food. So then I decided that's fine, I just want to mail the letters then. So they sent me to another window and I show my letter. All I want is a stamp so they can send the tiny little thing to my grandma. The lady gives me this huge form to fill out. What? It's just a simple little envelope. So I fill it out. Well, it wasn't good enough cuz it didn't show through to the other pages, so she makes me fill another stinkin long one out, so by this time I’m all ready peeved so I made very clear markings. So she takes my little envelope and puts it in this huge envelope. Then tells me it costs 184 Yuan... about 24 USD.... for a stinkin letter. Man... it was so frustrating. They sent me to the emergency express mail window. How am I supposed to know these things? Come to find out the mail system here is quite different and picky. Nothing here can be simple. It was the first time that I was really mad here, the first time the culture, language, and the way they do things just plain ol made me mad. I think I was off the rest of the day. All cuz of a silly letter. I didn't mail it by the way. There's no way I’m paying that much. I've gotta learn this language.

I think I was also upset cuz one of the other teachers told me that my students told him they think I am strict! ME--Strict!! It's actually really funny, cuz it's so far from the truth. I think they say that because I actually try to teach them, not entertain them like others do. So they think I'm strict. It's also kind of upsetting to me, cuz I'm such a people please, and I really want my students to like me. It's only the third week, perhaps it will get better as I earn their respect and they find that I'm really not strict. I found it haunting today as I taught my first classes since I heard that news.

Well, on Saturday, after the post office incident, we took a walk to the park and watched a huge storm roll in. It was funny to watch young boys outside playing as the wind blew things around. Like some Chinese lanterns were blown off and the boys were carrying them all around, even across the street. The lanterns were as big as they were. We got a little stuck in the rain and the wind was ferocious. It hasn't stopped since. That night I hardly got any sleep cause the wind was so crazy. Many trees were damaged in what we now know was a typhoon: a small hurricane. It’s still raining and blowing around right now, but I think the worst is over.

The rain kind of ruined Mid-autumn day. Usually it is a very eventful holiday here. But the weather did not permit the many activities they usually have planned. I was bummed. But we did have some moon cakes. Since we weren’t able send them in the mail, we decided to eat one. It turned out to be really nasty. Moon cakes come in all kinds of flavors, and these ones had egg yolk inside. It was really weird.

The new English teacher arrived on Saturday. Martin is from Sandiego. It was funny to see his reaction to everything new here. He has never traveled outside the US, is a straight up city boy, and has little knowledge of any other culture. Everything shocks him. It’s quite funny. I was the first to meet him cuz I brought him his moon cakes from the school. Then the lot of us took him out for lunch at a nice restaurant. We had a wonderful meal there. Later we ate at a fast food Chinese place and I ordered something based on the picture that looked like good chunks of meat. It turned out to be pig feet. No thank you.

This week I have to get back to teaching my regular 16 classes. It’s almost like starting to teach for the first time all over again. This morning my first class totally bombed. Since last week was too easy, I thought I’d make it harder. I totally overestimated their ability and my lesson plan was way over their heads. Either that or I was talking to fast. And I was nervous, cuz I want them to like me! So second class went much better. I decided to use the same exact plan, but a different approach. Success! I'm realizing that just because I am teaching all same grades does not mean they are on the same level. The dynamics varry between all my classes. Some are so advanced, others can barely understand me. Some are so excited to learn, others are so unresponsive. The variety keeps me sharp.

I'm a little frazzled and a little "off" these days in many ways. But the students keep me on my toes, and I have the peace of knowing I am exactly where I am supposed to be. Please keep me in your thoughts. Please write when you can. I'd love to hear from you.