Jams etc.

Mark has been showing me extra attention lately. He calls me just to see how I'm doing and sometimes comes to my place to chat. This is really weird for me, and I wondered why the extra attention all of the sudden. And then I figured it out. He's asked me several times to please stay and teach next year. And I mentioned how I dont' know if I will because I miss my friends and family and often get lonely. So my theory is that now he's trying to make himself my good friend so I won't feel the need to leave! Nice try, Mark. Soon I have to break the news that I don't plan on returning. How much you wanna bet that there won't be any special attention after that!

You know how I've mentioned that the students study hours and hours, and have school even on Saturday... Well, it seems that they are getting really burnt out. I don't blame the poor kids! There are more heads sleeping in class, and less enthusiasm for even the games we play. Even the teachers seem burnt out. Every one needs a holiday! The other day just broke my heart. I was passing students on the stairs, and asked one of mine how she was doing. She ended up bursting into tears!! I hugged her and tried to comfort her. The only thing she said was, "I study and I study, but nothing." My heart went out to her. She is under so much pressure to perform accademically. And she is in one of the top classes, so I know she works hard. The system is hard to beat here in China educationally. If you do not know the text book info like the back of your hand, you can't hope to pass exams which are your only hope for a good future. So much weight is put on these exams they have to take. They have no choice to excell in the things that they are good at or geared for. They must do the required material. Some people are just wired differently, like this precious girl. She studies her tail off, but can't seem to make the grade happen. And she's devistated. You know they have to put bars on the doorms so students don't get it into their head to jump. Cuz it's happened many times before all around this country. It's so so so sad.

On a much lighter note, I'm having a pretty good week. Monday night we went out for evening tea. Jane, one of the Chinese ladies that works at the school, can speak excellent English and we often talk. She took the three of us foreign ladies out (Brenda, Anna, and I). Evening tea is a custom here, where people usually go later in the night. Jane reserved a private room for us at the Pearl restarant (the place I first ate at when I arrived in China). We ordered some really good dumplings, some funky date desert, vegies, and tea of course. For the special desert Jane ordered us this papaya thing. It's this papaya nearly hallowed out and filled with clear gelitin stuff... like aloe vera kind of. You know how it's kinda clear and gelitin like? It was sweet, and you add evaporated milk and some nut. Sorry I don't know exactly what any of it was, except for the papaya. It was served hot.

Jane used to be an English teacher at No. 2. Her English is better then any other I've met! Her vocabulary is outstanding. She now works in the copy room, though! She refused to teach for them, because she does not agree with the teaching styles the schools are using which focus mainly on grammar. She believes they need more conversational teaching, a more ballanced curriculum. I think she's right. They focus so much on grammar, that most of even the teachers can't even really speak English. They just have grammar knowledge! It's useless if they can't even use the language practically. Jane's dream is to begin an English school of her own for the evenings and weakends with her "unconventional" teaching ideas. She is paid by the government through the school, so they can't fire her even though they want to. She's kind of an outcast at the school. Many teachers used to be her good friends, but have since been told to shun her for not complying with the way things are. So she has no friends and they shoved her in the lowly copy room. If you don't do what you are told here, if you have original thought, you are put out!

We ran into Jane's cousin at the restraunt. He's this rich dude who owns a nice villa near the ocean, and runs a fish farm on Dong Hai Island. I kinda invited ourselves to check out his fish farm! So sunday we will get to see how they raise sea food here in China! yay!

Yesterday there were two traffic jams I was in. The first was on our way to school, and we were almost late. Only because some one hit a dog with their motorbike and it caused this huge jam. The next was later in the day when I had to take the city bus back home. There is this spot in the road where they are doing construction, so it is only one very narrow lane. Well our bus went about half way and oncoming was a taxi the other half way. Neither of them would budge to let the other pass. It was kind of humorous. Our bus driver just shut off his engine, put on the parking break and his little personal fan, and sat there. As did the taxi driver. Is grid-lock the word? They caused their own little jam with their stubbornness. Then finally the taxi driver gave in and backed his car up and we passed through. Nothing surprises me! But I do get a kick out of it.

The last week or so, several times some students have been bothering me in my own apartment by openeing up my windows from the outside and trying to peak through. My windows face the inside of the school, and there are walkways along the outside of my walls, but my windows are high, so they must've gotten some chairs in order to reach to open them. Several times this happened and this rudeness really peeved me. I called several times to complain and Mark let me know that they would investigate the naughty boys out and put a stop to it. I would've been happy with them simply putting a stop to it, but last night they brought the boys up to my place so they could apologize to me! Being a non-confrontational person, this was probably just as uncomfortable to me as it was them!! But I'm glad they apologized. Crazy, eh!!

The weather is really nice now. It's dried up a bit, and the sun peaks through now and then. Although, later today it got super windy.

I made swedish pancakes yesterday and stewed cinnamin apples. Yum.

I got a letter in the mail from Chen Cai Lian, one of the students we visited last weekend in the village. She says(word for word) "I write a letter to you for thanks, but words cannot express how grateful I am to you all. I'm truly honored by the kindness and attention you have shown me that day. The first impression of you for me is very pretty. Not only it I like, but also you kindness. You are the first foreigner that I meet. From my heart words I can't wait seeing you when I was having my maths classes and someone called there have foreign teachers been to our school, hearing those I was very excited." So cute, eh!! For never having met a foreigner before, and growing up on village education, I am so so impressed with her English! It really shows that she studies so hard. She wrote more about her family and more of herself. Blesses my heart.

I'm off to bed. I've got an early start.