Just Some Chatter

So you want to hear the latest drama. Well, a couple weeks ago around the time when the school was really pressing hard on me to commit to teaching next school year, they were also asking Brenda. I told them I was not going to return, but Brenda said that she would like to if they would increase her pay. She would have signed the contract then and there, but they told her to wait til May. Well, they just gave her all this time to seek out other oportunities and that is exactly what she did. She has some friends at one of the Universities in Zhanjiang, and the benefits are much nicer there. They would pay more, she'd be doing actual teaching with homework, textbooks, tests, and less "entertaining", better living conditions, and a lot more freedom (our school now has to know where we are all the time and we have to get permission to blow our noses... slight exageration). So she had been talking to this University. One morning Mark asked me if Brenda was going to sign the contract with our school, because the University called to ask for refferences. This may not seem like a big deal at all to you, but it is a huge deal here. It's all about loyalty. They don't see it as Brenda having a choice to work where she wants. They see it as Brenda stabbing them in the back and being a traitor to the school. Grace called Brenda right after she found out that Brenda had been looking other places; she tried to set Brenda up with an appointment to sign the contract ASAP. But Brenda decided just yesterday to sign a contract with the University, which she did most happily. It's going to be better for here there I think. The classes are smaller, the higher-ups are less invasive, and the University is nice and big right near a big park.

As for my future, I'm still thinking a lot about that. What to do, what to do?

The second day of the dance competition was really fun. I was prepared to see more Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty versions, but yay they were all more creative then that. I want to brag, cuz the day before were mostly Brenda's classes, and this time they were all mine! There were actually 2 groups of guys that played like a real band. I had no idea they could play drums and guitars and sing... not super great mind you... but it was really cute to see them try to be all rock star. Some of the dancing was really great. So proud of them.