School's In Session

Well school is back in full swing...

The first English Corner was last night and you can tell it is the beginning of school by the number of people there. English Corner is a great idea in theory. Students gather outside the library one evening a week to speak only in English. The foreign teachers hate it though because we get the same questions "Do you like China?" "What do you think of Chinese men/women?" and my personal fave "Can you use chopsticks?" I do enjoy meeting more students but have to answer the same questions in a row is very tiresome. Anyways, so last night a group of Dawson's (or Handsome as they like to call him) new students found me. They asked me to sing which I politely declined (they do not realize this was for their benefit!) Then they start cheering so I grab the nearest upperclassman that I know and ask him to sing for them. He doesn't. They ask me to dance and I told them I had nobody to dance with. They went found Dawson and then dragged me over to his side. We ended up dancing a little Waltz while Dawson hummed some song. Our little crowd of maybe 30 had turned into a crowd of maybe 60. Upon taking our bow we decided it was time to go. Only one hour English Corner. :) I can dance like that every week if it means I don't have to stay hours!

I did receive pretty good news. I am only teaching 12 hours this term. I teach for the College of International Communication and they did not have as many students enrolled in this term. I have my same 3+1 nightmare students I had last year (minus the nightmares because they flunked out) and then 2 new classes of 3+1 freshmen. The freshmen seem to be on the ball. I see each class 2 times a week. When I go back to America I am not sure that I will be able to handle a teaching job because the most I teach here in one day this term is 4 hours. Hard knock life I know. :)

Still kind of homesick, but really trying to pull out of it. I am trying to stay busy, meet with students/friends and just remember why I am here. Keep us in your Thoughts...