No Snow yet!
Happy December!!
Things are going well for me in Shijiazhuang. I’m currently living a quiet uneventful life. with the exception of the poor communication between the school and the foreign teachers. Here is the latest example.
1. Sandy: Called at 2pm Friday, Maya you have a vacation on Tuesday and Wednesday next week, the Senior 2s will have an exam and the Senior 1s will have a rest. Everyone has class on Saturday and Sunday. We are pretty sure it will be Tuesday and Wednesday’s classes (in the past we have made up other day, it only affects the specials not the main academic classes).
Me: Why wasn’t I told this earlier?
Sandy: I tried calling you earlier today, but you didn’t answer and when I cam to your apartment you weren’t there.
I think…hmmm must have missed the note you left. Not arguing there is no point, eh it won’t be too bad.
2. Talking to students on the weekend, they say they will also have Thursday.
3. Monday meeting. Mr. Dong tells us that Tuesday mornings we DON’T have off, we have Thursday morning classes. I lose it, because I was sick of all these changes. This the one thing I can NOT adapt to, being told things at the last moment!! This brings all the other frustrations everyone is having to a head and it becomes an hour and half long meeting. I have to rush home to prepare my lesson for the evening, since I was asked some students taking a test to be in the AFS program in a week.
4. Get to my class and ask my students if they have classes tomorrow morning. They say yes, but the Senior 2s don’t. WHAT, guess what my Thursday morning classes are, yep, Senior 2s. Then a Senior 2 student shows up and confirms he doesn’t have classes the next morning. I almost blow a gasket in front of my students.
5. Call Mr. Dong when I get home and ask him if Senior 2s have classes the next day. He says no, of course not!! HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW????? I kept my cool that time, because it is so ridiculous it became amusing in a sick sick way.
So I have a nice little rest to put things in order around my home and such, as I have no other plans and like it that way.
A lot will be coming up soon. I’ll be visiting a friend (Che Nan) in Beijing and staying at his University. Then over the Christmas weekend back to Beijing, unless something more exciting is proposed. For International New Year weekend (as opposed to Chinese New Year) again in Beijing (anyone sense a theme?). I plan to see RENT, the musical, since it will be in Beijing for its world tour. I need to get on making reservations for Christmas and New Year, because I’m guessing it could get full.
Other news, I have a kitten. Her name is Mo, because she has a Mohawk. She is rambunctious and talkative. I don’t know what will happen with her when I go back. Right now I’m living in a world where she will join me, I don’t know how deluded that is?
Here is a fun email I got from one of my students the other day. I’m glad they look out for me, but they must not think I’m very intelligent.
Outside is very cold !put on more clothes !Have a good
day!
Things are going well for me in Shijiazhuang. I’m currently living a quiet uneventful life. with the exception of the poor communication between the school and the foreign teachers. Here is the latest example.
1. Sandy: Called at 2pm Friday, Maya you have a vacation on Tuesday and Wednesday next week, the Senior 2s will have an exam and the Senior 1s will have a rest. Everyone has class on Saturday and Sunday. We are pretty sure it will be Tuesday and Wednesday’s classes (in the past we have made up other day, it only affects the specials not the main academic classes).
Me: Why wasn’t I told this earlier?
Sandy: I tried calling you earlier today, but you didn’t answer and when I cam to your apartment you weren’t there.
I think…hmmm must have missed the note you left. Not arguing there is no point, eh it won’t be too bad.
2. Talking to students on the weekend, they say they will also have Thursday.
3. Monday meeting. Mr. Dong tells us that Tuesday mornings we DON’T have off, we have Thursday morning classes. I lose it, because I was sick of all these changes. This the one thing I can NOT adapt to, being told things at the last moment!! This brings all the other frustrations everyone is having to a head and it becomes an hour and half long meeting. I have to rush home to prepare my lesson for the evening, since I was asked some students taking a test to be in the AFS program in a week.
4. Get to my class and ask my students if they have classes tomorrow morning. They say yes, but the Senior 2s don’t. WHAT, guess what my Thursday morning classes are, yep, Senior 2s. Then a Senior 2 student shows up and confirms he doesn’t have classes the next morning. I almost blow a gasket in front of my students.
5. Call Mr. Dong when I get home and ask him if Senior 2s have classes the next day. He says no, of course not!! HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW????? I kept my cool that time, because it is so ridiculous it became amusing in a sick sick way.
So I have a nice little rest to put things in order around my home and such, as I have no other plans and like it that way.
A lot will be coming up soon. I’ll be visiting a friend (Che Nan) in Beijing and staying at his University. Then over the Christmas weekend back to Beijing, unless something more exciting is proposed. For International New Year weekend (as opposed to Chinese New Year) again in Beijing (anyone sense a theme?). I plan to see RENT, the musical, since it will be in Beijing for its world tour. I need to get on making reservations for Christmas and New Year, because I’m guessing it could get full.
Other news, I have a kitten. Her name is Mo, because she has a Mohawk. She is rambunctious and talkative. I don’t know what will happen with her when I go back. Right now I’m living in a world where she will join me, I don’t know how deluded that is?
Here is a fun email I got from one of my students the other day. I’m glad they look out for me, but they must not think I’m very intelligent.
Outside is very cold !put on more clothes !Have a good
day!