mylack of a passport is preventing me from paying my internet bill. So I may go quiet soon.
Enjoy this. It's beautiful, heartbreaking, and inspiring at the same time.
http://www.couragecampaign.org/page/content/dontdivorce
Friday, December 26, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Someone tell me why
On my first day, I was given my schedule, and saw I had 5 phonetics classes. I mentally went over our e-mail conversations, and couldn't recall ever claiming any knowledge of phonetics, so I explained that I, like almost every native speaker, wasn't familiar with phonetics, and was woefully ill-equipped to teach such a class to a group that probably had a decent grasp of the subject. They were skeptical, but eventually seemed to accept that natives don't use the phonetic alphabet. I was told to just help them work on pronunciation.
I then focused on visa issues, not getting paid, etc.
Today I was toldthat myplan to give them an oral final exam wasunacceptable. They need to have a written final, and it must involve translating wordsinto phonetic symbols as well as the opposite, and marking stresses and intonations. Further, the final exam must account for at least 60% of their final grade. I cannot grade on a curve, with me taking the test and using that as an A (Almost every student would have well over 100% my way. I never do this stuff). If I refused to do this, I would be dismissed andthey would take the test anyway, and I would forfeit my airfare money (which might lead to litigation).
So, they are pretty happy, as I've been outwitted and lost an argument, something that hasn't happened much.
Of course, I was not told that I can't give an oral exam as well, and make that count for 80% of the final exam. So tomorrow and Friday the students will be told what the school wants, and given a choice of taking a final that day which is most of their final exam grade, which in turn is most of their final grade. I'm 99.9% sure it will be unanimous we do it my way, and my boss will be kept in the dark.
Last week, I endured an unpleasant lunch in order to help my superiors save face in front of their boss, masking my dislike for the school and not airing my long list of complaints. This week, they are willing to see 200 students have their grades suffer in order to exert some sort of control over me, as far as I can tell purely to stroke their own egos.
There are times I can't wait for July.
I was also told to go next week for a singing competition in Guangzhou. This does entail skipping a day of class, right before finals when i should be reviewing. My immediate response was to say I was going home to sleep. It's difficult to argue that its important I go to class when I am sick and need the rest while telling me I need to skip the same class the next week to entertain some VIPs. As they were unwilling to grant me the day off, it has been decided I will not be wasting a day of my life on that crap.
I'll be spending tomorrow with some students, who wantedto hike in the hills near school. I thought it was about 5, turns out to maybe be 50. I dolike them, and I'm happy to donate time to this group. They were worried I'd be lonely on Christmas. Sweet kids. I might see others at night, but they sound like a fun afternoon
I then focused on visa issues, not getting paid, etc.
Today I was toldthat myplan to give them an oral final exam wasunacceptable. They need to have a written final, and it must involve translating wordsinto phonetic symbols as well as the opposite, and marking stresses and intonations. Further, the final exam must account for at least 60% of their final grade. I cannot grade on a curve, with me taking the test and using that as an A (Almost every student would have well over 100% my way. I never do this stuff). If I refused to do this, I would be dismissed andthey would take the test anyway, and I would forfeit my airfare money (which might lead to litigation).
So, they are pretty happy, as I've been outwitted and lost an argument, something that hasn't happened much.
Of course, I was not told that I can't give an oral exam as well, and make that count for 80% of the final exam. So tomorrow and Friday the students will be told what the school wants, and given a choice of taking a final that day which is most of their final exam grade, which in turn is most of their final grade. I'm 99.9% sure it will be unanimous we do it my way, and my boss will be kept in the dark.
Last week, I endured an unpleasant lunch in order to help my superiors save face in front of their boss, masking my dislike for the school and not airing my long list of complaints. This week, they are willing to see 200 students have their grades suffer in order to exert some sort of control over me, as far as I can tell purely to stroke their own egos.
There are times I can't wait for July.
I was also told to go next week for a singing competition in Guangzhou. This does entail skipping a day of class, right before finals when i should be reviewing. My immediate response was to say I was going home to sleep. It's difficult to argue that its important I go to class when I am sick and need the rest while telling me I need to skip the same class the next week to entertain some VIPs. As they were unwilling to grant me the day off, it has been decided I will not be wasting a day of my life on that crap.
I'll be spending tomorrow with some students, who wantedto hike in the hills near school. I thought it was about 5, turns out to maybe be 50. I dolike them, and I'm happy to donate time to this group. They were worried I'd be lonely on Christmas. Sweet kids. I might see others at night, but they sound like a fun afternoon
Sunday, December 21, 2008
flu
Man, does the flu suck. Thankfully, it seems to be fading. Hopefully I'll be back in class tomorrow.
Cancelled plans to meet a friend for dinner yesterday, so she popped up at my door with vegetables and cooked. So, Tuly is now possibly my best friend. I was hungry, but the thought of standing up for a while and focusing on cooking without hurting myself or starting a fire was overwheliming.
I spent much of yesterday laying on my balcony, enjoying the unexpected warmth and trying to sweat out my fever. I'm not sure it worked, but it felt good.
Watched the Orphanage for a while last night after dinner. The challenege was that its in Spanish, and we could choose between English or Chinese subtitles. We went with English, and I did a surprisingly good job of following along. I've seen it before, so that helped, but apparently my Spanish is much better when I'm delirious. If I'm lucky, I'll be a little ill if I make it to Mexico in February.
Now, my bed is calling
Cancelled plans to meet a friend for dinner yesterday, so she popped up at my door with vegetables and cooked. So, Tuly is now possibly my best friend. I was hungry, but the thought of standing up for a while and focusing on cooking without hurting myself or starting a fire was overwheliming.
I spent much of yesterday laying on my balcony, enjoying the unexpected warmth and trying to sweat out my fever. I'm not sure it worked, but it felt good.
Watched the Orphanage for a while last night after dinner. The challenege was that its in Spanish, and we could choose between English or Chinese subtitles. We went with English, and I did a surprisingly good job of following along. I've seen it before, so that helped, but apparently my Spanish is much better when I'm delirious. If I'm lucky, I'll be a little ill if I make it to Mexico in February.
Now, my bed is calling
Friday, December 19, 2008
looking up
Seem to be overcoming the flu. My fever broke last night. Had two friends invite themselvesover for dinner. Since they cooked dinner, i can't complain. I was lousy company, and they didn't stay long, but sure enough, about an hour after they left, I felt much better. I guess I do needto eat, even when laying in bed sounds preferable.
And yes, I do have the sort of friends who hear I'm, soto the market, buy food, and come over to make sure I'm eating. I complain about some aspects of my life here, but I know I'm lucky.
Hmm, I was feeling extra happy because i found that wolfgang's vault works quite well in China, and now it abruptly seems to have stopped. It used to be a site full of concerts by classic rock bands I wasn't really a fan of, but after I abandoned it, they discovered there was music after the Allman Brothers, and it turned rather good. Maybe it just hates The Cure. British Sea Power andThe Gutter Twins were fine. Free concerts streaming makes me happy. Not as happy as free food perhaps, but close.
I believe this area is officially subtropical. It gets chilly at night, and will be kind of cold in february, but it's still pretty nice. So I'm fortunate that I can probably head out to the park in a bit and soak up some sun. I'm still a bit tired, and probably should cancel all my plans with friends who have small children, as I'm guessing they don't need the flu for Christmas. Not drinking due to illness and avoiding people with children really frees up my schedule.
May go hiking tomorrow with some students. If my energy level is up to it, that is. Living in the countryside means I am surrounded by endless green hills. I really should take advantage of that. the students raised all different types of hell when rumor said we might leave, so it becomes harder and harder not to like them.
And yes, I do have the sort of friends who hear I'm, soto the market, buy food, and come over to make sure I'm eating. I complain about some aspects of my life here, but I know I'm lucky.
Hmm, I was feeling extra happy because i found that wolfgang's vault works quite well in China, and now it abruptly seems to have stopped. It used to be a site full of concerts by classic rock bands I wasn't really a fan of, but after I abandoned it, they discovered there was music after the Allman Brothers, and it turned rather good. Maybe it just hates The Cure. British Sea Power andThe Gutter Twins were fine. Free concerts streaming makes me happy. Not as happy as free food perhaps, but close.
I believe this area is officially subtropical. It gets chilly at night, and will be kind of cold in february, but it's still pretty nice. So I'm fortunate that I can probably head out to the park in a bit and soak up some sun. I'm still a bit tired, and probably should cancel all my plans with friends who have small children, as I'm guessing they don't need the flu for Christmas. Not drinking due to illness and avoiding people with children really frees up my schedule.
May go hiking tomorrow with some students. If my energy level is up to it, that is. Living in the countryside means I am surrounded by endless green hills. I really should take advantage of that. the students raised all different types of hell when rumor said we might leave, so it becomes harder and harder not to like them.
the good and the bad
D neglected to go to work yesterday, and by 9:30 rumor had it that he was leaving. I wouldn'ttalkaboutit,only making cryptic commentsthat we might leave soon despite our fondness for our students.The support we received from the students is amazing. Not surprising perhaps, as I believe we are bothexcellent teachers and rather likable, but still feels pretty good.
As a resultof no showing, the schoolpaid us today,only 4 days late. I'm sure we should have been on our knees, showing gratitude, but somehow we retained our self-control.
We have been e-mailing since before we arrived about some things, and they still haven't been resolved. A few thingscan be resolved by the school alling others and making them do their job, but it hasn't happened yet. Neither of us has cable tv working. My doorbell cannot be answered,so anytime it is rung, it continues to ring for about 5 minutes. We can't get the bastards to buy a pot. Oh, and my visa expired last week, meaning I'm here illegally. I also haven't seen my passport in a few weeks, greatly restricting my mobility. To those who know how badly I wanted to come back here, consider i could wind up deported due to the incompetence of our liasion.
Quick note to prospective teachers worldwide: do not, under any circumstance, work for the Guangdong Radio & Tv College or the Guangdong Polytechnic college. Dishonesty and incompetence will stopyou from getting much of what the contract calls for, and you will be labelled ungrateful for not being thankful for what you do get.
How comfortable is my bed? I slept about 10 hour last night, and have bruises to show for it. I've been limping all day due to back pain, made worse by the flu.
Question of the day: what is a 10 x 10 foot room with a window and a few boxes in an apartment? Is it a bedroom? An office? a dining room? a wine cellar? Or is it nothing until it is furnished and given a purpose? Apparently, a room with no furnishings is a second bedroom.
Again, I am loving the classes, and it's nice being back. Its awkward in some ways, as you feel bad not being able to see friends because you haven't been paid, hate having people over because your home looks like a doctor's waiting room (Minus the pictures and magazines), and I can't travel easily as I have no papers and am here illegally, but I still wouldn't goback to the States.
So, to answer the obvious question, I will be talking to people about switching schools after the winter break. It is much more difficult than it was years ago, but now i have e-mails that more or less say the school does not intend to live up to its half of the contract, so i shuld be able to get out pretty easily. I also have no intention of submitting a lesson plan or copy of my final before things get resolved, so I may be let go anyway.
As a resultof no showing, the schoolpaid us today,only 4 days late. I'm sure we should have been on our knees, showing gratitude, but somehow we retained our self-control.
We have been e-mailing since before we arrived about some things, and they still haven't been resolved. A few thingscan be resolved by the school alling others and making them do their job, but it hasn't happened yet. Neither of us has cable tv working. My doorbell cannot be answered,so anytime it is rung, it continues to ring for about 5 minutes. We can't get the bastards to buy a pot. Oh, and my visa expired last week, meaning I'm here illegally. I also haven't seen my passport in a few weeks, greatly restricting my mobility. To those who know how badly I wanted to come back here, consider i could wind up deported due to the incompetence of our liasion.
Quick note to prospective teachers worldwide: do not, under any circumstance, work for the Guangdong Radio & Tv College or the Guangdong Polytechnic college. Dishonesty and incompetence will stopyou from getting much of what the contract calls for, and you will be labelled ungrateful for not being thankful for what you do get.
How comfortable is my bed? I slept about 10 hour last night, and have bruises to show for it. I've been limping all day due to back pain, made worse by the flu.
Question of the day: what is a 10 x 10 foot room with a window and a few boxes in an apartment? Is it a bedroom? An office? a dining room? a wine cellar? Or is it nothing until it is furnished and given a purpose? Apparently, a room with no furnishings is a second bedroom.
Again, I am loving the classes, and it's nice being back. Its awkward in some ways, as you feel bad not being able to see friends because you haven't been paid, hate having people over because your home looks like a doctor's waiting room (Minus the pictures and magazines), and I can't travel easily as I have no papers and am here illegally, but I still wouldn't goback to the States.
So, to answer the obvious question, I will be talking to people about switching schools after the winter break. It is much more difficult than it was years ago, but now i have e-mails that more or less say the school does not intend to live up to its half of the contract, so i shuld be able to get out pretty easily. I also have no intention of submitting a lesson plan or copy of my final before things get resolved, so I may be let go anyway.
Monday, December 15, 2008
So, how are things going?
Won't be posting much for a fw days. I'm attempting to switch jobs, which is time consuming. Visa problems and not paying me will do that
Friday, December 12, 2008
a quick lesson on English & culture
read the following and state the second person's main idea:
1. "Can you come to our English Corner Saturday morning at 9:00?"
"I'd like to, but I doubt I can come. It's too early. Maybe I'll come next time, but I think I'll miss this time."
2. "Can you ask any friends to come?"
"I would, but I doubt I'll go, so my friends won't. Besides, none of my friends are going to leave their house at 8:00 on Saturday to help people they've never met practice their English for free. Maybe saturday afternoon someone might come, but not saturday morning."
Bonus question: At what time Saturday morning should the first person begin calling the second? How many times should she call, and what is the maximum amount of time she should wait between calls (answers should be expressed in terms of nanoseconds)?
On an unrelated note, to the friend who stopped by yesterday afternoon to buy drugs after our conversation about how I was asleep, not a drug dealer, and not interested in helping you buy drugs at 3pm, thank you for the vivid lesson on the perils of ketamine. It's much appreciated.
stupidity is apparently a top import and export
1. "Can you come to our English Corner Saturday morning at 9:00?"
"I'd like to, but I doubt I can come. It's too early. Maybe I'll come next time, but I think I'll miss this time."
2. "Can you ask any friends to come?"
"I would, but I doubt I'll go, so my friends won't. Besides, none of my friends are going to leave their house at 8:00 on Saturday to help people they've never met practice their English for free. Maybe saturday afternoon someone might come, but not saturday morning."
Bonus question: At what time Saturday morning should the first person begin calling the second? How many times should she call, and what is the maximum amount of time she should wait between calls (answers should be expressed in terms of nanoseconds)?
On an unrelated note, to the friend who stopped by yesterday afternoon to buy drugs after our conversation about how I was asleep, not a drug dealer, and not interested in helping you buy drugs at 3pm, thank you for the vivid lesson on the perils of ketamine. It's much appreciated.
stupidity is apparently a top import and export
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Monday
Had a quiet weekend. Not much money, so I stuck around. Did some more reading, graded a bunch of papers, planned for the next few weeks, and did some thinking about the finals I need to write.
We're kind of isolated here. "Here" is Wuguishan. In English, that's 5 Goat Mountain I believe. When I first lived here, this was empty countryside. It's now mostly empty countryside. It seems there are 3 foreigners living here, including me & D. Of Course, we're from 3 different countries.
We faced a serious problem Monday; neither of us had any beer at home. We were on our way to the little convenience store across the street when we decided w could just start exploring the little side streets. About 2 blocks away, we found a convenience store with a few pool tables, and cold cheap Harbin Beer. A few hours passed, and we were a bit tipsy. The Canadian decided he needed meat on a stick, and we set off looking. We took the most convoluted possible path to the main market area. No meat on sticks, which was fine by me, as they had spicy boiled veetables on sticks, which is infinitely better.
Nearby was a loud club, so we wandered in to take a look. Turned out to be karaoke only (KTV from this point on). Nothing but private rooms. Fine for drinking with friends, not so great to meet people. Unless someone opens a door to go to the restroom and is surprised to see two foreigners asking the staff where a club might be found. This led to us being whisked into a room and givn beer at a young ladies birthday party. My ability to sing Happy Birthday in Chinese was much admired. That w could speak some Chinese amazed everyone. Photos were taken, and friend called in the hopes they could come meet us. We rediscovered the unpleasantness that is beer and birthday cake together. Ultimately, we left, after promising that if we were ever to go back, we would contact them so they could join us, perhaps in the hope I'd sing "My Perogative" again.
So now we like living in the sticks
We're kind of isolated here. "Here" is Wuguishan. In English, that's 5 Goat Mountain I believe. When I first lived here, this was empty countryside. It's now mostly empty countryside. It seems there are 3 foreigners living here, including me & D. Of Course, we're from 3 different countries.
We faced a serious problem Monday; neither of us had any beer at home. We were on our way to the little convenience store across the street when we decided w could just start exploring the little side streets. About 2 blocks away, we found a convenience store with a few pool tables, and cold cheap Harbin Beer. A few hours passed, and we were a bit tipsy. The Canadian decided he needed meat on a stick, and we set off looking. We took the most convoluted possible path to the main market area. No meat on sticks, which was fine by me, as they had spicy boiled veetables on sticks, which is infinitely better.
Nearby was a loud club, so we wandered in to take a look. Turned out to be karaoke only (KTV from this point on). Nothing but private rooms. Fine for drinking with friends, not so great to meet people. Unless someone opens a door to go to the restroom and is surprised to see two foreigners asking the staff where a club might be found. This led to us being whisked into a room and givn beer at a young ladies birthday party. My ability to sing Happy Birthday in Chinese was much admired. That w could speak some Chinese amazed everyone. Photos were taken, and friend called in the hopes they could come meet us. We rediscovered the unpleasantness that is beer and birthday cake together. Ultimately, we left, after promising that if we were ever to go back, we would contact them so they could join us, perhaps in the hope I'd sing "My Perogative" again.
So now we like living in the sticks
Saturday, December 6, 2008
new week.
that was quite a week. High points included being robbed, replacing my missing phone, changing my locks, finding out we were applying for a visa incorrectly and needed to begin the process again, a friend going into the hospital (he's fine now I hear), and having a really drunk friend take a swing at me. Oh, and I found a Papa Johns in Guangzhou.
So I'm glad that's over. I'll be writing more whn times are good.
On the whole, it's a blast. Seeing old friends and teaching extremely motivated hard working students seems to agree with me. Hopefully my luck improves this week.
Oh, and my students now believe me. I can't sing. At all. Will the rest of China hed their warning?
So I'm glad that's over. I'll be writing more whn times are good.
On the whole, it's a blast. Seeing old friends and teaching extremely motivated hard working students seems to agree with me. Hopefully my luck improves this week.
Oh, and my students now believe me. I can't sing. At all. Will the rest of China hed their warning?
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