it begins

Made it here.

The house is nice enough. A little small, and kind of far from the center of the city, but the building is new, the area seems safe, and a bus runs from the front of my house to downtown, so no real complaints.

The other foreign teacher seems very cool, and has been a blast. It seems we'll be living our separate lives, but hanging out together some of the time, which is the ideal. He also seems to be a competent teacher who plans on taking no bs from the school, so we seem to be on the same page.

I found out you can own and operate an elecric scooter in town without a driver's license or license plate, and they cost less than 1/3 of a month's pay. Being off the beaten path means its likely I'll have one in a month or two, maybe earlier depending on how my career as a model goes.

What's that you say? Yeah, I've been approached about modelling. I thought it was my rugged good looks they wanted, but it seems they just want to show that even I can sit on a chair without it breaking. Still, how many of you were offered a modelling job his week. They might also use me in a Harley Davidson ad campaign, which is far more respectable. It also means I'll be buying an electric scooter with money from Harley. Odd. Hopefully, modelling and teaching won't interfere with my career writing a tv show.

Oh yeah, I might be writing a tv show about a foreigner adjusting to life in China, a topic i understand fairly well. It's in the idea stage now, but it seems to be a serious idea. I'd like to be able to take China, show how its seen through our round eyes, and distort that through a funhouse mirror. I'm 95% sure my favorite ideas will end up on the cutting room floor, as they wouldn't entertain the Chinese people involved. I'll probably discuss it further as we plan my career in film.

Yeah, I'm likely going to have a very minor part in some Chinese comedy. I think I'm a gambler in Macu or something. They wanted to know if I'm happier delivering a few lines in Cantonese, Portugese or English. Odd question.

I had my first class today. Most of them seem bright and enthusiastic. Some seem painfully shy. A little better than expected. I didn't get the books until this morning, so it was tricky teaching for 90 minutes with no real plan, but I think it went fairly well. I only have about 5 or 6 weeks of class, but would like to accomplish something useful this term. I worry sometimes that perhaps only the students and i care.

The University didn't do a lot to instill confidence before I came, and aren't doing much to do so now. I had a monstrous time getting a visa, and they are in no rush to convert my visa into a multiple entry visa. Meaning that if there's any problems that arise after I have made plans to travel outside the country, I may not be able to be here when classes begin. I also received an apartment that had no means of cooking in an area with no real restaurants. Getting an advance on my pay is proving tough as well.

I guess if things don't work out, I can try to become a full time actor/writer/model.

That's my first four days in a nutshell. Should be a good time.