Getting in the Groove

Hi everyone. Things are going well here. I’m really starting to feel settled in and getting somewhat of a routine figured out. Teaching has gone well so far, so I’m thankful for that. The only problem I’ve had so far is when a Chinese chemistry teacher showed up to a class at the same time and said that he was supposed to be teaching at that time. I tried to reach my boss to see what was going on, but I couldn’t. I figured since the other teacher was Chinese, he was probably right so I left the classroom. Turns out, I was! We made up the class the next day.

I also got my haircut a few days ago. Getting your haircut here is a pretty big deal. They washed my hair twice and gave me a little head massage before cutting my hair. My hair was then washed once more before I was finally done! It was interesting to say the least, especially since I had no way of telling the guy how I wanted it cut. He did a pretty good job guessing though. All that for $5!

Last Friday night was the 6th anniversary party for Mr. Mai’s coffee shop. Myself and 4 other American guys dressed up as girls and danced to “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” I think the Chinese enjoyed seeing us embarrass ourselves!

Other than that, nothing new has happened. I’m excited for opportunities we’ll have to talk with our students as well as others around the area.

FYI, I can’t currently get on facebook or my blogging site. I’m hoping to get that figured out again soon. We’ll see though!

There's a new lăoshī in town.

My first class. Yes, there really are that many students in each class. Average size is mid-50's.

Kirk and I hanging out with some of our new friends at Mr. Mai's.


I finally started teaching last week! I was getting restless doing nothing while half our group had already started, so I was happy to finally get my classes going.

I've only taught half of them, but I can tell it's going to be fun and challenging. The students were VERY excited to see a foreigner. It was hilarious seeing kids walk into the room and then do a double-take when they saw me at the podium.

A little background on the school system in China. There are usually between 50-60 kids in each class. The kids stay in the same classroom throughout the day, and teachers come to them. The school day starts around 7:30am, and it runs to about 10:00pm at night with a few breaks for lunch and dinner. Good students in the front. Bad ones in the back. For most classes, the teacher (lăoshī) will often talk about the lesson the whole time and the students are expected to keep up. Tests for the next schooling level (middle school to high school, high school to college) are the focus for both teachers and students.

As you can tell, there are some vast differences with the American school system, so it will be tough trying to adjust to this as well as trying to get students to come out of their shell and talk for my conversational English class.

I have 13 classes, each once a week. I have been introducing myself for the first lesson. It takes awhile because I have to talk very slowly. Plus, the students are interested so they want to hear as much as possible about me. I showed pictures of my family, a map of places I've lived in the states, and pictures of me playing sports at their age. Basketball is huge here, so I showed them a local newspaper that I was in from one of my games in high school. I got a round of applause for that. Pretty funny! I was also able to mention my faith, so that was very cool. I'll be able to talk more about this around American holidays like Christmas and Easter.

At the end of the class, I have students fill out informational cards about themselves. I have them give me their English name that they picked out themselves as well as any questions they may have about me or America. Below are my favorite answers word for word. Enjoy.

English Name:
- Water Lily
- Silence
- Petter Pan
- Nike
- Tupac
- James Bond (zero zero seven)
- Harry Potter
- Alf
- Done
- Keith (But I'm a girl!)

Question about me or America:
- As a Christian, do you think that a religion can make a nation be more united? (This one isn't funny, just good.)
- Do you have a girlfriend? (It's a secret that I'll keep for you.)
- I think you are handsome. Do you want to have a Chinese wife?
- When I talk to foreigner I always feel nervous.
- Why do you like basketball? I really can't understand it because I hate basketball very much!
- Since you've been on newspapers, why don't you stay at home and wait for a draft of NBA?
- Why do you have the same name as me? (His name is Ryan)
- Can you bring me to America?
- Is 2pac still alive?
- You are perfect!!!
- I'm afraid of you.

The last one is my favorite!

Killing time

The Wuhan crew. Kirk, Daniel, Rebecca, Cory, Me

Waiting at a bus stop. Guess which one I am!

KTV. Abby, Hannah, Taylor, Cory, Lara

Hello again. Well, it's been another week and still no teaching! One thing I've learned about China is that plans change a lot. I was supposed to start teaching last Tuesday. Then it got delayed to Thursday...then Monday...and now Wednesday for most of my classes! I definitely have one class tomorrow though, so I can get something going and chase the last bit of nerves away.

It's been kind of boring, but not too bad. I've had some fun experiences this week anyways!
I bought my first Chinese DVDs on Saturday. It's pretty much a given that if you come here, you're going to load up on movies. I bought four, and my total was 36 yuan (a little more than $5).

A few of us new people went to KFC for some American (well, sort of) food last week. I was first in line and thought this would be so easy. Just point at a meal! Somehow, the guy taking my order thought I only wanted fries and a Coke. It took about five minutes and we couldn't get anywhere. Finally, an employee who knew English came out and helped, so we got it all worked out.

Then today, we went to McDonald's for lunch. I wanted to order the #6 meal. However, they thought I was ordering six #6 meals! I was able to clear that up after I saw my total. Needless to say, nothing is easy. But at least there are a few American restaurants around the city. They also have Starbucks, Papa John's, Dairy Queen, and Pizza Hut. They're more expensive to eat at, but it's worth it every once in a while!

This weekend, some of our teammates from Huangshi visited us and we took part in an activity that is HUGE in China - karaoke. Or KTV as it's called here. Basically, you rent out a room with a group of people and you sing karaoke for as long as you want. It's incredibly cheesy, and even more fun. Our group of ten jammed to the likes of 'N Sync, The Beatles, Fergie, and Taylor Swift for about an hour and a half.

By the way, I have found a way to access my blog and facebook (at least occasionally), so I'm pumped about that!

Just a little update on my life. I'll have more after I start teaching this week.