Americans, bikes, a bug and loads of children!

Another week is almost done and this one was tougher.

Monday I did a whole day outside Chengdu for the first time and working with two guys, an older American guy that made a lot of noise and a French-Canadian guy that didn't make much noise at all. The American guy, Rick, is quite cool actually, I kind of like him despite his overly American way; he is a bit over 40 and has amazingly been to over 80 coteries, among which all European countries is included, he can also "speak" 12 languages and know phrases in a dozen others, for example he knows how to say I don't speak Swedish/Danish in Swedish and Danish "Jag talar inteSvenska", "Jag snackar icke Dansk" (or something like that). Teaching mostly 1st grade (one 2nd grade in the morning only) I managed to get a quite good pace in my class and at the end of the day Betty, my assistant, told me that the school had said I was the best among the three of us. Guess how much that boosted my confidence, I have only been teaching for 2 weeks and the others have been teaching for at least a few months and several years respectively.

Good turned to bad when I came back to the office, on the way back Betty told me that I should put my bike in the guarded place instead of outside where I have put it so far, I guess she could have told me about that sooner because when we came back my bike had already left in some mysterious way, I was sad. Had a comfort dinner with Jane instead and was rather happy after that; I think that must have been the most comfortable restaurant I've ever been to, big sofas instead of chairs and in some way they have managed to make it easy to sit by the table and eat in them.

Tuesday morning was primary school again, and 1st grade again, so I just did the exact same thing I had done Monday and I actually hardly remember any of it. In the afternoon I had kindergarten again and I had kind of forgotten my system so the lessons really sucked, new words too. After I was done Betty went with me to buy a new bike, and I bought an exact same as I had before. At night I met Jane for dinner again, it got very late which was not too good for her as she had classes in the morning, she is working at Sichuan Normal University, I've figured out that the Normal Universities ire like Lärar Högskolan (teachers collage) in Sweden. Jane made steamed dumplings for me, well not as much made as just steamed them but it was nice either way.

Wednesday was morning off so I slept in, afternoon it was a new kindergarten, I think a richer kindergarten so the kids get more to eat and are therefore both bigger and louder. Not very fun, but luckily I figured out that if I manage to convince them that it's better to have classes outdoors it will be ok. I met Bella for dinner and she tried to help me with some tickets but we finally figured out that I could have done it myself, we had the dinner at the same place that I had had with Jane last Friday and I think I really like that place; I think all places have approximately the same dishes, but they are still really bad at many places, this place is great though.

This morning, Thursday, I had primary school again and in the first class I had I lost my voice in every other sentence, I still managed though. On the way to the pickup place at the office I manged to do a full frontal with a tiny bug, straight in my eye, it took me five minutes to even open my eyes again and that got me five minutes late, it still hurts too actually. I had two 1st grade classes and one 4th grade, all went quite well I think, a little bit off in timing on the 4th grade class but I had prepared for that so it was ok. In the afternoon I had two classes at the same kindergarten as yesterday, but this time the oldest and loudest students, it was ok anyway, my voice was better than this morning and my preparation was much better, just did the same class as I had done last week, since it was the first time.

I figured out a lot of things of how to handle the students better these two weeks and I think I will manage even better in time, but right now I think I need some fisherman's friend, damn but I have to scream a lot!

Office just called and informed me that I have three kindergarten classes in the morning and three kindergarten classes in the afternoon tomorrow, and as usual they have no idea of which age, everything in the last second, damn the are disorganized.