Hey folks
Just a short blog as I haven't got any more pictures to put on the site....I neeeeed to get a camera that doesn't eat batteries like I eat green leaves.
Snow fell for the first time yesterday but it did not stay. The weather is a little bit chillier but nothing like what they had in Sask. today. It was darn cold.....-15 and that was as cold as it was here after the Huskies lost another close one to Laval in the Vanier Cup. I watched it on the sling box that Mark has set up for me here. Good to know that you can keep up to date with what is happening in Canada.
Have made contact with the Chinese teachers of English. We had a pizza night at the Canadian and renamed it the Faculty Club so that they feel welcome there. One suggestion was that since there was an open desk at the Chinese staff room ( in another building) that someone should go over there and set up shop. Guess who....and I made them listen to Big Black Horse and a Cherry Tree WOOOO HOOOOO...the theme song of the Canadian English teachers....so now we are on the same page as far as music goes....so to speak....Don't know how things will work out but doesn't seem to make any sense at all to have the two English departments in separate buildings....guess that's why that decision is made by some administration person.
Went out Friday night....we had a do at the other school CIS (Canadian Internation School). Theirs is brand new....what nice rooms and tastefully decorated. We drank a few beers and had a lot of laughs. I stayed overnight at Susan and John's place..they were with me on the trip to Xi'an..and the Terra Cotta warriors. We are trying to set up another trip....There is one to Harbin?? to see the Ice Sculptures and also there is a tour of the Olympic facilities as they are tight now....many are almost completed.
Also have completed my shopping for Christmas...first time ever I think I was done in NOVEMBER.......... as most of you realize I leave it until quite late.
Finally have my webcam and it actually works...funny thing. I installed it and couldn't get a picture on it. Stephen comes down and asks where is the eye for the camera...as if I would know. Then he moved part of the camera to expose the eye that I could not find....I told you I was not a computer guy....had a good laugh over that.
Survived all of the exams and stuff. I think the students get their marks on Monday and they will probably come running ......if they are not what they think they should be....WooHoo....no different than any kids all over the world. Have had to confiscate about 6 cell phones or MP3 players in my class....kids are text messaging each other or listening to music....and in MY class...you know the real interesting one....one girl was in a panic to have hers for the weekend so I was able to get her to write out my name in Chinese characters about 6 feet high....have the paper taped to my bedroom wall....kinda looks cool....she got her cell phone back and said she won't let that happen again?????
We are having a Christmas party...early. Jennifer and Angela have set up a tree in their room. I think I will have to put a contribution on it just to get into the Christmas spirit. We get the weekend of Christmas off and then it is back to school. Some people are going away for the weekend and others will be going away on the New years weekend. Don't know what I will be doing yet.
Have a light ( actually 2) for my bike so that I can see where I am going after dark...first thing after turning it on...hit a hole in the road...laughed like hell.... got a lot better after that. Saw an interesting thing today...a guy had somehow permanently attached mitts to the handlebars of his motorcycle so that he could just hop on the bike and put his hands in the mitts...when he gets off, the mitts are not having to be looked after.
My room looks like a sporting goods shop...three sets of golf clubs, my bike, a badminton racquet and table tennis racquet and gym shorts, running shoes kind of hanging around. Found out that you have to substitute your golf equipment (set) for one of your checked luggage if you want to take it back so that means that you have to use it almost as a suitcase. Oh well, guess we will just have to pack it to the hilt. Also will have to get a hardcover for my bike if I want to bring it back to Canada or I can put it in a carry on bag and then sign a release that absolves Air Canada of any damage...think I will look for a Hard Bike Case.
Bob and I are getting to be like some married couples....we don't seem to communicate too well. One week our fridge has nothing in it....then.....he went out and bought bananas and mandarin oranges and milk and I did exactly the same thing.....oh yeah and each of us bought cookies....at least the cookies were different.
The staff here is getting a little cheesed off with the financial people here....they have paid us for three months of teaching (and we have taught for 3 months) but they want us to pay them back one month's salary. We are having a meeting on Monday to find out what they do in China to make their system work so well...hahahaha.
May try to get to the Opera next weekend....Friday or Saturday....we are going to have a golf game on Sunday if the weather stays good....the CIS versus the BCCSC...we are going to call it the Jockstrap Open I think..Bob is looking after the bookings etc....match play....sort of know what that is, but we will see who the champions are after the weekend.
Had the official opening of the school....the 10th anniversary kick off...in November...our MP from Canada was brutal....I wrote my MP about it...she talked about 1000 metres above the student's heads and went on for about 25 minutes too long. the entertainment was ok. The Canadian teachers got into it with some clapping and moving around....you should have seen the students. It was as if we weren't supposed to enjoy ourselves..we were sitting on the bleachers at the back and in one solid mass, the back of their heads...all black, turned to expose their faces to see what the Canadians were doing.....it was like night and then day....we laughed about that.
Have been watching some Forrest Gump in my English class ...they do a movie review....and listen to some English....works for me....we will be doing another one in a week's time but with a theme of driving...kids need to do a lot of writing...one weakness exposed in the tests....so we try to get them to do things that they are interested in.....
Have decided to find a new maschocist...I mean masseur....these guys have just been wicked on my lower legs...my calf muscles just about disown me as they grab and wrestle with them...I tried to tell them to only do the upper body but they don't seem to understand....They certainly have been able to cause some things to move in my neck and shoulder and lower back...man are they tough.
Enough...I am babbling now. I am going to shave...head and face and have a shower and get to bed early maybe for once. I have all my correcting up to date so I feel good about this week.. that may be dangerous.
Just a short blog as I haven't got any more pictures to put on the site....I neeeeed to get a camera that doesn't eat batteries like I eat green leaves.
Snow fell for the first time yesterday but it did not stay. The weather is a little bit chillier but nothing like what they had in Sask. today. It was darn cold.....-15 and that was as cold as it was here after the Huskies lost another close one to Laval in the Vanier Cup. I watched it on the sling box that Mark has set up for me here. Good to know that you can keep up to date with what is happening in Canada.
Have made contact with the Chinese teachers of English. We had a pizza night at the Canadian and renamed it the Faculty Club so that they feel welcome there. One suggestion was that since there was an open desk at the Chinese staff room ( in another building) that someone should go over there and set up shop. Guess who....and I made them listen to Big Black Horse and a Cherry Tree WOOOO HOOOOO...the theme song of the Canadian English teachers....so now we are on the same page as far as music goes....so to speak....Don't know how things will work out but doesn't seem to make any sense at all to have the two English departments in separate buildings....guess that's why that decision is made by some administration person.
Went out Friday night....we had a do at the other school CIS (Canadian Internation School). Theirs is brand new....what nice rooms and tastefully decorated. We drank a few beers and had a lot of laughs. I stayed overnight at Susan and John's place..they were with me on the trip to Xi'an..and the Terra Cotta warriors. We are trying to set up another trip....There is one to Harbin?? to see the Ice Sculptures and also there is a tour of the Olympic facilities as they are tight now....many are almost completed.
Also have completed my shopping for Christmas...first time ever I think I was done in NOVEMBER.......... as most of you realize I leave it until quite late.
Finally have my webcam and it actually works...funny thing. I installed it and couldn't get a picture on it. Stephen comes down and asks where is the eye for the camera...as if I would know. Then he moved part of the camera to expose the eye that I could not find....I told you I was not a computer guy....had a good laugh over that.
Survived all of the exams and stuff. I think the students get their marks on Monday and they will probably come running ......if they are not what they think they should be....WooHoo....no different than any kids all over the world. Have had to confiscate about 6 cell phones or MP3 players in my class....kids are text messaging each other or listening to music....and in MY class...you know the real interesting one....one girl was in a panic to have hers for the weekend so I was able to get her to write out my name in Chinese characters about 6 feet high....have the paper taped to my bedroom wall....kinda looks cool....she got her cell phone back and said she won't let that happen again?????
We are having a Christmas party...early. Jennifer and Angela have set up a tree in their room. I think I will have to put a contribution on it just to get into the Christmas spirit. We get the weekend of Christmas off and then it is back to school. Some people are going away for the weekend and others will be going away on the New years weekend. Don't know what I will be doing yet.
Have a light ( actually 2) for my bike so that I can see where I am going after dark...first thing after turning it on...hit a hole in the road...laughed like hell.... got a lot better after that. Saw an interesting thing today...a guy had somehow permanently attached mitts to the handlebars of his motorcycle so that he could just hop on the bike and put his hands in the mitts...when he gets off, the mitts are not having to be looked after.
My room looks like a sporting goods shop...three sets of golf clubs, my bike, a badminton racquet and table tennis racquet and gym shorts, running shoes kind of hanging around. Found out that you have to substitute your golf equipment (set) for one of your checked luggage if you want to take it back so that means that you have to use it almost as a suitcase. Oh well, guess we will just have to pack it to the hilt. Also will have to get a hardcover for my bike if I want to bring it back to Canada or I can put it in a carry on bag and then sign a release that absolves Air Canada of any damage...think I will look for a Hard Bike Case.
Bob and I are getting to be like some married couples....we don't seem to communicate too well. One week our fridge has nothing in it....then.....he went out and bought bananas and mandarin oranges and milk and I did exactly the same thing.....oh yeah and each of us bought cookies....at least the cookies were different.
The staff here is getting a little cheesed off with the financial people here....they have paid us for three months of teaching (and we have taught for 3 months) but they want us to pay them back one month's salary. We are having a meeting on Monday to find out what they do in China to make their system work so well...hahahaha.
May try to get to the Opera next weekend....Friday or Saturday....we are going to have a golf game on Sunday if the weather stays good....the CIS versus the BCCSC...we are going to call it the Jockstrap Open I think..Bob is looking after the bookings etc....match play....sort of know what that is, but we will see who the champions are after the weekend.
Had the official opening of the school....the 10th anniversary kick off...in November...our MP from Canada was brutal....I wrote my MP about it...she talked about 1000 metres above the student's heads and went on for about 25 minutes too long. the entertainment was ok. The Canadian teachers got into it with some clapping and moving around....you should have seen the students. It was as if we weren't supposed to enjoy ourselves..we were sitting on the bleachers at the back and in one solid mass, the back of their heads...all black, turned to expose their faces to see what the Canadians were doing.....it was like night and then day....we laughed about that.
Have been watching some Forrest Gump in my English class ...they do a movie review....and listen to some English....works for me....we will be doing another one in a week's time but with a theme of driving...kids need to do a lot of writing...one weakness exposed in the tests....so we try to get them to do things that they are interested in.....
Have decided to find a new maschocist...I mean masseur....these guys have just been wicked on my lower legs...my calf muscles just about disown me as they grab and wrestle with them...I tried to tell them to only do the upper body but they don't seem to understand....They certainly have been able to cause some things to move in my neck and shoulder and lower back...man are they tough.
Enough...I am babbling now. I am going to shave...head and face and have a shower and get to bed early maybe for once. I have all my correcting up to date so I feel good about this week.. that may be dangerous.
posted by 12thhobo | 5:06 AM
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