It got really noisy with 70 children in a small space so I was quite happy when some of the kids left early.
Monday 31 October 2016
China - Day 281 - Monday 1st November 2016
Halloween party today for the children at StarSplendor so I worked the day in exchange for an alternative day off (on this Thursday). I had a red devil outfit with a face mask so I stood on the steps at the front of the building to spook the kids
Sunday 30 October 2016
China - Day 280
Sunday - spent the day moving between StarSplendor sites - working hard on class preparations and teaching - had a great session at TaiHe with a class that I saw for the first time - 1300-1345 with Catherine (local Chinese teacher) everything went really well with stimulating conversation with the group and almost completely cutting out any Chinese from the classroom - Catherine was able to watch without being tempted to translate into Chinese - felt I had nailed it and then went to show a sort movie at the end of the 45 min session and the IT let me down! Oh well - no class is perfect
Thursday 27 October 2016
China - Day 277
One idiot in the compound waving across the yard from his kitchen to his new colleague Joel who lives on the fourth floor across the way and comes from Kings Heath, Birmingham
Wednesday 26 October 2016
China - Day 275
I have been thinking about moving from StarSplendor when my contract expires at the end of January. If they want to seek to renew my contract then they have to make me an offer before the end of November. I was thinking about moving to Bonding English in Shenyang. However, Tina told me on Monday that there is no current vacancy there. So I need to have a rethink. Went back to work today following a fabulous weekend in Shenyang. I prepared in the morning with Cathy for a lesson that we delivered at 1340. There was a timetabling clash today when the two Uni students turned up for their IELTS practice at 1300. I apologised to them and we proposed a double session tomorrow so everyone was happy in the end.
Back home at 4pm. I have started watching CCTV news on the TV. Chinese and East Asian focus to the news. I get alternative news from Radio 4, BBC website and YouTube (all via the internet). Tonight I will give Crystal an English lesson (via WeChat - a Chinese version of WhatsApp) and watch the third US presidential debate (YouTube)
Back home at 4pm. I have started watching CCTV news on the TV. Chinese and East Asian focus to the news. I get alternative news from Radio 4, BBC website and YouTube (all via the internet). Tonight I will give Crystal an English lesson (via WeChat - a Chinese version of WhatsApp) and watch the third US presidential debate (YouTube)
Tuesday 25 October 2016
China - Day 274
After tennis, Tina took me to a fab restaurant and after that I took the taxi back to the hotel to meet up with Crystal
Saturday 22 October 2016
China - Day 272
Every few weeks StarSplendor puts on a special event called AmericaTown (and I dont know why it is called AmericaTown). But it is always off-campus and usually good fun. The emphasis is on completing an activity in a new setting within an English language context. Today it was 'let's make a cake' and we took 10 children and their parents to (pretend to) make and bake a cake and then to (actually) put on the topping and decorate the cake
Friday 21 October 2016
Thursday 20 October 2016
China - Day 270
The school has agreed to help a couple of mature students prepare for their IELTS exam on October 29th. They will be tested on their proficiency in English language reading writing listening and speaking. I see them together three times per week at 1pm
China - Day 269
Back to giving classes today - Steve is off sick so I will be covering some of his classes over the next couple of weeks - including this one
Tuesday 18 October 2016
China - Day 268
Peaceful lunchtime reading spot by the South river. Nobody ever seems to use this beautiful spot -it's at a dip in the paving so its a great sun trap as well - not used by the locals but which is none-the-less kept spotless by "the council workers"
The street stalls just outside my fav coffee shop close to the West gate of Bohai University
The street stalls just outside my fav coffee shop close to the West gate of Bohai University
Friday 14 October 2016
China - Day 264
The Sizzler - I have been to this eatery many times with Steve. He calls it "the sizzler" because in this eatery the food it brought to the table on hot plates and the food is still cooking as it arrives - we pretty much always have the same dishes - beef and onions - caramalised chips - washed down with beer - delicious!
Sunday 9 October 2016
Saturday 8 October 2016
Friday 7 October 2016
China - Day 254
Everywhere I looked on all pavements and kerbs and parks and roadside stalls....................................
Saturday 1 October 2016
China Day 249 - David
David lives just across the road from dad and so I am staying with him while I am in Romsey. David told me about a portrait of him that hangs from the wall in his living room. It is not a lounge
I like Miss Moody's Tudor Tea Room in Romsey
China - Day 248 - Swanage
I rang Mike Parsons yesterday and he explained the relationships to me. So dad's uncle, Harold Parsons, had some children, including two sons, John and Harry (dad's cousins). Cousin John's widow ("Auntie Mollie") lives in a flat overlooking the beach, and Cousin Harry's widow ("Auntie Doreen") lives in a house that is so close to the beach that if you are sitting in the wrong chair in the lounge you can't hear what is being said because of the waves breaking on the shore. We had tea and cake with Auntie Mollie and her daughter Caroline.
Then we went across the lawn to see Auntie Doreen and spent a few minutes chatting with her
The view from Auntie Doreen's balcony
China - Day 246 - Cornwall to Birmingham
Today I drove up to Birmingham for lunch with Angie at the World Famous Sacks of Potatoes and then I went to my lock-up at Big Yellow across the road and downsized it before I went for a well earned curry with the World Famous Tony in West Heath
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