random

Let's see, what have I been up to lately? I can't seem to think straight right now but what's coming up? May holiday, that's what. I'm leaving tomorrow (Monday 30 April) for Borneo! Malaysia side. I won't be there for very long, but it should be a good time. Now, Chinese school system holiday schedule is quite annoying. We get a 7 day holiday, so we must make up for some of that by working the weekend before the break. Which adds up, for this break, to working 8 days in a row, in order to have 7 days off. So by looking at it as 2 weekend days of extra working, and then not counting the 2 weekend days during the break, we actually only get 3 days off. Lame.

So this week has felt very long. But it was broken up, at least, by an outing, a field trip. The 5th and 6th graders went on thursday to some farm where I hear they skiied on grass and did some other stuff. I opted to go with the 3rd and 4th graders, since I love my 4th graders way more, to a lychee farm about an hour away, in one of the far districts of shenzhen. Funny thing was that lychees aren't in season. they did have a little strawberry patch for the kids to pick 3 strawberries, but those were very small and not sweet either. Teachers have the option to hang with the kids or just do their own leisurely thing. I spent the morning with the teachers, not doing much, and after our nice big teacher lunch, I went off with the kids. They had some random games and rides and stuff to look at. Not much learning going on. Just a good break from school, to go somewhere and play. Pretty nice.

Today during 4th period, I walked to my class to find them and the whole school lining up to go downstairs. I asked the kids what was going on and they said we didn't have class today because someone important was coming to see them do their morning exercises. To check up on the school I guess. So I went back to my office to drop my books off and then went downstairs. They do these morning exercises every day before school but I've never really seen them. It's a lot of arm movements, some hopping around. almost sort of like calisthenics (mr. mccloud 5th grade) mixed with dance and maybe a tiny bit of aerobics. It was a pretty long routine too, they really have a lot to learn. It was really amusing, funny to see the whole school doing a little dance routine. I wish I had my camera. I guess I could just go down and see them any morning, but I don't think I'll be able to bear getting up and going to school before school starts just to film some kids jumping around.

fire drill

Today at school, they told me at lunch that we would have a fire drill during 6th period. They told me that today's 6th period class had already been switched to last Friday afternoon, but I am not in school Friday afternoons, so I guess my 6th grade teacher just taught a regular lesson of hers. Anyway, downstairs on the big platform by the playground, they had this conference table set up with microphones and bottles of water and umbrellas (it's gotten very hot again). Looked strange for a fire drill, but it was for the headmasters to talk afterwards. So a little bit into 6th period, they come on the loudspeaker and address the whole school, but I didn't hear most of it. Kids start lining up outside their classrooms and teachers are rushing them downstairs to the playground. Some teachers and a lot of kids are covering their noses and mouths with their hands, or with their little red hankerchief scarves, playing the part of choking school people. I walked into one of my 4th grade classes during this, and saw them hurry out, but one of the teachers had 2 kids stay in the room. Weird. So the 4 of us go to the window to see the gathering outside, and the kids start waving their arms and yelling "Help!" (in English!). It was pretty funny. And Then, 4 firemen in full uniform, oxygen tanks, and masks, come in and usher the kids down. I guess they were part of the drill. That was also hilarious. So I rush downstairs with everyone else. By the time I get to the playground, all the kids are lined up with their classes, sweating in the sun and having fun. And then I look up to the 3rd floor, the outdoor hallway, where tons of yellow smoke starts streaming down. Smoke bomb. Nice dramatic effect. The kids and teachers are covering their faces for real this time, but it's not that bad. I wander through and chat with my kids, many of whom tell me that the smoke smells like barbeque and mmmm, they want to eat barbeque. Then the headmaster and assistant headmaster and the fire chief, or whoever he is, give their speeches about safety and stuff, and then everyone goes back to their classrooms, and school is over. Very very amusing. My primary school fire drills were never this fun.