Here’s an update on my week, bullet-style.

• I’m finally online at home, surfing in style on my little wireless network. I’m more “wired” than I’ve ever been in the States!
• I got my first gift from the school … Moon Cake! It’s a usually-disgusting dessert that’s very popular as a gift in China. I actually got lucky … nobody told me about the gift or gave it to me, I simply saw them passing out boxes to different teachers in the apartment next to mine, so I went over and asked about it.
• Though I’ve known about them since the day they came out, I just discovered the beauty of podcasts … I can easily watch the daily news from America, listen to sermons from my favorite preachers, see hilarious home videos, watch the sports news, and get free Chinese language lessons. And when I hook my MacBook up to my television and speakers, it’s even better!
• I’ve been playing basketball after school with a group of male teachers. It’s like streetball … the kids crowd around the court and cheer incessantly as we all struggle to get the rock through the hole. And it’s weird … I’m just about the tallest on the court, and though my skills are mediocre at best at home, I’m actually one of the better players here in China. And the kids go nuts whenever I do anything.
• I have two 23-hour train rides booked for my weeklong trip to Shanghai next week. And I am so looking forward to it!
• I put a message board on my front door, and it’s amazing how many little notes and messages I’m getting from the kids at the school. Most of them are way too shy to talk to me directly, but they’ll write a quick message then run away as I approach in person. It’s especially fun to watch them through the little keyhole-viewer-thingy while they’re reading and writing.
• My sore throat is almost gone.
• iChat is also an amazing program … yesterday I was video chatting with the lovely and talented Kimberly while simultaneously having a group chat with my mom in Akron, my sister-in-law in Ashland, and my sister in Germany!
• I ate eel, frog (they call it “field chicken”), and a delicious dish of mushrooms and actual green beans for lunch the other day … it sure beats McDonalds.
• Two students came up to me after a class today and told me, flat-out, that my class was boring. It turned into a fruitful discussion … I got some good feedback from them, and they were able to see (after 40 minutes of talking) that it was boring mostly because nobody was participating. In response, I changed the plan for my next class … and it totally bombed.
• I got two new roommates.
• In order to get the week off next week, I have to teach this Saturday and next Sunday … 11 extra classes. That would never fly in the States.
• I need to go take a shower. Now.

Posted to webeldotnet on Friday, September 29th, 2006 at 9:24 pm EST in My Life (comment feed). If you refer to this post on your blog, please trackback. Thanks!