Teaching....Everyone Should do it Once in their Lives

So this will be an intermittent blog because I slacked on writing it, and have since been to the three gorges, which many may find more interesting. This will just be a catch up on my everyday life (although conceited to imply that anyone other than my mother cares).

I have afew jobs:
1. Conversational English teacher at a local university (Zhejiang Jiaoyu Xueyuan)- Actually incredibly enjoyable. Mon and Wed, 4 hours each day...pays incredibly well. I get up in the morning, and enjoy going out to teach these classes, which consists of 90 percent girls...and they must pay attention to me. Its a captive audience. I talk about whatever I want, and they have to listen...and I get paid for this.



I think the students like me though, so thats good. One day the head of the school told me, "you know the students think you look like a Hong Kong movie star." I knew who they were talking about...and I dont look like him so I said, "Well, I dont think so, but how is my teaching?" and she said: "YOU LOOK LIKE A MOVIE STAR!!!" No really though, I got pretty good student reviews so thats nice.

One thing worth mentioning, is that if I were to work at the university 2 days a week, 8 hours each day, I would actually be saving as much money as I was in the states....working 2 days a week, doing something very enjoyable. Makes you think....

2. Teaching classes on Saturday- Kindergarteners for 2 hours and 12 year olds for 2 hours. I combined these two jobs into one paragraph because i find both to be equally trying. Each has their fleeting moments of enjoyment...but what it basically comes down to...what this has taught me about myself in a simple black and white statement: I am not a disciplinarian...and kids can smell that. I reason with people....you cant reason with people of this age. Even in China, where I think the teacher is generally respected more than in other countries, the kids walk all over me.

This is them on a good day.

Ok, I take it back. I have two groups of kindergarteners. 6 year olds, and 5 year olds. The 6 year olds' class I will say is a success. I actually find it fun. Its play time. However, the 5 year olds have NO attention span. My hour with them usually consists of me playing the piano and singing ...by myself, playing games ...by myself, herding straglers, pacifying criers, then killing time until its time to go home. After the 3rd class, I told my friend Kitty who I also teach with (but shes in the other room, hour with her, hour with me...visa versa) that I cant keep going like this...I cant speak chinese well enough, and they sense the weakness. I must have help. So the next class, the had a nice lady in there to help me who didnt speak any english. I asked her: oh are you a teacher? She said: "I'm the cleaning lady." Sweet!

The 12 year olds, they like me...i think...but its just a tough age.

3. I was teaching this private student for a month straight. Thankfully its now over. The challenge was that he didnt speak, and my job was to help prepare him for his visa interview because he would be attending Long Island University in the fall. He knew plenty of english words, but was just a quiet person. I would ask him questions that had no wrong answer and he would say: I dont know. What do you like to do? ...I dont know. What did you do last night? ... ... .... i dont know. What does your father do?... ... ...business. Ok, but near the end I got through to him through a series of games and drawings...etc. Taught me how important people skills are.

4. Solar Engineer. I met a guy in Shanghai who is from Spain. He owns a spanish company that would soon be starting a joint venture with one of the largest companies in china: Wan Xiang Group. This company is big, like it does all kinds of stuff from car parts, to real estate, to banking, to solar panels, and I am sure I am missing something. I have to "act" as the Spanish engineer between the factory in Hangzhou and the company in Spain. The challenging thing is that there are alot of expectations on me, little guidance, and what guidance there is, is often times in Spanish or Chinese, both of which are spoken by me on my very very low level...so yeah.

Thats my building at Wan Xiang off in the distance

Important dinner with the Spanish Customers (who were really nice people)

Important customer on the left, Big boss man on the right.

This job actually pays very low, but I find it very enjoyable because of my involvement and the things I am learning. All the people are Wan Xiang, and the spanish company have been very very nice. The spanish customers were also really fascinating people. All in all, a great experience so far.

Other things worth noting in my life is that I recently got accepted into a masters program in Europe. Its a masters of Renewable Energy and it is a cooperation amongst some of the Universities throughout Europe. I will spend 4 months starting in October in Oldenberg Germany, then 6 months in Kassels Germany, then 6 months working somewhere ...else, I dont know.

This is my apartment complex

Kite flying is more serious over here than it is in the States

One other thing that is interesting is that sometimes the characteristics that the chinese deem beautiful are not what the west deems beautiful. Ex. Chinese generally like white skin, no freckles, round eyes. Westerners (I think) like darker skin, freckles on an asian girl are unique, and thinner eyes look exotic...no?


This is a sunny day at the college . It is difficult to wash their beddings, so the students usually air out their blankets and stuffed animals. Its kind of funny looking...and they love their stuffed animals.