Hello Sunshine!

NOTE: I HAVE UPDATED EARLIER POST FROM 16th ABOUT ARRIVING IN DALIAN. CHECK IT OUT. THANKS TO SONG DAN FOR UPLOADING IT FOR ME.

I woke up this morning to sunshine, thank God!! I was to go to the admin building for orientation. As usual, my student brought me there, afraid that I'd get lost! Well, to be fair, the guys have been very helpful. One of them told me that usually they have a guy and a girl to help each teacher but since he has a girl's name, they thought he was a girl, so paired him with a guy!!! I hear that's common enough in China, for boys to have girls' names and vice versa.

So, at orientaion, all the new foreign teachers, some of the existing foreign teachers, academics as well as admin staff were there. I think it was a good experience and it was actually the first time they ever had orientation! They told us that we'd be teaching oral English and that they actually had a coursebook! Handy to fall back on! There were 3 of us that hadn't taught before, so that was a bit relieving. Of all the foreign teachers, it looks like I am the baby! Most of them are older but they seem to be a nice bunch of people and I'm sure I'll be going for beers with some of them!

So, they went through some stuff and gave us our schedules. My worst nightmare was realised. Four out of five days with an 8am start! ARRRRGH!! Lucky my apartment is a 5-minute walk from the school!

Some of us then went over to the Chinese Department to find out about Chinese classes. It seems they run a chinese course for overseas students but it is 10 classes a week (15 hours) and all the classes are in the mornings so they clash with my teaching. Even if my teaching was in the evenings, maybe the workload between preparation for teaching, the teaching itself, going to Chinese classes and studying the Chinese class material would be too much! Maybe I can find another school or get a tutor from time to time and work by myself. However, going to class is the best way to motivate one's self!

To Be Continued...