So let’s see… I’ve got a few new additions to my life, in the form of material possessions. I bought this guy for really cheap on the musical instruments street here, and have been practicing a bit lately.
Also, Garrett and Gianmarco bought a PS3 and I’ve been slaughtered in Call of Duty and FIFA 10 more times than I can count by my superiorly skilled roommates. It’s a nice little time waster, and also a great lure to get friends to come to our nook of the city. The next addition, I believe, will be an electric scooter to help me get around the city. After mastering the subway system, I can easily get myself around underground, but I’m dying to become adept at navigating the streets and alleys of this massive metropolis.I was more than pleased to attend the One Year Anniversary of Briccocafe, at which they gave out completely complimentary wine and food to all of their freeloading patrons (read: me and fellow poor English teachers). I was ecstatic to run into people that I knew from various Shanghai encounters there—it makes me feel more and more like I belong when I have connections built up enough that I run into people throughout the city. A friend from USC, a wine pourer from a festival I’d gone to in Shanghai, and even an Italian I met last summer at a bar and hadn’t seen since were all in attendance, so as the Proseco and Rose sparkling wine were flowing, so was the conversation. Of course made some new friends there as well, and thus the ever-present cycle of living in a city where minorities and expats are so obviously distinguishable continues...
And per requests from some of you, I’ll add in some photos of my classroom. It's simple, but I've grown quite fond of it.
As the complete opposite of an early riser, I don’t much appreciate waking up at six in the morning to make it to my long work day, but it’s easy to get re-energized by thinking about my specific students. I really enjoy being a teacher for those interactions with my students that I can tell really care, and are eager to learn. On the agenda for today is a vocabulary test, some dialog work, a grammar lesson, talking about cultural customs within China, and learning about doing business in some foreign countries. (In case you were wondering, the most popular countries my students would like to visit are France, the UK, and Singapore. On the other hand, the clear loser was Japan—most Chinese people here still have not forgiven the Japanese for their wrongs against China in the past century.)Well, nothing else really new, just paying some bills and kickin it like never before. Hope all is well in your corner of the world, wherever that may be.
Currently Reading: Love in a Fallen City
Currently Listening To: Phoenix
