Having been told that I would have a couple of weeks to settle in before the term starts, imagine my delight at having my first classes on Thursday. Yes, you read that right: classes, plural.
So, on my first day I started my induction, today I will continue my induction and tomorrow I am teaching. Somewhere I need to find time to do two lesson plans but, as yet, I have not even been given the class files, otherwise I would not be updating my blog, I would be doing those instead!
But I've got to start somewhere and the sooner I start the sooner I will learn. The same applies to my Chinese. I am desperate to get started on Mandarin lessons but the summer term is so busy that I cannot start until mid August. So I will just have to pick up what words I can here and there and be patient.
The rest of the team here are great. They all work hard but also play hard and my biggest fear – that there would be lots of spotty, teenage students on gap year placements who don't treat the position as a job, preferring instead to treat it as a year-long vacation – was completely unfounded. There is only one teacher younger than I am, and even he is 30.
Anyway, as long as the computers in the school decide to work I will try and keep the updates regular. I also have broadband at my appartment and hopefully Jack, the logistics department, accounts department, general handyman and all round nice chap, will be able to set it up properly for me at some point, although he doesn't have any English and cannot understand the instructions on the setup wizards and needs a translator (who doesn't know anything about computers!).
Welcome to China !!
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