Moved in!

Finished orientation!  Learned more about lesson planning from this TEFL training than I learned during my BA.  So sad.  Anyway, taught 5 lessons this past week and it was great.  Left Changsha Thursday with my liaison, Mrs. Zeng.  We completed almost all the paper work for my residence visa and work permit before leaving Changsha.  Tried to open my Chinese bank account but they needed my passport which is still with the police for my residence visa and work permit.  Stopped at a supermarket and I bought some food for my apartment, some detergent, and some towels.  Reached my school, TianJiBing, around 3pm.

The apartment was just built earlier this year so is very nice.  Large open area with kitchen and living room, washer and clothes rod.  Bath with western toilet but open shower, small bed room with single bed and desk, and bigger bedroom with air/heating unit.  Very, very nice.  Bed is hard as a rock though! I will have to go see about getting some sort of foam or something if I want to sleep this year!!  LOL

I bought frozen dumplings at the store yesterday so I fixed dumpling for lunch.  For supper tonight I cut up some pork I bought and stir fried it and onions.  You can steam veggies in the rice cooker too, so I put in my rice and water then put the steamer on top and cut up cabbage in it.  So when the rice finished cooking the cabbage was done too.  So I had stir fried pork/onions, rice, and steamed cabbage for supper.  I had mixed some vinegar/soy sauce/garlic stuff for my dumplings so I pored what was left of that on my stuff at supper.  It was good and I have enough for at least one more meal.

Today my liaison brought me a cell phone to use while I am here.  She had sent some of the students over to show me around but I did not hear them knock.  I don't know what time they came.  She is going to have them come back in the morning.  They will show me around school and then take me to town on the bus I think.   Also, the Internet plug end is too big to go into my computer so I am on someone's wireless that goes in and out.  She said she would try to get the computer person to come fix it for me.  With all I have to do this year on-line, I truly hope we can get it fixed.  She also brought me the English books they used last year and the new ones for this year so I could look at them.  I don't have to follow them but it will be good to know what the students are learning in their regular English class.  I don't have a schedule yet but she said I would have Senior 1's.  Of course that is not written in stone even after I start teaching.  The only thing for sure, is there is nothing for sure.  I originally thought school started the first Monday in September but she said she thought it was September 1.  I will ask the students when they come.

As I said before, this city is the fireworks capital of China, so I got to see fireworks last night.  Of course they didn't set them off one at a time but in a bunch.  I guess for testing.

Until next time...