Well vacation is over, I begin teaching tomorrow morning bright and early. I have an eight o’clock class! I still don’t have my full schedule yet so that will be posted later.

So far I have two classes. Both Freshman classes, one Tuesday at 8:00-9:40 and the second Thursday 10:15-11:50am. I like morning classes so everyone keep your fingers crossed my schedule keeps looking like this. I still have 10 hours to add to this schedule so who knows.

I think I’m ready. I have my lesson planned and handouts copied. I have reviewed the plan with Wendy and she has given me the green light. Who ever reads this please say a pray for me! Confidence is the key! If I go in prepared and put on a confident front the students will respond. Or at least that is the theory here.

I know I can, I know I can, see everything you need in life you learned in Kindergarten. I think I should buy myself a copy of The Little Engine That Could and pull it out on nights like these when I could really use the boost.

Even with all those extra classes which I am truly grateful for, I still feel completely unprepared. Let me tell you following in my parents footsteps is a very very scary path at times. I look at their class rooms and their ability and can only pray to give a tenth of what they do by nature. I am so grateful for their example and commitment. All I can do is strive and do a whole lot of praying along the way. Thank you Mom and Dad for being such an amazing example.

Well I’m off to bed there is nothing more I can do tonight. The first day is the hardest on the nerves right?

First Contract

Well it is all official, eight signatures later I am officially on the payroll of Shandong Vocational College of Business and Economics.

Here are a few of the terms:

• The teaching time in a week is from 14 to 18 hours.
• Party B (that’s ME!) will have five workdays, the same as Chinese teachers.
• Party B’s  monthly salary shall be RMB 3600¥ before taxes.
• RMB 100¥ will be deducted from the salary of the current month for anyone who missed class without sound reason.
• International air ticket: For one school year contract (10months)
• Party A shall provide Party B free housing.
• After fulfilling the contract Party B will get the holiday traveling allowance which is RMB 22oo ¥ every school year and will be paid in half each semester.
• Party B is entitled to one winder vacation (one and half months) with salary, and one-day for Christmas in addition to the legal holidays in China.

So here it is! Kelly you can’t beat these terms!

 

Teacher’s Dinning Hall

I have two options for dinning, cook my own ( yeah right ) or the school’s Catina. The only real draw back to this second option is the fact that the food is, well, Chinese.  I was never a huge fan back in the States and assured my self the Americanization of most food slaughters the true taste. I am beginning to doubt this assumption. Although the food is very different from Panda Express’s Orange Chicken or Sweet and Sour Egg Fu Yung, I am not finding the food here much more appealing.

This is my first time eating at a Caffeteria at school and having set meal times is going to take some getting use to.

• Breakfast: 6:30 – 8:00am    
• Lunch: 11:30 – 1:00pm
• Dinner: 5:00-7:00pm

For Breakfast and Dinner I must go to the Student’s Dinning Hall.

For Lunch the Teacher’s Dinning Hall is open.

Dinning Card

Back - Thats my number, still means nothing to me

It costs 8¥ but the school pays 5¥ as a teacher perk. So I get a heaping plate of Chinese for 3¥ or 50¢. Talk about a steal.

Wendy helped me find my way around the Teacher’s Dinning Hall. So here is the breakdown.

• Main course: one of two selections (today’s: Chicken and Bell Peppers or Fish)
• Carbs/Sweets: three of nine selections
• Rice!
• Sides (no limit, various stir frys and noodle dishes)
• Soup/Broth/Rice Water/Drink  (I’m still forming an opinion)

 

Look Mom, Chopsticks! Now, bets anyone as to if I will make it to my mouth?

What do you have for lunch? Wanna trade?

 

Nathan you will be happy to hear my favorites are the veggie sides and the Tofu pancakes! 

Let me just take a second to explain the chicken. Originally I was excited hey chicken how bad can you screw that up? Well lets see, leave the bones in, the skin on, and cartilage attached oh and no silverware to separate this just CHOPSTICKS!! My meat in take is definitely dwindling quickly.

 

 

The three breads you see in the foreground are starting from the bottom up, tofu pancake – pastry filled with tofu and leeks (favorite so far but that is not saying much), corn meal bread stick, and a steamed bun with brown sugar in the middle (not as tasty as it sounds).

The side dishes are great! Longbeans and bacon, cucumbers and tomatoes in a spicy garlic sauce and the ever present rice.

On to the soup/broth/rice water/drink. I really just don’t know what to call it. It is considered the soup/drink for the meal and it is quite literally rice water. They cook the rice in 10x more water than normal and then serve the water, so it is just a starchy warm broth. There is white rice water or brown rice water, which do you think I go for?

Chopsticks, oh I could write a whole post on these two little twigs! I have yet to conquer the chopstick thing. To be honest I do use them at the apartment instead of a fork. I figure I might as well make a fool of myself in the privacy of my own apartment if I’m going to do so in public anyway. Hey and in the Dinning Hall at least my attempts provide the floor show. Again Wendy offers tons of encouragement.

As to the amount of food I have only eaten lunch at the cafateria and usually skip dinner on those days.  I did find out I can take my lunch to go which I might start doing so I can eat half for lunch and half for dinner.

Well everyone pray my taste buds have a drastic change of heart or the weight I intended to lose will start coming off faster.

Front gate

There is a guard at the gate at all times. Students are only allowed off campus Saturdays and Sundays.

View over the front gate.

These apartments replaced a ‘village’ Wendy told me. They are 6 stories I think, I hope they have elevators but my honest guess is no. There are about ten bulidings.

The devoloper was allowed to build if those living were able to get afforadable housing with the project. The rest of the area will be turned into commercial property.

Entrance and school Mascott

This statue is the school Mascott. It is the equivelant to the thumbs up gesture.

The building in the back is the new administration building. The school is undergoing major construction as the student body expands.

 

Ponds and Trees in the center of Campus

More administration buildings. Wendy’s office is here on the second floor. This building is on the left of the Entrance.

Center of Campus Round-About

Student Dinning Hall

Building 5 - Computer Sciences

Campus Grocery Store

 

 

 

 

For those of you who read about the Bananas this is the place. I have yet to venture up stairs, but down stairs seems to sell everything!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sports Fields & Basketball Courts

 

 

 

The basketball courts were recently but in. Empty courts are a rare site in the evenings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Building 2 - aka HOME

 

 Building 2, Unit 1, Floor 4, #401

 

So if any one cares to drop by just buzz  and I should have the door open by the time you make it up the four flights of stairs!

 

My unit is the first on the left.

 

 

 

The only English sign I have found on campus so far.

This is walking straight south instead of turning right to my building. The Building where I will teach is on the left. 

My comute to work is going to be a killer, I mean come on,  four flights of stairs, one road and two more flights of stairs!

Building 4 - Applied Language Department

You have now reached the very south end of campus!

So this will be home for another year!

Yesterday evening after a triumphant return from my first excursion out of my apartment, all my by self, I discovered I had no Internet. I was completely devastated that I was not going to be able to bask in the glory of my accomplishment, not only had I managed to make a purchase but more astounding I was able to open my front doorby myself  in under five min, which is no small feat! 

I had gone to the small store on campus to purchase hooks to hang the decorative scrolls. I ran into a little confusion when I decided to purchased some bananas. I selected a few and was walking them to the register to pay when a gentleman tapped me on the shoulder and proceeded to explain something to me. He could tell he was getting nothing across and elicited the help of a fellow worker. Again the explanation was lost. Finally I surrendered the bananas as that was the obvious source of contention. He beckoned for me to follow as he proceeded to the center of the store to a weighing station. I had assumed they would weigh and price at the register but no harm done, once priced the bananas where returned to me and the kind gentleman escorted me to the shortest line with a smile. So lesson learned produce – weigh station -  then the register!

Psychologically the trip helped conqure the fear of survival! It is truely amazing what you can get across with gestures and looks. So eventually I hope to learn Mandarin but until then the confused Westerner look will have to do. But hey as long as I can buy bananas and bread I will survive!

I was hoping the Internet problem would resolve itself but to no avail, I awoke to no Internet. I felt rather cut off and as Sunday tradition dictates in the Reagan household I was allowed to check in without pushing the boundaries of being homesick.  After two tech Officers the problem was resolved! Thank you James! So Mom or Dad would you please call again!