a good joke

This week I gave my students an opportunity to ask me any question they wanted. Most of them asked questions like, How do i improve my oral english? Or, What is your hometown like? But today I found a true jokester. Or maybe it was a riddle, I thought. She asked, what is the difference between a man jumping out of the third floor and a man jumping out of the thirtieth floor? (hmm, interesting question.) I told her I didn't know, and she said the answer is, one man yells AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! and the other man yells AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! Apparently there's a whole slew of Chinese jokes like this one. I laughed so hard at her joke that the class had to ask me if I was alright. This job only gets better.

second week teaching

This is my second week teaching, and the students are delightful. The monitors are giving me the class lists of names, which are delightful in themselves. For some reason, Chinese students pick very strange English names. The most memorable one so far was chosen by a female student who wanted to be called "Dracula". I told her she couldn't be called Dracula, so she chose the name Cherry for herself. Other student names include Echo, Jarry, Yosmine, Anky, Luna, and Chitty. And those are all from one class. The delimma: do I make ALL of them change their names? Sure, Dracula definitely needed to change her name. But I hate taking away their identity so quickly. I just need to find a way to be able to call role with a straight face somehow....
Another delightful part of teaching these precious students is the comments they wrote about themselves on a notecard I assigned them to fill out. For example, Diana writes, "People will remember me easily, even though we are the first time to meet. Why? Because of my short stature: I smile everyday. I have a motto: my stature is short, but my power is endless. If you have unhappy, call me, my telephone is right here waiting for you. If you have something delicious, please! Don't forget me. That's me, I just do myself."
Sarah writes, "I'm a sensitive girl. A girl like the winter. I like the sentence that from Sandra Cisneros: Until then, I am a red balloon, a balloon tied to an anchor. I think it's like me."
Phoebe says, "I'm an optimistic and outgoing girl. I like to making friends. I wish everybody is happy."
I could go on, but I won't. Let's just say that I consider myself very fortunate to have this job.

first week in Hengyang

Now I am settled into my apartment in Hengyang, Hunan, in southern China. Though this city is only the second largest city in the province, it is HUGE, especially when we go downtown. Our campus is a bit southward of the center, but it sits just west of the Xiang River. The other day my new team went and had a picnic on the island in the river, which was nice. Night before last the girls on my team went to get a massage. In Hengyang you can get the best hour-long massage ever from a blind man for 35 RMB, about $5.
Today I am getting ready to go to Hong Kong for a couple of days, but I had an interesting lunch experience. I went to the "joint" and asked for them to fry together some carrots, beans, and lotus root. I love lotus root; it's a shame you can't readily find it in the states. The lady served me the cooked dish and a few minutes later came back and said, "it's terrible, isn't it?" "NO!" I protested, "It's delicious!" I finished and paid 5 RMB (less than a dollar for a filling, delicious, and healthy lunch!) to the lady who said, "I'm so embarrassed!" "Why are you embarrassed?" I asked. "Because I cooked so terribly!" the cook said. "You're so modest- It was wonderful, and I'll come again!" I said. And I will. This Hengyang cook was tai qianxu- too modest.