Autumn Days

Nin men hao!

I realize it has been a while since my last post (I can’t believe October is almost over!) and I am sorry that I haven’t been more attentive. Things have been quite busy here at CTBU (Chongqing Technology and Business University) also known as Gong Shang Daxue. It is all ready time for mid-terms, and a big part of me feels like we just started the semester!

My classes are all going really well – I teach 7 different sections of Spoken English, and although the topics we discuss are essentially the same in all the classes, the speaking level of the students varies greatly, so I usually end up varying the content throughout the week. I have 3 classes with Freshman, and they are extremely friendly and motivated. They are ready to do anything I ask them to do! After my experiences as a substitute teacher in the States, the attitudes of the Freshman is a refreshing (and welcomed) change! I also teach 3 sections of Junior students who are Economy and Trade majors, and their English is at a pretty high level, so class is usually very entertaining!

Other than classes, I have been busy studying Chinese. After PST I was a little burned out on studying Hanyu (Han = Chinese, yu = language) so I did very little during September. But I decided that I should probably have something to show for myself considering the length of time I am going to spend here, so I found a tutor who I study with for 3 hours each week and I also attend a 2 hour class that my university offers to Foreign teachers. I am starting to learn to read and write characters, which combined with my speaking sessions, is helping me figure out the system behind the language. I found the language classes during my training to be rather difficult because it was essentially strict memorization. So after a month of my renewed efforts, I feel like I am on a decent path to some sort of language efficiency.

And in addition to all that, I have been spending what is left of my free time either cooking (which is always an adventure!!) or meeting with students. Students who are not actually my students, but students at CTBU who have somehow figured out my phone number, email, and where I live. Last week, a young man I had never seen before in my life knocked on my door at 9 am asking if he could come in and get my help (he wanted me to edit a practice composition he’d written for the GRE.) I was a little creeped out, and asked him if we could arrange a meeting for another time.

So, here I am, with a different date each night of the week. Some just want to talk and practice their spoken English, others are more serious and ask endless questions about English grammar, which usually leads us to a very confusing conversation about the nonsense of it all.

But it is nice to be able to help, and I am learning a lot about what life is like for a typical Chinese students. Not to mention they each offer a splendor of knowledge of the city, food, language, and culture. One student (in exchange for regular meetings to edit her essays) is going to teach me to play the gu zheng, a traditional Chinese instrument pictured above. She actually brought her instrument to store in my apartment, so I can play it anytime I feel like it!

Life is good. I hope everyone is well, healthy, and happy.